Breakdown cover

[TAFKARM]

Who are we all using? I normally use the A plan add on cover but my insurance and breakdown have got out of sync. 

A plan quoted £45 on the phone (but then sent me a renewal letter for £89) so it got me thinking if I can get better value elsewhere. No need for homestart ~3000 miles a year. Someone who'd pick me up from a trackday mechanical failure (Got in there before you @Cleggy the Spyder Man !) would be nice, but not essential. 

[Thrustyjust]

We just have a family Green Flag thing for all cars and all drivers in the house and any driver in anyones car as well. 

[Quinten]

Although I haven't used a recovery service them in the past 2 years (i.e. not renewed), when I did use one, it was with AutoAid.  They cover the person (and spouse), rather than the car, so it can even be used if you are a passenger (or the spouse is one).   When my previous Westfield bottomed out and cracked the thermostat I was recovered to a garage of my choice and they send the correct low loader to recover me.  I had to pay the recovery firm direct, and then claim back from AutoAid, but the cheque from them covering everything arrived within 2 weeks.

I'm considering joining them again as the Westfield is now yet another unknown (when it is back on the road)  

[Stuart]

+1 for AutoAid. £43 gets you and the missus covered in any car.

[Andy Banks]

On the occasion I needed recovery/roadside, I used the service that comes with my NatWest Bank account. Of course they could not do a roadside but did get me home (my choice) or would have dropped at a garage if I'd wanted.

I've yet to check the small print to see if they'd recover from a track day though...

[Kingster]

1 hour ago, Andy Banks - WSCC Shows and Events Coordinator said:

On the occasion I needed recovery/roadside, I used the service that comes with my NatWest Bank account. Of course they could not do a roadside but did get me home (my choice) or would have dropped at a garage if I'd wanted.

I've yet to check the small print to see if they'd recover from a track day though...

There's usually a main road outside a track 

[Thrustyjust]

2 hours ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

There's usually a main road outside a track 

Seeing a Ford day at Santa Pod and all these cars outside on the main road with driveshafts hanging out was quite a spectacle as you couldnt deny what had actually happened 

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

AA doesn't do European cover for kit cars... a plan did

 

cheers

 

John

 

[SootySport]

AA covers the wife and I for all eventualities, which ever car your in and as a passenger.  Part of my bank account benefits. 

  Was about £120 if you went direct to the AA for the same cover.

[Onliest Smeg David]

11 hours ago, SootySport said:

AA covers the wife and I for all eventualities, which ever car your in and as a passenger.  Part of my bank account benefits. 

  Was about £120 if you went direct to the AA for the same cover.

We have the same through CSMA, excellent value. Covers both of us in all our 4 vehicles and if travelling in anyone elses.

[Thrustyjust]

Autoaid seems a good idea, but when Ms TJ was travelling 250 miles to uni , I wanted to make sure her car was covered for every eventuality , including home start , bring her home, hire car etc . For an impoverished student , the thought of her finding money to pay for recovery would have had her running away . Ironically never did use it for her , but for the family paying £8 a month is a small payment to cover us all.

As for track day recovery, when I first went to the factory and spoke to the Smiths, I mentioned about carbs on a V8 . I was taken to a V8 in the workshop with 2 wheels and passenger side missing. Allegedly a 'customer' who had a crash outside a race track somewhere, and was recovered and an insurance job as damaged right outside the gates . This was in '98 , so sure its safe to say now..........

[tisme]

I'm currently with GEM Motoring Assist which covers my wife and I driving any car + caravan etc - it costs £120 a year but Autoaid looks just the same at a third of the cost !!

I'll be switching at next renewal - thanks to all that have recommended them

By the way - looks like any form of "racing" is excluded  .......https://www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/documents/AutoAid Policy Booklet December 2016.pdf

Colin

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Not just excluded:

Quote

1. Any request for service if the vehicle has been used (from the time you bought it) for private hire, public hire, racing, rally, pacemaking or in any contest or speed trial or any rigorous reliability testing. 

So the insurance, if I read that correctly, does not cover you if you Sprint/Hill Climb or Race, at any time while you own the car.

Though I couldn't see any specific mention of trackdays.

I'd be very interested to see the equivalent A Plan document, (given that their recovery service is being sold as a bolt-on to kit car owners), I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing, but it does strike me that there's enough boiler plate in there to potentially knock back a claim from at least a third of the average kit car recovery situations, IF, and that's the key word, the company wanted to.

[tisme]

certainly this bit would apply to every Westfield that's been driven on a normal road 

".....any rigorous reliability testing"

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

...Just added the A-Plan cover for the Westfield, at £44.95, (roughly), it's somewhat cheaper than the £170 that the AA wanted this year!! (And the AA didn't include the Home Start type options the A Plan did).