FOOL SCHOOL
The Ins And Outs Of Breakdown Cover

November 12, 2004

Each year thousands of motorists get stuck, or breakdown on the road. The winter months are particularly well known for their ability to ensnare cars mid journey. Some faults are common; and can easily be avoided if you spend 30 minutes each month checking over your car. After all, taking proper care of your car should be common sense, it is an asset worth keeping in good condition should you decide to sell the vehicle at a later date.

Investing in a road rescue package is a very wise precaution, you never know when you are likely to need it, and there are numerous insurers, all offering different packages.

The types of package available include:

Roadside Rescue: If you breakdown, this type of policy will quickly get you moving again or towed to the nearest garage within a specified radius. If the car can be fixed at the roadside you should receive minutes (up to 60) of free labour to repair minor mechanical or electrical faults. All you are likely to pay for are the parts.

Note: Incidents at your home or within specified radius of your home would not be covered and only the specified car in the policy would be covered.

Roadside Rescue and Home Rescue: Should provide the same level as cover as roadside rescue but will also extend the cover to your house. In addition your vehicle should be returned to your local garage.

Roadside Rescue and Recovery Plus: This policy should provide all the benefits of Roadside Rescue and Home Rescue to cover your car at your home address, plus a choice of either:

• A hire car to either return home or continue your journey.
• The cost of alternative transport to enable your journey or return home to be completed.
• Accommodation in a local hotel while awaiting completion of repairs providing the incident occurs more than a set number of miles away from your home.

European Rescue: If you drive on the continent it is worth considering a European breakdown policy. Some insurers provide this free of charge with their car insurance policy, so check the small print. Some of the benefits of cover include:

• Roadside breakdown
• The cost of travelling home if your car is stolen.
• The return of you vehicle if it cannot be driven.
• Legal cover and pay for the delivery of replacement parts if they're not available locally.

Other Inclusions/Exclusions to look for

Dependent on the insurer or the car insurance policy you have, you may well receive extra benefits included into the policy. For example some insurers offer:

• Cover for caravans, or trailers but ensure you check the policy details before you sign up.
• Breakdown cover as part of the car insurance policy, which means minimal additional work for you.
• Discounts on the policy for 2nd and 3rd cars kept at the same address.
• It is also essential that you use a well known company. After all, the larger the company providing cover the larger their recovery operator network is likely to be. Most large insurers have a network of operators with at least 2,000 members.

What to do if you break down

• Pull off the road and park in a safe place.
• Put on the hazard warning lights and decide on your course of action before calling for help.
• Put a warning triangle on the road at least 45 metres (147 feet) behind your broken down vehicle on the same side of the road.
• Always take care when putting a warning triangle behind your vehicle. Never use a warning triangle on a motorway.
• Keep your sidelights on if it is dark or visibility is poor.
• Lock the doors and call for help from your mobile phone or from a payphone.

NB: If you do not have a mobile phone always keep some lose change in your car to call from a payphone.

Tips to keeping you Car on the Road

To keep you car on the road requires proper and regular servicing, so which areas of your car should you check on a regular basis?

Flat Batteries: Caused by age or faulty connections. To avoid the problem, make sure that when the car is serviced the terminals have been cleaned and protected from corrosion.

Tyre Damage: Know the correct pressure to load ratio and check them every few months. The tread on your tyres must be within the legal specification (1.6mm - 8mm) and at least 3mm tread is recommended during the winter months.

Check you have a pumped up spare tyre, and that you have the tools to change it!

Starter motor: A starter motor does not need to be changed very often as they are robust and regular services should indicate faults.

Distributor cap: Distributor caps are an important part of the ignition system. A crack in the cap's insulation will be hard to spot but will allow high ignition voltage to escape stopping any ignition spark.

Spark Plugs: Make sure they are checked and replaced at regular services.

Fan Belt: If the fan belt squeals continually after the engine has started the water pump may have frozen, which will prevent the water for being circulated. It may take a couple of days to thaw.

Frozen Radiator: A more common problem than a frozen water pump, which you will notice soon after the engine begins to warm up, as the coolant will be unable to circulate. This causes the engine to quickly overheat.

Other Items you should check include:

• Water and anti-freeze in the coolant tank.
• Screen wash in the windscreen wiper tank.
• Clean the dirt build up from your headlights to give maximum brightness on dark winter nights.
• Power steering - Fluid reservoir should be checked at every service.

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