Motoring Discussion > Breakdown Cover. Tax / Insurance / Warranties
Thread Author: Roger. Replies: 22
View Threaded 

 Sat 7 Dec 13 15:26 
 Breakdown Cover. - Roger.
We have been with The Green Insurance Company for three years now. Our premium for last year was around £57 and free credit over 12 months. This was on our 04 plate Panda.
I just had the renewal for £99.85 + chargeable credit at about 24% APR.
Doing a bit of research it seem that the reason for the increase is that our Jazz is an 02 plate.
Shopping around, as one does, I tried all the usual suspects.
Green Flag came up best by a long way, as their recovery plus level - which meets our needs, gives a free MOT with Halfords and came in at a reasonable £72.08.
Green Flag appear to refine their quote rather more than the other companies , as they ask for your reg. no, which brings up the exact model of your car, plus they ask for the ages of the policy holder(s) and the likely annual mileage.
All the other quotes seem to use the age of the car as the sole criterion for cost, for all cover levels.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 15:52 
 Breakdown Cover. - jc2
Get a quote from Britannia Rescue.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 19:31 
 Breakdown Cover. - nice but dim
I've signed up with Smart Rescue for a year after being with AA for 10 years. They charged me £39 for roadside and recovery on my 52 plate Mitsubishi. Only time will tell if they are any good. I looked at pay and reclaim but the worry of not getting it back put me off.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 20:33 
 Breakdown Cover. - bathtub tom
>> I looked at pay and reclaim but the worry of not getting it back put me off.

I've been with autoaid a few years and only been taken home once. Absolutely no problem with claiming back the cost.

Autoaid cover partner for the £39 and include any vehicle you're in (so I understand).
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 22:18 
 Breakdown Cover. - legacylad
I have been with Autoaid for several years now. Never needed them to date. Boringly reliable 330 and Subarus. Methinks the money would be better spent on beer & cheap Keighley curries.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 22:54 
 Breakdown Cover. - bathtub tom
>> the money would be better spent on beer & cheap Keighley curries.

Agree with you. My recovery (30 odd miles) cost £125. About three years premiums.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 23:13 
 Breakdown Cover. - Roger.
I'm quite sure that I'll be shopping around again next year, as I doubt there will be offers for existing customers.
Even a discounted MOT is £30 to £35 , so allowing for that I have cover for a net £42 or so.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 23:13 
 Breakdown Cover. - ....
>> I have been with Autoaid for several years now. Never needed them to date. Boringly
>> reliable 330 and Subarus. Methinks the money would be better spent on beer & cheap
>> Keighley curries.
>>
You sound like the kind of chap who keeps on top of his cars. Why throw money at insurance co's? You know when something's not right so you get it repaired or fix it yourself. You say yourself you've never used them so dead money. Better in your bank account than someone else's.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 23:16 
 Breakdown Cover. - Roger.
If we were younger I dare say we would risk no cover, but the thought of standing by a broken down car wondering who to call, at our doddery age, is too much to contemplate.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sat 7 Dec 13 23:23 
 Breakdown Cover. - ....
I understand that but when was the last time a car just gave up on you unexpectedly? I took a 9 year old, 90+thousand mile diesel with DMF down to Italy last summer, It never crossed my mind the car wouldn't make it.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:21 
 Breakdown Cover. - legacylad
It never crosses my mind that any of my cars in the last 20 years wont start on the button. Or fail at any time. Even with my previous 10yo Mazda 626, and current 9yo 330, I would be amazed at any kind of failure.

I did have a fright 2 weeks ago. Flew back into Yeadon from Lanzarotty early evening, driving home, I could hear a persistent rattle LHS and was sure that the glass in the door was about to drop out! Both windows up/down several times, seemed to work fine. Then in the dark I spotted 2 cans of de -icer clinking together on corners on the passenger seat. Boy Scout be prepared training gave me a short term concern!
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:25 
 Breakdown Cover. - Fenlander
I do not expect our cars to break down but I'm very happy to pay the RAC £1-25 a week to know in that exceptional event self or Mrs F (in any car we're using) will be recovered home.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 17:06 
 Breakdown Cover. - nice but dim
>> £1-25 a week
>>

£25 per WEEK! How did you get to that figure? mine doesn't even come to £1 per week?
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 17:25 
 Breakdown Cover. - Fenlander
On the vino early?

