'Prevention is Better Than a Cure' - But We'll Always Need Doctors!
Very few people plan for their car to breakdown whilst they are on holiday. I wanted to say 'nobody' plans to breakdown on holiday, but according to a senior manager at one of the largest breakdown assistance companies in Europe, they have been called out on a few occassions now by some residents from across England's Northern border. It runs out that a small number of these have been driving across the France in large vans to do their booze cruises in Calais and then claiming to have broken down as soon as they get to the M20 on their way home. Why? In order to get their assistance company to tow them home and save them the cost of a couple of tanks of petrol! Its amazing what some people do!
Despite most peoples plans and pre-travel car servicing down their local dealership, inevitably some do suffer breakdowns. If you are coming as far as from Britain this can cause you major problems and it is very posible to get caught out with major assistance and repair bills. It is therefore, highly advisable to take out continental breakdown assitance cover before you leave the UK. Its not cheap (a couple of weeks for an average car will cost you between £X and £X), but being towed off a motorway will cost you a dozen times that figure!
Assistance Companies Help With The Local Language.
One of the key things tourists often forget is that when it comes to 'technical terms' (e.g. Shock Absorber, Fan Belt or Radiator) your average English Speaking Spaniard, or Spanish speaking Englishman, really doesn't have a clue. If you are covered for breakdown assistance, however, most of these companies have linguists in their call centres that will help with the tranlsation.
Is it Necessary to Buy Breakdown Assistance From the AA or RAC?
No. These associations may run all their own assistance vehicles within the UK, but they elsewhere they usually outsource this work to local companies on the ground in that country of Europe. In some countries this means that the UK companies that sell you the European Breakdown Cover are all working with the same companies in some countries and in others they select their partners according to different criteria. So unless you know where you are going to breakdown and which local assistance unit is going to be asked to come and help you (unlikely), then you can't guarantee you'll get the service you expect from the larger branded associations.
It is also often cheaper to go with a different company to buy your breakdown assistance cover than to go with your UK current provider, UK motor trader, UK travel agent, or UK motor insurer, because these are all marking up the services they are outsourcing.
In Spain, the largest assistance company is MAPFRE. So you may want to check 'who' services the insurance contract you are buying in Spain. Thats ok if you are taking the ferry to Santander, but if you are driving through other countries en route to Spain, then the speed and quality of the assistance you get will depend on who is asked to come and help you on the ground.
Shop Around
It pays to shop around, particuarly on the internet. But be careful, these insurance products vary. 'Top Cover' might mean 'highest number of exclusions', so read the policy wording. Specificlaly, if your car is over ten years of age, many policies will exclude you. Also, if you cannot prove that you have had your car regularly serviced before you travel, you might find a couple of wordings that will be used by the insurer to get out of paying any large bills that they could say were down to 'poor vehicle maintenance' that is being invoked increasingly by insurers. If you are buying your breakdown cover via a trave agent or travel insurer, also be aware that in the same way that 'pre-existing medical conditions' are excluded from many policies, 'known' problems with your car could also mean that you end up paying the cost.
Repair and Rescue Services in Javea
Javea has a few local repair garages that are used by contracting insurers to assist their customers. Just one tip - if your car needs major work, or might experience delays in getting parts, make sure that you get permission from your breakdown insurance company before commiting to the work, or hiring a replacement vehicle. If you let them do the negotiation, or get them to provide the hire car, it will avoid arguments later, even though it may be a hassle to wait for them to respond.