This has been briefly touched on in another thread but it’s worth a thread of its own.
At some stage it’s inevitable that the truck is going to have a breakdown that I can’t deal with myself. I’m looking at the options for dealing with that and wonder what other people do? My insurance broker has offered me cover at £250 a year which covers three call-outs, two for the same thing.
I also see the AA do a pay-for-use deal, here…
theaa.com/breakdown-cover/fl … or-use.jsp
I don’t know how much it costs.
Can I ask advice from others as to what approach is best in their experience?
try (fmg support) harry they are a nationwide truck breakdown service & repairs.
Harry Monk:
I’m looking at the options for dealing with that and wonder what other people do?
The three times I’ve broken down in a bad way I’ve been local enough to call my fitter out and I’ve also had one occasion where I managed to limp the truck to the nearest Renault Main Stealer for a repair.
If I broke down a long way away it would probably end up costing me an arm and a leg but I’ve decided to take that risk rather than shell out on insurance for it.
Paul
I think if you set up an account with your local Renault dealer they will have their own call out and recovery service should you require it. Luckily my fitter has his own wrecker and will go anywhere in the country. I also have an account with MAN should it be a repair that is relatively quick.
I am here: tapatalk.com/map.php?ovml2b
xfmatt:
I think if you set up an account with your local Renault dealer they will have their own call out and recovery service should you require it.
I’m trying to avoid the main dealer as much as possible, not just because main dealers are more expensive but also in my experience they are nowhere near as good as an independent commercial fitter.
I will set up an account with them- there’s a Renault dealer in my operating centre- but I will try to call on them for as little as possible.
Yeah that’s fair play. As I said before my fitter has a wrecker but you never know what circumstances you may come across. All I’ve used main dealer for so far is tacho calibration. Like you say too expensive to be used too often.
I’ve never had any cover through insurers or other scheme where I’ve really felt it’s ultimately saved me a lot of hassle or money so would be interested to see if anyone has something positive to say about any particular one.
Few tricks when you might think you’ve hit a brick wall is don’t forget with mobile internet you’ve got a hell of a lot more options.
You ring dealers parts dept and they say parts van’s done its round. Get a bus if possible or taxi to the dealers. If taxi first offer the staff at the dealers cash to bring part out to you.
Get numbers of local hauliers that look like they might have their own workshop. Ring and see if they’ll help in return for cash or they’ll probably know someone who can.
As a general tip try and find a haulier local to you that offers workshop services that run a fleet of the same model of truck you do. They’ll know all the common problems off the top of their head and they won’t waste time and money plugging laptops in.
Edit: would also add a lot of the cover schemes say something like attempt roadside fix and if unsuccessful recover to nearest main dealer.
If you’ve got a workshop lined up for regular servicing ask them if they belong to any networks, mine does so a phone call to him can get help wherever I am.
The people I use for tyres belong to itdn.org.uk/
always read the small print. too many firms will send out a fitter that can’t repair [zb] all, so he goes back to the depot for parts, when he returns that is call out number 2. also the parts won’t be covered, but they’ll be twice the price you’d pay over the counter. also if you were paying cash the vehicle would be fixed at the side of the road, but with these contracts recovery may not be covered, so they will recover it.
xfmatt:
I think if you set up an account with your local Renault dealer they will have their own call out and recovery service should you require it.
I have that as a last resort if I’m desperate.
xfmatt:
Luckily my fitter has his own wrecker and will go anywhere in the country.
Mine doesn’t but he’s good mates with the people who run CST in Tadcaster and they have a good assortment of recovery vehicles as well as access to a network of similar people around the country.
Paul
Harry Monk:
I’m trying to avoid the main dealer as much as possible, not just because main dealers are more expensive but also in my experience they are nowhere near as good as an independent commercial fitter.
They vary a lot. In some cases you are right but if you find a good one you might find some stuff works out better and cheaper as if it’s something they have done lots of times before that requires specialist tools even if they’re 60quid an hour and your independent is 30quid you might find the bill is lower from the main stealer. You might also save time by them having parts on the shelf rather than having to wait for them to be delivered.
