Rac Or Aa?

SINGH182 · August 7, 2007

Hi,

Im in a bit of a dilema..and would appreciate your feedback

..in the unlikely event of my is300 breaking down im thinking of getting some break down cover.

at the moment im leaning towards rac(solution 4) and aa(option 400), ive never had breakdown cover before and never dealt with the aa and rac, so can someone please advise me off which operator to go for?

many thanks

P38Aaron · August 7, 2007

I have been with the AA for 8 years, used them once because of a throttle cable breaking, nice and quick, fixed me on the spot.

I see more AA vans than I do RAC.

peter026 · August 7, 2007

I have been with both AA and RAC, and found that tha AA are better at fixing breakdowns at the roadside, the RAC tend to tow you to the nearest garage.

Example:- The Izuzu I had split a heater hose, the RAC towed me to a garage to get it fixed.

A VW passat I had split a Diaphragm in the Carb, The AA came Diagnosed the problem, said back in a few mins.

Came back with new Diaphragm, fitted it and back on the road

Lex Bhoy · August 7, 2007

I would recommend the AA, I work with a fleet of 1700 vehicles and we have recently switched to AA from RAC, AA offer better coverage and the RAC use more sub contractors.

Response times so far have been quicker with the AA, this is something that is monitored on a monthly basis as we can't afford vehicles off the road.

Most Manufacturers though go with the RAC, I believe this is because they are cheaper, we only pay when we call them out instead of taking out annual membership, not sure if Ford, Audi & Lexus have similar set up.

WylieCoyote · August 7, 2007

Lex Bhoy is right, the RAC, as I understand do use more subcontractors however, in the few times I have had to call the AA out (to my ex girlfriends Corsa - not the Lexus) it has always been a subcontractor that has come. I'm not sure there is actually that much to choose between them, they're both pretty good these days. Plus like you say, it's unlikely the Lexus will break down so it's only in extreme circumstances you'd need them, and if it was me, I wouldn't care less who was coming, I'd even turn a blind eye to Mr Blobby turning up in the van holding a spanner as long as he got it working. the AA vans are cooler though lol!

nevarthur · August 9, 2007

Hi,
Im in a bit of a dilema..and would appreciate your feedback

..in the unlikely event of my is300 breaking down im thinking of getting some break down cover.

at the moment im leaning towards rac(solution 4) and aa(option 400), ive never had breakdown cover before and never dealt with the aa and rac, so can someone please advise me off which operator to go for?

many thanks

Hi mate.

There is another very low cost alternative for you to consider. I use a company called Auto Aid, and I read about them on Moneysavingexpert.com. It's always sub contractors that they use, and you pay them, then claim it back off Auto Aid. Read about them, don't just take my word for it, but if you don't break down very often, then £32 a year has got to be work looking at.