Well it finally happened this morning after 10 years behind the wheel, my wife’s car broke down on me 230 miles from home. During my time driving my cars have never broken down on me so bad that it was impossible to get home. I have always had breakdown cover but have never used it, except when my car was stolen and written off.My dad will vow that the various bangers have been in some state, during the period of my life that I loved buying and selling cars. On numerous occassions cars failed to start, but I always had a standby to get me going.

Not this time Baz!!!. “What would we do to get home?” was the question going thought my mind as I kept turning the key in the ignition hoping that the car engine would buzz into life and save the day. The problem was the car wouldn’t rev up over 2000 RPM meaning the car was impossible to drive. I did manage to get her running on a couple of occasions using my car knowledge and a bit of luck, but I couldn’t get the management light to go out giving me doubt to whether or not my repair would get us home in one piece. I did not fancy it failing again at 80mph in the right hand lane of the M6 especially with a 3-hour drive ahead of us.

When we bought our New Shape Corsa it came with 3 years warranty and Breakdown cover provided by the AA. We rang the number printed on the Vauxhall Assistance card and the call was quickly answer. The lady that answered the call quickly verified our details and location and advised us the patrolman would be with us by 10am some 1 hour and 15 minutes away. We then got another call at 0930 now saying the patrol was on its way and would be with us in 15 minutes. Also they text you on the mobile to confirm the details.

Within an hour after breaking down, AA man Mr Garratt joined us to see if he could fix our car and get us back on our way back up to sunny Newcastle. This is where the AA really impressed me, by ringing they technical department for possible causes to the problem before pulling the engine to bits. A few simple checks did not cure the problem, so he started logical steps to try and bring life to my engine. Again a number of times he managed to get the engine running normally, but the problem with the Management light still on was not cured. He contacted his control who advised us it was safer to recover the vehicle. It was now 1030 and I appreciated the time he spend trying to start the car instead of taking the easy option of towing the car home.

B:- Recover the car back to a garage of our choice in Tyneside and then continue our journey back by a Hire car which they would provide for 48 hours free of charge.

Prices.
+++++++

Option 100 - Roadside cover means assistance a quarter of a mile or more from your home. If the problem is not immediately repairable, you and your vehicle will be taken home or to the nearest garage, whichever is closer. £40.00

Option 300 - As well as Roadside and Relay, you get Home Start, which means we will provide assistance at or within a quarter of a mile of your home address. £112.00

An extra person costs about £25.00 per year per policy. Another really useful service they do is Parts and Labour cover for only £48.00. This covers you for costs upto £500 including VAT per paid claim towards the cost of parts and labour which allows up to three claims per year if you breakdown. Your repairs are carried out by AA patrol or an approved garage agent. This add on is available for cars under 100000 miles or under 10 years old.

I am trying to replace my current car and will make sure it comes with Vauxhall assistance or AA cover again. Some times it is worth paying the extra for the top service as it can make an ackward situation so much easier. I am so glad we had this cover today as the fault is not going to be easy to fix with may result the car being of the road for a while. If I had the bottom cover my car would be still in Stafford and I needed to be back up in Tyneside. Two adults x train fares Stafford to Newcastle would have wiped out over £100 and I would still have the hassle of retrieving my car later on.