Overseas insurance on motorhomes
Dear All,
I would like to evaluate the travel / breakdown insurance services offered by the club and others.
In a motorhome we wish to travel for 2 weeks in France and visit 6 sites. In order to establish the benefit of breakdown insurance, I would like members to share their experiences. The motorhome is our holiday and our accommodation and I see that sometimes breakdown cover offers forward travel to your destination.
To my thinking with no experience, then once the motorhome is damaged. it is end of holiday?
Please share some of your experiences and how the French authorities deal with the issue when you call the emergency number. Where do they take you and what happens next.
Please share a positive situation that occurred in France with the breakdown insurance of the club?
Comments
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In 28 years of caravanning we have had 3 incidents where we used the insurance.
1st, camped at Lake Garda Italy, the alternator failed on a brand new car. Was recovered back to camp site, car taken to main dealer where the part had to be couriered from Sweden, was provided with a new BMW for a week.
2nd. Major engine failure on Salisbury Plain on-route to ferry to France. Replacement car provided within 24 hours, which also broke down in France, a 2nd replacement car provided.
3rd. Caravan puncture on A10 just N of Orleans, but yards from an aire, so drove into aire. Tyre had exploded and badly damaged the caravan wheel arch and hot and cold water pipes. Called police on emergency phone. 30 mins later a breakdown truck arrived and fitted my spare. I could not do it owing to the amount of damage. I did get to me camp site later. The insurance had been informed and looked after the charges. Two new tyres and one new wheel were sent from Uk to middle France by DHL and a local French garage fitted them onto my caravan, but could not do the Tyron bands because they had not seen them before.
The insurance was Club Red Pennant and I would not go without it. Yes, it is expensive, but insurance is only as good as the outcome after you have used it. Excellent interpreters on hand 24 hours a days. Lots of nice bits like cover before you leave the UK in case your car breaks down just before your hols.
Happy camping, I hope you never need to use your breakdown insurance.
BillC
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In 20 years of motorhome use I have only had one major breakdown in the UK (broken gear lever) which resulted in an abandoned trip and leaving the motorhome at the nearest repair garage and returning home by choice in our towed car. The insurer was Mayday.
I have had two minor breakdowns on the continent, one under the guarantee and one sorted out by the RAC Both were fixed in hours with no effect on the trips.
I have no complaints about the way any of them were dealt with.
I remain insured with the RAC via the C&CC Arrival policy which has an option to add Continental cover.
peedee
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Thank you.
I too have a membership of the RAC via the C&CC Arrival policy with me as the member and it works for the car and the motorhome. I am comparing the benefit of adding the European cover (About £60) to the RAC against the offer via red pennant via the caravan and motorhome club. The premium is much higher with red pennant and I was looking for real life experiences so as to compare.
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Hi all, I have to admit that the C&CC Travel Insurance is a lot more flexible than this clubs RP and a lot cheaper, but for me it still has a limit of 8m for the length of the MH. I rang them today to see if they have exceptions with extra cost, like RP, but they said when I apply they would put it to the insurers to see what they say. So when my current RP multitrip runs out in January I will try again. Thanks for the info on this product.
BillC
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The response to a breakdown is that you have to phone a call centre who then arrange for a local recovery service. Make sure that you always carry your policy and travel with plenty of credit on your mobile!
I view breakdown cover differently from when we had a caravan. With the caravan you could in theory continue your holiday with a hire car - I believe that RP are good at providing a replacement but we were with Saga/AA when the car automatic gearbox failed and they could not do this. Not that we wanted to continue anyway.
With a motorhome I would say that if it can't easily be repaired it is end of holiday but if it can be fixed then it is a hotel for a few days before continuing. They would have to take you to a garage that will handle the larger vehicles of course and I don't know what kind of transporter they would use.
Many motorhome insurance policies cover European breakdown for not much extra so we take it out as a matter of course.
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EHIC may, of course, disappear following Brexit and, as has been pointed out in the past, does not provide for medical repatriation.
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Hi Peedee,
Is the C&CC’s Arrival & Foreign Travel Insurance the same thing. I was looking at their equivalent to RP, ie, Travel Insurance and here is an extract from their TOR.
“Are there any restrictions on cover? Cover only applies to vehicles which do not exceed the following gross vehicle weight and dimensions: weight 4250kg; length 8m, height 3.4m; width 2.5m; or carrying more than 8 persons including the driver Vehicles aged over 10 years of age must adhere to the servicing requirements as recommended by the manufacturer. If the vehicle is over 20 years of age, it must also have been serviced by a reputable dealer no more than three months before the Trip starts.”
BillC
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