Motoring Association Vehicle Breakdown Cover..

[DaveR]

Hi Ya Swaggers
These days I find myself in a job which has me recovering Private Vehicles and transporting them long distances, a lot of these jobs I do are for RACQ, NRMA RAA etc.
The vehicles are being moved due to either a brake down, or driver illness.
Since doing this I have learned about various levels of cover these organisations offer and have come across many folks who have learned the HARD way that the cover they have does not include moving the Caravan - Boat etc home.

I'd like suggest Swaggers that you check your level of cover before setting off on a big Journey, and perhaps instead of buying that 3rd light bar, spend some $ on insurance.
I have only been doing this for a few months, but boy can I offer you some horror stories.... which have an expensive ending.
Or..
You can have someone like myself, show up to the Camp Site, pack and stow all your belongings, load the car and van on my purpose made trailer and deliver it to your home.

I'm guilty of thinking my cover called Ultimate was the Ultimate in cover.... No it isn't.

[bmwfreak]

Good reminder. Here is the RACQ coverage options.


Edit: the caravan/trailer info above is referring to recovering, not towing. The following is from RACQ explanation re roadside assist:
“Caravan & trailer assistance - If your vehicle is immobilised, towing for your caravan or trailer will be provided, within your service entitlements.  If your caravan or trailer has broken down, and your vehicle is still mobile, RACQ will tow the caravan or trailer at the driver’s expense, unless you have purchased an upgrade to Plus Care, Ultra Care or RACQ Ultimate, in which case a tow will be provided within the respective entitlement.”

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Paddler Ed]

NRMA:
https://www.mynrma.com.au/join-roadside

If your trailer is over 2,000kg, you'll need the Premium Plus option.

[Bird]

I believe the RACV changed their tow you home from anywhere regardless - to we to you to the nearest place for repairs, if it isnt fixable in 3 days, then they will make plans to get you home

Mate had an issue with a bike - fuel pump died on way from Pt Maquarie to Goulburn... Died not far out of Port...
They towed it to 3 bike shops - the issue was RACV had not called the shops to book it in.. one couldnt look at it for 2 weeks..
He got his bike back to Goulburn after just over a week - admitted they got him home much quicker.

[doc evil]

RACQ ultimate..........This was a $3300 tow to Halls Creek from Wolfe Creek Crater on the Tanami.

Previous year, split the fuel tank and busted a tray mount up Cape York after a missjudged entry on the OTT. Accommodation in Weipa, flights and accommodation to/in Cairns, Hire car to Brissy and the Patrol was Barged to Cairns and trucked home to Brissy after it was repaired in Weipa. Total $5750.

Any out of pocket expense was covered including the $120 sat phone calls.

Worth every penny.

 

[plusnq]

Similar story here with RACQ Ultimate. Failed CSV valve between the two turbos on the Disco 4. Limped out of the Simpson Desert. Birdsville mechanic couldn’t help. Vehicle flatbedded home to Brisbane, accomodation and two flights from Birdsville to Brisbane paid for by RACQ .

[Fizzie]

I'm guilty of thinking my cover called Ultimate was the Ultimate in cover.... No it isn't.

Thanks, Dave

Been wondering about this & hearing it from the horse's mouth, so to speak, has convinced me

What was your Ultimate that wasn't

[McGirr]

A question, you have top cover for NRMA, and stranded in WA. They use the states road service but does not cover what NRMA do.

I have heard this.

Mark

[DaveR]

The long haul recovery is done more often now as the local guys typically don't have the time nor resources and or training for the latest models.
I recently dropped a CT of for a unhappy camper, this chap had the car recovered weeks before, the diagnosis from local guys was a $14,000 engine.
Home they went with family of 5 all flown home, car trucked home by insurance to local mechanic.
Weeks later we Transport the Van home costing over $2,000 from his pocket.
When I dropped the van off he tells me the car was fixed inside 3 hours costing around $500.
There was nothing I could say for this bloke....

