dclane
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,037
|
|
|
|
|
I was coming up the M1 this afternoon nr. J23 (having passed a really nice Imp on the M40) - in the outside lane moving at the legal limit plus a bit.
Suddenly RH front tyre went flat, pulled over and checked. I drove to J23 and stopped nr. in a layby.
Couldn't get the nuts to move at all, despite having a proper brace so I phoned the RAC as I get free cover with my bank a/c.
The RAC said it'd be 75 minutes or so. I was expecting the "so".
A couple of minutes later I got another call from the RAC - this time it's the patrol. He asked where I was on the junction and then pulled up behind me 5 minutes later.
The wheel was changed in about 10 minutes, checked the car over and went off. I was stopped for no more than 15 minutes - very impressed.
|
| |
Current vehicle collection:
2006 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible - in mid-life crisis yellow
No new retro as yet ... all attempts to sneak one onto the drive have failed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
:)i was with the aa for a few years on a company car i once had they were curse word ,i have been with RAC for last 6 years and they have been A1 ,always been brill so I'm happy to agree !!
|
| |
yes ,it started badly ,petered off in the middle and the least said about the end the better!!!
|
|
tigran
Club Retro Rides Member
In rust we trust. Amen.
Posts: 6,444
Club RR Member Number: 142
|
A vote of thanks to the RACtigran
@tigran
Club Retro Rides Member 142
|
|
|
|
Yeah RAC rool AA drool!!1!1
Got both companies at the moment but RAC are always much much better from experience.
|
| |
1964 Rover P5 i6
1987 BMW 525e - The Rusty Streak
1992 Micra K10
2001 BMW E46 316i
2002 BMW E46 330Ci
2013 BMW F31 320d
2018 BMW G31 530d
|
|
Lex
South East
日本車 <3
Posts: 2,404
|
|
|
|
|
RAC ftw
you also get cheap insurance with them if you get breakdown cover.... or is it the other way around?
|
| |
Resto-UKal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
will be trying the RAC next year, as i always seem to get taken to the same garage with the AA (you can tell the AA man is a mate/bro of the garage owner)  |
| |
1993 Fiat Panda Selecta
2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van
2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm with y'all on this one - AA left me stranded and I had to call my old man to come and tow me 40miles!!! (2 of which was along the hard shoulder to the next exit) due to terminal ignition failure.
RAC ftw
|
| |
Graeme M
1993 Citroen Xantia TD VSX 'Auld Katy'
1968 Future arrival..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yep RAC round my neck of the woods are so enthusiastic. Broke down in the MGB GT once and RAC chap couldn't work out (along with me) why 'points' kept shorting out so he wipped of the distributor complete and striped the WHOLE item (weights 'n all) found an item had broken and was 'shorting' against body of distributor so ... he totally rebuilt the distributor there and then with items he carried in the van (and he really seemed to be enjoying himself  ) plus refitted distributor and re-timed motor etc. Car run great ever since. As I realised RAC chap new what he was doing (and his mechanical knowledge was far better than mine  ...Ileft him to it) and had a mooch round his van and items - he had 'Data sheets for ALL cars from ... 1933 onwards !!! stuff for Austin Se7en, Morris 8, Standard 10 etc. This guy was really into keeping old cars going. So full marks to the RAC  |
| |
|
|
davej
Part of things
Posts: 314
|
|
|
|
|
My neighbour is an RAC patrolman, he has got me out of trouble on quite a few occasions! I have RAC cover too, if i breakdown anywhere, i Just want to get it home. Its suprising how many people have no breakdown cover at all though...
|
| |
 + 2007 Octavia Vrs estate, 1971 Beetle project, 2004 Shogun Sport |
|
|
|
A vote of thanks to the RACBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
|
|
I think we have an RAC patrolman as a member on here.  I've heard really good things about the RAC. I've only ever been with the AA - never had a problem with them, but I'm a bit less enthusiastic since the company got bought by some US firm and stopped representing the motorist politically. Maybe when I'm on the road againI'll try the RAC.  |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm gunna go rac soon, my old loon broke down once. and the AA refused to collect it as I was on the road to santa pod!!!! they assumed id pushed it out after breaking it. didnt occur to them I was in podington village and thats one hell of a push! bastards
|
| |
Last Edit: Dec 9, 2008 23:14:48 GMT by retrowagen1234
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I also am with the RAC, and have had to call on their services a couple of times. I've never waited more than about 1/2 hour (although the contracted-in tow home when the Imp's water pump died took longer - but then it was 1:30am on a Monday morning when it happened), and they are normally faster than that.
