Puncture from clipped kerb = RTA, no free RAC recovery!

Arfa__

This is more of a heads up/FYI tale of a recent bit of drama I had:

Driving down road, been raining like mad, windscreen had steamed up and heater on go. As with the recent changeable weather it had now cleared, sun was out, and getting hot in car. I reached down fiddled with heater took eyes off road for a second, somehow drifted fractionally and managed to just catch front wheel on a 'keep left' island in the middle of a big A-road. No idea why it was there, not like there was any pavement or junctions in the vicinity...

Anyway, honest stupid blunder, totally kicking myself. Pull over, get out and see a huge gash in side wall of tyre. I've an LPG car with gas tank where you'd normally stick a spare, TyreWeld gunk wasn't gonna fix this one. No bother, I'll ring RAC, they sorted me out in past with punctures, including once when my wife ripped a tyre on a kerb whilst parking.

However, it seems I let slip on the phone to the RAC two keywords: 'I' and 'hit'. Yes, I happened to mention I had hit a kerb, ripped tyre and had no spare. Doh! "Sorry, sir, that's actually an RTA, which isn't covered on your policy, that will cost you £160 call out + £1.60/mile relayed" - yeah !!!!!!?! :mad:

Needless to say, I didn't pay that, managed to ring round some friends & family and get things sorted out cheap. Thankfully wheel OK, no suspension damage, just needed new tyre and slight realignment.

Now, I was aware, many breakdown recovery services don't cover RTA's and that they'd look to recover the costs from one parties insurance. But a puncture? Do you honestly get many punctures from not hitting something?! Not that I would suggest lying as to how a puncture occurred...

FWIW my RAC cover is with Co-Op/Smile premium bank account at £15/mon (to get cover for joint holders on all our cars/bikes + other perks). Does this package not include some cover you'd normally get, like this? Is the AA or other companies any better in this regard, or just the same?

forgotmyname

No spare, do you carry a repair kit? Can of gunk and compressor?

Cannot think what their terms are but do remember something about a spare or repair kit being required if no spare is supplied.

If its an older car where it would have been fitted with a spare then you need to check.

I wouldn't go anywhere without a spare. Had to do a rescure recently where they tried the gunk and it failed. Tyre place refused to repair the tyre due to the gunk also.

konark

Neither the AA nor RAC will recover you free after an 'accident', however they define it, Green Flag and many others will do. This is why I don't go with them, as it's a pretty grey area of what constitutes an accident, e.g a mechanical breakdown causes you to hit something or someone to hit you etc.

custardy

Arfa__ wrote: »

This is more of a heads up/FYI tale of a recent bit of drama I had:

Driving down road, been raining like mad, windscreen had steamed up and heater on go. As with the recent changeable weather it had now cleared, sun was out, and getting hot in car. I reached down fiddled with heater took eyes off road for a second, somehow drifted fractionally and managed to just catch front wheel on a 'keep left' island in the middle of a big A-road. No idea why it was there, not like there was any pavement or junctions in the vicinity...

Anyway, honest stupid blunder, totally kicking myself. Pull over, get out and see a huge gash in side wall of tyre. I've an LPG car with gas tank where you'd normally stick a spare, TyreWeld gunk wasn't gonna fix this one. No bother, I'll ring RAC, they sorted me out in past with punctures, including once when my wife ripped a tyre on a kerb whilst parking.

However, it seems I let slip on the phone to the RAC two keywords: 'I' and 'hit'. Yes, I happened to mention I had hit a kerb, ripped tyre and had no spare. Doh! "Sorry, sir, that's actually an RTA, which isn't covered on your policy, that will cost you £160 call out + £1.60/mile relayed" - yeah !!!!!!?! :mad:

Needless to say, I didn't pay that, managed to ring round some friends & family and get things sorted out cheap. Thankfully wheel OK, no suspension damage, just needed new tyre and slight realignment.

Now, I was aware, many breakdown recovery services don't cover RTA's and that they'd look to recover the costs from one parties insurance. But a puncture? Do you honestly get many punctures from not hitting something?! Not that I would suggest lying as to how a puncture occurred...

FWIW my RAC cover is with Co-Op/Smile premium bank account at £15/mon (to get cover for joint holders on all our cars/bikes + other perks). Does this package not include some cover you'd normally get, like this? Is the AA or other companies any better in this regard, or just the same?

your T&Cs will require a spare to be carried (If OE to the car)
Your choice to not carry one leaves you liable for the fall out from a puncture.
Pretty standard for breakdown companies.

unforeseen

forgotmyname wrote: »

No spare, do you carry a repair kit? Can of gunk and compressor?

Cannot think what their terms are but do remember something about a spare or repair kit being required if no spare is supplied.

If its an older car where it would have been fitted with a spare then you need to check.

I wouldn't go anywhere without a spare. Had to do a rescure recently where they tried the gunk and it failed. Tyre place refused to repair the tyre due to the gunk also.

No can of gunk is going to repair a rip in a tyre caused by hitting a kerb.

Been there, done that,. I had a 3 inch long rip in the sidewall.

unforeseen

custardy wrote: »

your T&Cs will require a spare to be carried (If OE to the car).

Precisely. For an increasing number of models spare tyres are now optional extras.

It has gone from a proper spare wheel to an emergency narrow wheel and now its cans of tyre repair gunk.

Norman_Castle

Arfa__ wrote: »

managed to just catch front wheel on a 'keep left' island in the middle of a big A-road. No idea why it was there, not like there was any pavement or junctions in the vicinity...

Often used to prevent overtaking.

daveyjp

Or because a public footpath cross the highway.

Breakdown companies often don't include RTA recovery because costs can be claimed from the insurance company as part of the claim.

Arfa__

It's a Vauxall Zafira DualFuel, factor fit LPG system. Came from Vauxhall with no spare and big gas tank in the space under boot where you'd normally find a spare on a Zafira. Came with compressor built into boot and cans of gunk. But as mentioned, no use in this instance.

TBH, in the 10 years I've had it, this is only third time I've knackered a tyre so bad to not get by with gunk.

seatbeltnoob

Yeah its pretty shady. Breakdown companies just want to profit on the callouts. Needed a junp start to get me home after tge battery went flat on a hot day when i had tge radio running and window open and close a few times.

They condemned the battery said it wont start after i took it home. (Used that battery for a week afterwards no probs). They tried to upsell me a new battery for £120. Got a very high capacity, well specced exide one for £58 delivered by ecp. Which is qhy i used the condemned one for a week

LilElvis

konark wrote: »

Neither the AA nor RAC will recover you free after an 'accident', however they define it, Green Flag and many others will do. This is why I don't go with them, as it's a pretty grey area of what constitutes an accident, e.g a mechanical breakdown causes you to hit something or someone to hit you etc.

Not true. Two years ago my car was t-boned by a highways lorry on a roundabout. I called RAC (like OP "free" with bank account - Barclays Premier) and they not only took my car to a garage in my home town twenty miles away they also gave me a courtesy car within 24 hours and dealt with the whole claim. They even sorted out solicitors for my personal injury/ damage to personal possessions claim. I only called my insurer to inform them of the RTA - they had no input whatsoever in the process.