Rescue/Recovery.

[Mally]

There's a thread for this some where, but I can't find it.

My  RAC  personal Rescue and Recovery is due, Last year £121 this year £167.

AA have a 40% off offer until 14 Feb. £67,60.    I didn't really believe it, but it seems to have gone through.

[Matty]

44 minutes ago, Mally said:

There's a thread for this some where, but I can't find it.

My  RAC  personal Rescue and Recovery is due, Last year £121 this year £167.

AA have a 40% off offer until 14 Feb. £67,60.    I didn't really believe it, but it seems to have gone through.

I've had the misery of using the RAC Pete. 6 hours to get from Burnley to Haslingden. Never again.

Just had a look and it's live for me too. 54 pound a year. Surprised it's accepted my car as its 56 year old but it's had the reg number and accepted it.

[Spiny Norman]

I had RAC membership with my insurance, the one time I had to use them they were so awful I now pay for Green Flag cover.

[Matty]

32 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

I had RAC membership with my insurance, the one time I had to use them they were so awful I now pay for Green Flag cover.

Any good? And do they have an age limit on the vehicle?

[Zelandeth]

Likewise never again for the RAC.  Only time I tried to use them I ended up having to flag someone down to get a lift back to my parent's house and guide the van to me because they couldn't find the road I was on.  It simply didn't exist as far as their system was concerned.  The B9001 isn't a major road or anything...only one of the main thoroughfares in the area of Aberdeenshire we lived in!  It took them about four hours to admit they couldn't find me as well - think it was about 10 hours end to end.  They did "fix" the car at the side of the road (stuck carb float - I was young and far more mechanically green back then), but in doing so fucked the lid of the carb - it never sealed properly again after that.  Of course they denied all knowledge of the giant divot they left in it with the hammer when we tried to get them to cough up for a replacement part.

[Lord Sterling]

Funnily enough, when I was selling a Rover 827 Coupe some years ago, it refused to start on the day of sale. The buyer was determined not walk away and had both the AA and RAC down. One of the roadside techs (AA I think) decided to diagnose the issue as HGF without really looking into it. Then the next roadside tech (RAC) found the issue was down to a faulty fuse, fuse changed and car went like a good 'un.

[colino]

Still AutoAid for me, and the last time I had to use them  (in darkest Ayrshire on a Sunday), they sent out a local guy who promptly came out agreed with me the faults and recovered me home.  Turned out he was a friend of a friend so had I a run down of who he dd work for.  Don't remember them all, but He was adamant He would never do anything for Green Flag, ever again.

[Zelandeth]

9 minutes ago, colino said:

Still AutoAid for me, and the last time I had to use them  (in darkest Ayrshire on a Sunday), they sent out a local guy who promptly came out agreed with me the faults and recovered me home.  Turned out he was a friend of a friend so had I a run down of who he dd work for.  Don't remember them all, but He was adamant He would never do anything for Green Flag, ever again.

Likewise.  Broke down on the A45(?) just outside Coventry last May.  They had a local recovery wagon with me inside the hour and we were on the way home with zero hassle.  Checked in on me every 15 minutes like clockwork to ensure I was still okay.

Really couldn't fault them.

[Talbot]

GEM motoring assist have been absolutely superb for me and several other people I know.

Quick, check up on people, and don't question when you say "no, it's definitely buggered and I need recovery".

[juular]

You can only tell how good they are when you're sitting waiting on the truck.

I still rate Autoaid after having to call them quite a lot.

Did a write up here.

 

[stuboy]

been with the AA few good years now, always seem reliable

[Matty]

2 hours ago, colino said:

Still AutoAid for me, and the last time I had to use them  (in darkest Ayrshire on a Sunday), they sent out a local guy who promptly came out agreed with me the faults and recovered me home.  Turned out he was a friend of a friend so had I a run down of who he dd work for.  Don't remember them all, but He was adamant He would never do anything for Green Flag, ever again.

Probs a daft question but just done a quote with autoaid. Some policies are autoaid so are autonational. Did you find this when you renewed?

[Matty]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

GEM motoring assist have been absolutely superb for me and several other people I know.

Quick, check up on people, and don't question when you say "no, it's definitely buggered and I need recovery".

This is exactly what I need. If i say it isn't mendable then it won't be. What I want is just picking up sharpish and dragging home. Do they cover older cars?

[Dave_Q]

A mate just had the RAC out, one thing to bear in mind is that for most standard AA and RAC cover they won't let you choose where to go, they will dump you at the nearest garage.

Autoaid have no such limit in my experience and if you break down at the other end of the country and want taking home, they'll just do it.

[dean36014]

Only one answer to recovery,  Autoaid 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Been using the AA since October 2023, personal cover about £120 a year for me. Worth it since I've called them out three times and they've either recovered (Duster oil spillage moment), or repaired/bodged the car to get it home (Fabia brake line/Vectra alternator). Been to me inside of two hours normally, or in the case of the Duster, he was there in less than ten minutes!

It worked out cheaper with personal cover, as they straight away refused to cover the Vectra at all. AVAS and they know it.

[Spiny Norman]

4 hours ago, Matty said:

Any good?

Dunno, I drive a Honda...

