Road Side Assist

I asked - official response is need to be a Victorian resident to have RACV roadside assistance.

Seems NRMA are the odd one out.

HiCuppa, am I right in assuming that with total care you are covered with a trailer or caravan as long as it does not exceed 9.0m. thanks

Hi GarryR,
Our Patrol & Tvan combined are around 9.5 metres when hooked up, but we have never had to be recovered when actually towing, so I cannot say for certain, but I would be very surprised if they would not cover it.

In the past when we had a 7 metre bus plus an enclosed motorcycle trailer we called on RACV recovery 3 times & each time they put the bus on the back of the truck & towed our trailer behind. That would have been over 9 metres combined. Our bus at that time was over the allowed GVM at 5.2t (they have since raised that restriction) but there was no question about us being overweight. My impression is that it seems to depend more on what the the recovery truck can manage & most outback recovery services seem to have a higher recovery capability than the in the RACV terms & conditions.

I think you would be best to give them a call. They certainly cover caravans, & I'd find it hard to believe that the majority of caravans plus tow vehicle are under 9m combined.

We are in the throes of purchasing a new vehicle. 6m long, 3.15m high & a GVM of 7.26t & I am pleasantly surprised that it still falls within the RACV limitations. In all over 20 odd years we have made use of the Total Care package 5 times & wouldn't leave home without it. Every time they have been excellent, with an attitude of what can we do for you (rather than what can we get out of doing). Recovery, hire cars, accomodation, taxis etc all offered, not asked for has made stressful situations much easier.

Thanks for that info Cuppa. In years gone by I have had to use road side assist ( I have Total Care) Once with a motorcycle, and that was a drama. Their motor cycle assist is through another agent , Nationwide Towing. Because I was on the regional/metro boundary, they would not take the bike home, which was 56k away, but dropped it off at the nearest repair center close to pick up. RACV did apologise for that incident and stated that they should have taken home as requested. Another breakdown involved my ute and a tandem trailer, both of which had no load. The driver had no hassles picking up the ute, but then stated that he would charge me for towing the trailer. Once again in a regional area using independent towing service arranged through RACV. Another phone call later to RACV to sort out this problem. Yet another apology and a refund of towing charges. I know not everybody has had these sort of inconviences, but I was not happy. I was then informed that the regional RACV agent that I have used in the past lost his contract. Too many complaints from customers. RACV have been good in the follow up on complaints.

That sounds pretty unfortunate Garry. I did have a puncture in a motorcycle tyre once, on the highway just north of Mallacoota. Was taken into Mallacoota by an agent from Bega. Long waits & not much fun. Arguments about who's jurisdiction I was in apparently went on whilst I sat by the roadside for hours. Local issues not RACV. Home was up in the Strzeleckis overlooking the Latrobe Valley, so not within 100kms of home. Rules change when closer to home.

I am with RACV and unfortunately had to be towed from 100kms north of Fitzroy Crossing back to Broome (just under 400kms) only 3 months ago. All up car and caravan come to 12.7m. I was covered for the tow (TotalCare) and thankfully I was as the tow came to about $3.5k.

Thanks for the helpful clarification Graham.

Another RACV anecdote others may want to tuck away for future reference.
We broke down (Clutch actuator jammed in open position - no drive) half way up the range from Cairns to Mareeba. Called the RACV number & it automatically went through to the RACQ. RACQ roadside assist came out & towed us a couple of kms to a safe spot to await a tow truck. We were told that a) there were no trucks available for several hours & b) that there would be a per kilometre tow charge over (I think) 10kms. This from the RACQ on the phone, not from the roadside assist chap who was good. I then managed to get on to RACV direct who somehow, from Melbourne arranged a tow truck within the hour, no tow charge at all (as we had expected) & by the time we dropped the car off at a repairer in Mareeba they had booked us a motel room in Mareeba & paid for it ("We booked it for 2 nights in case the repair can't be done tomorrow, let us know if you need to extend that") & arranged for a taxi to collect us & take us to the motel.

We were not too impressed by the RACQ, expecting we would get identical service from them as we we would from RACV. RACV couldn't have been better.

Thanks for all the info, I just spoke to my son who does NRMA on the S.E.Coast of NSW. He said he knew of the problems around towing, and it seems to be at the discretion of the tow truck driver and attitude, as they are only contractors on the side. He said if someone needed a tow he would ring the driver and organise pickup. And yes they do drag their heels, as my son said if a young bloke rings for a flat tyre he just has a coffe and takes his time, but if they ring and are nice about their break down or elderly, he is right on to it. He does NRMA every second weekend, as really stuffs up his day, but unfortunately the company he works for has the contract and cannot get people to work, hence the attitude by some assistants. Anyway enough said on this subject by me., but watching with interest

My gut feeling GarryR was it would be a non issue in the real world, but with plans of touring with just me and 2 young girls I really don't want to get left on the side of the road on a technicality!

Crazy that all are reciprocal but have wildly different services and pricing!

As below I've found a solution to my dilemma but appreciate all the input.

Where is the address of usual storage of the unit located, in Vic?

We changed our residential address from Vic to SA as we sold up to travel and will end up in SA.
When I rang RACV to change address they said I could not hold the policy with a SA address so had to change to RAA.

I found the cover and price much better with RACV so I will call them back up and see if I can get back with them.

I am an NRMA member with roadside assist for the OKA with an SA address.
If I recall their web site suggested I needed to be a NSW resident, but they took the money and I have used their service in SA.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

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Yes Peter, I heard you the first time.

Incidentally, RACQ accepted my Sprinter without question.