European Breakdown cover

[Triv]

Can anyone suggest anyone please?
I've read the 'First Call' nightmares, so I won't be using them!

Having made a few calls today, I'm stunned that so many companies are now refusing cover unless one already has an insurance policy with them. It must be costing them a fortune.

So, all suggestions welcome.

 

[Ricardo_e220]

Used axa recently with my lotus, didn't breakdown so have no real experience of them in anger.

 

[280merc]

Hi, I always use Autonational Rescue, not actually used them in an emergency but their prices are keen, take a look online.
http://www.autonational.co.uk/european_cover.php

 

[rich599]

DONT USE GREEN FLAG
i was with them for over ten years without needing there service,the first time i needed them i was in hamburg,and they spent over 24 hrs trying not to assist me in the end i ended up paying a private firm to bring me back home luckily i managed to get a friend in the uk that has a haulage company to find me a low loader returning back to the uk from germany with enough space to get me back

 

[Billigmeister]

We used kwik fit - needed to use them. All went to ratsh1t and basically had to sort ourselves out.

Did get all costs reimbursed but that was not the point


Avoid at all costs

 

[Motorvating]

How about ADAC.

ADAC is a German rescue company that covers all Europe and parts of North Africa. It is the cheapest by far of all the European breakdown companies and from my experience the best service, however there is a negative. It is a German company so correspondence is in German, and when you break down you have to phone a call center in Europe. If you break down in the UK they contract the work to the AA.

 

[Triv]

How about ADAC.

ADAC is a German rescue company that covers all Europe and parts of North Africa. It is the cheapest by far of all the European breakdown companies and from my experience the best service, however there is a negative. It is a German company so correspondence is in German, and when you break down you have to phone a call center in Europe. If you break down in the UK they contract the work to the AA.

I looked at ADAC but their website stated that to have cover you needed to have a German address...

 

[EmilysDad]

I looked at ADAC but their website stated that to have cover you needed to have a German address...

I know someone that uses & has used ADAC for their UK/Euro cover.

 

[Triv]

I know someone that uses & has used ADAC for their UK/Euro cover.

Yes, I've read a few recommendations for them on here but it clearly stated the need for a German address. I'll look it up again and post a link.

 

[Triv]

Here: http://www.adac.de/mitgliedschaft/adac_membership/default.aspx

But it does give a number to call if you don't have a German address.
Now I understand. I must have been a bit fried last night from spending all day on a laptop.
I'll ring them tomorrow.

 

[Mic]

I have been using RAC but I have not had to call upon their services outside the UK.

Whilst I was in Northern Spain in May of this year with the Mercedes-Benz Club one of our members needed the services of their breakdown company who was ADAC. The service and commitment and communication throughout could not be faulted from the first telephone call, collection of car, hire car, failure to fix to getting the car back to the UK and onward transportation to the member's garage of choice. The member's holiday was inconvenienced as little as was humanly possible.

Only one experience but ADAC were brilliant.

I think you can be a member of ADAC with a UK address.

Mic

 

[brandwooddixon]

Oddly enough I used Direct Line, which also owns Green Flag I gather. Paid £60, or there abouts and had my old E430 recovered from the south of France.

They paid for a 170 Euro taxi ride that night (back to our accomodation due to my wife's night time medication being there), a hire car for 4 days (which we left in Calais, picking up another to get us back home from Dover) and recovery of my car to the UK, which costthem £1600 (the driver showed me their companies invoice).

Admittedly there was an initial problem with paperwork. We had to find somewhere with an international fax and although they'd agreed to recover the car the first form that they sent was to abandon th car in France - always read what your sent.

 

[jp williams]

I looked at ADAC but their website stated that to have cover you needed to have a German address...

I`m in ADAC Triv and do not have a German address.
I pay them via my UK Bank A/c (cost £10) and receive a monthly magazine......in German , though.
I`m in my second year of membership and not had to use them yet.
My annual membership cost is 80 euros.
Not heard a bad word about them yet. Many Motorhome members are in too.
Good luck.
Regards

 

[d215yq]

I don't know if ADAC do this but if you read the smallprint on pretty much every other one the cover is basically worth nothing and you only get taken to one destination, left at a local dealers, etc.

Quite frankly as i do touring trips if my car brokedown my holiday would be ruined anyway by the inflexible policy and so i self insure. I'd imagine, though difficult, using some common sense and asking locals how to sort the problem locally with tow and mechanic would be a far more effective solution than having my 17 yr old car towed straight to the nearest dealer and left there with only a foreign premium rate number to phone for back up...

