WARNING :Never let RAC fix your car !!!

[Deleted User]

On holidays in Cornwall this weekend and car broke down. Patrol turned up - wheel bearing gone, car going nowhere.

Spoke to RAC and they said because I had recovery they could tow me home. Or they could try and get the part and arrange for a local garage to repair. Because this was easier for them, they would be willing to pay for the labour costs (to save them money towing me home to Wales). Great, less hassle than us all going home in a truck.

We got kicked out of the caravan at 10am but RAC promised me it'd be all done by 4pm. No probs thought I, kids happy in the pool for now.

Local garage came, towed car away to repair. Waited till 5pm no news. Phoned garage, yep, car ready, so phoned RAC to arrange to get car back. They then told me they weren't able to bring car back for me, or arrange transport for me to get the car that was my problem. Car was 15 miles in a garage but I had no idea how to get there.

I spoke to a manager and tried to explain previous discussions I had. But no, it was my FAULT for accepting a local repair as opposed to a tow home. And apparently they weren't liable for taxing me around. And of course, no-one seemed to know about the paying for labour any more.

In the end, the garage came to the rescue on my behalf and picked me up. (Cheers 4Winds garage in Newquay!!!). They also managed to argue with the RAC to get the labour issue sorted.

Moral of the story. Next time you think RAC are doing something decent, dont believe it. As soon as they've got your agreement and saved themselves money, they'll drop you like a hot potato. Next time, I'll be pointing to their contractual obligations to recover my car and tell them to get stuffed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

forgotmyname

I used them a few years back when the clutch pedal stuck the the floor on my old range rover, I was
hitching the caravan up at the time then going to cornwall.

The patrol man was excellent, Tried bleeding it with no luck then took me to a garage to buy a new slave cylinder
came back and he fitted that. Unluckily it didnt fix it.
But we now knew it was the master cylinder which i had a spare at home. Fitted it that night and on our way the next
morning.
He spent several hours working on my car.

Did not fancy being towed to cornwall and then hope i could get it fixed at a fair price. Especially when there are several
LR specialists around here.

worried_jim

On the two occasions when I have had to use the RAC they have been brilliant. First time got me going again at the road side and the most recent I got a tow to a garage of my choice which was further away then I was covered for but the chap said not to worry as know one would ever know. On the back of this service I renewed again with out even looking at the AA. Maybe my time for poor service is coming!

bigjl.

So why couldn't you just get a taxi to the garage?

Hammyman

I fail to see how someone would see it was the RACs responsibility to get them there to pick it up. I also fail to understand how someone didn't ask how they'd get the car back once it was fixed.

And the biggest one of all. I fail to see how anyone who is not deaf could have left a bearing whining and growling away so long that it got to the point of catastrophic failure. The noise it must have been making in the weeks up to the day they set off for their holiday must have been horrendous.

The OP brought the entire sorry situation on themselves by neglecting to get the fault fixed in the first place. A wheelbearing doesn't go from good to completely shafted to the point its a tow truck job in a few miles, a few days or even a few weeks.

bigjl.

Hammyman wrote: »

I fail to see how someone would see it was the RACs responsibility to get them there to pick it up. I also fail to understand how someone didn't ask how they'd get the car back once it was fixed.

And the biggest one of all. I fail to see how anyone who is not deaf could have left a bearing whining and growling away so long that it got to the point of catastrophic failure. The noise it must have been making in the weeks up to the day they set off for their holiday must have been horrendous.

The OP brought the entire sorry situation on themselves by neglecting to get the fault fixed in the first place. A wheelbearing doesn't go from good to completely shafted to the point its a tow truck job in a few miles, a few days or even a few weeks.

Holiday in a motor maintained on the cheap equals the op being bitten on the !!!!!.:rotfl:

Lum

The RAC policy I had included a hire car for 3 days, I've taken advantage of this quite a few times. In one case they even let me take out the hire car a week and a half after the original fault as the car wasn't fixed yet (we decided to install the new engine ourselves) and I had work to do.

[Deleted User]

1.) RAC told me they'd bring the car back and then changed their mind (or forgot what they'd agreed). Bearing in mind, getting car repaired was the preferable option for them even though they were contractually obliged to tow me home. Would have caught a taxi if that had been the deal with the RAC.

Thats my point, I'm being flexible to save everyone hassle, so dont mess me around. If I'd known it was a case of we'll pick you up, then you and your family are on your own, and we'll lose interest, would have told them no - please tow us home and I dont care how much it costs you.

2.) No noise at all from bearing in the days beforehand. In fact, it was serviced about 2 months ago and no mention was made of the wheel bearing.

3.) Bigjl - Nope not maintained on the cheap. You seem to be assuming a lot here.

[Deleted User]

Lum wrote: »

The RAC policy I had included a hire car for 3 days, I've taken advantage of this quite a few times. In one case they even let me take out the hire car a week and a half after the original fault as the car wasn't fixed yet (we decided to install the new engine ourselves) and I had work to do.

Yeh. Wish I'd insisted on getting what my policy allowed for now.

Instead, since they said it was easier, I agreed to go for the repair option. Like I said, it all sounded good until they 'forgot' what had been agreed up front. All they cared about was that they had saved on towing me 180 miles home.

Next time, I'll dig my heels in and say tough luck, heres my contract, it says xyz, do it.

Lum

The car hire is an additional benefit they offer on top of the recovery/repair option, so you could have gone for that as well as having your car taken to the garage. At which point you would not have had a problem getting your car back, plus you could have continued to drive around and actually enjoy your holiday.

I realise it's easy to be wise after the event and this post isn't intended as a dig at you, unlike some of the others, but something to bear in mind if you need to call them out again during the remainder of your policy term with them.

[Deleted User]

Lum wrote: »

The car hire is an additional benefit they offer on top of the recovery/repair option, so you could have gone for that as well as having your car taken to the garage. At which point you would not have had a problem getting your car back, plus you could have continued to drive around and actually enjoy your holiday.

I realise it's easy to be wise after the event and this post isn't intended as a dig at you, unlike some of the others, but something to bear in mind if you need to call them out again during the remainder of your policy term with them.

Cheers Lum. I'll deffo check what I'm entitled to next time around.