Just received the documentation from Auto Aid (as recommended by Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert tinyurl.com/3m67k ).
What a great deal at £32. However I should point out a couple of conditions that might catch a few people out.
Firstly they only accept cars that are 2.5 litre or less.
Secondly you must have a spare wheel - not a can of sealer. This is not mentioned on their web site, so please be aware of this.
Hoping I do not have to use them in the next 12 months.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Unfortunately it does the usual thing of only covering the caravan if its the car which has broken down. I was hoping it would also cover call out if I had a caravan problem (eg. flat tyre). I have a leased car, the breakdown coverage on that has the same restriction. Shame, because the caravan wheels are especially hard to change.
Good value for £32 though.
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Re the no spare issue. I would advise anyone without a spare to get it in writing that your breakdown company will come out if you have a flat and no spare. When we had the smart a couple of companies said they wouldn't attend.
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Cars without a spare seem to be getting more common. I notice that the new Suzuki Swift Sport is supplied with a can of sealant and an air compressor, for example. I believe that the the BMW 1 series is the same, although the BMW is supplied with so-called 'run-flat' tyres at least....
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Surely it can't just be me? I wouldn't even think about buying a car without some sort of spare wheel. I'm not keen on the spacesavers - imagine 500 miles to drive in France on a Sunday (when they pull the plug on all commercial activity) with only one of those to crawl along with.
Must be getting old(er).
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Surely it can't just be me? I wouldn't even think about buying a car without some sort of spare wheel. I'm not keen on the spacesavers
No - not just you. I think moves by car companies to provide spacesavers instead of proper spare tyres is a retrograde step - especially when the same cars have all sorts of bells and whistles that I'm not interested in. And as for sealant, . . . .!
And I am not impressed by the fact that "What Car?" in its lists of features in charts at the back of the magazine, for example) includes a lot of these bells and whistles, but not whether the car has a real spare.
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If you have a Smart Car you will need to have two spare wheels because the front and rear wheels are different sizes!
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...and what do you do with the full size wheel that comes off? it won't fit the hole left by the space saver so if you're fully loaded already, you're in trouble!
-- You know, it\'s not like changing toothpaste
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I take it there's no limit of age for the car?
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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Porsche used to supply a large plastic bag so you could put the removed wheel on the passenger seat(or passenger's lap) till you could get the tyre repaired and refitted.
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Here is my embarrasing tale. My imported German caravan lost the nearside wheel whilst towing down to the Goodwood Revival on a nasty bend with lots of historic cars being tested right before the bend we were stuck on.
As we were in a dangerous spot the Police called a breakdown truck and it was dragged off quickly. I had torqued the nuts to the required spec but foolishly didnt check them at the first stop, the CIS insurance met the cost of the recovery as I would have been stuffed with Autoaid.
Anyway when I called Autoaid they wouldn't attend we had an accident and insisted that we call our insurance company. Anyway it was a sad end to a good weekend. I didnt know this little known fact about Autoaid many thanks to the original poster.
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Impolite reply removed, as per www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=46443 DD
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GEM had the same clause (need a working spare).
As they cover all vehicles driven by the policyholder, I got it in writing (well email) that I didn't have to carry spare wheels for my motorbikes!.
Martin
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The point mentioned above re: engines above 2500cc not being covered is incorrect as it only applies to Motor Caravans and not Motor Cars.
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Pica
I may have misinterpreted their definition, but for clarity I am quoting it as it is written.
The vehicle - a saloon car, hatchback, estate car, car derived van, motorcycle or motorised caravan under 2.5 tons gross vehicle weight and with an engine capacity of no more than 2500 cc.
The clause is not as clear as it should be and in my opinion could be interpreted either way. The word "and with an engine capacity of no more than 2500 cc" could easily mean any of the preceding items.
Many large saloons and estates might fall foul due to poor clarity of this clause, hence why I brought it to the BR's attention.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I understand what you are saying and I read it the same way as you did and therefore thought I was not covered in my Mustang being a 4.6 V8 but when I called customer services they said it only applies to Motor Caravans and I would be fully covered in the Mustang but to be sure I have requested they put this in writing to me so if I do get into any trouble I can produce the evidence.
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>>my Mustang being a 4.6 V8
What a beast.
Glad to hear you are covered and I was wrong in how I read their definition. It should have been laid out differently with each entry as a bullet point on separate lines or reworded to increase clarity. It is poor wording of legislation that gives lawyers plenty of work.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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