Breakdown Companies

[Boydonegood]

After DTM's breakdown last night, it's got me thinking.

I've rarely worried about breakdown cover, due to owning motors you can "bodge" on the side of the road to get ya home.Kinda realising this isn't going to be so with the CL.

I did once have green flag (was £23 with admiral so thought may as well) on my Range Rover and did use them once or twice, and they were very good to be fair. I think once with flat battery and once with diesel pump issues.

Are they all much the same now? Or is there one company that seems to have better results with Mercedes. I kinda believe it's luck of the draw who turns up, and their knowledge.

Admiral want £25 for 4 month with Green Flag, which is a bit of a no brainer for a little bit of piece of mind just incase

Just thinking I should sort something.

Tel

 

[EmilysDad]

....

Are they all much the same now? Or is there one company that seems to have better results with Mercedes. I kinda believe it's luck of the draw who turns up, and their knowledge. ....
Tel

Merc or not, it's still only A N Other car to any of the breakdown companies. You'll get a generic code reader, at best, plugged in to give him/her a clue. When the crank shaft sensor went on Emily'Mum's Smart (I was driving), I told him what I reckoned it was, he agreed & the car was driven onto the back of his flatbed to be ferried home

 

[Mic]

I cannot advise......I am a member of the RAC and ''top up'' for trips abroad.....but I have never had cause to use them......yet !!!***???

One or two Posters on here have recommended the ''German RAC'' ADAC.

Mic

 

[Cole@MBS]

I am with green flag, got the full cover for any car, used twice, both times the service was 1st class..................

 

[Naraic]

I have never bought it separately...but it is included with my insurance. It was very useful when a battery started to play up, and the fuel pipes hardened...recovered from home to the garage.

 

[star]

With Aa, when used its alway been good service.

 

[cleverdicky]

Having weighed up the differences, I would 'choose' green flag.
I have had experience with out any cover on a break down miles from home and it wasn't nice relying on mates etc to toe home.
Also I've had experience with cover, mainly RAC and while 'professional' it was slow, corporate and expensive.
Given the (few) miles I do, I consider the fifty or so quid pa I save that I dont spend on cover , will pay for the rare occasion I do breakdown.

If I did many more miles I certainly would have it.

 

[daveyjp]

Autoaid insurance for us. Covers both of us for any car we are in, whether we own it or not. £38 a year.

 

[WG M-B]

All of us need breakdown cover! I'm with the AA and never been let down so far

 

[taxii]

Iv'e been with the AA for 7 years and they've just made me a gold member which means I get a few extra's thrown in and Iv'e used them a few times over the years and have never had a problem. They even ring when the driver is close and tell you how long they will be.

 

[EmilysDad]

Green Flag's MayDay for me. For years I never bothered & have had little need for recovery, but recently thought that miles away from home with a caravan on the back, it might be handy to have some kind of recovery. And also the fact that EmilysMum would be clueless if she ever got a puncture and had to do something with the can of goo found in a Smart. So £117 per year might sound expensive, but is covers 4 cars (eg Emily's car) and EmilysMum & I are covered on a personal level.

 

[d215yq]

It's worth noting that we don't need breakdown cover. If someone wants to buy it for peace of mind good luck to them, but like any form of insurance there is a lot of administration, profit, taxes, etc to buy so the average punter loses.

I go anywhere in Europe and haven't had breakdown cover for 5 years (except first 3 months when i got my new w124 as didn't trust it at first). If I had used top cover and with all the European top ups, etc then I'd have easily spent over £1200, plus of course the interest adding up. I know a breakdown could be costly but the chances of it costing £1200 to tow to the nearest garage, even in a remote part of europe seems impossible so i'll continue to self insure..in fact the car isn't worth any more than that anyway! There are companies that are a lot cheaper for european/uk cover which could have cost just £500 but they wouldn't have covered trips over 1 month in europe which is the norm for me.

I'm sure for many the relatively little cost for peace of mind is worth it but the idea that you "need" breakdown cover and can't just pay as you go is as ludicrous as saying you can't run a car or electrical goods without a warranty, etc! You simply can't win with any form of insurance if you have average luck and an average car, you will always lose eventually, breakdown cover is the same. You are also paying for the numerous people out there who call the AA out to change a wheel or change a battery on the drive, both totally unnesecary IMO

 

[Mr Teddy Bear]

Brittannia Rescue at forty fifty quid a year for one car is good value!

Distributor, points and Carb's I can handle and have done. But when we're getting older and modern cars are less and less fixable by the roadside anyway recovery makes good sense!

 

[Frontstep]

Am I the only one (daft enough) to rely on MOBILO.

 

[Naraic]

Am I the only one (daft enough) to rely on MOBILO.

Could be...for an old car. How much does that cost?

 

[Frontstep]

Comes "free" with Service.

 

[toby1]

Autoaid insurance for us. Covers both of us for any car we are in, whether we own it or not. £38 a year.

+1 - not had cause to use them yet which is a good thing

 

[Wirral_guy]

For those of you who don't have cover but would like it at the cheapest cost then this is what I have done for the Mrs for several years now (I have Mobilo cover).

buy the basic cover via Topcashback

Topcashback

(This has my referral code on it - if that offends feel free to remove or google TCB and go direct)

and check which of the companies offer the best deal. Currently you can get £19.19 back from basic £30 roadside cover from the AA. £10 for a years cover ain't bad just in case you get stuck on a motorway!.

Each year swap between the companies (AA, RAC, Greenflag etc - whichever is offering the best deal) and you'll continue to get basic cover for next to nothing

Also, each year I get a renewal letter followed by a call from my existing provider - they are very quick to offer a decent discount if you decline to renew. Worth remembering if you are a recurring customer as it doesn't even require haggling.

Dave

Disclaimers:
1. It takes a couple of months for you to get the money back
2. Although it has always worked for me there is no guarantee of getting the cashback. Don't depend on it.

 

[television]

Am I the only one (daft enough) to rely on MOBILO.

Yes

 

[television]

I took out an RAC cover 12 years ago when my Saab broke down, I left the car for a few days and rang them, they took the car 150 miles to the garage and 30 more miles to drop me off home. I have paid the £42 per year since then and forgot about them when the CPS packed up on my CL, but I did drive that home after the Moblo were useless