Breakdown and Legal Cover

[Doug Dastardly]

Afternoon all,

 

I'm in the process of renewing my insurance and deciding what to go for.

 

If I don't take my insurers breakdown cover (£85) and legal expenses (£30) I would save £115

 

Then if I join CSMA (I presume I'm eligible, but I'm not a civil servant ) for £19 I get free legal cover (same amount)

 

I can then get Brittania breakdown cover for £68 which has personal cover which would cover me for any car I'm in not just my westfield. And I would still be £28 cheaper?

 

Anybody see any downside or problems?

 

Or any other comment?

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

[minesapint]

I had a similar decision to make when renewing.

AA had an offer for new customers, roadside assistance, recovery for any car I was in driver or passenger, took that at about £40. That was last year.

Cheers

[M444TTB]

I'd check you don't already have the legal cover as part of your home insurance.

[CrisisWolf]

Didn't realise that with CSMA (doh). Wasn't ever sure for legal cover if you have it on car insurance its only to be used relating to claims on that, likewise you can't use home insurance legal cover to cover other things...

 

Why doesn't breakdown cover do Westfields? They may not fix them but surly they can tow them home/another location?

[minesapint]

Didn't realise that with CSMA (doh). Wasn't ever sure for legal cover if you have it on car insurance its only to be used relating to claims on that, likewise you can't use home insurance legal cover to cover other things...

 

Why doesn't breakdown cover do Westfields? They may not fix them but surly they can tow them home/another location?

Don't they? I declared mine as a Westfield & other cars I own, they took my money, there'll be a hell of a row at the roadside if I do need them.

Cheers

[CrisisWolf]

I remember reading a topic on here a few months back. Like I said I cant see why it would be excluded, unless it was particuarly low and they cant recover it. Cant remember which companies were mentioned. Search the forum. Which recovery company does your insurance use?

[dombanks]

I get mine through my bank account. The only issue they had was if it needed specialist lifting equipment to get it in a trailer then I would have to pay for that.

They have been out twice now for it.

[CrisisWolf]

Sounds like my thoughts exactly. Mines AA I think through the Bank.

[Stuart]

Got my breakdown cover from Footman James for several years (with the insurance) and now do similar with A-Plan.  30-odd quid now IIRC.  Haven't bothered with legal cover on any of our cars for donkey's years think it's somewhat a con.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman)]

It seems most of the breakdown companies will cover Westfields now, though be wary of the limits and the small print. Some don't include the "free" European cover that they would for your tin top and their can be other restrictions, so check when comparing.

 

It's one of those things that does fascinate me; I've been around and aware of the kit car scene since the early eighties, it constantly staggers and amazes me just how far the industry as a whole has come from those heady, shedy days of bearded men slapping resin and mat over slab sided plywood "bucks" to make bodies before dropping them on a chopped Beetle floor pan, (almost regardless of what model car was be made). The height of sophistication would be a home made chassis, featuring random bit's of angle iron and box, held together with pigeon poo welds, and a complete absence of mounting brackets for any ancilaries, like engines!

 

Into this concoction would go random mechanical bits that the builder either happened to have laying around, or had pulled from the local scrappie. Often this would be sort of randomly thrown towards the chassis and bolted in where it landed.

 

Bear in mind that the oily bits back then would often be old and from the days when parts just didn't last so well and weren't that great to start with.

 

It's no wonder looking back to those days that the kit car industry and it's, er, products, were often looked on with horror, and the public perception of them as so unreliable, that anyone from the main stream car world, be it recovery companies or garages, generally wanted as little to do with them as possible.

 

(And yes, there were some fantastic kits back then, and some superbly built examples. But boy did the lowest common denominators really drag everyone else down).

[iain m]

Most companies cover westie's, mines with Start Rescue, they know what a Westie is  and even they say always tell them when you ring there is only 4ins clearance and they will send the correct vehicle first time..

[Rhett Turner - Black Country AO]

The family's tin tops are all with Start Rescue, for the Westi I have used the cover that i got through A plan which was not to bad for what is said to be a specialist company. Had not cause to use them though and long may it stay that way, but with no spare I think cover is a must.

[Doug Dastardly]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

It turns out that the £85 was a bit of a miss-quote and they could offer breakdown for £39 so I just stuck to taking it from the insurers.

 

With ref to Rhett's comment, I've seen it written online (which of course doesn't make it true) that they will not help you with a flat tyre if you have no spare. I've never checked up on this so can't really say.

 

Doug

[Quinten]

Before I took out cover with AutoAID, I asked about spare wheel and recovery and I have it confirmed (in writing) that they do not expect a kit car driver to carry a spare wheel, and will still recover. Had to use them in the 1st week of signing up and experienced no problem with the recovery itself (made it well clear that clearance was tight on the car).