Generally the patrols seem helpful (the tow lorry driver was a bit grumpy - he was obviously asleep when the call came through...) and I found the call centres not bad. They recognised that they weren't going to get the Imp going again without finding a water pump, so just sent a tow lorry instead of a patrol.
James
|
| |
Last Edit: Dec 9, 2008 23:56:58 GMT by jrevillug
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I had a bad experience wiht the AA, despite being a member for 10 years and never needing them, when i did call them with a blown radiator on the M4, at night, freezing cold weather and more rain than I care to remember, they really let me down. They turned up in reasonable time and winched my car up on their lorry. i was soaked to the skin from trying to fix the car myself in the mean time, and I was overjoyed to be sitting in a nice warm truck . no sooner had we got into top gear, the guy pulled into the services and said here you go mate. I was like WTF? I suppose they sell Datsun Cherry radiators in the Esso garage? He just said sorry mate, we just have to tow you to the nearest garage. I was still 40 miles from my destination, he said he could take me the rest of the way but it would cost me £180. I raided the bins in the esso and got every can, bottle, filled them all with water, and drove 30 of the 40 miles myself , stopping every 3-4 miles for water. Had to get towed the last 10 miles by the guy i was going to see. Grr. I dumped the AA the next day and am now with these people www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk/ |
| |
69 Plymouth Fury Convertible 75 Range Rover 2 door 82 Range Rover 4 door
84 Range Rover 4 door 78 Datsun 120Y 2 door 78 Datsun 120Y Coupe
78 Datsun 620 Pickup 81 Datsun Urvan E23 86 Datsun Vanette van
98 Electric Citroen Berlingo 00 Electric Peugeot Partner 02 Electric Citroen Berlingo 76 Honda C50
04 Berlingo Multispace petrol 07 Land Rover 130 15 Nissan E-NV200 15 Fiat Ducato
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
well I managed to get the AA to take my car 230 miles home for me and drop me off at uni beforehand two weeks ago which i didnt think was too bad, dad wasnt too impressed when my car turned up at half 3 in the morning needless today i gained a very angry phonecall the next morning!!!!
|
| |
 1969 massey ferguson 135- running, with a minor fuel leak 1989 vw polo squareback- scrapped 1988 toyota hilux with rollcage, landrover running gear and soon to be v8 1997 peugeot 306 dturbo -for sale- pm me 2007 toyota hilux invincible - fast and modern!!! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm buying breakdown cover for the inlaws for christmas as every time their car breaks down they ring me up to fix it, usually for free! I know an AA patrolman and he recons the AA is the tops. £100 odd for full cover inc homestart seems a bit much though and after reading this thread they don't seem that good! RAC the one to go for then?
|
| |
1987 Maestro 1.6 HL perkins diesel conversion 1986 Audi 100 Avant 1800cc on LPG 1979 Allegro Series 2 special 4 door 1500cc with vynil roof. IN BITS. HERITAGE ISSUES.  |
|
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2008 10:22:34 GMT
|
I'm with the AA. I joined them on Easter Monday after breaking down. Be aware people that the prices you see advertised by these companies is only for new cars. Anything over 10 years and you have to get the personal cover which is more expensive. Saying that, I joined on the day and then paid extra for being towed 40 miles home and all in all it was £180. However for that, if my car breaksdown anywhere in the UK they will collect me, the car and upto 5 passengers and take us to any destination in the UK. Only bad point was that The AA have a policy whereby they no longer carry condensors anymore? :S Oh, and... I have an AA badge on my Skoda and was once driving through South Shields, and saw a patrol van. I flashed and the van driver waved back - that was cool |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2008 10:37:06 GMT
|
|
Hi,
Unfortunately I have had a ngative experience with the RAC... though I'm willing to leave it as a one off.
My old Rover Sd1 2600S had the camshaft seize on it, taking out the cambelt and making a mess. I rang the RAC, explained to them what had happened they sent the guy out.
