Really need to sort myself out with some breakdown recovery. Got some rescue for the car which was cheap with the insurance (Adrian Flux) which has been fine when we’ve used them. However this doesn’t cover the bike. So, thinking about getting more inclusive breakdown cover to sort car, bike with me and wife on either. Did have AA a few years ago, and had good service with them (again with car).
Who do you use and how were they when you needed to call them out?
RAC seem to be a spot cheaper than AA, but heard some terrible horror story over on Fazer forum, where they trashed a bike when one of their 3rd party firms fastened it badly to truck. Guy is still struggling to get any compensation…
I have breakdown recovery through my ebike insurance, as I have an Italian motorcycle I’ve had plenty of opportunities to use the service and it is great. Never had to wait more than 45 mins and they always take you and the bike back to your house if they can’t help you start it.
Upgrade your bank account. If you get a premier online current account you get free AA or RAC, depending on the bank, as well as various other benefits like mobile phone, travel and purchase insurance, free overdrafts, faster cheque clearing, all sorts. mine only costs me £10/month. I think it saves me about £100/year. I’ve got AA ansd when i need them I phone the bank and they arrive, used it twice in the last 12 months, plus you can upgrade the cover direct with the AA (via the bank) if you go to europe or need additional cover. You get free RAC with IAM I think as well.
Interesting… hadn’t thought of that. I’m with Smile (part of Co-Op), they want £13/month for their ‘smilemore’ account, which gives breakdown cover with RAC (I think - one page says RAC, another AXA!). So £157/yr, which doesn’t seem to bad as its EU wide cover. Cheap overdrafts could also be handy too, cause I’m always skint! Ditto mobile/laptop insurance could be useful too.
I have AA cover with carol nash and have used a few times and never had a problem
had pick ups a guy try to find an electrical fault and flats fixed , it seems all of the motorcycle breakdown guys are proper bike mechanics
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i know from two terrible experiences with green flag that they are total crap. im now on full cover with RAC and have needed them once with a car breakdown and they were excellent, but not needed them for the bike, touch wood, but im sure they would be as good.
My insurance includes RAC (including European breakdown) as part of the cover. In fact, I left ebike as they changed their breakdown assistance provider from the RAC to some crappy little company that didn’t have the faintest idea how to treat a customer (three-hour wait then a van with no bike-transport capabilities, leaving me stranded on my own late at night).
Back with RAC now and much happier. They’ve always responded within the hour - they’ve taken me well out of range to my preferred garage, too. And always had nice, helpful, knowledgeable guys.
AA cover for me - covers me in/on any vehicle whether i am driving or passanger, they gave me a hire car within an hour when i called them out to the car and repaired the car which would have cost £450 (glad i have that cover policy) and were with me in under 45mins the other day on the bike when it decided to throw a shaft out of the engine! (see other thread!) Always take the breakdown policy off the insurance for a slight reduction, plus the AA recover in the event of an accident!
If you take the joint policy out with you and your partner covered then it doesn’t matter what your driving or whether the person your catching a lift with has cover or not!
I discovered this a few years back when they refused to collect my car & told me to talk to my insurers, even the fact that my insurers were also the AA made no difference they still refused!
The RAC did recover after accidents but they don’t do it either anymore.
the AA will & do recover after an accident but the’ll charge you for it, this is copied from their t&c’s on website…
in the event that You require vehicle recovery following an accident, the AA can, if You require, provide this for You but will not be responsible for meeting the costs involved. If the AA does agree to provide recovery in these circumstances You will be responsible for, and required to pay, the AA’s charges for this service
4. Are there any significant exclusions or limitations to AA Membership?
Full details of the restrictions which apply to AA Membership can be found further on in this Booklet, however the key restrictions are:
Where cover is available (page 9):
n Service is only available within the UK. Residents of the Channel Islands and Isle of Man should purchase the appropriate cover for those territories.
Vehicle specifications (see page 13):
n Service is only available to Members travelling in a car, van, minibus or motorcycle which complies
with the stated max weight restriction of 3.5 tonnes and max width restriction of 7ft 6in (2.3m)
General Terms and Conditions (see pages 17-21);
n Assistance is not available following a breakdown or accident attended by the police or other
emergency service, until the vehicle’s removal is authorised. If the police insist on recovery by a
third party, the cost must be met by you.
n No recovery (including a local tow) is available following an accident;
Page 14: Service Descriptions – What is covered and what is not covered
What is not covered:
• The cost of spare parts, petrol, oil, keys or other materials required to repair Your Vehicle or any supplier delivery or call out charges related to these items;
• The cost of any labour, other than that provided by the AA or its agents under your AA Membership at the scene of the breakdown or accident;
• Any additional transport or other costs that You might incur or any incidental expenses that may arise during a recovery. The AA cannot accept any costs for passengers who do not accompany Your Vehicle while it is being recovered;
• Routine maintenance and running repairs e.g. radios, interior light bulbs, heated rear windows;
• Any recovery or tow following an accident (see General Terms & Conditions, clause 2, page 18);
Clause 2 page 18:
AA Membership Breakdown Cover does not provide for any vehicle recovery following an accident.
The AA may, if You request, be prepared to provide recovery following an accident but, if so, You will be responsible for paying the AA’s charges for this assistance (including, but not limited to, any charges relating to any specialist equipment used).
it seems the pdf is different from the general terms & conditions they have on the site, it does say for members joining on or after Jan 07 though so the bastards probably don’t recover after accidents any more…
My car accident was in 2004 & they were adamant even back then that they wouldn’t recover the car, that had to be arranged by my insurers, even though they were the same company.
Looking at that link, it’s worded a bit different but it does tie in with the final bullet point in my previous post, ie. they’ll consider doing it & if they do they’ll bill you (no doubt handsomely) for the privilege.
The RAC definitely would recover after an accident, but I noticed when reviewing my docs after renewing last year that they too now exclude it.
We can confirm you would be covered in the event of an accident under AutoAid, however, we would ask if you could check with your insurance company first of all, as sometimes they do prefer to recover the vehicle themselves and have it taken to a garage of their choice, but if this is not covered under your policy, then we can make the arrangements for you…
