Auto association roadside help, top level of cover?

You are on your own when you are not on gazetted roads or tracks. Cheers

I don't know if they will do it if it's going to cost $$$$ to retrieve.... most have a set limit on distance.

The RAA has a limit of up to 200 kilometres from the nearest depot and if further the towing is charged per kilometre at members rates..

If travelling in the outback it pays to carry $2000 - $3000 in cash just in case ..... money talks and some want money in their bank accounts before they leave to recover you.

Other advantage of carrying cash is if you want something done, a $100 for 20 minutes of work gets thing happening very quickly.

Most motoring organisations also have a weight limit on vehicles and most 4x4's are over ...... think about 2.2 tons limit.

Broke down on the Plenty Hwy at Tobermorey about 4 years ago.
Luckily had top cover with Racv. They sent a truck from Mt Isa to pick me up and take my cruiser back to Mt Isa. (About 12 hours return for the driver)
Racv then organised and payed for 4 nights accommodation white my car was repaired.
Best Dollars I've ever spent and woudnt leave without cover now.

Some years ago i purchased a new landrover discovery on a trip to fraser island it sheared off the rear shock absorber mounting point rendering the vehicle undriveable,landrover refused to honour the warrenty and roadside assistance package applicable to the vehicle.
I hope other people have had better experiences.

it was going to cost me around $1600 to get my paj towed from mungerranie to coply when my turbo siezed,a total of around 300kms, and i have the highest roadside assitant care with raa.

I have the top RAC roadside I can get but I too realize that you need to be prepared to get yourself out of trouble if possible and carry a bunch of incentive (read $) if you get caught out.

But over the years I have many people help out other people in trouble and in the end it has cost them nothing.

It all depends where you are going.

I decided to take out the NRMA premium cover when a collegue had vehicle trouble in the Simpson and when we got to Mt Dare and they told me they get paid to tow vehicles from Mt Dare to civilization (not from in the desert though)
The following year I had gearbox failure at Bendethera, a mate towed me out to a gazetted road and after contacting NRMA they arranged for a tilt tray to pick up my vehicle and take it back to Sydney for me and a hire car for me and the family to drive myself home plus I was able to keep and use the hire car until my vehicle was repaired. They did offer me accommodation but we preffered to head home.

I can't complain about he service and would not hesitate to recommend the service.

Have topcover in NRMA. Blew the head on the maverick west of Goulburn while making a detour on our way north to the coast on our annual summer trip to the mid north coast NSW.
Rang NRMA and they asked what did I want to do. I asked what are our options. Answers were
1. they could take us home
2 they could take us to Goulburn and put us up until maverick fixed
3 they could take maverick to Goulburn and we could hire car and continue on our way. Return when maverick fixed
4 they could take us and maverick to where we wanted to go and have maverick fixed there
We took option 4
NRMA came and picked us up. Put the maverick on the tray of the truck and towed the camper trailer behind. Some hours later early in the morning dropped us of in front of the camping ground we were staying at for 4 weeks.
Next morning I had to phone around and find a mechanic to do the head. Found one 40km away. NRMA came and picked the car up again and delivered it to mechanic. NRMA then arranged a hire car which we had for the next 3 weeks until money ran out (yes there is a limit but I can't remember what it is).
Mechanic lent us a car for 2 days until maverick fixed.
Personally I wouldn't travel with out the top cover but there is a limit on the amount that can be spent
Safe travelling
Daz

RACWA have just paid for 410klm towing and 2 weeks accomadation. Absolutely no hassles getting things paid.

Neil

I got a free flatbed from east of Arltunga into Alice with RAC

just check out thier limmits and exclusions

it can be good - within those limmits

its all there in black and white what they will pay for and as I say those limmits can be generous but are just limmits and it can be easy to exceed

In 2009 we broke down, just a little east of Well 33, probably 40 km on the Gary Junction road, when my fuel tank let go on a bottom seam weld.

Out with the Sat Phone, and called the RACV.
Once they confirmed my location, with GPS Co-ordinares, they were going to send a pickup vehicle from Port Headland. (from whatever State we rang from)
We were headed for Alice, and our travelling partners, said they would tow me if they had to, as we were not headinng to Headland.....
With a bit of bush ingenuity, we saved a fair bit of fuel, and limped into Alice 3 or 4 days later.

Good to know that the backup was there.
We have the premium "roadside assist" model.

Not sure what would have happened had we brokd doen at Well 38 or Well 40, or even in the Simpson, that may have been a little different.

