RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Who are you with and who would you (not) recommend?
I have been with RAC and Green Flag and both have annoyed me by using local contractors so if you break down a good distance from home, their Tacho only allows them to work within a 60 mile radius of their base. I had a clutch failure outside Silverstone once and it took me nearly 8 hours to get home, a journey which normally takes 1hr45mins.
I think that only leaves the AA.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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The AA will also relay stuff so your car gets swapped between a few trucks.
In that situation if you're in a rush, riding in the truck is always going to take hours and hours.
Wouldn't think you can avoid it - not aware of any company who makes SLA type quotes on the time to get you home.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't do such long distances all the time.
What's the crack with the parts/labour cover? Seems reasonable, cover upto £500 of anything which can't be fixed at the roadside; the kind of things which are going to leave me needing recovery are going to cost up around that anyway and my car is getting on now.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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How often does your car break down to think that an 8 hour journey home once in a blue moon is massively terrible?
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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The last time was 3 years ago when the clutch went but the relay set up was a pita - one dropped me off and left me at a services for 2 hours before the second truck arrived and then I had the same only 20 miles from home, just didn't seem particularly well organised.
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Andrew
Member
Registered: 5th May 04
Location: Skoda Octavia Estate, Ford Puma
User status: Offline
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When I had company hacks I was with Green Flag. I only ever broke down local and was towed to a garage of my choice.
I'm now using my own car and with the AA due to price more than anything. I pay £10.53 per month for myself and the mrs. Both covered in any car, home start as well as national recovery, towed to a location or garage of your choice.
I don't know how good the AA are as I've never had to use them. Green Flag were spot on, each time (daily at one point), were out within 30 minutes.
Gaz's Dad off here works for the AA, might be worth speaking to him about the service.
[Edited on 11-04-2014 by Andrew]
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VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
User status: Offline
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It comes with our bank account from the Halifax and includes aa home start. It was very good when our old car broke down. Fast easy service!
Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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I've been with the AA for a few years, used them 3 times. They seem decent. In my experience out of 8 flatbeds that have recovered me, only 1 has been a contractor. The AA drivers are perfectly happy to drive you as far as they can manage on their driving hours so I imagine that generally means fewer legs on long relays when compared with contractors who have a limited zone. 2 of my relays have been long distance, the first was Ayr to Liverpool, that was done in 3 legs but it was just an empty trailer so they just got that back within 48 hours, which i think is the standard when there are no passengers with the vehicle.
The other was Bridgwater to St Helens, again 3 legs. That one was 7 hours from the point of breaking down, to the point of getting home which was pretty decent imo, it'd took me 3 1/2 hours just to drive down there.
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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I'm with the AA on my dads policy Home Start, Relay and Roadside for about £30 per annum.
Used them a good few times. Always been excellent, patrol rings when near, always got me going. They also carry a lot of spares so can get a lot fixed. Even had a coil pack fro my Fiesta when it was mis firing at home.
Can't comment on the rest.
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Gone with AA; home start, national roadside recovery and onward travel for £144.95 for me and the missus covering any car which we're driving or passengers in. They were £22 cheaper than RAC for the same cover and they cover classic and kit cars as standard whereas RAC couldn't give me a straight answer about whether I'd be covered on them.
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dannymccann
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
User status: Offline
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You go through top cash back to bring the quote down? I've never broken down before but have had the £10 cover every year regardless just in case. I'm with Autoaid this year @ £35 I think it is, me and missus any vehicle, so it covers my motorbike as well 
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tom130691
Premium Member
Registered: 13th Sep 08
Location: Daventry
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by RichR
Gone with AA; home start, national roadside recovery and onward travel for £144.95 for me and the missus covering any car which we're driving or passengers in. They were £22 cheaper than RAC for the same cover and they cover classic and kit cars as standard whereas RAC couldn't give me a straight answer about whether I'd be covered on them.
motorbikes aswell 
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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been with the AA had a spell of 6 months where I snapped my clutch cable 4 times near my house though so no major problem.
bit of a nightmare when my engine popped though
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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asked for a flatbed to come out because I knew it wasnt fixable.
they sent a van which arrived after 45mins ish to be told he only had a bar and would only tow me to the service station
waited another 20 mins for a flat bed who told me he was in the area at the time of my call
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Brett
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Dec 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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I've had similar with AA, requested a flatbed, but they insist on sending out a van first to see if it can be fixed roadside.
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Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
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I think they all do that tbh, I had a wheel bearing go on a works van miles from home. Told them on the phone it wasn't driveable and needed recovering so we'd need a wagon. Sure enough RAC van rocks up, lays one hand on the wheel "you're gonna need a wagon mate". Things actually got worse after that too.
An ex's dad used to manage a private recovery firm, going back a few years now but he always used to recommend Green Flag. AA were a nightmare for sitting on breakdowns before passing them on to 3rd party recoverers, meaning they used to get a lot of grief when they turned up for being late.
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