Responce times for wheel change
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barryd
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About 20 minutes in Ghent in Belgium, an hour on the Med in the south of France and about an hour in Northern France once which was a Sunday and he was the most rude git I ever encountered. Other two were brilliant. All for tyres. Experience in the UK has not always been as quick.
r4dent
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I've only once had to call them to change a wheel ( I was on the way to work and wearing a suit) and it took about 20 minutes.
It is almost 60 years since I passed my test and for many of them I had old vehicles (for financial reasons not by choice) so, over the years, I've called them out many times.
The best response was under 5 minutes in Birmingham.
The worst was almost 2 hours in Spain.
Most have been under the hour.
On one occasion the AA flat bed truck recovering my vehicle broke down! The truck was towed to a nearby depot but we had to wait 30 minutes for another flatbed to take us home.
It is almost 60 years since I passed my test and for many of them I had old vehicles (for financial reasons not by choice) so, over the years, I've called them out many times.
The best response was under 5 minutes in Birmingham.
The worst was almost 2 hours in Spain.
Most have been under the hour.
On one occasion the AA flat bed truck recovering my vehicle broke down! The truck was towed to a nearby depot but we had to wait 30 minutes for another flatbed to take us home.
wildebus
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Worst time 2 hours in Spain? man, you have been lucky as sin! I remember I broke down on the M3 on my way to work on a Sunday morning around 8AM.
Head Gasket gone on my Spitfire. No chance of roadside fix but RAC insisted they had to send a patrol to confirm. around 2 hours later, patrol turned up ... one minute later ...."can't fix that. need recovery. dunno why they sent me". Eventually recovery turned up, damaging front of car winching it onto bed. Got Home (about 25 miles away) over 12 hours after calling RAC. would have been faster walking home.
r4dent
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He should also angle it to the left with the wheels on full left lock so that if the vehicle is rear ended it goes towards the barrier and not you or the oncoming traffic.
You and any passengers should only enter leave your vehicle using near side doors.
You should exit the vehicle and take refuge behind the barrier if there is one.
barryd
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Ive had that before in the UK. Ive even said, its knackered. No point in sending a van, send a truck and they still send a van who just says "oh i cant do anything with that" and the whole process starts again.
jacquigem
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Yes he did that but I still thought it was pretty scary
GMJ
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We had similar with our blow out on the M6. Despite telling the AA and also the recovery company that we were 8.7m long and 5t in weight they still sent out an unsuitable vehicle for moving us so the bloke just changed it on the hard shoulder. Brave bloke. I slipped him a tenner for his help and wrote a letter to his employers saying how helpful he'd been.
st3v3
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Same. Mates car put a rod through the side of the block.... Despite telling the call centre the inside bits of the engine have smashed through to the outside they still sent a van.
Took me ages to clean his oil off the front of my car, the twat
r4dent
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1 Cup
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Never called them out for wheel removal and still carry a long bar today .
2011
Did call them AA out for bambi on A 26 he bent my steering rack when usein winch. I had ran out of fule and they relayed her home to Somerset. 12 days loads of telephone calls and £400 OUT OF POCKET. At vauxhall bridgwater and they hit the roof light on there shutter not opened fully. .
As above should have walked to fule station.
Called rac for sprinter it needed relay home from meet up north sprinter 400mm too long ( bumper to rear step ) for policy.
Where can I get space saver for sprinter .lol
Best experience was relayed home to Dartford Kent from Darlington propper up north. 14 hours 3 hours diagnosis 9 hours relayed swaped lorrys 3 times. But over night so slept most of the way. Ho and linkage had come off.
It seem to me that there all roadside goldfish with debit card readers.
2011
Did call them AA out for bambi on A 26 he bent my steering rack when usein winch. I had ran out of fule and they relayed her home to Somerset. 12 days loads of telephone calls and £400 OUT OF POCKET. At vauxhall bridgwater and they hit the roof light on there shutter not opened fully. .
As above should have walked to fule station.
Called rac for sprinter it needed relay home from meet up north sprinter 400mm too long ( bumper to rear step ) for policy.
Where can I get space saver for sprinter .lol
Best experience was relayed home to Dartford Kent from Darlington propper up north. 14 hours 3 hours diagnosis 9 hours relayed swaped lorrys 3 times. But over night so slept most of the way. Ho and linkage had come off.
It seem to me that there all roadside goldfish with debit card readers.
maingate
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Took out recovery from an online company (I forget the name) and had a puncture on the car. I called them out, that was 2 years ago, still waiting. Now I am with Green Flag but not needed them yet.
ps, I got sick of dealing with some woman on the phone (she was useless), changed the wheel myself ... in the muck ... in the rain.
ps, I got sick of dealing with some woman on the phone (she was useless), changed the wheel myself ... in the muck ... in the rain.
colinm
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Been with the RAC for 44years, in that time have called them out several times, the response times have varied greatly.
I think the fastest was on South Uist, a subcontracted garage which not only came out in 30mins, but had the correct part (ignition switch) with him!
Not the slowest, but most frustrating, parked in RAC south west main depot, had to wait an hour or more before they got a ticket which allowed them to touch the car.
I think the fastest was on South Uist, a subcontracted garage which not only came out in 30mins, but had the correct part (ignition switch) with him!
Not the slowest, but most frustrating, parked in RAC south west main depot, had to wait an hour or more before they got a ticket which allowed them to touch the car.
Rumour
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I hit a pothole with the car and jacked the car up, could not budge the wheel. I called the RAC and seven hours later, a guy walking past said "Put the wheel nuts on, drop the car and then loosen the nuts around four full turns. Drive forward slowly and wiggle the steering wheel" It freed the wheel and I changed it! I called the RAC back and told them it was fixed, they then said the guy is 5 minutes away!
mark61
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Fortunately never had to call recovery to help change a wheel, and I think it's about 20 years since I've even had to change a wheel by the side of the road in one of my own vehicles (touch wood)
As far as I can remember, think I've called recovery 3 times in total.
First time 1981 in Norway, just as well they didn't turn up too fast as the van was a good hour or more walk from the shop I walked to to use a phone.
Other 2 times I had a mobile.
As far as I can remember, think I've called recovery 3 times in total.
First time 1981 in Norway, just as well they didn't turn up too fast as the van was a good hour or more walk from the shop I walked to to use a phone.
Other 2 times I had a mobile.