Breakdown cover & fuel

EStreeter04

So I've broken down today due to a leaking fuel tank. I'm with Autoaid who have always been trouble-free on the very rare occasions I've had to use them over the last 2 or 3 decades. However, today, I'm having a grumble because they are making me pay for my fuel tank to be drained before they'll arrange recovery. However, if I'd broken down because I'd mis-fuelled my vehicle they would've picked up the tab. Does that seem as crazy to you as it does to me?

Grumpy_chap

So I've broken down today due to a leaking fuel tank. I'm with Autoaid who have always been trouble-free on the very rare occasions I've had to use them over the last 2 or 3 decades. However, today, I'm having a grumble because they are making me pay for my fuel tank to be drained before they'll arrange recovery. However, if I'd broken down because I'd mis-fuelled my vehicle they would've picked up the tab. Does that seem as crazy to you as it does to me?

Draining the leaking fuel tank before recovery is probably a safety and environmental matter.

I'd pay and then review the terms when you have the luxury of time.

Iceweasel

Not at all crazy to me.

A mis-fuel doesn't leak and present a fire hazard.

UnsureAboutthis

Hiya pal,

It’s definitely something most people wouldn't think about until it actually happens (well for me and you I guess)you're certainly not alone there. I’ve owned cars since I was 17 and am now heading toward official retirement. I've always had breakdown cover (thankfully only using it for a couple of flat tyres and a stuck petrol flap), but this would have completely caught me out too.

Looking back, it makes sense why they charge extra—at the end of the day, breakdown outfits are businesses looking to make money. They hide these kinds of rarer situations in the small print, fully knowing most folks won't notice. You’d naturally assume if a faulty part caused a leak, they’d just step in to fix it and make the vehicle safe, but unfortunately not.

If I'd known beforehand, I probably would have called out a specialist misfuel/drainage outfit first and then had the car towed or repaired on site. As for whether it's worth challenging over a faulty part... I'm really not sure. The more I think about it, the less I'd be inclined to waste my time trying to fight it.

For genral car breakdowns, I'd go with the likes of RAC/AA etc and or your own marque dedicated services as they often carry parts etc for minior problems where as some of the contractors just turn up hoping for a tow, at best they have a jump start.

Good luck with it all, buddy!

Mildly_Miffed

Why is the fuel tank leaking?

Corrosion? Unlikely, most tanks have been plastic for decades.

Impact damage…?

The fuel in that tank has to be made safe before the car can be recovered. You can't just spill potentially 50 litres of fuel onto the road. It'd be bad enough if it was petrol, but if it's diesel…

The normal roadside recovery vehicle simply doesn't have the storage for that much potentially contaminated fuel. So, yes, it's a specialist service - and I bet if you read the policy Ts & Cs…

Herzlos

As said the issue isn't that there's fuel in the tank, the issue is that the car is leaking full.

If you recover it with what's left in the tank it's going to contaminate every road on your route. So you need to drain it first. How much did they charge you to drain it?

Sebastian189393

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6689197/breakdown-cover-fuel

It feels frustrating, but recovery operators legally cannot transport an active fuel leak due to fire safety regulations unlike misfuelling, where fuel stays sealed. Once drained and towed, consider swapping the damaged tank rather than patching it

Car_54

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82192540#Comment_82192540

Regulations? And perhaps common sense?