Rtony Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 We travel from England to France 3 or 4 times a year in our 1989 Volvo 740 and it's time to renew our annual breakdown insurance policy.Can anybody recommend a breakdown company, apart from the main ones, AA, RAC etc. that cover cars in France & UK? (and maybe one that does health insurance for holidays as well.)Thanks alot.Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Korrigan Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 Wouldn't it be less expensive in the event of a breakdown to buy another car... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Years ago when we used to come for holidays only, we found it much cheaper just to call out the local garage or dealer in that make of vehicle if anything went wrong and eventually the AA wouldn't cover commercial vehicles either if we wanted to bring our van over.Finally they put a ten year age max cover on for vehicles going abroad so we scrapped UK cover altogether. If you are coming to a holiday home then you have somewhere to stay in the event of an accident or breakdown but just travelling around though, I would tend to upgrade my vehicle to a newer one for peace of mind as Volvo dealers in France are far and few between for specialist parts, as Ty says, the cost of any serious repairs would be more than the current vehicle is worth. A friend used Green flag and found that in Brittany there was only one garage that was under their scheme to deal with Rover cars and that was 3 hours away, so watch the conditions. Europ Assistance may still be trading and be of use to you,sorry don't really know too much about UK stuff these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 You could try `morethan` I have more or less the same car covered for less than £90 a year.They also do health insurance but in our case the AA where cheaperregards colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS14 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote]We travel from England to France 3 or 4 times a year in our 1989 Volvo 740 and it's time to renew our annual breakdown insurance policy. Can anybody recommend a breakdown company, apart from the main...[/quote]I used to be a member of The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) www.lemans.org . This gave me limited breakdown cover in France and elsewhere in Europe for a UK registered vehicule. The annual cost was much lower than paying out for special cover with for each trip to France. Mind you the cover was limited to roadside repair or towing to the nearest garage : I wouldn't have been covered to transport the vehicule back to the UK from the south of France.Being a member also gives you the right to buy tickets for the Le Mans 24 Race at a special rate. Apparently many Brits joined just for this advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerac Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Look at Eurotunnel. You have to have a booking with them at the time of taking out annual cover, but then it continues. Last year I had cover on a 1997 Vito van (transit size) for £69 for the year. Several trips later the clutch exploded at Alencon. Called the number (which turned out to be the AA) and had a truck with me in 20mins. Transported to Caen where a tow on and off had been arranged, picked up at Portsmouth and transported to my local garage, via home to unload. Renewed this year for £79. They were OK about covering a van as it was for personal non-commercial use, but I think there may be an age limit which could rule out a 1989 Volvo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rtony Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Four useful posts to consider, thanks alot.We've had a holiday home in France for 14 years, and the Volvo for 16 years. 'Touch wood' the Volvo's never broken down yet. It takes a full load there & a full load back with no problems, so really there's no reason to change it yet. Rtony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Rtony - the age of the Volv may count against it - I had to shop around a bit to get an annual policy as mine is 11 years old (no age, really, only 85,000 miles). In the end I was pleased with the RAC offer, though when I had occasion to use it recently (windscreen wiper arm came loose in a monsoon on a motorway) they weren't very helpful - in fact rather typically Frenchly helpful, if you see what I mean. The main problem was the stunning lack of intelligence at the Gendarmerie which I ended up being connected to. Phone numbers were out of date, etc., and nothing was properly explained. But, the cover is good value and gives me some peace of mind. I have given up on the AA recently - wouldn't cover the car when it turned 10, didn't tell me etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cacknanty Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 You could try Heritage Motor Insurance on 0845 811 8118From the advertising blurb, if you have your usual cover with them they only charge £25 to add euro breakdown cover.I haven't used them myself yet, I may check them out soon as my car is coming up to 10 yrs old.Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabman Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I have Europ Assistance annual multi-trip policy with medical add-on.I just dug it out, and wording states:"Each vehicle to be covered must be less than 16 years old at the date of departure of the planned trip, or in the case of Annual Multi-trip cover, at the inception date of the insurance". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 Is that AA related? Because it's pretty much what I had thought before I phoned the AA to ask why my cover hadn't been renewed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabman Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 "Is that AA related? Because it's pretty much what I had thought before I phoned the AA to ask why my cover hadn't been renewed."Do you mean Europ Assistance? I've had it for about 8 years. Had them out for an oil-pump failure on a Frontera whilst returning home from France in the first year of cover. Transported us and the car to Dover, then provided a local service from Dover to Oxford. Sold the Frontera pronto, but hung on to Europ Assistance.I don't think they are related to the AA, but who knows who owns what these days?I think there is a policy wording PDF link at http://www.europassistance.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I think that is what the AA used to offer, but like everything else they seem to be changing their partners - the latest is that they don't do vehicle condition checks themselves anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kip Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 I have my annual car breakdown cover with Norwich Union. It costs under £100 a year and covers me in all eventuallitites in Uk and France - including returning the vehicle and it's paaengers to the UK.I must admit that my vehicle is not very old and I do not know what the age restrictions are. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jehe Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 Give Saga a try.We use them for insurance - very competitive and 365 days cover in france.We also have a very comprehensive breakdown cover at a little over £100 per year.The only catch is that you have to be over 50 yrs old (young in my case) to qualify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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