[Palmer]

My RACT Ultimate has well and truely paid for itself over the last few years ( I did get caught out by a $500 tow beforehand and it was the towwie that told me about joining roadside assist and how it would have covered me...), so I'm impressed by mine for the vehicle BUT will now be checking on how trailer will be dealt with.  The in laws have same policy and their van went home on the back of a flatbed courteousy of RACT.

[sparksy]

A question, you have top cover for NRMA, and stranded in WA. They use the states road service but does not cover what NRMA do.

I have heard this.

Mark

Don't expect the same service you guys get in the eastern states when traveling WA from the RAC.
We broke down 15Km's out of Port Hedland 2 years ago on our way back from Fitzroy crossing. Prado ran out of fuel due to what we found out later was a blockage in the venturi pump on second fuel tank.
No problem, Rac sent a flat bed truck out to get us but that was it. We have top remote cover with RAC. They dont have mobile mechanics in the bush like they do in the city.
All they offer is a tow, a jerry of fuel if you run out or a jump start , no mechanical advice is given.
Tow truck driver was very polite but all they did was drop us off at a caravan park, gave us the option of a couple of nights fees paid or a couple of days car hire and told us to find a mechanic in town ( no recomendations ) and they would be back next day to take car  there.  No RAC contract mechanic is available in country towns.
I ended up ringing my mechanic in Perth and we ran through a few things to find if we had put 20L of fuel in tank it bring level up and car would go. I had to walk 5kms into town and then back with a new jerry of fuel. ( not all the way back as a nice lady felt pity on the old bloke carrying a jerry can). Car started up, filled both tanks,bought a second jerry and off we went to Perth just making sure second tank didnt go below half.
But the point is if it someone who couldn't work out what was wrong they could have been stuck in PH for a week waiting for parts and the huge cost of getting something fixed in a mining town.

[kizza1]

Deffinately recommend RACQ ultimate. Best $280 spent on my recent cape trip. Just be aware that they may give you 4 options to chose from when making a claim.
One of them is towing you to a chosen location outside of there 1/200klm limit
When our camper axle decided to leave the camper in lakefield national park we thought option 4 was our only option. This meant they towed it to wiepa then left us with no camper to sleep in and no paid accomadation. I found a bloke to help get it moving but that took 5 days. After several phone calls RACQ ended up coming to the party and paying accomadation.
On top of this I had a hard fuel line crack on the hilux on the way home at hann river roadhouse. We limped it to Laura, we didn't think we would get any further help from RACQ but made a phone call. To our surprise they towed us to cooktown and paid for 3 more days accomadation and would have paid a hire car or taxi cost if we needed

[doc evil]

Don't expect the same service you guys get in the eastern states when traveling WA from the RAC.
We broke down 15Km's out of Port Hedland 2 years ago on our way back from Fitzroy crossing. Prado ran out of fuel due to what we found out later was a blockage in the venturi pump on second fuel tank.
No problem, Rac sent a flat bed truck out to get us but that was it. We have top remote cover with RAC. They dont have mobile mechanics in the bush like they do in the city.
All they offer is a tow, a jerry of fuel if you run out or a jump start , no mechanical advice is given.
Tow truck driver was very polite but all they did was drop us off at a caravan park, gave us the option of a couple of nights fees paid or a couple of days car hire and told us to find a mechanic in town ( no recomendations ) and they would be back next day to take car  there.  No RAC contract mechanic is available in country towns.
I ended up ringing my mechanic in Perth and we ran through a few things to find if we had put 20L of fuel in tank it bring level up and car would go. I had to walk 5kms into town and then back with a new jerry of fuel. ( not all the way back as a nice lady felt pity on the old bloke carrying a jerry can). Car started up, filled both tanks,bought a second jerry and off we went to Perth just making sure second tank didnt go below half.
But the point is if it someone who couldn't work out what was wrong they could have been stuck in PH for a week waiting for parts and the huge cost of getting something fixed in a mining town.

Gotta disagree there..........the guys in Halls Creek were more than accepting and went above and beyond. Had the same in Newman previously.