EU breakdown cover

hartcjhart

I have looked at most of the suppliers but their t&c's are not really that clear(for europe)

basically what I want is cover for breakdown in Spain where if it is a major repair the car will be recovered to the UK,
if minor,fan belt etc I dont mind it being done in spain.
not worried about hotel cover etc

andygb

Good luck on this one. In the days before I used to take out cover, I broke down on the run in to Turin, and we spent 3 days there whilst the brakes were fixed (vacuum cylinder and servo) on my old Beemer at a a cost of £350.
Now that I always have cover, I have been fortunate not to break down, which is the way it works.
I use either RAC or my own insurance, depending what is cheaper - obviously I compare the T & C's as well.

vaio

ADAC the german equivalent to AA have good reports

benjus

I use http://www.quotelinedirect.co.uk/breakdown/

Their European cover is as follows:

GolfBravo

vaio wrote: »

ADAC the german equivalent to AA have good reports

Ditto.

Annual membership (includes UK) €79.50, covers any car you're travelling in.

hartcjhart

benjus wrote: »

I use http://www.quotelinedirect.co.uk/breakdown/

Their European cover is as follows:

i use them at the moment but under
what is not covered

no3
no5 are the problems,ie if the engine blew up yes it could be repaired over there BUT at a helluva lot more cost than I can have it done in the UK,
my mechanic here charges me £10 an hour over there it would be at least treble,
see what I mean

GolfBravo

hartcjhart wrote: »

i use them at the moment but under
what is not covered

no3
no5 are the problems,ie if the engine blew up yes it could be repaired over there BUT at a helluva lot more cost than I can have it done in the UK,
my mechanic here charges me £10 an hour over there it would be at least treble,
see what I mean

I don't think any EU-wide roadside cover gives you the choice of a mechanic - they will usually tow it to the nearest garage and then recover it back home if they can't get parts or the repairs/parts supply would take more than 3 days (in case of ADAC) and you need to continue your journey.



This is what ADAC Plus Membership covers £79.50:
1. Breakdown Covers any car you are driving. Car of any Age.
2. Caravans and trailers are covered while attached to the car for any problem inc help with punctures and any part of the vehicle that fails, Single axle, a Twin axle is covered as long as axles are not more than a meter apart. That the vehicle is no more than 2.55 meters wide, 10 meters long and 3 meters in height. Permissionable weight of up to 3.5 ton.
3. Repatriation in case of illnesses or injury, by ADAC Flying Doctor Service, if necessary.
4. Travel expenses up to €512 to visit a close relative who has to remain in hospital at least 2 weeks while on holiday.
5. Repatriation of Children.
6. Repatriation of Pets.
7. Return transport of vehicle if owner himself is unable to drive back.
8. Cash for emergencies up to €500, including return transport in case of death.
9. Costs for interpreter up to €160 (worldwide except for Germany)
10. Shipping cost for eyeglasses and medication (worldwide except for Germany)
11. Additional costs up to €2600 for unplanned return back home.
12. 65 Euros per person per night for up to 3 nights additional hotel expences incurred as a result of a medical emergency.
13. Assistnace to recover or replace travel documents (up to €260)
14. Up to €103 expences for emergency transfer of funds.
15. Return transport of vehicle (valid only in Europe)
16. In case of breakdown, accident or theft of the member's car, car rental for the return journey home (up to €500) or up to 7 day's rental (up to €52 per day) while the repair is being carried out (Europe only).
17. Up to 3 nights hotel accomodation while the vehicle is being repaired, max € 65 per person per night (Europe only).
18. Breakdown assistance charges for up to €200 (Europe only).
19. Up to €200 towing and parking charges for a broken down vehicle. Cost for recovery of vehicle are covered in full (Europe only).
20. Up to €120 for replacement of a lost or defective car key while on holiday (Europe only).
21. Shipping costs for spare parts (all Europe except Germany).
22. Any import duties payable if vehicle is scrapped and related scrapping charges (all Europe, except Germany)
23. Covered full recovery of your car and caravan back to your home town if cannot be repaired in 3 days.
24. If you get recovery for your car ADAC will pay for passengers repatriation by first class train tickets or economy air tickets. or rental for a car for 7 days.
25. If it is a relativly minor repair and does not need repatriation ADAC covers costs of up to 200 Euros to tow you to the nearest garage within 80 km (50 miles) radius of where you breakdown.
26. If you should breakdown on a French Motorway no organisation is allowed to tow you off except for the French Motorway Authorities. Unfortunately they demand fee for this service which can be quite a high price. The only way you can recoup your payment is to contact ADAC and they will re-in burse you.

