Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT
I have had a few breakdowns in my long driving career, both of my own vehicle and company vehicles. I have only suffered one breakdown of my own vehicle which I wasn't able to fix myself at the roadside - a clutch master cylinder complete failure a couple of years ago. I've had cart spring snap and been lucky enough to have a spare in my boot, so fixed at the road side. One car ingested a nut, which jammed under an intake valve so I had to strip the head down at the road side in London, plus a few minors, fixed in minutes where the engine has simply died - blocked jets, blocked filter from dirty fuel.
Company cars and much higher mileages, I have had lots of breakdowns. One lost all of its single circuit hydraulic brakes on a hill, so I had to scrub the speed off against a hedge with the help of the gears and handbrake. A one month old one had its ECU fail completely, another recent one had its gear stick become detached due to a design fault.
So I can fix many issues myself and I do maintain my cars, but even the best maintained can fail and not be fixable at the roadside without parts. Besides, modern roads are busy - try pushing a 2 ton car and a 1.5 ton caravan by yourself, on a busy motorway. I'm getting old and not as fit as I used to be, so its takes me a little longer than it used to take whatever I do.
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The reasons you quote is the very reason I took out breakdown cover. In 1996 I bought a used Granada, my very first car with electronic ignition, injection and auto gearbox. One look under the bonnet convinced me I needed cover, what with motorways, longer journeys and my wife driving the car. I accept I have been very lucky not needing the breakdown services, but have never begrudged the fees for the cover. It has been worth it for the peace of mind.