Hi all.
A few years ago I was travelling through France, and the electrics on my car (not at Lotus at the time) shorted, producing lots of smoke and crackling from under the dashboard and stopping the car dead. I leapt out and disconnected the battery to stop it going up in flames, and it all died out.
As it happened, I should have let it burn!
I had breakdown cover through my car insurance company, which was contacted out to Green Flag. To cut a long storey short they got the car collected from the roadside and off to a garage. Rather than just shipping the car home when they couldn’t get it repaired in time for our return journey, they lied to us, telling us that it would be ready on the Monday. As my wife is French, she’d talked to the garage and knew they weren’t open until the Wednesday… it’s a long storey but basically we spent hours on the phone to Green Flag, were stranded at a camp site, and couldn’t get out 'cause they were telling us there was no hire car available 'cause the hire car place was shut - another lie - we spoke to the hire car people at the time…
Green Flag insisted I get the car repaired at the local garage, then go back from the UK to collect it. They had no regard at all for the fact that we both had to get back to work on the Monday.
I won that battle in the end, as in France it’s illegal to work on a car without the owner’s permission, and I argued long and hard with the insurance company once I got home; their policy simply didn’t mention forcing us to have the car repaired there and me going to collect it. The car was returned home a few weeks later on a transporter, with damage to paintwork and broken wing mirrors.
Thing is, that was a standard modern car that I didn’t care about, and actually I emptied it of all our stuff before we left it, as I was so p*****d **** with the situation I was prepared to just leave it as I was fed up with not being in control - makes me angry even years later.
So, what breakdown policy are classic lotus owners taking when they go down to the Millau bridge and beyond? Have you checked the terms of your policy carefully?
Last summer, I took our Mondeo ST24 down to Sarlat again; I’ve been going to the area since I was a kid. I took out separate breakdown cover. I found that the terms and conditions were basically the same with all the providers that I looked into.
- if the market value of your car is less than the cost of repatriation it’ll be scrapped
- if you refuse to do what the insurance company wants, i.e. to have it repaired locally, you’re on your own i.e. have to get the car back yourself at your expense. I’m not sure, but I think other cover stops too.
- you’re expected to go back to collect the car if it’s not been repaired in time for your return journey.
- they choose which garage will do the repairs; again you’re on your own if you argue.
I can’t remember the other terms off the top of my head.
The reason for the post is to raise awareness of this, and, since I am heading down to Sarlat again this year, I would be interested to find if there is a company out there that will give me the policy that I want. To put it clearly;
If my Lotus Elan breaks down and it’s not a simple repair - radiator etc - I want it brought back home wrapped in cotton wool! I’ll probably want to accompany it.
I’m happy to pay lots of money for the policy for the peace of mind that I and my car will be treated with respect in the event of a breakdown - I remember actually telling this to the AA last year when trying to find cover, and being told they couldn’t help me.
What breakdown companies are people using?
Sean.