HELP - broken down - the AA

[IceBoy]

Hi All,

I have just broken down (Merc E320cdi 2004)

The brakes have totally given up?!?!? The SBC has gone and the car cannot be moved or driven.

On top of all that, I'm flying out for work this evening!!

Can I call the AA, tell the about the break down and the fact that the car needs to be put on a flat bed and taken to a MB specialist and then book the flat bed truck?????

Or do I have to wait until I return and then wait for the AA van and then he will order a flat bed!

AARRRGGGHH !!!

All going wrong!

HELP
IceBoy

[D4MJT]

I can't think of anything to suggest other than calling them and asking? They may be able to sort that out if you explain your circumstances?

[AndrewEH1]

Call them?

I'm with Green Flag. I told them that the car can't move as the coil packs had failed so bring a flatbed and take me to the nearest Audi dealer/service centre.

A flatbed arrived within the hour.

[markmullen]

Usually they insist on sending a smaller van to confirm it's properly fooooked before they'll order up a flatbed.

[Garlick]

markmullen said:

Usually they insist on sending a smaller van to confirm it's properly fooooked before they'll order up a flatbed.

I had that with my old Range Rover. 'I need a flatbed, it's going nowhere' I said. Needless to say a man in a Transit arrived and announced that I needed a flatbed. Three hours later it arrived...

Good luck OP, never happens at a good time.

[trickywoo]

Would releasing some brake fluid by taking off the banjo connectors from the brake hoses free it up?

Might be able to tow it with a normal van?

[AndrewEH1]

IceBoy said:

Or do I have to wait until I return and then wait for the AA van and then he will order a flat bed!

Didn't see this.

I'm guessing you are at home rather than on the side of the motorway?

No reason not to call them. You can always get a taxi to the airport.

[Snowboy]

If the car is at home then you might be buggered anyway depending on your level of cover from a homestart situation.

Might be worth checking your policy details.

[hairykrishna]

It varies. I had a very annoying pair of breakdowns recently. The first, the belt had slipped off my fan belt tensioner. Temporarily fixable in about 2 minutes with tools, but I hadn't got anything with me. Refused to send a van because I was “in a dangerous position” (next to an A road), went straight to flat bed. Second the ball joint had failed and my wheel was flapping around no longer connected to the wishbone. Insistent on sending a van to confirm it was fked before they'd send the flat bed.

[jamieduff1981]

Garlick said:

markmullen said:

Usually they insist on sending a smaller van to confirm it's properly fooooked before they'll order up a flatbed.

I had that with my old Range Rover. 'I need a flatbed, it's going nowhere' I said. Needless to say a man in a Transit arrived and announced that I needed a flatbed. Three hours later it arrived...

Good luck OP, never happens at a good time.

Same here. I spoke to them initially and acknowledged that they usually send a Transit first, but that i knew exactly what was wrong and that it wasn't going to be driveable or towable and could I please have a flatbed. No go, due to policy, although she did sympathise and try to speed things along as much as possible. Still took 5 hours from initial call to the flatbed turning up though.

[Snowboy]

As a guess . .
They send whichever is cheaper and/or closer.

For many of their competitive standards they have to record how long it took for help to arrive.
If they can get a van to you with 30 minutes that's useless, it's better than a flatbed after 90 minutes for their 'Which' orc'JD Power' report.

[IceBoy]

The car is just up the road. I can see if from my up stairs window. Had the breaks gone if I was at speed, I would be dead.

Luckily I was in stationary traffic & then moving at 5mph. I had to stand on them to come to a halt. Absolutely s**t myself.

The service brakes symbol has been on the dash for a while but this is a know design fault that MB will not.rectify if car over 10 years old.

Looks like a big bill as well.
Iceboy

Ps. I have top level of cover.

[Garlick]

IceBoy said:

...

Snowboy said:

...

It's like a frosty meeting of comic book superheroes.

[ikarl]

IceBoy said:

The car is just up the road. I can see if from my up stairs window. Had the breaks gone if I was at speed, I would be dead.

Luckily I was in stationary traffic & then moving at 5mph. I had to stand on them to come to a halt. Absolutely s**t myself.

The service brakes symbol has been on the dash for a while but this is a know design fault that MB will not.rectify if car over 10 years old.

Looks like a big bill as well.
Iceboy

Ps. I have top level of cover.

If it's a 2004 car it's not over 10 years old though

[Snowboy]

Garlick said:

IceBoy said:

...

Snowboy said:

...

It's like a frosty meeting of comic book superheroes.

Don't panic..
Together we can freeze stinky Garlick Man.

[Garlick]

Snowboy said:

Don't panic..
Together we can freeze stinky Garlick Man.

My banning powers show no mercy

[IceBoy]

Typo! It is a 2003 car. I'm.typing on my phone.

[Snowboy]

Garlick said:

Snowboy said:

Don't panic..
Together we can freeze stinky Garlick Man.

My banning powers show no mercy

Come on iceboy, let's support the awesome and tasty Garlick Man.

[Happy82]

Snowboy said:

Garlick said:

Snowboy said:

Don't panic..
Together we can freeze stinky Garlick Man.

My banning powers show no mercy

Come on iceboy, let's support the awesome and tasty Garlick Man.

Yummy, garlic ice cream

[plasticpig]

An AA van will turn up and then order up a flat bed. You do not need to be present when the flat bed picks up the car. The AA bloke in the van will find somewhere to hide a set of keys and they will tell the flat bed driver where to find them.