Not On The Comparison Sites

2011-12-29T10:04:00.001-08:00

Hi

You won't even need to read the whole page in order to work out that it is highly likely that you may save money on your car or van break down cover.

People often search for cheap car insurance, but neglect the roadside breakdown cover. They will search compare car insurance, but rarely roadside breakdown cover.

I have wasted a lot of money buying road-side cover over 30 years.
Little did I know that other organisations existed that not only provided equal/similar/better cover but a lot cheaper as well.. By shopping around for like for like breakdown cover, you can save as much as a hundred pounds plus.
Many years ago the market was cornered by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) and the Automobile Association. (AA)

The RAC & AA's mistake was that they started charging too much and a third company stepped in. However, this alone did not create the price wars for your car break down cover that we see today. During the last twenty or so years, there are now more than a dozen road side breakdown, recovery companies and most are owned by very large companies. Even Insurance companies have started up their own vehicle recovery units. In my opinion a companies name and their reputation makes or breaks them. The company I'm with , has a very good reputation and all I paid full roadside, home start, onward journey and more was, less that 3o pounds. Even I could not believe the figure and now we have the other two cars with them as well. You pay a load less but customer service is A1 in my experience.

There are now so many companies and that is good news for you and me. Cover starts as low as 20 pounds. The one below is the one I currently use as well as my wife, our son and our daughter. We have used them for two years, and not had a problem. Indeed, through my own fault, I bought two lots of breakdown cover for my Mercedes, (yes, silly me) but the company/staff were very helpful and resolved my error at no cost to me. They did this quickly and courteously. and this is what counts.

Agreed, no one wants their car, van or motor cycyle to break down, let alone break down on a dark, cold, wet and windy night in the middle of nowhere. But when it does happen, you need a trusted break down recovery unit to fix your vehicle in the quickest time. Alternatively, get you to your destination with the minimal of fuss. (In my judgement,having no cover, is indeed a false economy. You only need to break down once, especially if you are on a motorway and it could cost you hundreds of pounds and more depending on where you break down and the cost to repair your car/van)

It is incredible, but tens of thousands of people a year still get caught short, ie run out of petrol, and most breakdown companies and almost all the major ones cover you for that, plus cost of petrol. So, if you are going on a long trip that involves motorways, A/B roads, allow yourself plenty of extra fuel just in case you get caught up in a traffic jam

I bought full cover for my German car for less than £30. My car is 4 years old and the cover remains at that price as long as it's less than six years old and covered less than a 100,00 miles.It does not include European cover, that I do not need but it covers, home start, onwards journey or return home, picks up my car and people in it to a maximum of seven, pay up to good amount in labour cost and more than six call outs in a year. The RAC and AA similar cover was more than a hundred pounds more for like for like.

When shopping for road side breakdown, home start cover, consider the following:

What is the average response time.
Is there an excess payment for a call out.
How many times can you call them out in a 12 month period before they start charging you extra.
What is exactly covered.
Does your car, van, vehicle meet their criteria? EG, some companies will only cover cars, vans, motorcycles that are less than ten years old and have a full service history
What percentage of vehicles are they expected to repair at the roadside.

Caution advised:

Your existing car cover that you got with the used car you bought may not be as comprehensive as a break down cover bought separately

Good practice to follow in order to reduce the likelihood of your car, van or bike from breaking down in the first place.

Ensure your car is regularly serviced
Never ignore warning messages that your car computer gives, have them looked at to avoid a breakdown.
Check daily, or every time you drive off the condition of your tyres, lights and general appearance/health of your car/van.
Avoid journeys in adverse weather unless absolutely necessary. Check traffic information through your television, internet, phone before you set off on longer and new route journeys.

Be Prepared:

If you are not exactly sure regarding the route and time it takes to get to your destination, carefully study beforehand the route, don't just depend on a satellite navigation system as knowledge is wealth. Sat navs can break down, I always carry a good map as well.

Check the road worthiness of your car or van every time you start out. Ensure you have more than enough fuel in your vehicle to allow for the unexpected detours and big traffic jams.

Ensure you have the contact number/s of your break down cover organisation at the very least. Write it down on a piece of large paper in large, clear writing on an A4 piece of white paper so it can be easily read in the dark. Upload the number to you mobile phone.
In winter, take a hot drink as well as cold drinks and chocolate and extra, heavy duty clothing for winter trips.
Carry a torch and a warning triangle
Be aware of your safe capacity.
When getting out of your vehicle, if possible, park in a safe place, watch out for fast moving traffic.
Don't forget, as far as reasonable, especially those aged under 18, you are responsible for their safety and well being.

What to do When Your Car, Van or Motorcycle Breaksdown:

PLEASE READ THE HIGHWAY CODE AS THIS IS THE BEST GUIDE.
Highways Code Link
Turn on your hazards if on a main carriage way or dangerous spot.
If feasible and safe, position a red warning
If possible, try and park up in a safe and well lit place.
Depending on where you have broken down, ie on a motorway, different opinions but most police say get out and away of your car if safe to do so, but read the Highway Code. If break down built up area, or lonely spot, may lock your doors if you are in the car and you feel it is safer in the car or van.
Call your vehicle recovery organisation
Stay calm and be sensible, ie it is difficult to judge speeds on main carriageways so crossing the road will be very dangerous.
If in immediate danger, to life and limb to yourself or other road users call the police.

General Comments

Many new cars come with 'road side assistance,' and this is usually the full cover but you need to check the small print.

Some main dealers sell cars with free cover for roadside breakdown/recovery, but depending on the make of the car/dealer, some will not change your puncture tyre or if you run out of petrol. so it is advisable to read the small print. What I have noted is that the separate cover you buy, most will cover most items including punctures but sensible to read the small print.

On the other two pages on my blog, just a few sentences on how you may be able to save a load of money on car and van insurance, along with property, buildings and contents cover. Just remember this simple rule of thumb, start shopping around 30 days before the end of your cover as most insurance companies will give you a firm quote that may be good for 30 days. A word of caution. At times when I have used the comparison sites, then go to the chosen insurance cover provider, the quote may go up. However, dealing direct with the company's website, I have managed to obtain a cheaper quote. Not sure why this has happened, could be a glitch or possibly me answering the questions slightly differently.

This site, whether you are looking for cheap breakdown cover, cheap car insurance cheap car insurance, along with the best mobile phones and a quick loan or a pay loan or loans, hopefully this site has helped

Please note that I'm not a qualified expert of any type and just posting my experiences and opinions, and hopefully reading them may help you in some way. Good luck!