Hi all - I'm one of those AA - motoring variant :) - members who hardly ever uses the service (touching wood now) and hence subsidises those who do :( Presently my cover costs about £85 for Roadside, Relay and Home Start (which is complimentary). I have 3 years Mazda European Assistance cover, however, which the dealer I bought my MPV from said was better than anything on the market. Is this true and is it, therefore, worth cancelling my AA cover until the Mazda cover expires?
I know there are many variations in what cover is offered by different organisations (e.g. the number of vehicle occupants which can be recovered) and don't want to be caught out if/when I do break down and need help. So has anyone got any comments on the relative merits of either the AA's or Mazda's breakdown service?
It's a complex matter so thanks in anticipation as always!
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The simplest way to explain the main difference is thus...
AA - you are the member and they will assist you regardless of the car you are in.
Mazdacare - the clue is in the name :-)
Mrs Jab 147 is covered by Alfacare and anybody driving the 147 will get assistance if they require it. Alfacare will not attend another vehicle.
I would assume that Mazda offer the same deal.
The really amusing aspect of this is that if you need their services (Alfa) they call the AA :D not that we have needed them he hastens to add.
Jab
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Not a direct answer, but my extensive experience of VW Assistance has been very good. They carry VW parts so can swap things out and keep your warranty legal and they also liasise with the local VW garages to get you in for work at short notice etc - better than the AA for my money, but with mazda being a much smaller outfit the service might not be as good.
CF
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On my new Scenic, the AA cover has changed slightly from the previous one in that it only covers work which they would expect to be covered under warranty, so things like punctures are not covered.
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Volvoman - are you looking at going into Europe, or just considering the UK mainland? Best value I have found is to do your shopping at Tesco, then use the clubcard vouchers to get RAC cover -effectively for free. Mrs Tower and I get full cover excluding homestart, for any car either of us is in (driving or passenger), for the equivalent of about £30 in vouchers IIRC. As I shop there anyway, as far as I am concerned the cover is free. I also have a family annual travel insurance policy with Portman Building Society's travel insurance service, and this includes free european breakdown cover with, IIRC, Green Flag - it was with RAC but it changed last year. I think you now have to pay the recovery service and claim the costs back on return to UK whereas before there was nothing to pay out. All I have to do now is save up so I can afford to use this part of the cover......
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Thanks all - IET not thinking of driving in Europe just yet but that may be a factor next year.
My question was really intended to identify key diffences in the scope of the cover offered by AA and Mazda. One of the main reasons I chose the AA all those years ago was that I was covered NOT the car. This is still useful since I reularly go out in Mrs V's car for which we have no breakdown cover as yet since we only use it locally and do so few miles.
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