RAC Recovery

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Landie_Man

Landie_Man

New Member
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758
I have seen the RAC use their standard Transit vans to recover cars, but why was it, when my 88" broke its throttle cable, I was sent a flatbed. The guy who spent an hour making a makeshift throttle cable and gave up (i am very pleased he even attempted, the RAC exceeded my expectations), his Transit had lift gear on it, but he did not recover me, and sent for a tow truck. Is this due to weight?
 
stick transfer box in neutral.
I used to work for AA years ago and it all went to **** when centrica took over.
We currently have RAC business and when my bike trye blew out on a bend they were more than helpful
 
when my alternator belt snapped a couple of months back i fort feck it ill get the rac out.
3 hrs later a flatbed turned up.
i said ere mate aint ya got a new belt i told the call centre the problem,na ya down for recovery,
feckinell i could have walked to halfords about 2 miles away got the belt and fitted it meself quicker than they took to recover me.

dont any recovery services have mechanics anymore or just lorry drivers?
 
the van driver i got was very helpful, luckily i broke down in a pub car park. well, I found out it was the best place to swing into doing 55mph toward the red lights of stopped traffic at 5:30pm, with the taps jammed full on. luckily the brakes managed to hold it back and i could change down with the engine screaming its tits off
 
Landie_Man said:
I have seen the RAC use their standard Transit vans to recover cars, but why was it, when my 88" broke its throttle cable, I was sent a flatbed. The guy who spent an hour making a makeshift throttle cable and gave up (i am very pleased he even attempted, the RAC exceeded my expectations), his Transit had lift gear on it, but he did not recover me, and sent for a tow truck. Is this due to weight?
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It may well depend on the distance involved - I do a fair bit of Recovery driving (flatbed or spec-lift) in order that the roadside guys do not need to leave their patch, thereby removing cover. If the mechanic cannot repair the vehicle, or if all the mechanics are already out on calls, then it makes sense for us mere lorry jocks to deal with the Recovery. Same would also apply if the mechanic was at the end of his shift. :)
 
wen i rung RAC wen i snapped the crankshaft pulley off. i told em on phone its not fixable at roadside. still sent a patrol van out then sent for flatbed. 4 hour wait! if they'd listened it'd only of bin an hour
 
wiltshire landyman said:
when my alternator belt snapped a couple of months back i fort feck it ill get the rac out.
3 hrs later a flatbed turned up.
i said ere mate aint ya got a new belt i told the call centre the problem,na ya down for recovery,
feckinell i could have walked to halfords about 2 miles away got the belt and fitted it meself quicker than they took to recover me.

dont any recovery services have mechanics anymore or just lorry drivers?
Click to expand...

they do have good mechanics on call,ratty is a good one i could mention.:D;)
 
wiltshire landyman said:
when my alternator belt snapped a couple of months back i fort feck it ill get the rac out.
3 hrs later a flatbed turned up.
i said ere mate aint ya got a new belt i told the call centre the problem,na ya down for recovery,
feckinell i could have walked to halfords about 2 miles away got the belt and fitted it meself quicker than they took to recover me.

dont any recovery services have mechanics anymore or just lorry drivers?
Click to expand...

I'm an RAC patrol, and I've lost count how many times I've been told "it's only the fan belt mate" only to find the alternator seized or a tensioner hanging off.
As much as I'd like to have a part for every car in the back of my van I'd need the Tardis model to carry them.
Once I did collect a part en route to a job on the insistance that the member who claimed to be a mechanic was adamant the belt was the only fault.
On arrival I found the PAS pump pulley hanging off and when I asked him for the £15:20 for the belt which I purchased out of my own pocket he refused to pay for it as it won't fix the car (although his old one was knackered).
It's still in the back of my van a year later, won't be doing that again!

As for sending the correct vehicle first time, if we send a patrol we get "I asked for a truck( sorry but were not going to recover you 200+ miles 'cause you never had your spare tyre repaired and you can get a part used one for £10 at home).
Or we send a truck and we get "I asked for a patrol as I have a spare cambelt in the boot for my V6 Vectra"

Guy's I don't claim were perfect but I do believe were the best as I've worked for the AA,Landrover Assistance (Mondial), and now the RAC
and we genuinely try to do the best for the member with the resources available at the time you breakdown.:)
 
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End of the Day it's a recovery! service and while they'd rather repair (It's cheaper) they're not ya private mechanics service. so unless it's a quick fix then it's a recovery job.
 
redhand said:
End of the Day it's a recovery! service and while they'd rather repair (It's cheaper) they're not ya private mechanics service. so unless it's a quick fix then it's a recovery job.
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Bang on mate, first aid at the roadside.
If we can fix it , great!(and we do a lot of the time) If not then carted off to hospital!
Your quote about private mechanics made me chuckle, I've had mysterious unexplained flat batteries and while I'm checking the charge rate out walks the bloke with a box of discs and pads asking "can you fit these while your here mate?"

Or the other favourite I ask "when was this last serviced?" to be met with "well it was mot'd 9 months ago!"
 
im AA myself, and swear by them. they have never let me down, called up with a seized alternator once, told em the problem and the part number and they went to the lcoal landy parts place, picked it up for me, fitted it, and then obviously i have paid.

i have been recovered 150 odd miles from wales by them with a buggered clutch, they always tend to arrive bloody quick, and generally speaking are nice guys as well
 
YEARS ago going to caravan ,wife, little fella,all in MG bgt,engine cuts out ,tool box out checks round and finds battery flat,queer no red light on dash,so phones AA ,20 mins guy comes out whats up mate ,told him he jumps it starts first time ,AAH your alternator u/s mate ,aww **** sez i,thinks recovery to home ,holiday fecked,i can fix u up wiv a newun sez he,, i cudda kissed him,he fitted a b90 ex unit by the roadside,£17,i could,nt have bought i mesel for that price,3/4 hour on me way no bother he even took a personal cheque,fekkin diamond geezer,he musta bin cos i wrote to the aa to tellem what a great guy,musta bin impressed,,,,,,,,dave
 
I called AA out last week when I got a flat battery on Bridlington quayside about 8pm. Van arrived within half an hour, checked the battery, jump started engine, checked charging rate on alternator and then took block connector off back of alternator. Loose connection. Little bit of surgery on the connector, replaced, re-tested and all fine. Nothing more to do to it. Really nice helpful AA man so I bunged him enough for a couple of pints. Always had good service from AA, best value for money I have had.
 
Cabbie said:
I called AA out last week when I got a flat battery on Bridlington quayside about 8pm. Van arrived within half an hour, checked the battery, jump started engine, checked charging rate on alternator and then took block connector off back of alternator. Loose connection. Little bit of surgery on the connector, replaced, re-tested and all fine. Nothing more to do to it. Really nice helpful AA man so I bunged him enough for a couple of pints. Always had good service from AA, best value for money I have had.
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so he was a nice man,a very very nice man.:p;)
 
Personally I'm with the AA (had too much grief with the RAC), when the transfer box packed in and the Disco needed to be recovered the guy said that they are limited to tow car's for 30 miles with their van's, any more and it's a transporter job. Summat to do with their Health & Safety rules.
 
rac for me and they've been first rate , no problem with their guys just with the office staff trying to screw you at renewal time , but its easy , tell em you will defect to the aa and they drop the price to keep your business.
 
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