Advice needed please. My sister is buying her first car this weekend, and she want a good quality car breakdown service. I know that some insurance companies can provide this, so we’ll be asking them about that tomorrow. My breakdown service is provided through my personal bank account, where I pay an extra £16-£20 pounds a month, and that gives me full breakdown cover, and at-home cover. With that bank service also comes mobile phone cover, gadget insurance cover up to £1,500, and an additional 12 month warranty on any electrical equipment I buy that costs over £50. I think the bank cover is good value.
What breakdown cover do you use, recommend, or have had bad dealings with? What questions should I be asking the various providers? I need to buy this tomorrow morning.
I have Europe wide breakdown and recovery that comes with Admiral Insurance. They use various contractors. I’ve had to use them twice for simple things, (punctured wheel seized on and flat battery), both times they arrived in under an hour and did a good job.
I’ve not had to use it yet, but for £10 a month my Nationwide account gives me full European breakdown cover, mobile phone insurance, worldwide travel insurance and extended warranty cover.
I think the breakdown cover is provided by Britannia.
Well, it depends on what the breakdown cover is. Some do get you actual useful recovery, but it’s definitely worth checking.
Personally, I wouldn’t bother with anything less than a take-me-home service, but 90% of the time I call out a breakdown service it’s because I’ve already figured out that it’s not a repairable problem.
when my starter solenoid blew on my tuono, the RAC man couldn’t be bothered doing any fault finding other than testing the battery had enough voltage. in my experience, if they don’t have a car and don’t ride themselves they don’t want to waste their time looking for a fault.
Is that all of your experience? It’s pretty difficult to start fault-finding on a modern electronic bike with no manual and no prior knowledge of it, once you’ve ruled out the obvious, relatively mechanical, problems. Once he’s figured out it’s not the battery, what’s he going to do by way of repair? Generally, I’ve had good times working stuff out with both the RAC and AA where I’ve been bothered enough to prompt it (and to help), and had a harder time getting them to give up and get me a recovery vehicle.
Anyway, more usefully perhaps to Aceman:
I’m a member of the RAC but only because I keep accidentally renewing. They’re fine, they tend to eventually get me home when I need recovery and I think they’ve fixed a puncture or two in the past. They’re pretty bad at finding you, though, and will always send a patrol out before a recovery vehicle (though the patrols can all tow cars, so not really an issue in your case).
I’ve used the AA a few times, and they seem about equal. They do have an app that keeps you up to date on where the guy you’ve called out is, and you can use it to get discounts in shops and restaurants (TDJ was going on about this the other day and might’ve convinced me to switch).
Pointedly, neither include cover for wrong-fuel (the AA will find someone local and part-subsidise it up to £80, I think, the RAC just help you find someone) and neither anymore will recover you from an accident as part of your cover.
I have the top level RAC cover with my bank account.
I had the opportunity to use it last month as the car decided to burn out one of its coil-packs on a jaunt up north on the M1. The RAC were ace and did all I would want of them. They attended quickly, were annoyed they didn’t have the right spare part on the van (I wasn’t surprised, it’s not a Ford, or VAG, I drive), tried really hard to source the part on Saturday afternoon as all the parts shops were closing, and when this failed they promptly arranged a flatbed to take it back to a repairer of my choice. I opted for the indie garage I use for its routine servicing because it would be more convenient to me come collection time. No problem to the RAC, they were happy to send it there. The RAC man told me this would likely cost them £900 to flatbed it back to London.
Included, was the facility for me to rent a car to finish our weekend’s travel but as we had friends able to collect us, and conveniently able to give us a lift back to London, we declined.
I've not had to use it yet, but for £10 a month my Nationwide account gives me full European breakdown cover
Pat
Good luck with that one. they'll take you a maximum of 50 miles or to the nearest bike repair shop if they can't fix you at the side of the road.
me_groovy
They will take it to a local repair place initially, but if they can't repair it by the end of that working day, they'll recover it to wherever you want in the UK.
Unlike most other breakdown recovery options these days, it also provides recovery in the event of an accident.
Check if the recovery is “all the way” home or to where you are going. The RAC usually do this but the AA used to only take you so far then leave you hanging around waiting for the guy on the next patch to take you the next bit etc etc. Probably worth knowing for a girl driving alone, especially if it’s a long distance eg holiday.
Absolutely, and punctures / terminal electronic failures only happen on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere! I use Green Flag after bad experiences with the AA and RAC.
I pay £96 a year to the AA to cover three drivers. The service covers the driver not the vehicle so with quire a number of vehicles to use it works out well for me.
Have a look at AutoAid, best solution for me even those l have RAC via insurance for the bike and Ford Assistance for the car (covers my Eurotrips).
If she is buying a Ford would suggest Ford Assistance which is free with annual services, if it’s over 4 years old theres a value option which l use to get this cover. It is provides AA Relay Plus UK and Europe, three day free car hire if it can’t be sorted.
Unlike most other breakdown recovery options these days, it also provides recovery in the event of an accident.
Pat
So would this have helped with my accident the other week, when it was only me that had broken down and not the bike?
I will need to join a breakdown service in the new year once I can ride again, so if possible want to join one who can provide recovery in that type of situation. And I am already with Nationwide anyway so it would also stop them from trying to get me to upgrade.
Unlike most other breakdown recovery options these days, it also provides recovery in the event of an accident.
Pat
So would this have helped with my accident the other week, when it was only me that had broken down and not the bike? I will need to join a breakdown service in the new year once I can ride again, so if possible want to join one who can provide recovery in that type of situation. And I am already with Nationwide anyway so it would also stop them from trying to get me to upgrade.
Michael
Not sure, as by the sound of it, although you were broken, your bike was still usable?
That said, there is this clause in the ‘What is covered’ section on page 7: "Supply a relief driver if the only able and legal driver of the vehicle cannot continue a journey because of illness or injury. "
Thanks Pat, I have sent them a message to ask what they could have done so will see what they say. Not sure whether I am more amazed to find my PIN reader still works, or that you cannot send messages though the mobile app.
If they would have wanted to ride it home that would have been fine by me, just so long as I did not have to be a one-handed pillion in the cold, wet, and dark.