Up here I have found the Renault dealer at Boroughbridge to be excellent. Twice I’ve gone there at short notice with a problem and both times I’ve been fixed fairly quickly and at an acceptable price.
Paul
Harry Monk:
I will set up an account with them- there’s a Renault dealer in my operating centre- but I will try to call on them for as little as possible.
its good to build a relationship with them though, i,m always popping into my local MAN dealer for advice and there happy to answer any questions i have, the fitters have even showed me how to do jobs so i can save on there labour, i dont spend a great deal of money in there but we are all on first name terms and should i need anything doing over the weekend at short notice they will always do there best to get me in
you could approach one of the renault fitters in your operationg center & pay him cash in hand when hes off work to do ur motor 
truckers boy:
you could approach one of the renault fitters in your operationg center & pay him cash in hand when hes off work to do ur motor
Not that great, your accountant needs to know where the money’s gone or you get taxed personally, not impossible but not ideal!! I know what you mean though!!
My advice would be to set up an account with your local DAF dealer and then you have DAFaid cover on anything you run! I’ve had them out to one of our vans before! Still not as cheap as doing it yourself! You’ve got to watch the fitter that goes out, (not a major problem for you as your’ll be driving) but I had a DAFaid guy go out to the LF we run, with no clutch pedal, pipes split he’s not got one in stock, I’ll get it recovered says he!
Woo woo say I, shall we try a five piece connector and a quick bled!!
Oh alright says fitter and hey presto, still like that over a year later!!! Saved me a lot of money that did, just having a conversation!!
Keep a note of useful part numbers ie fan belts etc especially if you conti tech belts rather than genuine, wiper blade size, again Valeo wiper blades from DAF=expensive, Valeo wipers from local factors=reasonable!
On the recovery front I went and set up an account with the reputable local lot and if we need them hopefully we won’t, they have a network!! Although the one time we did need to recover a van, we phoned a local company same price as our one local but just got the van back quicker!!
I saw your toolbox thread, maybe a couple of different size brass 5 piece connectors?!
Dave
I have been playing with trucks since i was 14, im 44 now, i run 6 trucks now, i have never been in a breakdown club, to be honest i have a good understanding of trucks, I once had a vovlo breakdown down brighton way, we sent vovlo out cos i was busy, they spent an hour or two on the truck, said they couldnt fix it on the side of the road and needed to tow it in to get it fixed, i declined the offer, suggested to the fitter that on the way home he buy a local newspaper and look for another job as he couldnt do this one, this offended him somewhat…The next morning early i sent out our fitter, he knocked the driver up and told him to put the kettle on, by the time he had made the cup of tea, my fitter had the truck running.Honest. Most places just want to tow you in and it costs a fortune.Amazingly i was sent a bill from vovlo, and after a large argument they agreed to drop it.So get a good ols school fitter, dont get towed in, in my experiance, its normally cheaper to lose some of your own time, than pay a main dealer for theres.
When I had my vans (abt 20 years ago now) they were covered by Green Flag. Had one die on me on a garage forecourt on the old A11, just dead, thin wire for starter was not in it’s clip, it touched the exhaust and burned through. So I call Green Flag and they said they would send someone out, I hoped he would not be too long. About 5 or so mins later a chap walked up to me and then found and fixed the problem. He then walked away and I got a bill for £90 !!! why was he walking?? because he came from the workshop at the garage I was broken down in. Bloody rip off !!!
I’ve never bothered with breakdown clubs or Dealer accounts, I’ve only ever called out the a main dealer once and they were happy to do the work once I’d indicated I would be paying by card on completion.
Always been suspicious of dealer accounts after spares were once put on my bill, they were only cheap items and it was probably a genuine mistake that was quickly sorted.
The thing is I only noticed because as I rarely ever use them it was a surprise to get an invoice 