£1-25 a week = £1-25 a week!
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 17:41 
 Breakdown Cover. - nice but dim
you mean 1 . 25 per week?as in £65 per year?
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 18:36 
 Breakdown Cover. - Fenlander
Yep... which is good for two drivers for any car.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:25 
 Breakdown Cover. - Mike H
>> If we were younger I dare say we would risk no cover, but the thought
>> of standing by a broken down car wondering who to call, at our doddery age,
>> is too much to contemplate.
>>
That's part of it in our case, also if SWMBO is alone in the car, she would not only not have a clear idea of where to get help, but also would want a speedy recovery.

And it's not all about regular maintenance. The DI unit (coil pack) on our Saab 9-5 failed in January this year with literally no warning. Luckily I was only 300 metres from home, so I rang the OEAMTC (like the AA, even down to boringly regular mail trying to sell me extra services) and then popped home for a coffee while I waited. As luck would have it I had a spare in the garage (normal practice for Saab owners!), so the mech brought me home to collect it, and popped it on. No amount of regular maintenance would have spotted that one, which could equally have been at 100mph in the outside lane of a busy autobahn,
Last edited by: Mike H on Sun 8 Dec 13 at 10:26
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:31 
 Breakdown Cover. - legacylad
I have had breakdown cover most of my life. The £39 cost of Autoaid gives me peace of mind. I spent more than that on Friday night watching an AC/DC tribute band in Clitheroe, minibus home + drinkies. Probably double that actually!
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:33 
 Breakdown Cover. - Runfer D'Hills
>>on Friday night watching an AC/DC tribute band in Clitheroe

Blimey, how the other half live eh?

;-)
Reply to this message | Report message
      1  
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:32 
 Breakdown Cover. - sooty123
I buy just because it's not much and when you need it is well worth it. Last time I needed it was about 18 months ago when a throttle cable snapped. Managed to get it across a lane of traffic, it was well worth it that night.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:40 
 Breakdown Cover. - legacylad
Runfer...more like existing with regards to Clitheroe. An interesting Friday night experience to say the least.
Life in the old dog yet as I got to bed at 3:15 and was in work at 08:45 feeling fine. The secret is to go onto bottles at midnight, and stop mixing the drinks. Then walk to work (obviously).
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 10:42 
 Breakdown Cover. - Bromptonaut
>> I buy just because it's not much and when you need it is well worth
>> it. Last time I needed it was about 18 months ago when a throttle cable
>> snapped. Managed to get it across a lane of traffic, it was well worth it
>> that night.

Same for me. Berlingo died at 6pm on a Sunday in middle of Sheffield. Alternator>battery feed broke. Got Mrs B and I home. Bit of a wait for driver with enough hours to get us home but at least we were in the recovery contractors depot with tea/coffee and TV on hand.

Probably have been a night in hotel otherwise as well as organising a repair away from home.
Reply to this message | Report message
       
 Sun 8 Dec 13 13:10 
 Breakdown Cover. - Roger.
The last time we had a car fail on us was in Spain, when our Fabia lost all electrics on our way home, moderately late at night, from a live musical evening at a friend's villa.
We were members of RACE (Royal Auto Club Spain)who got a local contractor to collect the car and deliver it to the Skoda dealer in Marbella who fixed it next day - summat to do with battery connections - not just a tightening up job.

Our daughter and family were and still are for a little while, covered by ADAC (Auto Club of Germany approx.). This has proved invaluable on every one of their three extensive European tours in their VW T2 camper van!

As an aside, said daughter has had an article, with photographs, published in one of those VW camper mags, covering their first trip, to Croatia,and has submitted another one to a different specialist magazine about their second trip. Currently waiting acceptance!
Reply to this message | Report message
       
Latest Forum Posts
Thu, 1 May 2025 20:20
Non-motoring
by CGNorwich
Conclave
Was religion invented? Who and when was invented it? Isn’t ...
Thu, 1 May 2025 19:37
Non-motoring
by Zero
Conclave
At the end of the day Religeon was invented to ...
Thu, 1 May 2025 19:36
Non-motoring
by Manatee
Conclave
>>I think you misunderstand me That is entirely possible:) ...
Thu, 1 May 2025 19:32
Non-motoring
by Zero
Sycamore Gap Tree
Get this, its no pun, his defence is "I was ...
Thu, 1 May 2025 19:22
Non-motoring
by CGNorwich
Conclave
I think you misunderstand me. I am not saying year ...
Thu, 1 May 2025 19:08
Non-motoring
by Manatee
Conclave
>>The fact is that our modern Western belief system is ...