AA Breakdown Repair Cover don't pay out

Homerml_2

I’ve been a member of the AA now for some years. It’s only this year that I’m disappointed with the service I have received. In January my car blew its intercooler pipe and they refused to pay for the repair stating it was due to a blockage. We are still currently arguing about this one. In fact I have made a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service and we are awaiting the response.

My car has since then broke down again. The day before the bank holiday (17th April) we left our home towing a caravan for a six day holiday to the forest of dean. We didn’t get very far. Just 45min down the road before the clutch went, or so we thought. When the service man came, he diagnosed the fault as a turbo issue. First we dropped off the caravan to our house and then the car to our local garage.

On the way to the garage I gave my mechanic a quick heads up we’re coming. He said that the turbo if ordered today wouldn’t get delivered until the following Tuesday / Wednesday and we were hoping to try and get away again that Wednesday. The campsite that we had booked with let us move our booking to that Wednesday. The mechanic said that we could drop off the old turbo and pick up a new one if we went our self to collect. So he removed the old turbo that night and then Friday morning I went and exchanged the turbo. I was curious, so while I was there I asked, “Why it had failed?” The man said the fan thing inside the turbo had come loose. I dropped the new / exchanged turbo to the mechanic Friday morning and by the Tuesday we had our car back. Then on the Wednesday night we went Holiday.

It was that Tuesday when the problems started. I had just got the car back and so I got the receipts for the new turbo and mechanic bill. I rang my mechanic and gave him the telephone for claims and my details. The next second my mechanic rang me back saying that the AA wouldn't take his word that the turbo is faulty and wanted to see it. Which was impossible as it was exchanged for a new one. And so when I rang them up they said they wouldn't pay as they haven't seen the turbo.

It seems to me that the AA are making anything as an excuse not to pay. The reason given for wanting to see the old turbo was they wanted to check for wear and tear.
My mechanic said "Everything is wear and tear". As soon as you drive a new car off the forecourt you will have some degree of wear and tear. What is the point of having insurance when every time I go to claim, the AA refuses to pay out? Anyone would think that they are trying to get me to cancel my insurance because my car is getting old. They are quite eager to take my money but very reluctant to pay out.

Am I right to be asking to cover this cost. What do you think?

AdrianC

No warranty will cover normal wear and tear. By "the fan thing came loose", I'm assuming you mean there was excessive play in the bearings for the main turbo shaft - and that is usually just wear. What car, what mileage?

Rover_Driver

Did the AA authorise the repair before you started?

Jo_F

I was always under the impression that a breakdown service is just that, a temp fix to get you home or a tow to a garage where you sort out what has broken and you pay to get it fixed. I never realised that they paid for the repairs on a worn item?

Rover_Driver

Jo_F wrote: »

I was always under the impression that a breakdown service is just that, a temp fix to get you home or a tow to a garage where you sort out what has broken and you pay to get it fixed. I never realised that they paid for the repairs on a worn item?

They also offer an additional breakdown repair cover, which is what the OP is claiming from.

scotsbob

Jo_F wrote: »

I was always under the impression that a breakdown service is just that, a temp fix to get you home or a tow to a garage where you sort out what has broken and you pay to get it fixed. I never realised that they paid for the repairs on a worn item?

I think the OP is referring to Breakdown Repair Cover and not the Breakdown Cover. They are separate policies.

http://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/breakdown-repair-cover.jsp

Rover_Driver

According to the T&Cs in the policy, the vehicle must be taken to a VAT registered garage, and the repairer must contact the AA for confirmation of cover and authorisation before repairs are started.

arcon5

Oh my, he mechanic will be looking for you to settle the bill now

teabelly

AA breakdown Repair is a rigmarole. All failures have to be sudden failures.

I know someone that has had them pay for a few things over the years with ancient cars and get the hire car out of them but you have to do it their way and they have to see anything that is removed from the vehicle to be replaced to prove it was genuinely broken. You can understand why they do as otherwise drivers and garages would just make up failures to claim off them.

Turbo failure not long after intercooler failure would point to the intercooler failing as being the cause so that is another reason they wouldn't pay. Anything that can be pointed at as lack of maintenance would also be refused. Has the vehicle always been serviced according to schedule by a VAT registered garage? That is now in the small print so you have to prove you look after it too.

AdrianC

teabelly wrote: »

Turbo failure not long after intercooler failure would point to the intercooler failing as being the cause

Vice-versa, perhaps. The intercooler is after the turbo, so it's very unlikely to cause a problem within the turbo.

Anything that can be pointed at as lack of maintenance would also be refused. Has the vehicle always been serviced according to schedule by a VAT registered garage?

Indeed. Skimped changes or poor-quality oil are very likely to have caused accelerated turbo bearing wear. Failure to cool the turbo down before switching off is less serious than it used to be in the early days of turbos, but still bad for them.

Shaolin_Monkey

I think it's possible that a leak after the turbo (e.g. intercooler or pipework) can lead to turbo failure if not fixed quickly. Basically the turbo has to work harder to maintain boost pressure, which can cause it to overspin, causing the bearing to fail.