Does anyone think the AA is still worth it?
I've been an AA (Automobile Association) member for many years, since the mid eighties!I like the idea of someone coming to help and the car being recovered (relayed) should something happen right from not starting at home.Of course cars generally are more reliable, and over the years there are more and more alternative services. Every year I negotiate with the AA for a price and its the idea of their professionalism and timely service that keeps me with them.But they are expensive when compared with add on services to car insurance or deals via Groupon and such. The AA of course cover the person rather thank the car but mostly that is irrelevant. Of course in the end we pay who we want, but I'm questioning it now more and more.Any comments on AA or others? I generally switch between the AA and RAC each year, or at least get them to price match. I never pay more than £100 for a year. I had the AA when I had unreliable cars but went without for years.When I started doing long driving holidays I took out Green Flag for European cover. Didn’t need it but they saved me months later when my battery died in the school car park.
Green Flag do vehicle or personal cover and they’ve very helpfully told me which is cheaper on renewal. It all depends. If you have a new car it is generally included for three years. If you have a premium bank account it could be included in that as well. I can’t remember the last time I took it out.
However it is an individual choice as your situation; age of vehicle, secondary benefits on other services etc may vary. I paid £18.00 for a years premium cover with Emergency assist through Groupon for my daughters car, she called them due to a flat battery, and they sorted it in under an hour.
As an ex mechanic that usually get's lumbered with her car problems, I can honestly say that it is the best £18.00 that I have ever spent data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 I have had AA breakdown with vehicle warranty for many years, paid for itself 3 years ago when the high pressure and low pressure fuel pumps decided to depart, the cost was £500 and the AA paid for everything, still with them now even though I have a 3 year old car it's still worth it for punctures etc. I've decided to renew, peace of mind.Got a little discount, not too bad for both of us covered homestart and UK relay.You can save a bit elsewhere but cheapest isn't always best.Thanks for any replies. I've had Green Flag, AA and RAC over the past twenty years or so when the manufacturer's cover ran out.Never needed to use AA, Green Flag were great (changing tyres on motorways, flat batteries at work car parks).Never needed to use RAC, but they were a complete PIA, constantly calling my mobile number trying to sell me all manner of nonsense I didn't want.
I will never deal with RAC again, and now hardly ever give my mobile number out to anybody - it really was that bad.
On my last car (MB) I just extended the warranty for each of the two extra years I had it, and that gave me manufacturer warranty and breakdown cover.Expensive at £500ish, but third party breakdown cover and a poorer third party extended waranty....wasn't much cheaper. Worth getting breakdown cover if you can get a good deal and often it's quite cheap to add to your insurance cover (usually just an extra 50 quid for me). Have used all the main three and they're pretty similar bar price.
Not had to have called them out much over the years but the few times it's been needed (flat battery, stubborn wheel nut to change tyre, oil pump failure, gearbox failure) it's been a God send. One of those things which you're better of with on the offchance you just might need it rather than risk being stranded without. I'd consider breakdown cover to be essential (I'm a mechanic btw). I usually just go with an insurance policy that includes it without considering who's providing the service. I've had to use the assistance twice (both times it just happened to be the AA providing the service) and the service couldn't have been better imo. It's a last resort safety net for me which is why i go for the cheapest but if i was less technically able I'd definitely pay for AA membership.
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