When you take out a specialist vehicle insurance policy with ClassicLine Insurance, UK and EU breakdown recovery is included as standard. But if you have never used the recovery service before, it may seem a little daunting – particularly if you are abroad.
Knowing that help is there when you need it the most is a reassuring feeling. Whether you breakdown in the UK or whilst on holiday in the EU, with ClassicLine, you’ll have the peace of mind that your cherished classic car will be treated with the respect it deserves and that you and your passengers will be cared for too.
So, to help you get the most out of your insurance policy, we’re delighted to share two recent stories from clients who have experienced a breakdown first hand.
Words by John Simmons, Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register
Article taken from Stardust, the magazine of the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register, No. 287, August 2023
Letters, points and plugs
As you may know because of an oil leak in the oil pressure gauge line it was decided to get recovery for my car from the National event back to Norfolk.
I had an absolute nightmare trying to get RAC to agree to take the car or even look at it. Their final suggestion was to pick it up and deliver it, together with Maureen and I to Norfolk, but only via a number of stages as various recovery firms loaded and unloaded the car at three or four motorway service areas. It appears that each agent is reluctant to come out of their area and a seamless one vehicle trip was not possible because of the distance. A second alternative given was to let them pick up my car and take it to a compound from where it would be delivered home in 3 or 4 days. You will imagine that none of the options were considered to be suitable.
Later that day I was speaking to Alan Brinklow about the problem, and he asked why I had not asked ClassicLine Insurance. To be fair I had not even considered them. Over many years of classic car policies with various insurers, who mostly included breakdown/recovery, I had always assumed that the service would not be suitable, so phoning ClassicLine did not even cross my mind.
Anyway, armed with the phone number (taken from the complimentary key ring in the Rally Pack) I phoned. ClassicLine put me in touch straight away with their breakdown operations and within a few hours my car was being inspected in the hotel car park. It was agreed that recovery was needed, and an arrangement was made for collection on Monday after the weekend. I was given an approximate time and even received a phone call with an exact time as the lorry was on its way.
An efficient and friendly young lady turned up loaded the car and we were on our way for a direct delivery without problems (just think of the petrol I saved!).
So, a message to all the classic car owners who discount insurance backed recovery and like me pay-out year after year for an inferior mainstream service. The ClassicLine service, from first call to their office right through to pick up, was speedy, efficient, and helpful.
Thank you to John Simmons, Peter Holland, and Pauline Blake for sharing this feedback with us.
Photo credit: Pauline Blake
To find out more about the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register (STAR), please visit sunbeamtalbotalpineregister.co.uk and here.
Words by Sue & Alan Sykes, Figaro Owners Club
Our trip to Luxembourg with the Nissan Figaro Club, a breakdown, followed by a very happy ending.
Our Trip
We booked a trip to Luxembourg with 21 other members of the Figaro Owners Club, and over the months leading up to the trip, I carried out a service and every check you could possibly carry out.
We set off to our overnight stay in Folkstone on 20th May 2023, then travelled through France, Belgium and onto our final destination in Vianden, Luxembourg.
The Breakdown
After lunch on the last full touring day, we set off back to the hotel but after a long twisty downhill stretch, the car started to hesitate and cutout. Halfway around a hairpin bend the engine totally cut out, we lost the power steering and the brake assistance slowly disappeared. We managed to get the car safely into the side of the road, luckily several of the other club members pulled up to assist.
The battery was almost flat and after testing, it was obvious the alternator was faulty.
ClassicLine Recovery
At this point I contacted ClassicLine Insurance’s international breakdown phoneline. Everything went very smoothly, I had to give my location, vehicle registration and policy number, and they told me that the recovery company would be in touch shortly.
Going forward, the only downside to what happened next was that we then received numerous calls from the UK, the European breakdown organisation and the garage, I am guessing we received around six separate phone calls and it was a little confusing as to who we were actually talking to. Every time someone called us, I had to give the location, registration, and policy number but we got there in the end.
The breakdown truck arrived about four hours after the first call which considering we were in Luxembourg we thought was excellent. Unfortunately, the breakdown truck driver didn’t speak any English but we managed to communicate with each other using a combination of my wife’s basic French, and my Monty Python style gestures.
The mechanic carried out the same tests that I had carried out to prove that the alternator was faulty, and we then loaded the car onto the recovery truck. The recovery truck driver dropped us off at our hotel, I have to say that the recovery driver was superb.
The Repair
I contacted the Figaro Shop in the UK and they arranged for an alternator to be delivered to the garage in Belgium (just the other side of the border from Luxembourg) on Thursday by 11am, obviously, these repair costs were down to us.
We contacted Classic Line on Friday, and they kindly transported us from the hotel in Luxembourg by luxury taxi to the garage in Belgium. The garage repaired the car at around 1pm and we then travelled back to the UK, finally arriving home in Yorkshire at 1am on Saturday morning.
Reimbursement from ClassicLine Insurance
I submitted all the invoices showing the additional incurred costs to ClassicLine and included a spreadsheet. ClassicLine had no arguments with the genuine costs submitted, and the money was transferred into our account very quickly, it was around 3 weeks from submission.
Considering this breakdown package is included in the cost of the insurance policy as standard, I have to say that ClassicLine’s response was fantastic throughout! All our family cars are now insured with ClassicLine, the costs are competitive, the breakdown response was superb, and we can’t thank them and the Figaro Shop enough.
Thank you to Sue and Alan Skyes and the Figaro Owners Club for sharing this feedback with us.
Photo credit: Alan Skyes
To find out more about the Figaro Owners Club please visit figaroownersclub.com and here.
If you have any questions relating to the breakdown recovery service included with your classic car insurance policy, please call our team on 01455 639 000 or use the contact us page.
