Breakdown cover in Europe.

[Mr. B]

Watched the last 10 mins of a TV programme this morning which highlighted the difficulties several motorists faced when breaking down in the EU. One of the issues mentioned was breaking down and having the vehicle towed to a local garage and waiting several weeks for parts to arrive. Another issue highlighted was most recovery policies will not repatriate the vehicle back to the UK if the cost to do so exceeds the value of the car.
Have any members of the board had any bad experiences under such circumstances ?
Secondly does the Mobilo service offered by MB provide enough cover when travelling in the EU or is additional cover recommend ?
Thoughts?

Apologies if this subject has been covered previously.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Watched the last 10 mins of a TV programme this morning which highlighted the difficulties several motorists faced when breaking down in the EU. One of the issues mentioned was breaking down and having the vehicle towed to a local garage and waiting several weeks for parts to arrive. Another issue highlighted was most recovery policies will not repatriate the vehicle back to the UK if the cost to do so exceeds the value of the car.
Have any members of the board had any bad experiences under such circumstances ?
Secondly does the Mobilo service offered by MB provide enough cover when travelling in the EU or is additional cover recommend ?
Thoughts?

Apologies if this subject has been covered previously.

Mobilo cover is the same in Europe as it is in the UK, T&Cs have changed through time, and it may be different for cars of a different age. Give Mobilo a call (rather than speak to your dealer) to confirm for your car.

 

[Dryce]

Another issue highlighted was most recovery policies will not repatriate the vehicle back to the UK if the cost to do so exceeds the value of the car.

This is made very clear in the Green Flag policy wording - it was in bold.

Their breakdown recovery policy is an insurance policy and as such this makes sense from an insurers' perspective.

In practice your car should be repairable and this limitation should be a non-issue as you are responsible for repatriating it. They will pay (again subject to limitations) for you or another driver to travel to then repatriate the car yourself if it cannot be reaired in time for your scheduled return. As I read the Green Flag wording the costs covered for travel to repatriate the car are not limited by the value of the car. The kicker on this is that you are responsible for the costs of geting the car back - so if you got some great deal on your original schedule for a ferry from UK via Spain to the Canary Islands - and you break down there and the repair is completed after your scheduled return - and rebooking the return incurs a massive cost - then that's your problem.