HELP PLEASE!!! Have just broken down!!

roxy86_2

hi everyone, ok i broke down about an hour ago about 6 miles from my house. the car started juddering and the engine light came on and was flashing. i pulled into a quiet street and checked the oil level which was ok.

ive managed to get a lift home and left the car (secured) parked on the side of the street.

My car is due to go to the garage tomorrow anyway to have a new abs sensor put in but now its a case of getting it there. Its now 6 miles away from the garage i am due to go to tomorrow.

my questions are: I have no breakdown cover but wandered if i was to order AA cover tonight and then get a taxi bak to my car tomorrow and call them would they come out and tow me? it says there roadside assistance has immediate affect after processing online and all the other stuff e.g.: home start etc takes 24 hours to activate.
I just wandered would it look dodgy that i ordered cover the night before and then call them at like 10 in the morning.

Also if this is ok to go ahead and do do you know if they will take me to my local garage or just drop it to any garage they like. (there happens to be an mot and servicing centre at the end of the road i pulled into to).

Also if all the above is not possible. E:g) i wouldnt be covered for a callout so quickly into ordering cover etc, then if i was to get dropped back to my car later this evening with a friend (who happens to have everything cover with aa, so home start, roadside, relay, parts etc and she is covered not her car). If she was to call them and say we have just broke down together would they come out then.

Or last option would be to wait until the morning and get a recovery truck but i dont know how much that would cost and so am looking for advice from all you guy on the best option.

coinxoperated

The answer to most of your questions: No.

If you could take out a policy the night before needing a pick up, most people would do that!

I have a pay monthly breakdown cover with kwik fit that covers me for everything for £5 a month. I'd spend more than that on a lunch, and it's easier on my budget to pay monthly rather than yearly.

I suggest you call your garage in the morning, explain your circumstances and ask if they are able to collect it and at how much.

I suppose the other option would be to take out the policy, and then maybe wait until Sunday and call them up then...

roxy86_2

well looking at AA online it says you are covered for roadside assistance immediately. So therefore if i was to take it out tonight i would have thought they would have no problem in coming to me tomorrow. im going to take it out anyway i think as i dont want to be in this suitation again so maybe i should just try it tomorrow and see.

or go out there in a minute with my friend (if i can get hold of her) she has held her cover for ages

Lum

If your friend has personal cover then yes, if she's a passenger in your vehicle your vehicle is covered.

It's a bit dodgy to take out cover then ask for assistance, I suppose technically it's insurance fraud, however I'm sure lots of people do it.

Take out the cover.. you should really have it anyway.. see if your garage will tow you. Failing that call them on Sunday as stated above.

System

I believe tha the AA allow you to do that. Obviously you have to pay for a full years cover.

I think that there are previous threads where somebody has got cover within an hour of breaking down.

roxy86_2

yeah reading the policy booklet it says if you breakdown and require cover then they will allow you to take out the cover but will charge you a premium on top of that cover. I could leave i there a few days i suppose but i need to get it into the garage and fixed asap really. may try aa tomorrow, failing that will look for some local recovery trucks

Quentin

roxy86 wrote: »

if i was to get dropped back to my car later this evening with a friend (who happens to have everything cover with aa, so home start, roadside, relay, parts etc and she is covered not her car). If she was to call them and say we have just broke down together would they come out then.

Have a ring round your mates - you will find someone with personal RAC/AA membership which covers them for any car they are in (don't have to be the driver even) who can get a callout from them and meet you at the car to show their membership.

BertTheRaccoon

If you do the trick of using a mate as an alleged passenger in the car and call their cover, make sure you have a story straight as to why the car is stone cold (it will be obvious to the dude that comes out that the car hasn't packed up in the last hour and he may be a nuisance)

I would have thought the garage you were due to take the car to wouldn't have a problem collecting the car tomorrow, after all there will be some more work for them than just changing an ABS sensor, which would take all of 10 mins.

forgotmyname

They may think its suspicous you broke down with your friend in the car and its stone cold, So clearly it didnt just breakdown.

Lum

Unless, of course it's one of the breakdown providers that just subcontract to a local provider. Those guys are less likely to refuse a paying job.

Likewise it could be like my last experience with the RAC, admittedly a long time ago, sat waiting for a good 4 hours before someone finally turned up with a vehicle unsuitable to tow my car (yes I did tell them on the phone that I had permanant 4WD and an automatic gearbox) and then another 2 hours for a flatbed to turn up.

Quentin

forgotmyname wrote: »

They may think its suspicous you broke down with your friend in the car and its stone cold, So clearly it didnt just breakdown.

It didn't just breakdown - they had to leave it and get the kids home first! (I think they rang another friend to come and collect them)

Doubt they will be bothered about the temp of the car!