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Breakdown Cover


Guest Paul Langridge

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Guest Paul Langridge

Hello club, I am asking about breakdown cover. What is the best to get, looking for a really good deal. I believe a personnel cover is better. I notice on my profile that you have me down as a newbie builder in actual fact I passed the SVA in 2007 & have done numerous upgrades. I was a member a long time ago but for the past 4 or 5 years I lost interest however I am now back in the groove. Hopefully if weather good will be at the revised date for the national show. I say if weather good because I’m no spring chicken so weather conditions can have a bad effect on me. Well hopefully will meet some of you guys at the end of August I think it is.

Regards Paul L...

Edited by richyb66
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I would normally sing the AA praises, they have the best patrols and more of them. I worked for them for 17 years, but the new management team and not very ethical so I search for another and found 2gether breakdown cover. Also worth looking at you insurance provided they can normally get a better deal than individuals.

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I would recommend AutoAid https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/ £59 a year for both yourself & partner, on any vehicle either of you are in, includes motorbikes, trailers & caravans. Was far better value when it was only £38 a few years ago, but some venture capitalists bought in & they want their money back so prices have gone up but I think they are still good value, compared with the others.

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10 hours ago, phaeton said:

I would recommend AutoAid https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/ £59 a year for both yourself & partner, on any vehicle either of you are in, includes motorbikes, trailers & caravans. Was far better value when it was only £38 a few years ago, but some venture capitalists bought in & they want their money back so prices have gone up but I think they are still good value, compared with the others.

That sounds very good - have you ever had to use them? That is the acid test.

Edited by nelmo
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50 minutes ago, nelmo said:

That sounds very good - have you ever had to use them? That is the acid test.

Yes, 3 times,

1st time coming up the A1 back from Santa Pod in our MR2 Turbo, noticed a trail smoke behind us, pulled over to find the driveshaft oil seal had let go spraying oil all over getting onto the exhaust & causing the smoke. This was a Sunday afternoon/early evening, rang them up explained wasn't worth sending out a mechanic as self diagnosed, also it would have to be a low loader capable of handling a lowered car. They turned up within the hour with one of those beds that slides off, this was around 2006/7 in those days you had to pay the contractor & then claim the money back, which I did & got it back in less than a week & before the CC was due. This has now changed you don't pay anything anymore or at least I haven't the other twice.

2nd time I was coming back from Stoneleigh on the A46 on the Oxton bypass when the fan belt of the A-series snapped on the buggy I was driving, mechanic came out I was expecting to have to be towed home, but he found a belt in the bottom of his van & together we put it on, he then charged me just for the belt.

3rd time I was out with my daughter & grandkids, she tried to make a U turn & the front subframe on her Golf collapsed quite scary really the bottom arm just pulled out from the subframe due to corrosion, luckily we were only doing about 5 mph, but had it gone 5 minutes before when she was doing 60! We were only 8 miles from home so rang the wife she came & collected the daughter & grandkids & I waited for the recovery truck, he came out in a spec type truck managed to pick the front end up & strap it on safely. He even reversed it onto the drive, then let me put axle stands under it before he dropped it off the T-bar. Seem to remember I had to wait just over an hour for them on that occasion, but it didn't help that I was in the middle of Clumber Park & there was no mobile reception, he'd been driving around 15 minutes looking for me.

Mine is due again on the 27th & so far I've not found a better deal, it's peace of mind, I will fix all my own issues where I can & limp home, but it's nice to know if like we have for the past 10 years done a trip in the kit car to mid Wales that if the worst happened you'll always going to get home. I must admit I will be checking out Green Flag before I do renew but I don't think they can get anywhere near, also check your bank, some are included, but with them check the small print, they are or at least were very restrictive, the Nat West one I had several years ago wasn't with the icons on the screen, 10 miles max, only to a garage etc.

 

Edit:- Just checked out Green Flag you have to specify vehicles so in my mind it's a non starter

Edited by phaeton
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Green flag you have to provide details of one vehicle but on the personal cover you're not locked to it, so it doesn't matter. I put our tin top down but claimed on the Zero a couple of years ago, no problems.

edit: Green Flag renewal is up for me too, for personal UK cover, including onward travel to a destination of your choosing, for myself and partner (all cars), is £80.

Edited by brumster
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2 hours ago, brumster said:

Green flag you have to provide details of one vehicle but on the personal cover you're not locked to it, so it doesn't matter. I put our tin top down but claimed on the Zero a couple of years ago, no problems.

edit: Green Flag renewal is up for me too, for personal UK cover, including onward travel to a destination of your choosing, for myself and partner (all cars), is £80.

Me too been using green flag for a number of years.  Had no problems. 

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I have personal cover with the AA for the tin top but they won't cover a non-production car, i.e. a kit car, for European use so I took a specific policy with A-Plan for that.  £45 for the year.

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  • 7 months later...

Just an update - I liked the look of AutoAid but they don't offer getting your car back home, which is the most important to me for my kit - no point getting it taken to a garage! 🙂

But I was amazed that Green Flag costs only £91 for me and the wife in any car AND including the all-important recovery home. I was really expecting to get some huge quote...even covers my caravan and motorbike!

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Are you sure? Auto Aid brought me home on the 2 occasions I've used it, including once when I drove out to my broken down daughter & grandkids, let them come home in my car & then claim her car was mine. They took that one to her home, I wouldn't have it it recover home wasn't an option.

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They may have changed their T&C's since being bought out, but that is still my understanding, this is from their website

 

"If you break down more than a mile from home, and if our operators can't quickly fix your vehicle by the roadside, we will tow you to any U.K onward destination of your choosing or a garage of your choice!"

I've always read that as taking you to where you want to go or take you back home, but I could be wrong!

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It's quite confusing - in the policy wording, it says, "if you are more than 25 miles from home, we will take you to a local garage..."

But I've spoken to them and they confirmed they would recover to home no matter where you are.

Having said that, I've booked with Green Flag and I like the fact that for just an extra £30 for the year, they have their own fleet rather than relying on local towing services. I'm sure they would do it OK but my biggest concern is getting my car home and I imagine that will be a smoother process if the recovery company also own the fleet?

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