RAC or AA????

Our man in Havana

I have to join one of the above organizations but which one is best??

I'd really appreciate all of your feedback on this subject.

rcunning03

Both offer the same service with some differences

AA is dearer but you are the member not your car i.e. you can get assistance regardless of what car your driving

RAC is a good bit cheaper for more cover but it is only your car that is covered.

Personally I joined the RAC and the only problem I found with them is people slagging me for joining the Royal Automobile Club even though RAC now just stands for RAC and nothing else

unkel

Originally posted by rcunning03
AA is dearer but you are the member not your car i.e. you can get assistance regardless of what car your driving

Even better: you get assistance for any car you are in, so even if you're a passenger in a m8's car and it breaks down, you will be sorted

Joined them about 3 or 4 years ago on a special offer of £51 per annum. Has since gone up to about €140 or so iirc

rcunning03

My advice if your driving other cars or spend a lot of time in other people's car then go for the AA otherwise the RAC as it's cheaper

K2

I'm with RAC but no experience to date (touch wood - it came with the car). Some insurance companies offer a breakdown service (I've used it with axa and had no problems) which is usually much cheaper (about €50 i think).

My sister has aa on her focus, again it came with it when bought. She has mentioned a problem with the "you are a member not the car" thing - when her husband drives it he's not covered. You might want to check that bit out if you are married or living in sin

rcunning03

The breakdown cover from Insurance companies is not as good as it seems, basically all they do is ring a garage and get them to go out to you.

The AA and the RAC have their own vechicles and are a much better service than what is offered by insurance companies

K2

thats very true, they don't put you up for the night or help you complete your journey. They will get your car to a garage if they cannot fix the problem by the roadside. Its cheap and cheerful which may suit some and is only better than having no cover at all.

Our man in Havana

Thanks for all your feedback.

I decided to go with the AA as I am the only one who drives my car. I do occasionaly drive other cars which is a bonus.

Cost me €160 for the complete package. Got Free home start and paid €55 for rescue plus. I drive 120 miles round trip to work and sometimes in the middle of the night. I don't want the car to breakdown in the middle of no where.

Thanks again for your help.

007

Mailman

Had the misfortune of needing to avail of this service yesterday.

My insurance policy from Hibernian had this supposed useful extra for free.

Car broke down on the border of Cork and Tipperary. Needed to get car recovered to my home near Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

Breakdown service only allowed car to be transported to nearest dealer which was in Cork or to nearest "competent" mechanic which happened to be run by the guy with the breakdown truck who I certainly wouldn't trust to work on an Alfa Romeo engine but would charge me an arm and a leg to fix the problem because I was at his mercy.
So, Hibernian couldn't deliver my car to a safe, convenient location.
My sister and I still needed to get home so the customer rep. started to consult Bus Eireann Time tables and suggested that I take Bus Eireann from Cashel(where the car would be deposited) to Port Laoise a couple of hours later and then get a Taxi from Port Laoise to Tullamore, keep the receipt and Hibernian would re-inburse me at a later date - would have been lucky to get me home before Midnight.
Hibernian wouldn't pay toward recovery and delivery of car, sister and I to Tullamore in lieu of availing of the bus and taxi fare they were offering to pay.
In brief I ended up paying €200 yesterday to the recovery breakdown service to deliver my car and occupants to Tullamore.
Net saving from Hibernian was nil.
I got a cheaper quote from FBD this year but as they didn't have any breakdown recovery service I switched to Hibernian instead which in hindsight was a bad decision.

Hibernian use Ireland Assist. AA definitely don't use Ireland Assist to recover vehicles - most of the others do use Ireland Assist.

rcunning03

Hibernian use Ireland Assist. AA definitely don't use Ireland Assist to recover vehicles - most of the others do use Ireland Assist.

Unfortuantely you get what you pay for, there should be some regulation to stop them giving the impression that their service is as full and complete as the AA or the RAC