Let down by the AA with boat trailer

[Tim M]

Well, after my positive comments regarding the AA on a recent thread regarding recovery when your trailer breaks, my thoughts have changed slightly today!

Towed this small Snipe trailer over 300 miles. 9 miles from home drove over a cattle grid. Big bang, sparks in the mirror. Axle had snapped. Rang the AA to be told it wasn't a "break down" and I was not covered. Just great. They said because "something" had caused this damage it was classed as road accident, so I should ring my car insurance. I had this confirmed by a second person. What a load of rubbish! I wish now I had been more economical with the details and simply said "my wheel doesn't look right". Had to drive home, get another trailer, come back, winch this lot on. Bit of a pain!

[kerny]

It looks well corroded Tim. As for the AA... these days unfortunately.. honesty doesn't pay

[Crusher]

So, if going over the same cattle grid in your car and the suspension on your car collapses then they're not gunna take your car home??? I would think not !!
Just glad I don't give them any of my money!!
I'd certainly not be letting this one go!! Definitely worth the cost of a stamp on a well worded letter to their complaints department me thinks!

[fynepioneer]

We had the same when we hit a pothole and got a flat on the van, without a spare tyre, rang the AA, who said it was an accident, thus we needed to ring our insurance company! I was less than impressed with them, that said, I have had a wheel bearing go on a trailer and they have been more than helpful in the past.

[Rogue Wave]

did you have AA trailer specific cover ?

[fynepioneer]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

did you have AA trailer specific cover ?

Not to my knowledge, why? Do other breakdown companies?

[spartacus]

Just playing devil's advocate here. But the AA do say that the vehicle (read trailer) must be kept in a roadworth condition and maintained in line with manufacturer's specifications.

They are getting tighter regards their conditions of service. I used to run a Suzuki SJ410 many moons ago and I must have called them out 3-4 times one year. I received a letter to indicate that I may be refused membership or possibly charged for the next call-out. I wrote a letter to them saying the the faults were all unrelated, the car had a full MOT and I'd been a member for 10+ years. Got a nice letter back to say sorry.

Wouldn't be without them.

Luckily the trailer axle didn't break on a motorway. But I can see your frustration. Get a letter to them to see what they say.

[thomas]

Not sure I'd have towed that on the road in the first place, I think the sooner we get MOTs for trailers the better. Last year there was a big Sunseeker on a trailer that collapsed on it's way out of the marina, if it had been 500 yards later it would have caused no end of delays.

[SW Boat Transport]

The AA have always been very good to me when I have needed them, including recovering my trailer from Germany earlier this year.

The RAC on the other hand are a nightmare. My Nissan Navara broke down on the side of the M5 a few years back while towing an empty boat trailer. After waiting several hours a guy turned up. The first thing he did was put a tape measure on the trailer, then said that according to his book it was 1ft to long, so got back back in his van and drove off!

[paddlers]

Towing a boat on trailer from Liverpool the wheel nuts all disappeared on the nearside of the trailer that I'd just collected. I have to say the AA couldn't have been more helpful & put the boat/trailer on a lowloader & brought it all the way home. I have the relay option which gets you to your destination & wouldn't be without it although I only do about 4/5 drives of 100 miles plus a year.

[Downhilldai]

I had exactly the same thing happen only a few weeks ago. Phoned the AA and they asked me if it could have been caused by a pothole and I honestly replied that I did not know what had caused it. Anyway, they sent someone around and recovered the trailer back home for me - around 100 miles.
I told the AA guy that I wasn't sure whether the trailer would have been covered and he explained that it would be considered part of the vehicle, so no problem.
As an aside, I found the kwalitee of the trailer axle very shoddy, having non-galvanized pressed steel box section crank arms, rather than solid steel or cast iron as used by other manufacturers. This was a Snipe trailer with a Peak axle.

[eilean mor]

I'd again add, I've got my trailer (not the boat) added to my car insurance... got it 'fully comp' at around £20 a year

[Tim M]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

This was a Snipe trailer with a Peak axle.

Attachment 74188

Same as mine! Does look very flimsy.

With regards the comments regarding unroadworthy-ness, I tow lots of trailers and this one didn't strike me as being unroadworthy or unsafe. I've towed much worse! I suspect the majority of boat trailers which are a few years old have suspension units that look similar in terms of the amount of surface rust.

[treerat]

Gave up with the AA after a hub split, wouldn't come out as it was the trailer and not the car, I wasn't able to get specific trailer cover with them as mine is a fleet car.

Britannia have assured me that all is covered under one policy - we wait to find out.

[Rogue Wave]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Same as mine! Does look very flimsy.

With regards the comments regarding unroadworthy-ness, I tow lots of trailers and this one didn't strike me as being unroadworthy or unsafe. I've towed much worse! I suspect the majority of boat trailers which are a few years old have suspension units that look similar in terms of the amount of surface rust.

I hope not

[Downhilldai]

Have you fixed it yet, Tim M?

[Pikey Dave]

I've always been a Green Flag man meself. Most of their engineers are contractors so it's in their best interest to work with you as opposed to AA/RAC whose engineers are employed so get paid anyway.

[Boats&Outboards]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I've always been a Green Flag man meself. Most of their engineers are contractors so it's in their best interest to work with you as opposed to AA/RAC whose engineers are employed so get paid anyway.

I disagree. The Green flag never attend themselves so when a contractor comes out its to get you home and as quick as possible. I was with them for some time but not once did they try a repair. Its quicker for them to get you home then they are free for the next job. Theve been paid so why bother repairing

The RAC and AA at least try a repair as it saves the need to pay to outsource for recovery, plus it gives them the 97% repair on site stats they sell policy on

Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ askboatsandoutboards4sale@sky.com ~ 07930 421007

[Tim M]

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

Have you fixed it yet, Tim M?

New axle being ordered next week

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Boats&Outboards

The Green flag never attend themselves so when a contractor comes out its to get you home and as quick as possible. I was with them for some time but not once did they try a repair.

Not my experience. I've only had one "proper breakdown" and they towed me off the motorway and to a garage in the middle of the night - then got the car going after about 10-15 minutes.

They also recovered my trailer when I had a puncture and no spare.

The RAC and AA at least try a repair as it saves the need to pay to outsource for recovery, plus it gives them the 97% repair on site stats they sell policy on

But most of those will be: ran out of fuel, puncture, locked out car, flat battery, in reality modern cars are fairly reliable and there's not that much else that stops a well maintained modern car completely which you can fix at the roadside.

In contrast soon after I first met my wife her maestro has a "dislocated gear linkage" which the AA just 'relocated' at the roadside (one for their stats). It didn't make it the rest of the way home before it went again [but I came out and improvised a repair with a shoe lace whilst she was waiting for them to come back]... ...with hindsight it might have been better to tow the car to a garage and get it replaced, and arrange onward transport than set a young female driver off in the dark (before the time of mobile phones) with a bodged fix.

There is no perfect solution.