Is this breakdown cover too good to be true?

[chainsaw_masochist]

I have been a member of GEM for 31 years & no doubt fall into the former category, but for less than £100 a year for full cover it gives me peace of mind, especially as the combined age of my two (well maintained) cars adds up to 60 years

Which is of course about two-thirds of the age of the average GEM member. It also provides Good Motoringwhich simply must be the dullest motoring magazine in the history of publication. Note lots of ads for Stannah Stairlifts and haemorrhoid ointment.

More seriously, though, GEM comes fourth in the Which? Best Breakdown cover. Something called Star Rescue comes top with John's AA second. The RAC was bottom of the 11 featured.

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

Deleted.

 

[norseman]

Which is of course about two-thirds of the age of the average GEM member. It also provides Good Motoringwhich simply must be the dullest motoring magazine in the history of publication. Note lots of ads for Stannah Stairlifts and haemorrhoid ointment.

Something Gem does provide & can be accessed by non members on-line is a documentary entitled 'Blue Light Aware' made with input from the emergency services.

I have witnessed countless examples of car drivers (of both gender) who have absolutely no idea how to react when 'blues & two's' appear in their rear view mirror.

 

[johnny2007]

Something Gem does provide & can be accessed by non members on-line is a documentary entitled 'Blue Light Aware' made with input from the emergency services.

I have witnessed countless examples of car drivers (of both gender) who have absolutely no idea how to react when 'blues & two's' appear in their rear view mirror.

If you're a prius driver in the last lane on motorway at 40mph, you slam on the brakes and remain in the lane.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Green Flag for me- get a right good deal if you join the Caravan Club (yes you can all judge me but its the cheapest way to be comfortable at a racetrack). £70-odd a year to recover up to 7.5 ton motorhome/van with caravan, if you're on the way to your prebooked holiday/event/whatever they'll get you to the event if its not a roadside repair and take you home at the end of the event if its not roadside repairable. Actually needed the service 4 times in 10 years (dead starter motor, flat tyre, dead battery, exhaust dropped off) so think I'm still in profit & response times are reasonable (worst was about 2 hours).

 

[Eccles]

In 60 odd years of motoring I have never experienced any need for breakdown cover. However my cars have always been well looked after and checked over once a month by me (fluids, tyre pressure and tread,etc.) Many people do not pay enough attention to these matters and get into trouble. My daughter is a classic example who regularly ignores my advice and thus I have had to rescue her several times over the years.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

In 60 odd years of motoring I have never experienced any need for breakdown cover. However my cars have always been well looked after and checked over once a month by me (fluids, tyre pressure and tread,etc.) Many people do not pay enough attention to these matters and get into trouble. My daughter is a classic example who regularly ignores my advice and thus I have had to rescue her several times over the years.

I likewise have always maintained my own vehicles, but no matter how well maintained, they can break unexpectedly. I do agree, many drivers do not give their vehicles the attention they deserve. I've had new company cars breakdown, after just a couple of months use - the ECU died on me, no amount of checking, can prevent that.

 

[cdbe]

I use autoaid (pay and claim) covers me and spouse for any car (we have 3), trailers and caravan, about £57 for fairly comprehensive cover. Haven't claimed for over 10 years but that's the odds - I should imagine recovery of car and caravan 400 miles home from Cornwall wouldn't come cheap. The only essential for me is that if repairs are needed I have the option of recovery home, not been dropped off at the nearest main dealer.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My main experience of breaking down, was when the piston seal of my clutch master cylinder failed. You could say it was my own fault, I replaced the original, with what was supposed to be an after-market, upgraded version, claimed to be better and much more robust, except the seal wasn't up to the job. It took me 30 minutes to fit, at home. It failed 350 miles from home, middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest village, with no access to tools or a spare unit - so I reluctantly called breakdown....

Truck turned up and despite me having diagnosed it as a failed piston seal, idiot on truck insisted on pumping a litre of fluid into the system, whilst seeking advice on the phone from someone with 'expertise'. The litre flooded the carpet under the clutch pedal, before he finally accepted the piston seal had failed and took me in. The new master was ordered for delivery next morning and I explained the quick easy way to fit it. The unit came complete with pipe, and it would be a bugger to thread the pipe through the double bulkheads. Quick way was to just disconnect the pipe, and reuse the original without all the threading through of the pipe - just a 30 minutes job. 'Expert' now on the job, decided to do it the hard way, and claimed they had taken the entire day charging me £470 - £120 for the part, the rest labour. I do wonder if the breakdown companies get a back-hander, for providing them with business?

Us? They had loaned us a car, to get back to my caravan, until the car was repaired. Had I been there, I could have shown them the quick easy method, but then I am not a qualified 'expert'.

 

[norseman]

I likewise have always maintained my own vehicles, but no matter how well maintained, they can break unexpectedly. I do agree, many drivers do not give their vehicles the attention they deserve. I've had new company cars breakdown, after just a couple of months use - the ECU died on me, no amount of checking, can prevent that.

Or a sudden front coil spring breakage 130 miles from home, with three of us in the car.
Transported home for local garage attention the following day, certainly justified my year's subscription that day

 

[securespark]

I've always had breakdown cover and never used it.
I should've kept the money.

It's like car insurance. You may never need it but it's very handy if you do.

Eg, breakdown miles from home on a cold rainy night with the family in the car.


Edit:

Must learn not to post stuff without reading through the whole thread....

Must learn not to post stuff without reading through the whole thread....

Must learn not to post stuff without reading through the whole thread....

 

[johnny2007]

It's like car insurance. You may never need it but it's very handy if you do.

Eg, breakdown miles from home on a cold rainy night with the family in the car.

I have a personal cover and this happened once in my friend's car, dead battery.
Tried to jump start it with help from a good samaritan passing by but it didn't work.
The rescue was going to take 3-4 hours and it was midnight already.
I called my friend, he went to my home, took battery out of my VW (3 minutes job) and then took it to us.
All of this took an hour or so.
Better to rely on practical people maybe...

 

[Millwright]

I wonder if someone is still doing a cover where you're covered for any car you drive. Cheaper than covering each car, considering I can only drive one at a time.

 

[johnny2007]

A

I wonder if someone is still doing a cover where you're covered for any car you drive. Cheaper than covering each car, considering I can only drive one at a time.

Autoaid breakdown

 

[Old Salt]

I wonder if someone is still doing a cover where you're covered for any car you drive. Cheaper than covering each car, considering I can only drive one at a time.

I have personal cover for me and the wife with Green Flag. Covers you as driver or passenger in any vehicle.