UKC

Hi,

So I very rarely post on here but I've got myself into a situation where I'm not sure what to do and I thought maybe ukc could help - not sure who else to ask really.

I've crashed my car in france, it's off the road down a slope a bit entangled with some trees and I can't get it back on the road myself. It's pretty damaged, mainly bodywork, it might still run, couldn't drive it though got no number plate or side mirrors. I don't have any breakdown cover and I now have no idea what to do - any advice?

Would a garage be the place to go to try and get it towed out? Or would it be a emergency services thing? It's a small road so I think it would get blocked by whoever was getting it out.

Any advice welcome, particularly if you could recommend someone good to get it back on the road and to a garage!

In reply to Fellover:

" I don't have any breakdown cover "

Bad news fella, I hope you've got deep pockets!

In reply to Fellover:

Bad luck. Get a passer by or farmer to tow you out then drive it assuming it is driveable

In reply to Fellover:

Do you speak french or are you with any locals? I am assuming you are somewhere rural. Bunging a farmer some cash might be the route to getting it back onto the road. You could get plates posted out to you from the UK if this is a critical factor. Is it evident that there is no way you can drive it to a repair place e.g. one front wheel stoved into the axle? Could it at least be towed? Honestly, local help may well be the only way to sort it without getting fleeced. Not sure on the rules in France re: reporting to the police in situations like this. A local can probably help you with that also. Is it somewhere it will get reported before you can sort it out?

In reply to Fellover:

Insurance? If you have European cover then they will recover and repair your car. Yes your premium will go up bit, but not massively (unless this is a common habit)mine went up 5% renewing with same co. Following a minor crash with another car

It's the reason you pay for it you may as well get some value out of your premiums

In reply to Lusk:

If I had deep pockets I'd have got Breakdown cover in the first place!

In reply to ultrabumbly:

I speak a tiny bit, yep it is rural. I think it will run, engine seems fine - one wheel is a bit involved with a tree which is the only thing I'm not sure about.

I'll probably try and find a farmer tomorrow morning, and then get to a local garage. Problem is I was trying to get back from Cham ASAP to see my gran who's just had a bad heart attack, could really do with getting it sorted quickly. Unfortunately unlikely to happen. Classic more haste less speed I suppose.

I don't think anyone would notice it, it's fairly well hidden from the road.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

I'm covered to drive in Europe but I don't have Breakdown cover so I don't think the insurance company will be very helpful in actually getting me out of the ditch/embankment/trees which is the main problem at the moment.

In reply to Fellover:


I know what you mean! I've been fortunate enough to get away with it a couple of times!
Is the car worth salvaging? If you need to get back home quick, maybe just abandon it?

In reply to Lusk:

I'd thought about that, do you know what happens if you just abandon a car by the side of the road?

In reply to Fellover:
You didn't.. It was stolen and crashed by pesky French thieves..

In reply to Fellover:


Thus isn't a breakdown it's a crash so they should cover it.
Whilst out on the bike a mate came off and trashed his bike so I Rode to get a signal and called his breakdown but they refused to come out because it was not a breakdown, it was a crash and he had to go through his insurance.

In reply to Dax H:

Thanks, getting in touch with them now, might just have to pay some recovery anyway but at least they seem to be sorting it rather than me trying and failing to speak French. Should have realised the breakdown/crash difference last night but I wasn't thinking as clearly as I thought I was.

In reply to Fellover:

That's worth remembering - break down with no breakdown cover - just push it into a ditch and call it a crash!

In reply to Fellover:


I appreciate that you are getting it solved another way. I don't know what would happen here from a French peespective, but without any paperwork or a police reference for theft and without the physical car, I would forcast a miserable and frustrating period of dealing with the DVLA over VED/SORN.

In reply to Fellover:
Why would it be any different from another type of accident. Call them.

Edit I see you have good luck getting all sorted

In reply to balmybaldwin:

If you've got insurance which you say you have then ring them.

Breakdown cover is a different matter all together.

What you describe is a crash not a breakdown.

In reply to Fellover:

More importantly, are you okay?

In reply to Tall Clare:

Yeah thanks I'm fine, turns out the car is a write off though. Now I've got to somehow get a cars worth of stuff back home with no car...

In reply to Fellover:
Check your insurance carefully, I wrote my car off at the wrong end of the UK and my insurance recovered the car and took it to the nearest repair centre to my home (still the wrong side of the channel, but hey ho, I live in Guernsey) In the meantime they organised a hire car to get me and family home safely, turned out I had a 'home safely' clause in my insurance policy.

I didn't have a copy of my policy so asked pertinent questions from the call handler, they won't lie to you but sometimes you have to push a bit.

SteveD

In reply to Fellover:

On getting your gear back

I have sent a load of gear by mail before using collect and deliver. I once sent four large boxes each just under 20kg to myself for under £60. (probably about 8 years ago I last did this in Europe so prices may have changed). I think the current name of the company is www.parcel2go.com

I can't swear I used the same company for sending stuff back to UK from Germany but if you look for the kind of parcel carriers that ebay and the like recommend for picking up in France you should be able to find a similar service for different weights and box sizes/

I used to find it really useful as I would leave the parcel with someone to be collected a couple of days before I was hitting my destination. But if the final stage is Parcel Force in the UK they hold for quite a while after failed delivery. You may also be able to send "poste resante" to a post office (some still offer the service)

The biggest challenge will be getting suitable boxes.

In reply to SteveD:

I would do if the accident was in the UK, unfortunately they have no obligation to help me atall in France - which is definitely where I need help more!

In reply to ultrabumbly:

Thanks I'll look into it.

And thanks to everyone in general for all the advice.

In reply to Fellover:

My friend had breakdown cover for his car and the cam belt snapped whilst abroad. The car was worth around £3000 I think, possibly a bit more. The breakdown cover said they would not recover the car back to the UK as the recovery cost was more than the car was worth. It leaves the question of what exactly breakdown cover is for, especially when it's likely to be a cheaper/older car that breaks down...


Whereabouts are you? Might be some climbers driving back from the alps that can help out?

In reply to Fellover:

We had the same problem with a canoe trailer in Germany.

The wheel fell off while on route south, phoned recovery and the understanding was it would make its way back to the UK, we couldn't fit all the boats in the towing vehicles so left a £1800 boat strapped on the trailer as it would make its way back to the UK.

Long story short the recovery company decided it was not worth getting it back to the UK so offered us a setlment amount for the value of the trailer not the boat that was strapped to it as well.

We ended up taking a flatbed trailer out to mid Germany to recover the thing ourself.

UK breakdown service does seem hit and miss about getting your car back to the UK due to the cost involved, they will also drop you at the port then the UK recovery will need to drag you on to the ferry or the French will drag the car onto the ferry and leave it at that.

Good luck.

In reply to Fellover:

Are you sure they have no obligation? My regular car policy covers I think up to 60 days European driving, so you may be in a better position than you think without being aware of it.

In reply to nathan79:

Yeah, I get 90 days European driving, but no replacement car during the period if mine breaksdown/crashes.

In reply to NottsRich:

Yeah if there is anyone driving back from the alps who'd pick me up that'd be great, I'm in a little village called Mantry near Dijon. I'll post in the lifts forum, thanks for the suggestion.