 

[Triv]

I don't know if ADAC do this but if you read the smallprint on pretty much every other one the cover is basically worth nothing and you only get taken to one destination, left at a local dealers, etc.

Quite frankly as i do touring trips if my car brokedown my holiday would be ruined anyway by the inflexible policy and so i self insure. I'd imagine, though difficult, using some common sense and asking locals how to sort the problem locally with tow and mechanic would be a far more effective solution than having my 17 yr old car towed straight to the nearest dealer and left there with only a foreign premium rate number to phone for back up...

I have been reading the small print and I am of the conclusion that you actually receive next to nothing for your money!
I detest insurance companies as it is but reading all the get out clauses makes it look like legalised theft. Combined with the book price of the car, my attitude is it'll either make it or it won't but in the worst case scenario, risking an unknown local mechanic over there is no different to risking an unknown local mechanic over here.
Anyway, I'm taking my hand tools on holiday. Lucky things.

 

[richardmorris]

I'm insured with Aviva with their Home and Driver's Club policy. All comprehensive policies cover EU wide breakdown and accident cover. They use RAC in the UK which I have had to use a couple of times and in France use a local recovery / garage. I have had to use them in France twice - first time they sent the local citroen garage to collect the car, talked with them on my behalf and would have arranged a courtesy car if needed.

The second time I actually got my car to the dealer who gave me a courtesy car and ordered the fuel pump - the snag here being it was a friday pm and they wouldn't get the part until monday. As I was supposed to be coming back on Saturday Aviva arranged a hotel for me (my choice) and paid for the accommodation and new crossing (not tunnel though, they won't deal with them for some reason). I had to pay and reclaim the crossing, but they paid the hotel direct.

All this saga is why I sold the Citroen C5 and got the merc. None of my "old" cars break down (but have Footman James policies with EU wide breakdown cover included ).

 

[tony jr]

Anyone used EuroRescue?

 

[OlafMaxwell]

I had one experience of a claim on travel/breakdown insurance some years back and like others it was every excuse to get our of paying out.

I also had a few under the Mobilo which to be fair was excellent and if you have it is worth keeping, especially as it was good up to 20 or 30 years when few if any will give you breakdown cover. In each case I was mobile within an hour of the problem arising.

A battery problem with motorbike, breakdown service will take me to the nearest main dealer and get me home [which was fine, but goodbye to the holiday]. Option B, find an outlet and just buy a battery and fit it, problem solved same day.

I took a 17 year old car [owned from new] to Budapest last year, made sure all was right weeks beforehand and packed what would be the essential items in case of a breakdown [always easy to find someone with a workshop, harder to find parts]. No problems.

Now, when I take the car or motorbike a list of local numbers is far more valuable than any breakdown service. For foreign travel a folder with all this information is priceless, local main dealers, independent dealers, even motor factors and a tow service. You pay for a breakdown service, you pay an excess and they rarely pay all the costs anyway. Few of them pay for the actual repair anyway so one way or another you will pay that cost.

All my breakdowns were on new or newer motors anyway.

 

[Triv]

I agree.

I serviced the car and had a good look over it two weeks before leaving.

I didn't buy any breakdown cover. I really didn't feel it was worth it after having read so many nightmare stories. Besides, the car's only worth 50p!

I drove 3054 miles on wvo and around 2 tanks of diesel in two weeks.
Took some tools with me and changed a fuel filter at the side of the road in less than three minutes.

Saved the cost of breakdown cover and didn't worry about not having it but if you're not one for getting under the bonnet and feel the need for breakdown cover abroad, do your research! It's probably one of those things (as are most things) where you don't want to be looking for the cheapest quote.
Why DO people do that anyway? Then complain about it after!

A folder of useful numbers is a good idea if you're revisiting the same areas.

There's some good advice in this thread.
Thanks chaps.

 

[jonthetourist]

I`m in ADAC Triv and do not have a German address.
I pay them via my UK Bank A/c (cost £10) and receive a monthly magazine......in German , though.
I`m in my second year of membership and not had to use them yet.
My annual membership cost is 80 euros.
Not heard a bad word about them yet. Many Motorhome members are in too.
Good luck.
Regards

OK, here is the bad word about ADAC

My partner blew out two tyres on a pothole. She called and was told they would contact the AA. 14 hours later the AA turned up (fortunately it was close to home). Apparently ADAC communicate by Fax (this was 2013) and there was a mutual blame session about the failure of communication.

We no longer use ADAC. A Nationwide Flexplus account gives 5* European breakdown cover, plus travel insurance, plus mobile phone cover - all for a tenner a month.

Good Luck

Jon