DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

After a shocking experience earlier this year with the RAC its time to renew my Breakdown Recovery. So could I have your votes for
AA
RAC
Green Flag
Alternative

Interested too.

Have had only good experiences with the AA in my 20 odd years membership, once with a trailer problem where they were fantastic, but it feels like it is getting expensive. Roadside and relay at over £150 feels heavy.

It was fine when I was covering multiple vehicles, but;

- the 964 and Boxster both have roadside thrown in with the classic cover
- the Motorhome is too big as over 3.5t, so specialist cover obtained
- the wife's new electric car on a lease with cover
- so it's just my daily (5 years old, properly maintained) for 6k miles pa as I work from home

I have stuck with it because I know they are good and if one of the included classic covers lets me down I have a fallback. And if I save £100 by swapping to something ropey I will probably always regret it...

So, talked myself into renewing again then! Will make a call and see if I can get an 'adjustment' on price.

HTH?

I've been with Green Flag through the Caravan and Motorhome Club for 10 years or so, since the RAC didn't want my business after 25 years because I had a Motorhome, and didn't want to join yet another club to stay with RAC...……...
We have been very pleased with their prices, cover and service. Better cover and service than RAC at less cost.

JW

I insure all cars via Chubb masterpiece policy ( google for broker) comes with best Europe wide recovery I have ever used!!
C

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It only relates to my 'daily' as my 'classics' each have it included as part of their insurance policy.

As such I've been with Green Flag - now Direct Line - for around 30 years (Recovery only).

I've had to call them out maybe a dozen times during that period & on each occasion the service could not have been better.

.

Always use the recovery / breakdown that’s an add on to my insurance policy

Just got my quote this month its up the end of aug roadside relay £87.......thats for me in any vehicle

I use AutoAid its something like £34 and covers you and spouse. Its like an insurance policy so you need to pay the recovery guys and then claim back. Generally receives great reviews. Although it does cover my 912E and T2 Camper I have both of those covered through the insurance policy anyway.

For what it's worth, Green Flag have an excellent app that locates you on a map and gives realtime progress of the recovery vehicle as it comes to sort you out.

But maybe all recovery services do this these days ?

After 20 years of great service from the AA a couple of years ago they couldn’t match the RAC quote so I switched.

After a dreadful experience with the RAC in the first year where they basically did everything they could not to help I switched straight back. The attitude on the phone was just weird, they were clearly trying to avoid sending someone, I felt interrogated and like I had to negotiate assistance, where with the AA I’d always felt like a valued paying customer. Though when the RAC man arrived he was as cheerful as they always are.

Been with the AA since I was 17.
Strange ritual every year. The renewal quote reads something like.
" You are one of our longest standing customers and to reward you for your loyalty
we intend to increase your premium by 65 %. We very much appreciate your custom ".
I ring them to inform them that I'm leaving. They talk total bollocks, consult their Manager
and agree on last years premium + inflation. Lot's of tedious but harmless fun.
They cover all my cars with Homestart plus the full package for circa £ 130.00 / year.
They don't rely on small garages, they have the biggest fleet of patrol men , they always
arrive promptly at any time night or day and do a professional job.

I've been with ADAC for over 10 years but never actually had to use them as yet Full European wide cover for less the €90. I think I saw somewhere that they are not accepting UK based customers anymore. I believe they are popular with the caravan/motorhome people.

Sam wrote:After 20 years of great service from the AA a couple of years ago they couldn’t match the RAC quote so I switched.

After a dreadful experience with the RAC in the first year where they basically did everything they could not to help I switched straight back. The attitude on the phone was just weird, they were clearly trying to avoid sending someone, I felt interrogated and like I had to negotiate assistance, where with the AA I’d always felt like a valued paying customer. Though when the RAC man arrived he was as cheerful as they always are.

That sounds just like my RAC experience. I sat broken down in my 911 for nearly 5 hours, every time I called them they said he would be there within 2 hours. In the end I called a local company who were there in 15 minutes. They put me on the truck then as we drove to the nearest garage passed an RAC van sat in a layby 1/2 a mile from where I had been for 5 hours!!!
Never again

Been with the AA for a coupe of decades now... not used them much but enough to stay with them.
The 'only' problem is that they insist in getting a 'patrolman' to look at the car and attempt a repair, regardless of the type of problem.

At times that does add hours to the recovery process.
During which they do keep you informed of where they are upto and how much longer it might take.. especially important when waiting in the Police Station car park in Dover Harbour on an August Bank Holiday. By the time we were recovered w and had a couple of cups of good police coffee, lots of conversations with Officers.. some wondering what we were doing there others interested in the car, a free air display by a couple of Spitfires and a fantastic sunset......

richkaz wrote:Been with the AA since I was 17.
Strange ritual every year. The renewal quote reads something like.
" You are one of our longest standing customers and to reward you for your loyalty
we intend to increase your premium by 65 %. We very much appreciate your custom ".
I ring them to inform them that I'm leaving. They talk total bollocks, consult their Manager
and agree on last years premium + inflation. Lot's of tedious but harmless fun.
They cover all my cars with Homestart plus the full package for circa £ 130.00 / year.
They don't rely on small garages, they have the biggest fleet of patrol men , they always
arrive promptly at any time night or day and do a professional job.

I'm with the AA and this mirrors my experience. I get my money's worth out of their breakdown warranty. The family car is a 2003 Grand Voyager which we bought new and have put 230,000 miles on. Amazingly the AA still cover it. It'll be a classic car soon by some definitions!!

So I think they're pretty good overall.

Al.