[Rustyrotavator]

Ive had Silvermembership with AA for past 4 years due to negligence rather than pleasure with the service, lol. Roadside Assistance £12.77 National Recovery £12.29 At Home £11.92 Above is new monthly cost Total £36.98 up from £29.79.  Time to check the market I think.

[auntiemaryscanary]

6 hours ago, Mally said:

There's a thread for this some where, but I can't find it.

My  RAC  personal Rescue and Recovery is due, Last year £121 this year £167.

AA have a 40% off offer until 14 Feb. £67,60.    I didn't really believe it, but it seems to have gone through.

My RAC quote was almost identical. I phone them up yesterday. Blah, blah, increased costs blah. They then go speak to a supervisor and it's down to £147. Nah, says I, we have this dance every year. Back to supervisor and suddenly it's £127. I told them to add a note to my file to just give me the correct price next year so you don't waste your time and mine.

I'd partially completed the AA 40% off application just in case but that was £7.50 more.

I never, ever do auto renew and always get them to contact me by latter. It then gives you about 6 weeks to sort something else out if needed. Plus I don't forget about it as Mrs amc keeps saying "do you need this RAC letter cluttering the sideboard".

[leakingstrut]

For what it’s worth, I know RAC are shit, but you can get full bells and whistles RAC cover for “free” with clubcard points if you are a Tesco shopper.

Then it’s just a matter of hoping there isn’t a van in your vicinity so they will send out a local with a proper wagon.

Had a fun one during Covid, was driving back from John o Groats, with a site to do in Aberdeenshire on the way. Buggered wheel bearing on the Freelander, sounded like the wheel was going to fall off at 45mph, and only getting worse. Figured the big restaurant looking place in the woods west of Elgin would be a nice place to wait. 2pm ish. 

Two hours later a van comes out, he jacks it up, says it feels fine, just drive carefully. Yeah, it likely will feel fine - having had 3 front wheel bearings fail on a FL2, you can’t wiggle check them. Convince him to take it for a test drive, at least now he agrees I shouldn’t drive it home.

Because Covid, they will send a truck for the car and a taxi for me. Car gets picked up sometime after 7, just as it is getting dark. And then it’s raining. Did I mention the Restaurant? It’s not. It’s a furniture store. And closed. I’m fucking starving. I play solitaire on my laptop in the dark. Taxi finally turns up just after 9 😭

[Mally]

53 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

A mate just had the RAC out, one thing to bear in mind is that for most standard AA and RAC cover they won't let you choose where to go, they will dump you at the nearest garage.

Autoaid have no such limit in my experience and if you break down at the other end of the country and want taking home, they'll just do it.

AA and RAC with Recovery, take you and your passengers wherever you like.

It may take a while though.

[Mally]

34 minutes ago, Rustyrotavator said:

Ive had Silvermembership with AA for past 4 years due to negligence rather than pleasure with the service, lol. Roadside Assistance £12.77 National Recovery £12.29 At Home £11.92 Above is new monthly cost Total £36.98 up from £29.79.  Time to check the market I think.

You may be in for a shock.

[beko1987]

I'm with the RAC now through my insurance (although haven't had any details about the policy come through 🤷) but I'm fully expecting it to be a long drawn out process if I ever need it... 

Maybe once I trust the car more in the future I'll bin it off

[NorthernMonkey]

I can’t understand why people pay more to the AA/RAC for a far inferior service.

AutoAid personal cover is all you need, full stop.

[loserone]

32 minutes ago, Mally said:

AA and RAC with Recovery, take you and your passengers wherever you like.

It may take a while though.

They're hopeless at organising though, and reluctant to let you do it yourself until they've pissed away all the time in the world.  With autoaid you can just get on and call a taxi or book a hire car knowing you will get the money back 

[Mally]

I did consider Auto aid, £63 plus £25 for first call out was more expensive. Maybe next year.

I may regret it when I break down, but time will tell.

[N Dentressangle]

Nationwide bank account has been my answer for the last few years.

[domrr]

Never tried Autoaid but would if in the market again for breakdown cover.  Having worked in recovery I can safely say that my preference would be for AA as they have a big infrastructure, in the background, and will push their subcontractors hard to ensure their customers get dealt with as a priority.  When my partner broke down, her AA membership had her safely recovered and back home very swiftly and efficiently

[Markeh]

I currently get European RAC cover through Nissan which auto renews whenever I get a service done, but I have had separate RAC policies before - took one out cheap through a cashback site when I had the Meriva, which was something crazy like £40 for 18 months - great til they auto renewed it at £270 and the first I knew was the money leaving my bank!

Depending on what I have next, Monzo's top tier account comes with European RAC cover so I might just go up to that - also has phone and travel insurance both of which are due to expire soon for me.

[Rustyrotavator]

On 10/02/2025 at 21:47, Mally said:

You may be in for a shock.

Well i was! cost  for current Silver membership  (at home & national recovery) was reduced from a  proposed new monthly cost of £36.98 ( up from £29.79. ) down to  £16.56/month or £159.00/Annual. Easy pleasant conversation with friendly AA lady, also this for personal membership , not vehicle limited, but then i'd only had one use in 4 years membership. went for annual membership, expensive lesson learnt !!

Did look at autoaid but was spooked by reference that recovery only occurs if repair cant be completed  end of working day by local garage. Plus additional cost for elderly car (2004) didnt make it overly competitive.