Breakdown cover - PhiL P
Friday night my other-half's '96 Fiat Cinquecento wouldn't start on the way to work. Turned the ignition key and nothing happened. Lots of juice in the battery but the starter motor didn't want to know.

Anyway I called out the AA and was very impressed with the service. I rang them at 19:15 and was told they would arrive by 20:00. Five minutes later I received a text message on my mobile stating they would arrive by 19:45, which is the exact time the guy turned up.

He managed to get the car going saying it was a loose connection on the starter motor which he'd tightend, and reckoned I'd have no more trouble with it...

...which was great until the "cured" problem re-occured late last night when my heavily-pregnant other-half was about to drive us home after a night out with me in a rather heavily inebriated state.
Re: Breakdown cover - RogerL
Try Autonational.

Recovery including At Home is £54 pa for 1st vehicle any driver, £27 pa for each extra vehicle any driver. I don't know if they are any better than the AA, but a lot cheaper !!
Re: Breakdown cover - Alwyn
I have always been very pleased with the AA patrol chappies. I pay over £150 per year for the full Monty.

The only time my Volvo 740 refused me, the AA gent found a faulty flywheel sensor lead in about 5 minutes (on New years day!)

On chatting to him, I found that he used to be a lecturer in motor vehicle mechanics in the local tech. college.

I do not like the way the AA appears to involve itself in politics though. Probably because I disagree with nearly everything they say!

Happy Christmas to all.
Re: Breakdown cover - alvin booth
Some of the main banks offer some ervices which are worth looking at.
Mine is the HSBC which offer what they call the breakdown plan.
This costs me £9.20 per month. This covers me for breakdown both here and on the continent including recovery with Green flag.
It covers legal assistance which includes legal representation on personal matters including consumer, residential and employment disputes. And also for legal proceedings in the event of deat or personal injury.
My wife made use of this last year when she slipped on spilt diesel at a filling station and injured herself. They appointed a firm of solicitors who succesfully made a claim of compensation against the oil company who own the garage.
All legal costs are covered.
Other sections of the cover is for emergency repairs up to £300 on your home covering items such as blocked drains etc.
Safe keeping and custody of any documents and others.
I imagine all banks run similar schemes perhaps even better. For instance a friend was asking me how much I paid for travel insurance. I thought I did very well but he said he got it for free for himself and wife with his bank if he had so much in his current account. I think he said Nat West.
So I think it is well worth exploring some of these offers from sources we don't normally think of when we look at a particular type of cover and combined with other services could be more economic.
alvin
Re: Breakdown cover - pete
What have you to complain about?
The AA arrived in good time repaired your car, ok he made a wrong call saying the problem was cured (implying a permanent repair) but he got the car going and he will have found a suspect connection.
I work on breakdowns (30 yearsin the warm indoors) and can tell you that intermittent faults are extremely hard to locate and i have had occasions where two or three separate faults have been present the problem being on going for days. This chap has repaired your car in the freezing outdoors!
Being a RAC member i would suggest the problem is your car not the individual from the AA