BREAKDOWN RECOVERY COMPANIES

Having just received the renewal quote for my RAC, and yes I drive a Freelander!!! but have not had to call the RAC once in over four years they still want to charge me another £48.00 extra per year.
Now I"m not saying that Freelander owners use recovery companies more than other manufacturer owners but some of you must have your own experiences of Which is the Best and Cheapest recovery company and to that matter which is the Worst..
I want to change but which one do I go for? Really cheap like AUTO AID. Reasonably cheap GREEN FLAG or go for the other major player THE AA? Has anyone had problems with any of these companies and which of these or other breakdown companies seems to be the best value for money?

As with insurance companies, you are often penalised for loyalty. If you want a major player, try threatening to leave RAC, or get a quote from AA as a new customer.

Older cars are charged more too. We’re with Green Flag, and the wife has used them a couple of times. Our policy has a silly 10-mile limit for recovery, but I think you can get different levels. The recovery drivers have been very sensible about the stretching that limit.

Afternoon,

They try the same with me every year, I have personal cover, as I have multiple vehicles and I need cover for cars over 10 Years old.

A lot of breakdown services define an age limit on some of their policies , so it is worth double checking.

I normally get the renewal from the RAC go on line find the nearest equivalent policy from a competitor and themselves for a new customer , ring them up and get it price matched even if it is themselves.

Cheers

I'm with the AA but only because when I first looked into it all about 10 years ago they were the least bothered by vehicle age/size/weight with a no quibble get me Landy where I want it which is the only bit I'm really interested in. If it can be fixed by the roadside I'd rather fix it myself.

Probably plenty of peeps with horror stories but I've only used them once (last month) with a blown head gasket and they did what it says on the tin.

When I spoke to the operator she told me they'd have to send a patrol before arranging recovery as it's policy but after being fairly insistent it was a waste of their time and mine she said she'd get a patrol to ring me.

10 minutes later after a chat about symptoms the chap said he'd book me straight through for recovery.

Another call from recovery chap about half an hour later to confirm location and to tell me he'd be there within the hour, which he was and carted me back to my workshop. No whinging about it being a fat ar$ed oversize 40 year old Landy, let me drive it on and off and was on his way to the next.

The best advice I can give is whoever you go for, read the small print carefully, phone and threaten to leave every renewal time and if you must break down do it in a pub car park

blue beasty said:

if you must break down do it in a pub car park

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After the third time of my car being broken down in the pub car park , for some reason they stopped coming to recover me home....I do not know why??

Cheers

Echo what Blue beasty says and add also that for recovery and also car insurance there is a little-advertised site which is quite useful:

https://money.asda.com/breakdown-cover/

And just to add to the above, I broke down in France many many years ago in my first Disco - clutch fork - and after a week in a French garage I became p.....d off and called direct to the Chief Exec Green Flag (France) and he told me in no uncertain terms - "don't let the French anywhere near your Land Rover, they haven't a a clue what to do with them. They wrecked mine."
True enough - I picked ours up a couple of days later and the clutch was hardly working and the master cylinder was on upside down. I got to Calais in second and fourth.
By the way, Green Flag paid all the bills including meals but they did deduct the wine. No complaints really.

I'm with the AA here. When I broke down 200 miles from home with terminal engine failure, they stuck the car on the back of a transporter and delivered it back home.

Always been happy with theAA. And membership comes as part of my bank account policy, so happy days...

I am with Britannia Rescue (allied to my CSMA insurance through LV).
Both of us (me n her) 1 mile from home minimum limit (i.e. not homestart) I think its £90 a year for both of us.
Always been excellent. Recovery to home or to a garage of my choosing.

rob_bell said:

Always been happy with theAA. And membership comes as part of my bank account policy, so happy days...

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I get free eye checks at Specsavers with my AA membership - wish it was free dentistry

In this day and age I think there are recovery companies and breakdown companies. Only the AA, RAC have half trained technicians in vans full of computers, spare parts and tools. They have by far the greater chance of getting you going again. Most other agencies (e.g. Green Flag) have arrangements with local garages so unless its a flat battery, puncture or other simple problem you will just get recovered. But you pay accordingly...

I was surprised when i moved to portugal 15yrs ago that breakdown cover is included in car insurance...they will recover car to home or garage which you can choose and thats on third party insurance...they now offer me a hire car from europecar for 5days if garage faxs problem to them...there are so many companys moving cars around the cost is so reasonable that for around 30€ you can get a vehicle picked up and taken an hour away for work to be done

Shippers said:

I was surprised when i moved to portugal 15yrs ago that breakdown cover is included in car insurance...they will recover car to home or garage which you can choose and thats on third party insurance...they now offer me a hire car from europecar for 5days if garage faxs problem to them...there are so many companys moving cars around the cost is so reasonable that for around 30€ you can get a vehicle picked up and taken an hour away for work to be done

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You can get that here too, but cover usually isn't great, and it ends up being more expensive to upgrade.

I'm with this lot, and they've been very good: https://www.motoringassist.com/brea...MIq6-YmNna2AIVApPtCh3xgQnXEAAYASAAEgJBnPD_BwE

When our car blew a head gasket the recovery company lent us their courtesy car (with towbar for the caravan) and brought the car up next day. We were 450 miles from home.

wattfield said:

You can get that here too, but cover usually isn't great, and it ends up being more expensive to upgrade.

