Non RAC

Ken Baileys Ghost said:
Surely when it comes to breakdown cover it's not just down to price, it's also down to service?

I've been with the AA since 83 and they always match the cheapest quote I can find from the larger providers
They also turn up when they say they will and their app is pretty good
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Yep my wife’s car overheated on the way back home from Dean Court, the AA were there within 30 minutes.

Been with them a long time and had good service.

Was with the RAC many moons ago and was up near Inverness in one of these fields where you open and shut the gate on your route, when suddenly the gear stick snapped.

Contacted the RAC, their chap arrived and put a splint on it, he said that willl last the holiday and the drive home, it did.

Apart from being an RAC employee he was a first aider.
 
hba1 said:
An interesting update from Martin Lewis's programme last week.

Auto Aid is worth looking at when my Britannia Rescue comes up for renewal.
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Thibk auto aid is (was...) that dirt cheap one.

Been around for at least couple of decades. Rock solid.

They used to have weird caveat of needing to be married though... so mine ceased around 6 years ago..

Also depends how precious you are about your car. As if needs to go to garage they'll simply take it to their nearest partner..

My m3 is under bmw extended warranty and part of that includes road side assistance. If it needs to go to garage they guarantee it will go to bmw, or maybe proper bmw specialist. I certainly wouldn't want it getting towed to some tinpot back street outfit to work on it...

like I say depends how precious you are or have decent car you care about...
 
Being totally lazy but Britannia Rescue's renewal has come through same price as last year.
 
I've been with the AA for about 28 years and am fed up having to argue the toss over their annual increases. Green Flag looked promising at about half the price for the same level of cover -until I read they don't cover vehicles over 16 years old. Mine is 17. As Unlucky Alf would say, "Oh Bugger"..
 
Don't bother with the RAC. I had been with them gir many years. But not anymore. They have moved their operation to online. The service is now appaulling. Their response times have worsened and you don't always get an RAC patrolman. One now gets some untrained clueless biff from some back street garage looking like he had stepped out of a coal mine.

I cancelled my membership the following day.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Don't bother with the RAC. I had been with them gir many years. But not anymore. They have moved their operation to online. The service is now appaulling. Their response times have worsened and you don't always get an RAC patrolman. One now gets some untrained clueless biff from some back street garage looking like he had stepped out of a coal mine.

I cancelled my membership the following day.
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TBH, the people working out of 'back street garages' more likely are proper mechanics. Rather than the 'technicians' you get in shiny glass palace franchises, who just stick a cable into the car and start swapping bits out for extortionate hourly rates.
 
Many people, myself included, have RAC cover built into their Car Insurance deal. For circa 20 years this has worked well but this year my Insurance provider shot it's price up big style....on examining the detail it was obvious that their RAC package hike was the damaging factor....passed on to me....so next year I'll look for a new arrangement somehow.
 
New Old Cherry said:
Many people, myself included, have RAC cover built into their Car Insurance deal. For circa 20 years this has worked well but this year my Insurance provider shot it's price up big style....on examining the detail it was obvious that their RAC package hike was the damaging factor....passed on to me....so next year I'll look for a new arrangement somehow.
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No its not RAC cover - for most part. Most peoples policies shop up by 30-40% after the insurance companies all decided to ramp prices up together.

I dont have recovery package with insurance, as I get in through the cars extended warranty.
 
MB1980 said:
TBH, the people working out of 'back street garages' more likely are proper mechanics. Rather than the 'technicians' you get in shiny glass palace franchises, who just stick a cable into the car and start swapping bits out for extortionate hourly rates.
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I have recently moved my Servicing Plan to a backstreet/countryside garage from the local Main Suzuki dealer who I bought the car from...for the exact reason you stated.
I got the tip off from a mechanic friend and he even recommended the garage I go to now.... almost half the price for a full service and with a free MoT next time if you stay with them.
Last week was the first time at the new place....MoT pass...no bullsh*t...no add ons !

First impressions ...great...obviously time will tell for consistency.

I had done a bit of research on them.
The new lady owner of the garage explained to me that she wants to build a solid core base of customers where there is mutual respect....I interpreted that as a common sense old fashioned 'small town culture' thing.
 
New Old Cherry said:
I have recently moved my Servicing Plan to a backstreet/countryside garage from the local Main Suzuki dealer who I bought the car from...for the exact reason you stated.
I got the tip off from a mechanic friend and he even recommended the garage I go to now.... almost half the price for a full service and with a free MoT next time if you stay with them.
Last week was the first time at the new place....MoT pass...no bullsh*t...no add ons !

First impressions ...great...obviously time will tell for consistency.

I had done a bit of research on them.
The new lady owner of the garage explained to me that she wants to build a solid core base of customers where there is mutual respect....I interpreted that as a common sense old fashioned 'small town culture' thing.
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Bloody hell a sensible readable post.....you are an impostor...where have you taken Brian.?
 
New Old Cherry said:
I have recently moved my Servicing Plan to a backstreet/countryside garage from the local Main Suzuki dealer who I bought the car from...for the exact reason you stated.
I got the tip off from a mechanic friend and he even recommended the garage I go to now.... almost half the price for a full service and with a free MoT next time if you stay with them.
Last week was the first time at the new place....MoT pass...no bullsh*t...no add ons !

First impressions ...great...obviously time will tell for consistency.

I had done a bit of research on them.
The new lady owner of the garage explained to me that she wants to build a solid core base of customers where there is mutual respect....I interpreted that as a common sense old fashioned 'small town culture' thing.
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Yes, if you get a recommendation of a genuine, trustworthy 'backstreet' garage its worth it imo.

Used to take cheaper cars I owned years ago to one in Poole for years. Proper get hands dirty and try fix issue otherways rather than swapping in/out entire units.

One example was exes Audi TT. Rear light stopped working and turned out to be a known design/engineering fault where water gets into the unit. Audi wanted hundreds to replace whole light unit and they silly hourly rate too.

Bloke in garage said he can replace whole unit, or can replace some cables, soldering and it'd be fixed in under any hour. Charged us about £30.

A car under warranty, you used to have to take it to franchise dealership otherwise it would invalidate warranty. Laws have changed since, and you can take them anywhere, as long as you have proof they've used approved parts.

A good independent are more likely to care about work they're doing, whilst providing value.... ultimately it should benefit all parties over the long term. Not sure many of franchise garages have similar outlooks.
 
Reality and Realism said:
Don't bother with the RAC. I had been with them gir many years. But not anymore. They have moved their operation to online. The service is now appaulling. Their response times have worsened and you don't always get an RAC patrolman. One now gets some untrained clueless biff from some back street garage looking like he had stepped out of a coal mine.

I cancelled my membership the following day.
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What happens if the Imp breaks down?
 
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