AA European Cover
Discussion
I know we have name and shame rules, however as this is really a name and praise thread I'm guessing it should be all good
This week I've been over to Hamburg to see Fulham try (and fail) to win the second biggest club prize in Europe. Flights were a nightmare and inflexible so we decided to go for a drive, my 2003 Astra 2.2i being the tool for the job, mixing grace, pace and space in a way most cars can only dream of.
For the first leg of the trip began at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, as we head from Bedfordshire down to Dover, the dear old AshTray was fine being pretty economical on the motorway and enjoyable enough on the twisty roads near home. We got on the 8pm ferry ready to hit Dunkirque at 11pm local time.
2 hours of relaxation we jump back into the car ready to drive through the night to Hamburg when disaster strikes, it turns over but no spark and the dash is lit up like a Christmas tree. We have a check under the bonnet but the reality is that it's a sensor that's gone as a minimum, it's not going to get started tonight. We get towed off the boat and pushed out of the way. It's 11PM local time. We have 18 hours until we realistically need to be in Hamburg, it's cold, it's dark and we have a dead Astra. Time to battle with the AA's European breakdown department.
I ring the number that I've been given, already pretty much resigned to, at best, 18 hours of expensive hell in trying to get to the game when a nice friendly voice picks up. I explain that we've broken down and Claire, the nice voice on the other end tells me a mechanic will be on the way. She then asks what we're doing in Europe. I explain and she takes note that we're on a tight time scale and we really need to be on our way tonight.
45 minutes later the local mechanic shows up, ready with a flat bed. He has a look but wastes no time in calling Claire back with the news that the Astra isn't going anywhere. Claire goes off and ten minutes later calls back with the good news, she's sorted a hire car out, the local Avis centre is happy to open up in the middle of the night and provide us with a hire car. We go with the Astra on the flat bed and get to a local Renault dealer. A taxi comes and takes us down towards Calais where a Peugeot dealer and Avis hire car place appears to have opened up just for us. The guy behind the desk (the only one there) looks unamused. I'm wondering how we're going to get all our crap in a 107, never mind cope with driving the damn thing 500 miles but clever old Claire has thought of this and a 207SW diesel is waiting. By no means the worlds finest car but it's ideal for our needs tonight. Delayed by 2 hours but in that time the Astra has bee diagnosed, picked up and stored safely for the night while we've been furnished with a car to get us to the match.
We get to Hamburg at 10AM in the morning, 4 hours sleep later we head in to watch the game. My phone's been off all day and work have kindly filled my voicemail box so I call up the AA again. The Astra has a dead crank sensor, which has been replaced. The mechanic has been for a drive and all is well. When can I pick it up. I tell them that we're on the Ferry at 8pm Thursday so can grab it earlier that day, however it's a bank holiday in France. A hotel for the night and expenses are on offer if I can wait till Friday but really we all three need to be back. The dealer agrees to open up if we can be there by 6pm and give them a call before hand. Superb.
We get to the dealers at 5pm, swap back to the Astra, he goes through what he's done and that the bill has been taken care of by the AA and we're on our way.
Probably the best customer service I've ever had. At no point did anyone mention cost etc, just getting me to the match. Everyone I spoke to was bilingual and helpful.
By no means the cheapest breakdown service (£60 for 3 days) but at good value when it all goes hopelessly wrong
(Excuse the long and tedious post)
This week I've been over to Hamburg to see Fulham try (and fail) to win the second biggest club prize in Europe. Flights were a nightmare and inflexible so we decided to go for a drive, my 2003 Astra 2.2i being the tool for the job, mixing grace, pace and space in a way most cars can only dream of.
For the first leg of the trip began at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, as we head from Bedfordshire down to Dover, the dear old AshTray was fine being pretty economical on the motorway and enjoyable enough on the twisty roads near home. We got on the 8pm ferry ready to hit Dunkirque at 11pm local time.
2 hours of relaxation we jump back into the car ready to drive through the night to Hamburg when disaster strikes, it turns over but no spark and the dash is lit up like a Christmas tree. We have a check under the bonnet but the reality is that it's a sensor that's gone as a minimum, it's not going to get started tonight. We get towed off the boat and pushed out of the way. It's 11PM local time. We have 18 hours until we realistically need to be in Hamburg, it's cold, it's dark and we have a dead Astra. Time to battle with the AA's European breakdown department.
I ring the number that I've been given, already pretty much resigned to, at best, 18 hours of expensive hell in trying to get to the game when a nice friendly voice picks up. I explain that we've broken down and Claire, the nice voice on the other end tells me a mechanic will be on the way. She then asks what we're doing in Europe. I explain and she takes note that we're on a tight time scale and we really need to be on our way tonight.
45 minutes later the local mechanic shows up, ready with a flat bed. He has a look but wastes no time in calling Claire back with the news that the Astra isn't going anywhere. Claire goes off and ten minutes later calls back with the good news, she's sorted a hire car out, the local Avis centre is happy to open up in the middle of the night and provide us with a hire car. We go with the Astra on the flat bed and get to a local Renault dealer. A taxi comes and takes us down towards Calais where a Peugeot dealer and Avis hire car place appears to have opened up just for us. The guy behind the desk (the only one there) looks unamused. I'm wondering how we're going to get all our crap in a 107, never mind cope with driving the damn thing 500 miles but clever old Claire has thought of this and a 207SW diesel is waiting. By no means the worlds finest car but it's ideal for our needs tonight. Delayed by 2 hours but in that time the Astra has bee diagnosed, picked up and stored safely for the night while we've been furnished with a car to get us to the match.
We get to Hamburg at 10AM in the morning, 4 hours sleep later we head in to watch the game. My phone's been off all day and work have kindly filled my voicemail box so I call up the AA again. The Astra has a dead crank sensor, which has been replaced. The mechanic has been for a drive and all is well. When can I pick it up. I tell them that we're on the Ferry at 8pm Thursday so can grab it earlier that day, however it's a bank holiday in France. A hotel for the night and expenses are on offer if I can wait till Friday but really we all three need to be back. The dealer agrees to open up if we can be there by 6pm and give them a call before hand. Superb.
We get to the dealers at 5pm, swap back to the Astra, he goes through what he's done and that the bill has been taken care of by the AA and we're on our way.
Probably the best customer service I've ever had. At no point did anyone mention cost etc, just getting me to the match. Everyone I spoke to was bilingual and helpful.
By no means the cheapest breakdown service (£60 for 3 days) but at good value when it all goes hopelessly wrong
(Excuse the long and tedious post)
Yup used AA European cover all the time. In 2000 took the TR7V8 to France for a week, driving back near Tours the diff pinion bearing dies. The AA had us relayed to a garage, where the mechanic & I check it over on the ramp. A trailer rolls up 45 minutes later we load it up, get taken to Calais where we drive it on gently, we then drive off the other side & meet a guy with another flat bed who relays us home. Slick all the way through & no problems.
PS The CWP were completely toasted & the diff case was full of what looked like grated cast iron.
PS The CWP were completely toasted & the diff case was full of what looked like grated cast iron.
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