Car recovery from home to garage - RAC v.expensive?

[philcray]

I have an intermittent fault with my 911 (detailed in another discussion I started) - I have the RAC At Home recovery package and assumed this included transporting the car to any location (ie Porsche Kendal in my case) if they could not start it. I have just discovered that this is not the case if the car is within 1/4 mile of your home - under these circumstances they will take it to any garage within 10 miles but further afield incurs a cost of £7 per mile up to 20 miles and then a minimum charge of £85 plus £2pm after that. Hence a trip to Kendal will cost the thick end of £200.

This seems outrageous, particularly as if the car had conked out 1/2 a mile from home, they would tow it anywhere in the UK for no charge. Given the fault is intermittent, the car may start but if it doesn't and the RAC cannot start it, has anyone used a more cost effective recovery firm?

[doneitnow]

Well it is going to be a real shame for them when you get a mile from home and it breaks down as it will be free

[philcray]

Getting it a mile down the road might be the problem! If the car starts it runs fine so there is no issue driving it to the OPC, if it won't start it is stuck in the garage, which is the problem...!

[Flat6er]

A 1 year Porsche Assistance policy is less than that, IIRC £169, and they will recover you to anywhere you choose from anywhere you break down.

[philcray]

Thanks, I had the Porsche Assist policy for the first year I had the car (and did use it once to collect the car from my house when it had a leaking seal) - I have the normal RAC policy now as it is cheaper when you have more than one car and covers myself and my wife driving any car, total cost about £120pa.

I have used the RAC a few times and they seem ok, however the fly in the ointment is of course the Home Assist as I had not realised this did not include the same recovery as if the car breaks down on the roadside.

Of course, if it now costs me £200 to get the car to Kendal, I might as well take out Porsche Assist and get double cover!

[anonymous-user]

You're lucky the car is at your house.

Imagine it was a mile or so away and you were stranded , wait a mo, call the RAC

[gsewell]

I'm sure that for a few beers you could find someone to help push the car for 400m - and just as an added incentive a £10 to a charidee? unless you live at the bottom of a valley?

[g7jhp]

gsewell said:

I'm sure that for a few beers you could find someone to help push the car for 400m - and just as an added incentive a £10 to a charidee? unless you live at the bottom of a valley?

I'd get a mate to tow you the necessary distance!

[96Turbo]

Find a mate with recovery maybe? Because I think they cover you in any car!?

Alternatively, can you not take it somehwere more local!!?

[philcray]

Cheers, in the end the car actually started when I tried it in Neutral rather that Park (it is a tiptronic) so I managed to drive it there. Will detail the fix in more detail (if anyone is interested) in the other discussion I have re the specific problem...