The "Breakdown cover for your OSF" thread

[Kalypzo]

After getting caught out the other weekend with no breakdown cover a couple of weekends ago on my daily, I'm looking at online breakdown policies for my cortina.

 

So......if you wouldnt mind, take a minute out and let us know who you use, who you have used in the past, companies to avoid (worded as to not leave anyone liable to being sued! ) and recommendations.

 

Best quote I have found so far is £49 per year with ICBreakdown's silver policy. Any experience of this lot?

 

[ZetecVan 2.0]

I have free breakdown cover with my policy with Footman James. £173 fully comp, unlimited milesage all mods declared.

 

I've used them four times over two and a half years I think and the premium has stayed the same.

 

[julian.jay]

In the AA 'you are the member not the car'. I have membership taken out for my usual car Vauxhall Astra (yes I know but it is small and easy to park). I have been out in my Cortina and called them out 3 times in the last 6 months. No problems and fixed at roadside and once even followed me home 5 miles to make sure it was OK.

 

There clearly is a limit to how many times you can call them out but I have not yet reached it.

[Noodles]

I think i might have cover included with my insurance, but im with the RAC cos it covers me not just the estate, so no matter whos car im in im covered.

[Copey]

i have RAC personal cover

[countrybumpkin]

i have cover with my footman jame insurance but i also have AA cover which has always been good although there call centre isnt always that good

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

I used to have cover included with my Footman James insurance policy, but as I have 4 cars, it made sense to go with the AA or RAC. I ended up going with the AA because they were doing a smokey deal if you signed up online. I have the standard breakdown which covers me as a person - doesn't matter who's car i'm in, and I got Relay as well... i'm not letting my car go anywhere else but home

 

I had to ring the AA just 2 weeks after I signed up due to an expired core plug on the Anglia. They arrived in the time they quoted, and thankfully they listened to me on the phone when I said "You wont be able to fix it, can you please just send a recovery truck" (It was 1:30 in the morning and freezing cold). Can't fault them.

 

BTW, the smokey deal the AA was offering was £7 a month for breakdown and Relay. To make it cost effective, I cancelled all other breakdown cover included with the insurance policies which has saved me £80 odd quid a year

[bortaf]

AA, top blokes

Even got me recovery truck home when the prop went in Birmingham, even though it's well over the length limit for NON commercial cover

[aled]

http://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/

 

£36.00.....Simple, straight forward. Used twice now, no problems.

[antz]

AA

[Tracey]

RAC covers me on any car

 

£69 for the year, I got a higher up package

[caprinerd]

wife has cover on her which covers any car she`s in even as passenger

mine is on lancaster insurance full comp insurance use it once 3 years ago when axle siezed up policy never changed

[trevb]

we went with the full AA cover, they will take your car home if your in a crash, and give you leagal advice on what to do and what info you need from the other driver.

[FredTransit]

AA, top blokes

Even got me recovery truck home when the prop went in Birmingham, even though it's well over the length limit for NON commercial cover

 

I think I remember that. I have had the RAC measure my van before now, jobsworths!

With both the AA and the RAC, they are much the same as far as I am concerned. I have had both good and bad service from both. The worst was the AA, 8 hours to get me back to London off the M40 just beyond Oxford on the way to Birmingham. I got a free year's cover for that.

May favourite quote to both is 'please send me a patrolman who is older than the van'

[Noodles]

Took RAC 3 hours to just pic me up once, should complain seeing as they charged me about £89 this year

[flyingbanana]

im normally called the 5th emergency service by people i know

 

never had breakdown cover since all the years ive been driving and if i have a brake down ive managed to fix it the osf way

[Copey]

im normally called the 5th emergency service by people i know

 

never had breakdown cover since all the years ive been driving and if i have a brake down ive managed to fix it the osf way

 

so duct tape and cable ties then?

[accord83]

Rac patrolmen have always been very good, I pay for a family of 4 on recovery. When I had a starter dog jam the flywheel on a 1955 Standard Vanguard it amused me to see the patrolman approach it with a set of metric spanners, but it was soon on a recovery truck and home. Their call centre has been both excellent and astoundingly useless though. I reckon all the big outfits will all about the same though. John

[bmxdave]

Touch wood ive only needed the AA once. Normally i manage to bodge it.

 

The one time i did use them i found them to be brilliant. They updated me with text's and when the fella was finished he showed my how to set up my carb and dizzy properly!

 

Im on a policy with my mum n dad and it cost me about £40 if that and that covers the whole lot including home recovery etc.

[Messenjah]

i had britannia rescue cover included with my insurance when i had the capri called them out countless times it cost me £60 for a year but no limit on number of callouts and always sent a recovery truck not a guy with a van and some spanners lol

 

it was personal cover eve nthought it was with an insuranc epolicy on A car lol and i found they were very quick and i had onward journey cover and then relay or something so basically if i broke down 5 miles form my house on the start of a 300 mile trip they would take me to wher ei was going then come pick me up when i wanted to leave and take me home and if i got home out of normal working hours they would then come out the next day and take it to the garage

[flyingbanana]

im normally called the 5th emergency service by people i know

 

never had breakdown cover since all the years ive been driving and if i have a brake down ive managed to fix it the osf way

 

so duct tape and cable ties then?

 

funny you should say that! broke down 4 times today and used both of those items to get me going again ..... but also a hammer comes in handy sometimes

[Copey]

im normally called the 5th emergency service by people i know

 

never had breakdown cover since all the years ive been driving and if i have a brake down ive managed to fix it the osf way

 

so duct tape and cable ties then?

 

funny you should say that! broke down 4 times today and used both of those items to get me going again ..... but also a hammer comes in handy sometimes

 

haha, nice!!

[baz105e]

only ever had bad experiences with the AA the best one was homestart because i couldn't figure out the timing fault on the anglia. so this guy turns up and whats the first thing he did ... got the laptop out i shut the bonet and said that was a waste of time and he didnt even look @ the car. i asked him if he knew anything about distributers and he said. umm ive seen them but never actually worked on one so if youre using the aa make sure you ask for someone who is out of nappies

[mk1escortmad]

AA for me to only called them out twice in 5 yrs first time when my clutch on my crappy rover decided to shatter into pieces 100 miles from home, came in 20mins and a few months ago when my scorpio wouldnt start again 20mins, Also they seemed very helpful on fone and called me back as i was low on credit

[D4N]

Greenflag!

 

We do road rally in a bmw and once we crashed we just rang up and said i think we have broke a drive shaft. They came and it was sitting next a drystone wall. Drystone wall was nocked down and rear of the car was completly fooked. (80mph into a drystone wall backwards you kinda get the pic..) they still took us home even know we had been rallying it and it was crashed. We wernt lieing to them we did snap a drive shaft just didnt tell him the full story on the phone

 

Also when rallying the escort snaped a halfshaft and they took us home even though we were rallying..

 

Thats why we use greenflag