Two hours later he turns up. I wasn't impressed when he asked where the diagnostics socket was. I was less impressed when after me telling him it was seized, he proceeded to check for himself by putting a socket on the crank pulley and trying to turn the engine manually.
I now have to replace a piston as one of the valves had it's head snap of when the engine seized, and this muppet caused the stem to dig chunks out of the piston CROWN.
To be honest it's left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth for breakdown companies...
Regards
Ric
|
| |
"You're about as likely to come across a fully functioning old Jag, as you are a taxicab that smells agreeable." - James May
|
|
rodharris83
Club Retro Rides Member
Day Dreamer...
Posts: 762
Club RR Member Number: 4
|
A vote of thanks to the RACrodharris83
@rodharris83
Club Retro Rides Member 4
|
Dec 10, 2008 10:43:19 GMT
|
I'm with y'all on this one - AA left me stranded and I had to call my old man to come and tow me 40miles!!! (2 of which was along the hard shoulder to the next exit) due to terminal ignition failure. RAC ftw I'm with you aswell, don't usually have to wait as long as they quote, the blokes are friendly and know their stuff. Towed me and a mate 20 miles because his cambelt snapped. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2008 10:59:37 GMT
|
In my [fairly limited] experience I have found the RAC to be jolly good eggs. In 1999 I had them out when my throttle cable on my fiesta van snapped on the M11 and I had no tools, they were there in 10 mins, lashed it up and off I went. Qual. This year I have used them twice, once when the astra van killed it's ECU, and again when it parped the alternator a month later. In the first instance I had to wait an hour or so because it transpired we had no breakdown cover (DOH!), second time the chap was there in 10 mins. AA I used once, no bother with them either really. Had a Ford Focus go into electronic meltdown with 600 miles on the clock, chap came out & plugged it in, basically it told him it was kippered and needed to see a main stealer, he offered to wazz it round to the local ford garage for nowt, even though he didn't have to. Sadly the leasing company said no to this, and that we'd have to go all the way to Stanstead Airport to swap it for another one. Both myself and AA man recognised this as curse word, so I told the leasing company to stick it and if they wanted their dead car back tey would have to come and get it, which they did about a week later  AA man then spent about half an hour poking & prodding my Land Rover, just for fun. Seems he was a bit of a secret mudder too. ;D |
| |
|
|
paulb
Part of things
Renault 9 Turbo
Posts: 296
|
|
Dec 10, 2008 11:02:36 GMT
|
|
ah well, never used the RAC myself.....
but only have praise for the AA....only ever used them twice and were fantastic...couldnt do enough to help.....
so i have to give the guys in yellow a +1
|
| |
Injection is nice,I prefer being Blown
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2008 11:09:40 GMT
|
|
Another negative for the AA here.
The wife's Ford Ka conked out on the side of a busy motorway a few months ago, she rang me and I went out, gave her my car, rang the AA on my personal cover and nursed the stricken motor down a slip road to relative safety. A brief inspection showed no water, boiling oil, and oil on the bulkhead blown out of a breather. Top and bottom ends rattling madly too.
I got quoted an arrival time of half an hour, and an hour and a quarter later the van arrived. (meanwhile 2 other AA vans had passed)
The driver didn't even bother to lift the bonnet, after I described the symptoms. My cover was for tow to the nearest garage, and I asked the driver for a tow home. He said it was out of the question, and proceeded to tow me to a garage 15 miles in the opposite direction.
Once the car arrived at their 'approved repairer' they said they'd take a look and ring me with a diagnosis. They called to say it had a blown headgasket and probably a warped head, £500 plus to put right. How they deduced this just by jetwashing the engine bay is anybody's guess.
They then tried to bill me £50 for that diagnosis, which I was told would be FOC!
In the end I got my brother in law down with his tractor, towed it away bill unpaid. I put a bottom hose, fan switch, and a litre of oil in it, and it's still going strong.
|
| |
1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i |
|
|
|
) plus refitted distributor and re-timed motor etc. Car run great ever since.
...Ileft him to it) and had a mooch round his van and items - he had 'Data sheets for ALL cars from ... 1933 onwards !!! stuff for Austin Se7en, Morris 8, Standard 10 etc. This guy was really into keeping old cars going.
AA man then spent about half an hour poking & prodding my Land Rover, just for fun. Seems he was a bit of a secret mudder too. ;D
