Car Breakdown Discussion

GolfBravo

The €200 limit is for roadside repairs and/or towing to the nearest garage.

If they can't fix it there (72 hour limit) ADAC take your car home.

MylesTP

As a long term fan of this site and the newsletter I followed your advice and took out break down cover with The Green Insurance company. Year one and all was fine (didn't need their services) so we renewed with them this year. Today for the first time ever we broke down, just a few miles from home. After calling them (chargeable number from a mobile...) we were told they would be with us within an hour. This was about what we were expecting. After an hour another call to say they had been held up and would be there in half an hour. After half an hour I called them, "oh we'll be there in 5 minutes". After another 20 minutes called them again, "yeah we're just leaving the last job" and so it went on.... They eventually turned up over 3 hours after I called. This was not at rush hour, nor in central London. But in the middle of the day, mid week, in Hertfordshire.

When they did turn up the guy simply asked how long I'd been waiting and then when I told him just shrugged and walked off. No apology whatsoever. The break down truck was 7 years old, filthy inside and out and had a cracked windscreen. Finally having loaded the car on we should have been at the garage in 10 minutes. Instead it took over 30 as he insisted on going to get fuel from a petrol station in the opposite direction to where we were heading.

In summary, there is a reason they are cheap. Avoid like the plague. Pay up, get what you pay for and use a proper, well known brand not these clowns.

farostegui

nemesis0001 wrote: »

The Green Insurance Company.

I just took out full UK breakdown cover with them for £28.80 for the year! Thats a bargain in my book.:)

I want a fir and acurate review on the GREEN INSURANCE COMPANY BREAKDOWN POLICIES, NOT THE GREEN FLAG.
Please is it as good as the others or TOO CHEAP TO BE ANY GOOD? I wonder if their business is taking the car to the local garage which belongs to the rescue tow send to help you without bothering to repair the car as other assistances do(1 hour).

teena

This has all been very helpful as I need to get a new breakdown deal ( inc homestart)for me ( single mum) plus 21 year old student daughter ( with a car each). Any suggestions?

I can see people value the option to be brought home if it can't be repaired on the road but having zero idea how to fix a car I am wondering what the advantage is to me if I then end up with a broken down car at home. Will a garage come out to me or will it end up more expensive for me to have it towed to one? Is it simply that if I break down away from home at least I am not stuck out at a garage a long way away. Am I missing something? I do want to get a good deal for me and my daughter that wont leave either of us stranded. Thanks.

Quentin

When you use recovery that includes taking the car back home then they will take it to your local garage instead.

den169

teena wrote: »

This has all been very helpful as I need to get a new breakdown deal ( inc homestart)for me ( single mum) plus 21 year old student daughter ( with a car each). Any suggestions?

I can see people value the option to be brought home if it can't be repaired on the road but having zero idea how to fix a car I am wondering what the advantage is to me if I then end up with a broken down car at home. Will a garage come out to me or will it end up more expensive for me to have it towed to one? Is it simply that if I break down away from home at least I am not stuck out at a garage a long way away. Am I missing something? I do want to get a good deal for me and my daughter that wont leave either of us stranded. Thanks.

Teena read the policys very carefully Recovery does not mean they'll take you and car home most have the option of taking to a local garage if the car could be fixed that day,If its a major breakdown then they probably would take you home.Theres very few now that actually state they will take you home if they can't fix it at the roadside.The reason most want taking home is because you could end up at a garage that will charge a fortune and rip you off.Most people know a local garage who they trust and would rather the car go there,If you have credit card with you at all times then the best recovery is autoaid just £38 a year where you pay the recovery driver then claim it back off Autoaid,GEM breakdown cover also state they will take the car home or on to destination for around £90ish a year but that would cover both you and your daughter if at the same address,You can read the small print on nearly all the others and it will say they can take you to a local garage if it can be repaired the same day.

teena

den169 wrote: »

Teena read the policys very carefully Recovery does not mean they'll take you and car home most have the option of taking to a local garage if the car could be fixed that day,If its a major breakdown then they probably would take you home.Theres very few now that actually state they will take you home if they can't fix it at the roadside.The reason most want taking home is because you could end up at a garage that will charge a fortune and rip you off.Most people know a local garage who they trust and would rather the car go there,If you have credit card with you at all times then the best recovery is autoaid just £38 a year where you pay the recovery driver then claim it back off Autoaid,GEM breakdown cover also state they will take the car home or on to destination for around £90ish a year but that would cover both you and your daughter if at the same address,You can read the small print on nearly all the others and it will say they can take you to a local garage if it can be repaired the same day.

Thank you Den. I understand a bit more now. As she is away at uni for some of the time and after the summer, when she finishes, she could go anywhere ( or end up with me I suppose) I guess I would be better off with Autoaid so will look them up.

LadyDee

Green Insurance Company - when my car failed to start one morning, I was impressed with the speed of their attendance but that was it.

All the chap really did when he turned up was check the battery. Spent about ten minutes on that then offered to take it to the garage. Turns out the ECU had failed. I do realise of course that he would not have been able to fix my car but I would have thought a mechanic would have given that some consideration. Once he'd eliminated the battery that was that.

I will in all probability be renewing my cover this year though as it's under £30 with home start, onward travel and no excess, and as I say, they did come out quickly after checking where I was, if I felt safe etc.

medical

What about a company called Resq? Any views
many thanks
Medical

den169

medical wrote: »

What about a company called Resq? Any views
many thanks
Medical

Never heard of it and google doesn't find it.