Can't complain but !
I believe that you can be insured for breakdown "anywhere in Oz", but I do not know what sort of premiums you would pay ???

Cheers
Bucky

Hi Sigmund, I definately would not be without NRMA premium care or it's equivelant. A few years ago i blew a gearbox in my truck in the N W of Vic on the long weekend in Oct. Town deserted and no way to leave,I rang NRMA who sent a hire car from Swan Hill that we drove home to Maitland NSW left it at the airport drove back with a gearbox next weekend,and they paid my fuel and accomadation.Cost nil.Last Friday I dropped a tailshaft in the kia with the van hooked on ,right in the heart of Port Macquarrie. NRMA picked us up within 15 minutes and loaded the car hooked the van on and delivered us home at no cost. Told me the tow would have cost $1570 without cover. I will never be without it while I'm still driving. Cheers Bob

NRMA Quote in their terms and conditions....

1.2 Premium Plus for your Vehicle and Trailer

If you need Towing for your Vehicle and/or Trailer, (in addition to your Premium Care Towing entitlements), Towing will be provided for your Vehicle and any Trailer attached to it which do not exceed 10 tonnes GVM. Towing will be provided using the most appropriate equipment available as determined by us.

In Country Areas and Remote Areas in particular, limited types of tow trucks may be available. Should Special Towing Equipment be required (such as power winches, extended cables, or a four-wheel-drive towing vehicle) you must pay the Towing provider at prevailing Commercial Rates at the time of service.

In certain Remote Areas there may be occasions when we are unable to find an appropriate service provider to assist you. In these rare instances you will be required to arrange your own rescue or recovery at your own expense.

It is good that you are prepared and have the skills and expereicne to get yourself out of trouble - or stay out of it in the first place!

with the incerasing popularity of outback trekking in the last decade or so NRMA et al are 'onto' people with little or no experience of arduous terrain travel - or mechanical aptitude - so are adjusting thier terms of membership

Lat last year I saw an NRMA bloke changing a wheel on a KK behind a Landcruiser... on a suburban freeway!!. At the time, I really thioght the owner should 'skill-up' and/or have adusted his expectations of outback travel

I, for one, don't wish to be subsidising some of these 'all the gear but no idea' travellers

I have RACV Total Care. They towed me into Onslow on the west coast, paid for my camper trailer in the Caravan park at Onslow while a would be mechanic fixed it. It still was not right but he would not do more. Managed to get it down as far as Carnarvon where the same problem occurred. Total care agreed that the car should be worked on by a specialist and agreed to truck it and the camper to Perth. There best time frame was a three weeks so I had a chat to the caravan park operator in Carnarvon and he organised a back load to Perth, a week or so. Total care where very happy as doing it as a back load saved them a lot of money. When the car and trailer went out to the trucking company on the back tow truck with the camper towed behind the moved my wife and myself to the top of the range accommodation including a spa, organised a hire car at there cost and several days later fly us down to Perth. The car and trailer arrived a couple of days later. Total care then rang to confirm that all was ok and informed me that as the car was now with a mechanic of my selection that the end of there help, which was very grateful. The cost to me was the price of the mechanics, one in Onslow which I would never use again and one in Perth that did a good job and I was able to travel home to Victoria.

Total Care by RACV costs $175 and I would never be without it. As you can see, I am a long way in front.

When we did our trip we had top RACV cover and am so thankful we did. We had trouble in Mackay and we got 3 weeks car hire and accomadation paid for. We also got towing around 100kms back to the mechanic after the car was repaired to have it fixed again. Then in Cape York we had it towed from the tip (almost) back to Bamaga. Tow truck driver told us it was a minimum $2000 tow. We never paid a cent for any of it. It saved us around $5000-$6000 and in Mackay we had a car to go sight seeing in while ours was being fixed.

Friends of ours (husband and wife) were at Big Red in the simpson desert. He had a heart attack and died. RACV flew her sister and brother inlaw up to be with her, they organised for the caravan to be taken home and the brother inlaw drove the car home. RACV paid for the 2 ladies to fly home and organised for the body to be flown home. I think this was exceptional circumstances. but they did it and looked after a customer in need.
I would never go without it.

Josh

Several years ago when I had a towing business in Bunbury WA I was contacted by RACV to see if I could recover a cruiser & caravan which was broken down in Eucla and was heading for Bunbury. I quoted a price (3.5k from, memory) and they said 'go get it'. Car went on the flat-top, towed the van and the retired couple sat in the back of the dual-cab truck & enjoyed the ride.

Cheers Neil