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Hi all. Can anyone out there clear up a question i have please.

God forbid we breakdown on the French autoroutes later this month but if we do I understand we have to call the police who send a designated repaired to you. Whilst these costs are laid out on the internet and you know your charge - over 100 euros - can you claim this back from ( in our case ) Red Pennant or do you just have to take the cost?

Or, as our car is still under warranty would Skoda pick up the tab?

I'm sure we'll have no problem but i'd like to hear from anyone who has been unfortunate enough to be in this position

Thanks

Quote: Originally posted by Francais on 07/7/2011

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Back in 1990 we were on the way back from Argeles-sur-mer, driving a two year old Vauxhaul Cavalier, when the cambelt went as we were stopped at the Peage on the Autoroute close to Macon on a Saturday afternoon!.

Thankfully at the time, we had AA Five Star breakdown cover, which I think cost £50 at the time. In the cover pack was a kind of AA cheque book, with pre-printed cheques of value values, 500Francs 1000Francs 5000Francs etc.

The cheques were accepted by the recovery people, and the very nice 4 star hotel, we had to stay for a couple of nights, whilst the car was being fixed.

The garage doing the repair, happily peeled of many of the cheques! for payment of the cambelt repair.

For us it was a seemless, no stress experience, although I think the AA cheque system must have been well abused, and I don't suppose it exists to-day.

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I remember the same cheque book in the Europ Assist pack when we used to do Gites back in the early 90's. Never had cause to use them but it was reassuring to know all that money was in the back of the travel wallet. I guess in this age of digital communication they are no longer needed but we found them very comforting.

Carol

 

Chris

As you may already know, if you break down on a French Motorway, you can only be attended by the motorway operator's breakdown/recovery service. 

However, you say you have CC Club Red Pennant, so you would be covered for the cost of roadside assistance and towing to a garage.  You wouldn't be covered for any parts though and some claim situations may involve an excess - e.g. if you weren't carrying a serviceable spare wheel for the car/caravan.

The Red Pennant pack usually comes through a couple of days after you take out the cover and it is all very clearly explained - including all the details of how to phone for assistance on a French motorway - and what to say!

You'd have to check with Skoda, or your car documentation to see what the situation would be with a breakdown/warranty claim outside of the UK.  At the very least, I would have a note of the Skoda Customer Service phone number and write it in Red Pennant book.

This is what I always worry about, it would be sods law for some thing to happen in France, when we have had breakdown insurance here and NEVER used it!

I always worry about what insurance we have, my OH usually just extends our 'green flag' one to cover France, but really I need not worry, as we will be using tolls this year, and reading this means they couldn't pick us up anyway? So if we do break down just get ready to pay a hefty fee to be towed off and sorted out?!

Twenty eight ago, when we didn't have breakdown insurance, we had just come down from the Auvergne, and stopped in a restaurant in Vierzon for lunch.  When we came out a couple of hours later the front wheel on the car (a Simca) was leaning in at a jaunty angle!  We realised something had gone wrong, and my OH was looking underneath at what it could be, when a party of young men (who'd been celebrating a christening) came out of the restaurant, obviously slightly the worse for wear!!!!

One of them, immaculately dressed in a pale blue suit, had a look at the car, and immediately told us, in reasonable English, that the 'ball joint is breaked'!  He then shot off in his car, leaving the others looking at the car.  In two minutes he was back, now dressed in overalls, with a ball joint!  They jacked up the car, and he repaired it on the spot, in the car park!  He told us he was now an insurance salesman, but had been a mechanic, and had found the very part we needed in his garage at home.  He wouldn't take any money, or any wine, or anything else, and told us to drive carefully as he'd been drinking, and though he thought he'd done things properly, he couldn't guarantee it!

We also got kisses all round from everyone, and when they'd gone, OH nipped back to the restaurant to leave him a bottle of whisky (he wouldn't take it from us), and left our address and telephone number.  A couple of days later he rang us to check that we were home safely.  My eldest son was only three at the time, and re-named his teddy Jean-P. Bear (as the lovely young man was called Jean-Pierre Podolek).  My son still has the bear (or rather it's now in our cupboard as he won't part with it!

We've kept in touch ever since, and a few years later we all went to France for the christening of his daughter, and stayed with him and his wife in their house in Creteil where they'd moved.  We still keep in touch, and about ten years ago we met him and his three daughters in Parc Asterix!  So these incidents can lead to firm and lasting friendships!