I'm with this lot, and they've been very good: https://www.motoringassist.com/brea...MIq6-YmNna2AIVApPtCh3xgQnXEAAYASAAEgJBnPD_BwE

When our car blew a head gasket the recovery company lent us their courtesy car (with towbar for the caravan) and brought the car up next day. We were 450 miles from home.

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More expensive to upgrade to what?...here the cars insured not the driver...at the moment i have 3 on the road anyone can drive them with my permission and each has the same breakdown cover and car hire included theres no need for their name on policy and they dont have to have their own policy for a car either...is that now available in uk...i pay around 200€ per year on each car and theres no age limit on driver or length of time theyve held licence so its good for the kids when they visit

Shippers said:

More expensive to upgrade to what?...here the cars insured not the driver...at the moment i have 3 on the road anyone can drive them with my permission and each has the same breakdown cover and car hire included theres no need for their name on policy and they dont have to have their own policy for a car either...is that now available in uk...i pay around 200€ per year on each car and theres no age limit on driver or length of time theyve held licence so its good for the kids when they visit

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The breakdown cover included in some car insurance policies is pretty basic - they might tow you to a garage within a short distance, but they won't take you home if you're at the other end of the country, or get you started if you're at home. You can upgrade to better cover, but it costs. It's cheaper to buy your own if you want better cover.

I think that is all fairly standard on European policies. We are just completing our permanent move back to UK and my old Disco 1 was €450 a year and it included cover for anywhere in Europe (try that in the UK), recovery ( I had breakdowns in Spain and France), and anyone could drive with my permission. Companies like AXA provide all this as standard in Europe but not in the UK. Saga (UK) insurance on the other hand provides 12 month European cover as standard.

wattfield said:

The breakdown cover included in some car insurance policies is pretty basic - they might tow you to a garage within a short distance, but they won't take you home if you're at the other end of the country, or get you started if you're at home. You can upgrade to better cover, but it costs. It's cheaper to buy your own if you want better cover.

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What are you talking about.. uk insurance policys...im talking fact about here in portugal...there is no equivilant of AA or RAC here cause theyre not needed here we get recovery included in insurance and its ilegal to tow here as well...

Frenchdame said:

I think that is all fairly standard on European policies. We are just completing our permanent move back to UK and my old Disco 1 was €450 a year and it included cover for anywhere in Europe (try that in the UK), recovery ( I had breakdowns in Spain and France), and anyone could drive with my permission. Companies like AXA provide all this as standard in Europe but not in the UK. Saga (UK) insurance on the other hand provides 12 month European cover as standard.

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Saga i beleive does not give 12 month cover unless your in a moterhome and not staying in pre-booked long term holiday accomidation...

I'm with the AA anorl. Only the best for ma hippo. Every year they tell me the price has gone up a bit. Last time it was £189 for 12 months. That's full cover including at home (outside yer house or close to it) and national recovery (carrying it back home from a breakdown) from anywhere int mainland uk. Also has onward travel instead of taking it home if yer prefer.

Each year I tell them the price is too high and I could go to RAC cheaper or start a new membership with the AA at reduced price. I tell them I don't want the eggstra's that come with my current policy: key cover, going to europe etc but they just say they're there as standard as I've been with them a long time. Last time I did this I got talking to the chap and told him if I got a flat tyre I wouldn't bother calling them, as I'd change it meself. He were surprised at that and we got talking Freelanders. I always find it an interesting subject. We talked about servicing and repairing it etc and general looking after it. Adding to this I dun't do tens of thousands of miles per year I think he got the feeling it was a reduced risk of me calling them out and costing them money to do it. In the end I got it for £112.50. I also get to keep some additional options because I've been with them many years. Also covers me in any vehicle including works vehicles. Work has its own policy but yer never know when yer might get caught out.

For some strange reason if peeps at work have car trouble they come and tell me. I normally laugh and that's all. Int my problem. If it's a customer then work peeps seem to think I would be more interested to help because they're a customer. Still int my problem. Yer be surprised just how many peeps don't have breakdown cover. That’s really silly. If yer breaks down it's too difficult to push yer hippo home or to a garage. I love ma hippo to bits but I int carrying the feker home if it breaks down. I know it costs money to buy breakdown cover and know some peeps are struggling but just getting yer car home after breaking down is a relief itself. Then you only need to worry about the repair cost. I wouldn't want to have to leave ma hippo ont side of dual carriageway abandoned int hedge row all alone for some toe rag tratterer to come along and burn it.

If yer dun't have breakdown cover and yer breakdown yer can still call the AA. They will sign you up as a member but charge for assistance that day. Yer they is making eggstra money out of yer but I once broke down ont motorway at a major interchange and police/wombles turned up to help because I was a major hazard. I think they were referring to the van's location. Within 20 mins the AA truck was there to move the works van to the services where another AA man did a temporary fix (puma tratter engine p*ssin coolant due to hole int pipe due to it rubbing on another).

As others have said. Be careful about the cover included. Some of the cheaper options are recover only. Some of the "free" with insurance or banking dun't include local breakdowns or outside yer house. My friend got caught out with this. Would only recover 50 miles. If the AA need a part they may/will drive you to alfords etc to buy the part then fit it for you. They may have the part themselves already and sell it to yer. Yes their batteries are a bit more eggspensive from the AA van but that’s how it goes.