26 replies to this topic

[MatthewsDad]

I'm with Autoaid.  £43 a year, any age car.  You used to have to pay for recovery at the point of use, and claim it back from Autoaid but they've stopped that now and it's just like AA/ RAC et al, except they use local (to you) contractors.  They take you home or to a garage, your choice.
No point paying more.
 
https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

I'm 99.99999% certain that's one of the ones I was suggested and buried deep in the small print is the part about cars up to a certain age only, took me a while to find it.

I'm just about to renew with Autoaid (who I've been with for years) and can't find anything to this effect in the policy documents? Whereabouts in the small print is the age limitation? Would be good to know, but will give them a call tomorrow just to be sure.

[Boycie]

I'm certain there's no limit.  I scoured the small print because most cars I'm likely to be in are very, very old! 

[CityEPete]

I'm with Autoaid.  £43 a year, any age car.  You used to have to pay for recovery at the point of use, and claim it back from Autoaid but they've stopped that now and it's just like AA/ RAC et al, except they use local (to you) contractors.  They take you home or to a garage, your choice.
No point paying more.
 https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

I'm 99.99999% certain that's one of the ones I was suggested and buried deep in the small print is the part about cars up to a certain age only, took me a while to find it.

I'm just about to renew with Autoaid (who I've been with for years) and can't find anything to this effect in the policy documents? Whereabouts in the small print is the age limitation? Would be good to know, but will give them a call tomorrow just to be sure.

It was burried deep into the pdf, but it doesn't mention an age now so it looks ok.

[CityEPete]

Ive just had a look at my thread on the other forum

Start rescue was suggested, they only cover cars upto 10, vans upto 8 years old. It was in the small print hidden away and the person that suggested it bought it for his daughter to go to uni in her 06 plate car, he hasn't replied to my post showing him it isn't covered.

24-7 rescue was suggested as it was "excellent value", one guy has been with them for ages, it's online only and I pointed out to him that the site has been down for weeks and there is no phone number! Money down the drain.

Auto Aid was suggested, it was the "eligible vehicle" we were struggling to find.I didn't like the idea of having to pay then claim it back either.

Some don't include motorbikes and I have one, some won't come out to vans and I have one, so you need to check exactly what they cover.

Edited by CityEPete, 25 February 2018 - 07:37 PM.

[mab01uk]

MARTIN LEWIS how to get cheap breakdown cover.

Martin’s first tip for saving money?

Haggle, as breakdown firms “are among the easiest to haggle with”, says Martin.

https://www.express....breakdown-cover

Edited by mab01uk, 25 February 2018 - 08:36 PM.

[MatthewsDad]

Ive just had a look at my thread on the other forum

Start rescue was suggested, they only cover cars upto 10, vans upto 8 years old. It was in the small print hidden away and the person that suggested it bought it for his daughter to go to uni in her 06 plate car, he hasn't replied to my post showing him it isn't covered.

24-7 rescue was suggested as it was "excellent value", one guy has been with them for ages, it's online only and I pointed out to him that the site has been down for weeks and there is no phone number! Money down the drain.

Auto Aid was suggested, it was the "eligible vehicle" we were struggling to find.I didn't like the idea of having to pay then claim it back either.

Some don't include motorbikes and I have one, some won't come out to vans and I have one, so you need to check exactly what they cover.

Autoaid used to charge and then you reclaimed the money back, but if it helps I understand this is no longer the case. The recovery company invoices Autoaid directly. £43 for two drivers is good value.

[mm man]

I use Gem breakdown
Two levels of cover ...all in ...plus a claim back type
Auto express top rated 2017

[Cooperman]

My wife & I have been with the RAC for a number of years and on the odd occasions we have needed them the service has been fine. We also get a discount on our insurance via the RAC brokerage.

[Pistonbroke66]

AA all the way. Family policy with everything- breakdown, relay, recoery, homestart.. Whenever i've needed them, which to be fair isn't that much I've always done well.

 

Got recovered from kirstone pass in lake district late on a sunday 35 minutes to pickup. Best ever was about 6 years ago, when a group of us went to Le mans. One of the group had a 60's mustang which grenaded its gearbox near Bain le somme services which is about 100 or so miles from Le Mans. The AA picked the car up and found an american car specialist in paris that repaired the car and then delivered it back to him outside the town so he could complete his dream of driving it in steve mcqueen style (his words not mine!).

 

You only know how good the service is when you really need them and i've never found them wanting.

[mm man]

My manager was with the AA for 16 years called them out as his turbo went on his bmw they left him at the service near Liverpool for 6hrs with a 6month old baby son !!. Then sent a local breakdown company out to him in the end and told them to take him to the next services?
But the breakdown driver said he would take them all the way home even if he got in trouble with his bosses as the AA where total out of order around 200 miles home .
Needless to say never went with the AA again !
I gave up with the AA myself after 14 years as I got fed up with ever year them trying to rip me off with the price rises ( auto renewal) so you would have to ring them to get the price dropped to what you could buy it for on line !
I did have one result with them I got cover for one year total free . ( 14 years only called them out once )

[M J W J]

I'm with the Rac. Can't fault them. Used them a few times (usually with other people's cars as I'm covered as a driver) and they have always been good.

Used to be with green flag and while their recovery was fine their customer service is shocking. I phoned them after I had an accident only to be told that they wouldn't recover the car as it wasn't a break down. Without me telling them to do so they notified my insurance company that I had been in an accident. To cut a long story short I ended up having to pay another recovery service to get the car and then ended up with a 3 month battle against my insurer to reinstate my ncb as I never actually claimed for it.

Never been with the AA but I know my mum hasn't had particularly good experience. She was left waiting for hours in Wolverhampton when she was pregnant with my sister and years later when she hit a bump a bit hard in my mini the AA failed to spot a loose distributor cap as the fault.

[Black.Ghost]

I only bother with breakdown when Im going overseas. Most of my longer journeys in the UK are motorway based, and the rest is local or commute. Ive not broken down in 6 years (since Ive been back in the UK). I figured the money I have saved will cover the cost of a call out should I need it, and for an emergency taxi to get the missus home with the kid (or to the destination, or a local train station).

I did have RAC before, though, as from memory they covered accident recovery as standard whereas AA didnt. That may have changed since though.