Lucas_Dad

NRMA or RACV? (Or other)?

We don't live in Victoria but their shop in Wodonga (Vic) said that we in Albury (NSW) are close enough to qualify. Driving is done mostly in/around Albury Wodonga, but sometimes venture up to Griffith or down to Melbourne (both about 300kms).

Cheers

quoll

Should think they are pretty much the same. We have NRMA premium cover and it's been really good. I should imagine either would do. The cover goes across state boundaries so there is obviously liaison between them.

GarryP

I'd check if it were worthwhile. When I looked it seemed to only cover around town. Venture more than a short distance out of civilisation and it didn't really cover you ("well we'll tow you 100km round trip, what's that, you are 300km from anywhere? well that's tough") - exactly when you'd most need it.

Maybe the cheapest option for local issues, and worth looking at if there are cheap options on your existing insurance (if they are smart then it would reduce their liability/risk).

Beoz

Maybe I'm taking an unnecessary risk but I haven't had breakdown cover in Australia.

I run an 12 year old car. I don't do massive km's in it, drive to and from work sometimes, the occasional trip up and down the coast.

Sometimes the battery runs flat and I just jumper lead it to another car.

Is breakdown cover really worth it?

Lucas_Dad

In 4.5 years here we've not needed it either, but we do the Albury-Griffith run a few times per year and there are stretches of very little civilisation in between. Sometimes not even a mobile phone signal (so I guess how would I call for breakdown help anyway?!). The thought of being stuck on a hot dusty road with a 5yo & 1yo in the back makes me a little nervous!

Beoz

Maybe a satellite phone would be a better investment.

spouse of scouse

I'd get breakdown cover in your situation, maybe a CB radio too!

spouse of scouse

We had a Calais in Oz and something went wrong with the electrics a couple of times (don't have a clue what), and the RAC bloke got us going both times. Was worth it to us but might not be for everyone.

quoll

We had it for years, didn't use it but then we had a run of bad luck and used it several times in quick succession - NRMA successfully retrieved our car from 1 km up a dirt drive (over a Creek) in Victoria, 45 minutes down a dirt Road to a garage then 3 hrs back to Canberra on a tow truck and they offered hotel accommodation if we needed it (and that's just one instance). Might never need it again but wouldn't be without it now.

As for breaking down on the Hume - done that too, biggest problem there is knowing where you are although GPS nowadays should help that!

DeadVim

The Samaritans.

Oh, sorry, wrong kind of breakdown.

spouse of scouse

Beoz

Couple of jumper leads hooked into his battery?

Best investment I made. Jumper leads that live in the car.

spuddyo

I carry top and bottom hoses, fan belts, jump leads, tyre repair kit, good quality jack and tool kit.

Amazulu

One of the advantages of RAC membership is all the discounts you get

The RAC own the hotel at Coral Bay, so when I booked, instead of it being $3000 for accommodation it was $2700 (10% off) which easily covers the $200 annual fee

4c off fuel at Puma/Gull now and often Repco have 30% for RAC (I recently bought a battery for the Triton and saved heaps)

Loads of other offers too

Not sure what the other mob offers but RAC works for me

Geordie George

We're with the NRMA (in NSW) and have found them to be okay so far. Most recent interaction with them has been earlier this month, after the towbar fell off the car while towing a trailer fully laden with kayaks, bikes etc. We were in the central west, heading down some remote road on our way to Capertee national park - about 90km SE of Mudgee. The NRMA did agree to send someone out, even though (in all likelyhood) the chap wouldn't have been able to help and the car itself was in a fully drivable condition. In the end we cancelled the call, purely because we figured it would be quicker to ditch the trailer for the night and then have hubby do the round trip back to Mudgee to get the proper part the next day (it was only about 90 minutes one way). One car passed us as we were ditching the trailer after the towbar broke and another car passed the next day, as we were rehitching it once the towbar was fixed. Both cars stopped and offered assistance. So top marks to the NRMA, but also to the lovely blokes who stopped to try and help us.