Why join the AA?

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DaveD

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Prompted by an earlier post about the RAC I'm wondering what the benefit of joining the AA/RAC is when my insurance policy has breakdown cover included, policy with Tesco but underwritten by Hibernian. No Homestart or anything needed, just normal breakdown cover. Does Hibernian insurance cover offer essentially the same as joining the RAC replacement service?
 
No benefit whatsoever in my opinion if one already has breakdown cover. Off topic comment deleted - Brendan
 
Doesn't the AA claim they have the largest fleet of "rescue" vehicles out there?
 
As mentioned in the other post - there may be some benefit if you are a passenger in someone elses car - the AA cover the person not the car. Apart from that and the cover for breakdown at home I can't see the point myself and haven't been a member of either for many years.
 
...and it seems that you can join the AA whenever you need to from my experience, e.g. car breaks down, call them, join over the phone and they will come to help.
 
Defamatory comments deleted.

Feel free to make the same point in less aggressive language


brendan
 
In cities there are many patrols in AA vans around but out in the country they sub-contract to all the same people ie. the local recovery company.

If as they say they fix so many cars on the side of the road as they claim, you would have to work out what sort of chances your car has of breaking down to see if you save anything.

Most new cars come with a breakdown assistance with the car so it's only after that do you find out if it works or not.

We have people that get the service with the new car, then get it covered by the ins and still go ahead and buy it as well. What can you say!
 
Does insurance breakdown cover flat tyres? I've been with the AA for 2 years, joined when I was pregnant with my son, on the basis that I'd like to know someone would be out to help if I got stuck sometime when out with the baby. Used it the first time a couple of months ago when I got a flat and hadn't got a spare with me as I'd also got a flat the week before and the tyre was still being sorted. Got me and the car brought home. For that alone it's paid for itself so far.
 
bacchus said:
...and it seems that you can join the AA whenever you need to from my experience, e.g. car breaks down, call them, join over the phone and they will come to help.
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I'm afraid this is not the case. I had the mis fortune to have a blow out on the motorway, flat spare which was handy. Phoned the AA, 120euro to come out and the price of the tyre on top.

This still didn't include any membership fee.

Another time (after i had joined) i called them for a home start when car would not start (just kept turning over). They sent out a sub-contract company from a local garage. The guy had a quick look under the bonnet and from then all he wanted to do was take it to a 'reasonably priced garage' that he knew.

Didn't make any attemp to start the thing which is what i wanted. I ended up bump starting it myself, changed the sparks and plugs and it was fine.

I wonder if there 'biggest fleet' includes all the local garages they sub to?
 
Hi all

I received a quotation from RAC last month, after about 2 weeks, I rang and said I would like to go ahead with it and was told that they are not taking on any new customers, just wondering if this happened to anyone else.

Thanks

H
 
Mr2 said:
In cities there are many patrols in AA vans around but out in the country they sub-contract to all the same people ie. the local recovery company.
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Yes that is so true. It does not matter which crowd AA or RAC you sign up for if you breakdown in the countryside as the local recovery crowd will have all the contracts for recovery on behalf of AA and RAC. I have found that they (local recovery crowds) are less than keen to get you going again on the side of the road (they don't bring the parts needed) and they try to get your car on the truck and back to their expensive garage. If you have rescue plus/onward travel insist on them taking the car to your home/your choice of garage or basically where you want within Ireland.
 
have any of you priced a tow in lately?? to get a tow truck to bring you home from a broke down weekend from the west somewhere to dublin you wont get much change from 400-500 lids depending on rescue company.

most cars break down at least once a year,even new ones !so the small fee the aa are looking for is less than one tow in the greater dublin area which would normally run at around 150 ish.and they dont mind picking you up on the m50 in the rush hour traffic as much as one of your rellies with a bit of an owl rope who will probabaly do more damage to your car.
the main reason why they dont try to fix your car at the side of the road most of it is electronic problems and alot of them dont have the nessasry diagnostic equipment which is understandable.

alot more people should be able to change wheels in other countries this is required for driving tests.
and i dont work for the aa bythe way.
 
the main reason why they dont try to fix your car at the side of the road most of it is electronic problems and alot of them dont have the nessasry diagnostic equipment which is understandable.
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So you defend the practice of them taking your car to their high price garages?
 
i dont defend them bringin cars to any garage but you seem to think there all expensive garages they cant all be .
 
ford jedi said:
most cars break down at least once a year,even new ones !
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Can't accept this is true, I've been driving for 20 years in maybe a dozen different cars and have broken down only twice. If you maintain your car correctly (as most people do) then you're unlikely to break down once a year.

Anyways it seems the breakdown cover provided by my insurance is just as good as basic AA cover so I'll stick with that.
 
Some garages, like Ford, offer their own nationwide breakdown service FREE when you get you car serviced with them.

This enable me to cancel my `AA` & still have cover.

Ring around.
 
I have had AA cover for more than 7 years now. I used to travel a lot and had it to cover in case I had a breakdown somewhere I didn't know a local garage - female on her own. Then I had children and continued the cover in case I broke down with the children on board. I've only used it a couple of times- once for home start- they came out and started the car. No charge. Once for breakdown. They came and towed the car to my garage- no charge. As I broke down near home I had made my own way home before they arrived, so they came to the house to collect the keys.
 
Is it the AA member covered when driving any car or must it be a specified car anyone know? I sometimes have to drive a friends car and its an old banger, not covered under any insurance breakdown schemes and wonder if I took out AA would I be covered both on my own and the old banger?
 
The AA member is covered even when they're not driving the car they're in. If you were in your friend's banger with them driving, you could still call the AA. It's one of the big advantages.
 
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