The downsides:
You have to keep in mind that ADAC is a German automobile club and although the service is open to non-German residents, pretty much all documentation and written communication is in German. But this is where Google Translate helps, and they also promptly reply to all emails (in English).

There is a €200 limit for towing (to the nearest garage) and roadside repairs - this should cover you for about 50 miles / 80km. You have to pay any excess above that - just keep in mind that you don't pay it to the tow truck driver, ADAC covers the full towing bill and then they may or may not invoice you for the outstanding balance.

You can't join ADAC online due to UK address format - you have to either phone them, or better still fill out ADAC membership form, sign it and then fax/scan and email/post it to ADAC - you have to get the PlusMembership for EU cover (standard membership is Germany only and no travel insurance). Here is ADAC membership application form English translation (for UK only). Your membership kicks in the moment they receive your form, they will invoice you later.

You can’t pay for the service on-line unless you have a German address and bank account; you have to complete a paper payment form and scan it/email it/fax it over, or alternatively call them to give them your credit card details (numbers on the form). The membership auto-renews each year, so you have to give them a 3-month notice before the renewal date to discontinue.


Anyway, keep us updated if you find a better deal elsewhere.

pstuart

Many thanks GolfBravo

I phoned them on 0049 8976766632, if answered by a marginal English speaker, they will call you back.
They called back and took all the details, including card payment, over the phone.
The membership number is given there and then, the bumf and card received within a week.

They will always have an English speaker on the phone available for breakdowns.

You are covered in this country by the AA ( 0800 0289018).

GolfBravo

pstuart wrote: »

I phoned them on 0049 8976766632, if answered by a marginal English speaker, they will call you back.
They called back and took all the details, including card payment, over the phone.
The membership number is given there and then, the bumf and card received within a week.

That's the key. I read on another forum where someone managed to join them over the phone but never received the membership card. Then no renewal 12 months later. And then a few months later a letter from a German debt recovery company - apparently ADAC had the address back to front so no mail ever received.

So however you join, either phone/fax/email/whatever, once you have your membership number go to adac.de and login to member services and check your contact details - make sure the name and address are all correct. The postcode column will have 00000, but then next to it it should have your postcode and town (PLZ, Ort), and street and house number (Straße, Nr.). Also make sure they have your mobile number.

When I joined them a few years ago they insisted on a completed membership form just to avoid any confusion.

HTH

pstuart wrote: »

They will always have an English speaker on the phone available for breakdowns.

You are covered in this country by the AA ( 0800 0289018).

Yes, they are pretty good. Only used them once, and they share their international call centre with the AA, somewhere in Lyon (France) - so when you ring them for roadside assistance you get a prerecorded message in French and then AA staff answer the phone and put you through to ADAC staff sitting next to them. They have access to the AA database, so can see where the nearest AA mechanics are, etc. Pretty good service overall.

GolfBravo

O/T

Info for current and future ADAC members (new T&C's)

I was just going through ADAC Motorwelt magazine and they mention that section 29 (§ 29 Fahrtkosten) of their T&C is changing from 01/02/2013 - if ADAC are getting you a rental car while yours is getting fixed from 01/02/2013 you have to have a credit card for a deposit (they used to cover it) and they organise the rental car.

English translation:
1. In Europe, after an accident or if your car becomes unroadworthy and can’t be driven or fixed within a day, ADAC will pay as long as you are 50 kilometres from home:
2. First class train for you, your occupants and all your luggage round trip to your destination or back home. You’ll also get the train costs for one person to go from your home to go get the vehicle after it is repaired.
3. If you are more than 1200 km from home, you (and all your occupants and your luggage) can choose to fly economy class to get home.
4. You can also choose to rent a car or a scooter instead of the train or the plane - ADAC will pay for a rental car/scooter for you and your occupants, not to exceed seven days while your car is getting fixed. You must rent the car/scooter through ADAC Autovermietung GmbH. If the accident or incident happens outside of Germany, you will be covered for a rental car up to €500. In Germany, they will cover €52 a day up to 7 days or €364. You do have to leave a credit card deposit for using their rental car/scooter.
As proof of your incident you do need a repair estimate and a police report if such is warranted, like you would receive in an accident.

alun4

I now have a new merc so rely on their euro wide breakdown cover combined with our British car insurance that extends the cover for up to 90 days each year.
On an older vehicle I have taken breakdown abroad cover with SAGA and Eurotunnel.