ADAC users beware!

[s2_bo]

Im an ADAC plus member. That means your supposedly covered in all of Europe, that includes recovery home.

Yesterday i put there service to the test when my car refused to keep cool on the way back from Dover (250 miles form home with a blown Head Gasket)


07:00
I called them and they send someone to recover me from the M20 to Maidstone services.

10:00
After being recovered there and dropped off by Ellipse recovery an AA man came out and verified that it was indeed the Head Gasket that had failed. He then also said that my membership with the ADAC only gives me recovery from a motorway and a toe to a garage with in 10 miles.

I said no it doesnt, i want to go home now. He said, yes it does, call them to check.
I called them again and they said that the car being 19years old is not worth recovering or repairing but that they could arrange for it to be scraped and will pay for a train home.. After i asked them on what ground they where making that assumption. They said thats what there computer system has worked out after they inputted all my details.

By this time both the AA man and the Eclipse recovery driver had gone. So i demanded to be taken to a garage so that someone half competent could verify for them that there computer system is mistaken and that infact the car is worth recovering and repairing..

They agreed that that was within my rights and arranged for someone to collect me to take me to a garage.

13:00
OnTime recovery showed up and took me to a garage in Maidstone.
I then explained to the garage owner what the ADAC needed to hear to recovery me home.

After a few more phone calls and confirmations from him that the car is infact worth keeping and could not be repaired within 3 days they finally agreed to arrange for recovery home.

We then waited at the OnTime Deport till 17:00 when finally an AA truck turned up and took us down to devon.

I got home at 23:30 after another relay.


Moral of the story is that the AA charge the ADAC £3.90 per mile so a 600 mile round trip is not something they like forking out for.

If you have ADAC plus cover and need to use it for a home recovery after a major brake down make sure you get your car taken to a garage that will verify to the ADAC that its not reparable in 3 days and that its not scrap. If you dont do that its most likely that they will not want to recovery you. Should you brake down abroad they will prob insist that the car is prepared. You are only eligible for home recovery if a garage can not repair it with in 3 working days and if the cost of the repair dose not exceed the value of the car..

[Dan]

*starts reading his breakdown cover T&Cs*

[Acidburn]

Not good to hear, hate the fact its 19 yrs old scrap it, imagine that with a urq, most of them are older but worth a good amount. A RR is worth on average 10k+ but is g/h/j plated.

[Jamo]

AA, I left these monkey men years ago, that's a shocking story Bo!

Glad your home though!

[driftin jo]

AA, I left these monkey men years ago, that's a shocking story Bo!

Glad your home though!

It sounds like ADAC was the problem here not the AA , but I have to agree they are all ******s who will try and get out of anything any way they can.

[Sonic]

Glad you got home bo

I found out the hard way that my ADAC plus cover wouldn't get me home.

The throttle cable snapped about 50 miles from home, i got recovered and taken 10 miles away, and then told it would cost me another £100 to go the remaining 40 miles.

Being stuck at the depot of a recovery company at 4am on my birthday wasn't ideal. (Although Dan was there to accompany me )

The recovery company were saying ADAC was telling them i wasn't covered, ADAC were telling me i was. On my mobile i had ADAC saying you're covered, on their landline at the depot, at the same time, someone from ADAC saying i wasn't.

Needless to say i wanted to get home and the recovery company wasn't going to do that without being paid, so paid them the £100, and made it home.

I sent messages to ADAC when i got back, with proof of expense, and haven't had a response since.

Funny, as a got a response to my renewal.

[Dan]

That weekend was sods law in perfect motion.

I'm with RAC now, through Audi (the A6 was already covered and there was a 50% discount on a second vehicle / per-person cover).

[Boghopper]

I found this out a few months ago, but luckily from someone else who had had the same experience. Is this a new loophole for the ba****ds to get out of paying? Haven't heard about it till now.

I recently when to europe twice in two different cars and didn't pay for recovery cover because its obviously not worth the paper its printed on. :corey:

Why is value of the vehicle of any relevance? A 3 yr old Mondeo isn't worth a carrot, and most cars on this forum would be worth considerably more. Your car is more valuable as a means of transport than some stupid computer program says.

Anyway, this really p****s me off, so going for a lye down in a darkened room now

Pete

[4WheelDrifter]

What a PITA, Bo. But at least you eventually made it back.

I remember nearly writing my S8 off, when ADAC told me the only way to sort my broken fuel pump, was for them to take it to the nearest Audi dealer for them to fix. Luckily I talked them round to taking me back to Nürburg, so I could fix it myself. But to start with they were having none of it. I had to pay the difference to the recovery company, but that was a small price to pay to not go to the dealer.

For minor problems that can be done by the roadside the ADAC are fine, much like the AA. But that's usually things you can do yourself, if you have the tools.

In fact, I had to call out the AA when my S8 gear selector cable broke. The AA man said he could only tow it to a garage for them to fix it. So instead I borrowed his jack and tools, got under the car and fixed it myself. Good for bumping up AA's 'fixed by the roadside' stats.

I can't really fault the AA. Apart from when I had a tyre blow-out and I had no spare with me. They didn't want to know then.
4 AA relays from GTI International was a long night, but at least they got us and the car home.

[s2_bo]

Seams that there is a thin line between road side recovery and daylight robbery.

The AA man yesterday advised to get the £129 AA package if you really want your moneys worth as that comes with £2500 worth of paid garage work and parts

[4WheelDrifter]

Seams that there is a thin line between road side recovery and daylight robbery.

The AA man yesterday advised to get the £129 AA package if you really want your moneys worth as that comes with £2500 worth of paid garage work and parts

So still no good if one's S8 fuel pump fails then.

[Acidburn]

I've been with the rac and i've not had no issue's but have not tried nothing abroad....yet.

[s2_bo]

So still no good if one's S8 fuel pump fails then.

[s2driveruk]

its like any insurance....when you need it most they wave the clauses in your face as to why they dont need to engage

[Error404]

c*nts. let god sort 'em out