Hi chaps,

So.. had the bamboo for a decade and still never taken it overseas!

Heading on a roadtrip to the south of france this august, who can you recommend for breakdown cover and if the unthinkable happens guaranteed recovery back to the UK?

Look forward to your suggestions and experiences.

Kind regards,

fritz

Who's your insurance company? Some (Footman James do) provide overseas breakdown cover as standard or for an additional charge. Check your cover or speak to them.

Asda do one via green flag,very few recovery insurance companies want to cover any vehicle over 10 years old.With them you pay monthly ( direct debit) and can cancelled after 6 months it was about £15 a month not cheap but you get what yo pay for.I used them for a couple of years until I found the Police Federation did it for nothing I take my 2cv to SW France each year for around 6 months.You will love it

Paid an extra £37 on top of my policy with Bishop Calway. When the gearbox on the van blew up they offered to either:
a) put me up in a hotel then give me a hire car to get back to Dover, store the van and return it to me later.
b) trail the van to garage of my choice to be repaired.

Service assistants were excellent, spoke both French and English and understood the nature of the car.

"Hello Mr Fieldhouse. What's that? Broken down? Ah yes, it's on our system 'otherwise nice van with dreadful rear lights'. We'll be with you in an hour"

On one of the countless occasions that bamboo I had broke down (fan explosion iirc) I was standing looking at the bastard thing all covered in graffiti and green paint with the roof held together with duct tape, not a straight panel on it and a puddle of oil growing under it when suddenly a cry of 'WANKER' arose from a passing car. I surveyed the wreckage in front of me, sighed and thought 'yup'.

But yeah, most classic car insurers will sort you out.

Happened to me with my H van too. I'd only stopped in a layby for a break and a carful of lads went past shouting "gippo!"