coldel Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 After the wife's Megane gave up at the weekend (gear linkage snapped) in the middle of nowhere 160 miles from home, have decided to get some family breakdown cover. I had some for myself with the AA for the Scotland trip but she only had breakdown assistance, of course it ended up being a pricey recovery for her when the AA guy said he didn't have a spare Megane gear linkage kit in the van... ...so investigating the costs of getting a dual/family cover for myself and her. The three big hitters are Green Flag, AA and RAC all coming in at around £150 a year for us both with onward journey cover, homestart, recovery etc. So anyone have views on which of the three are best? A look online pops up a few unknowns like GEM, any views on these up-starts? Cheers in advance as always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 been with RAC for the last few years, never had any problem with them, and called them out a few times: once to unlock a car when I accidentally locked the keys in it, once to top me up with petrol (at half past midnight on the M42), once to jump start my wifes car when the battery went flat while we were out shopping, once to reconnect the battery terminal when it snapped just as we were entering a multi-storey carpark! once to diagnose an engine knock, when then turned into a tow home. every time the guy came promptly, most call to let you know they're on the way, so you don't have to stand by your car for hours, you can go sit inside a café and wait. and all seemed very friendly. Would have no problem recommending RAC to others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I've used RAC and AA, no real difference in either tbh. I just go with the cheapest, once I've rung round a few times to play them off against each other to get the best rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thanks guys, AA is £195 but you get a £50 fuel voucher, so would need some haggling come renewal time I would imagine to get it down to comparable ongoing levels of the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I used the AA years ago, my MR2 had stopped working over night, the guy turned up, put the key in and had it ticking for 5 minutes until my throttle cable was smoking! The earth strap had a bad connection so the current was finding the next best ground... all that needed doing was cleaning the earth strap connections but the guy had to tow my car to a local garage - useless! That was quite a few years ago mind. Never had a problem with RAC, they've been pretty solid when I've needed them. Not sure if it's still the same, but the AA didn't include vehicle recovery following an accident where as the RAC did. If that's still the case I'd decide on that alone, the last thing you want after bending your pride and joy is another bending on the financial side for towing your car somewhere safe. No idea about green flag or others, you'd like to think they've got so much competition trying to break in to the AA/RAC space that they'd go above and beyond to do it... but then I guess less customers means less money so maybe they can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Im looking at getting breakdown cover for the first time in my life atm as my 997 turbo doesnt have a spare tyre and I dont fancy getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. TBH ive always managed to either limp home (even when the clutch fell out of my ducati), or phone up my Dad who has a towbar & a tow rope. Looking online, if I use my tesco clubcard points, I can get RAC for about 1/4 of the full price which seems a huge saving. The only experience ive had with breakdown companies is when the wifes Nissan Juke broke down on the M11 one day. Her cover was with the AA so they came out. By the time they arrived I had already worked out what the problem was (main boost pipe from the turbo to intercooler had split), I had the part number I needed and where I could get it from (Renault or Nissan) and the price. Had they been quicker or smart enough they could have either picked the bit up on the way to me, or took me to the garage to purchase the part. However, the AA`s solution was to wrap some soft electrical insulation tape around what was a split high boost pipe and send us on our way. The "fix" lasted less than 200 yards down the road before it burst again. We pulled over onto the hard shoulder again and watched the AA van drive past us and off on his merry way. After an hour a flatbed AA truck arrived to recover us, but it had no carseat for our 1 year old. We then sat there for 4 hours with our crying 1 year old waiting for AA to approve a taxi or get a car seat for their recovery vehicle so we could get home. We had no food/water, but luckily the AA man took it upon himself to nip to the local shop & get us some refreshments. Finally they signed off on a taxi and got us back home whilst transporting our car to our local Nissan garage. That experience as kinda put me off using the AA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mcgoo Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Do you shop at Tesco? If so, you can use club card points for RAC. I think we use about £70-£80 worth of vouchers each year for family cover at highest level (not including europe cover) Works out very good value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I've had reason to call out all 3 at one time or another. They're all as crap as each other. Although the AA are particular bad - 18 hours to recover me 86 miles home using 3 different flat beds from 3 different companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudman Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Used AA and RAC and same same - always OK. Currently with Green Flag and not used - Zeds being reliable as always ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Been with the RAC for years and thought they covered you not the vehicle so always seemed like a better way to go. We both have cover on a joint policy in case we arnt together and it also covers the motorbikes that way to. They all come out about the same if you want recovery to your home which is the best thing to have otherwise you could be left with the car being dropped off at a local garage miles from home and your at their mercy.... not the way i would want it to be. I just need to know the car will be coming back home so i can sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I'm covered on my bank, costs me about £100 per year but get travel insurance, mobile phone cover and home emergency cover too. So pretty good. With the halifax, have used the AA or RAC a few time via them and mobile cover too. All been good. It's a joint account so wife covered too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kieran O'Quick Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Thanks guys, AA is £195 but you get a £50 fuel voucher, so would need some haggling come renewal time I would imagine to get it down to comparable ongoing levels of the others. The AA are pretty flexible. They whack my cover up by £50 every year without fail. I hate the charade of ringing them up to "cancel" but they drop it again without much pushing. I wonder what they'd give to someone who really haggled? And if you are a single member they usually send you a special offer to add someone to your cover for a tenner half way through the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 I'm covered on my bank, costs me about £100 per year but get travel insurance, mobile phone cover and home emergency cover too. So pretty good. With the halifax, have used the AA or RAC a few time via them and mobile cover too. All been good. It's a joint account so wife covered too. We were covered on our bank gold account too...but only for breakdown assistance, presume you got Relay on yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'm covered on my bank, costs me about £100 per year but get travel insurance, mobile phone cover and home emergency cover too. So pretty good. With the halifax, have used the AA or RAC a few time via them and mobile cover too. All been good. It's a joint account so wife covered too. We were covered on our bank gold account too...but only for breakdown assistance, presume you got Relay on yours? Oh I'm not sure I should check really, I think so...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAN@ADRIAN FLUX Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Hi, Please feel free to take a look at our breakdown offering. https://www.adrianfl...o.uk/breakdown/ Regards, Dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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