Breakdown insurance for imported motorhomes

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

(I'm pretty sure there will be a negative response to this question, but you never know your luck!) Has anyone importing a motorhome into the UK managed to obtain breakdown insurance covering the period prior to the vehicle's UK registration? The Caravan Club (who use Green Flag) say they can't provide it, as much as anything because their computer system demands a UK Registration Number. I strongly suspect this will be true of other breakdown organisations whose systems will have been constructed to handle our 7-character registration-numbers and won't tolerate a lengthy chassis-number. Just to re-emphasise - I'm looking for breakdown insurance, not 'ordinary' motor insurance cover.

[Guest Will Redfearn, Wirral Motorhome Club]

Don't the major breakdown clubs still have individual membership? This is were you are the member not the vehicle. The AA and RAC used to do it, theymay still do so.

[Guest Roy]

The Caravan Club Mayday does personal cover that covers you in any vehicle you are travelling in, that would be my suggestion, however I suppose that will not cover the period you are not in this country.

[Guest Will Redfearn, Wirral Motorhome Club]

Just another thought what about Europ Assistance? it should do what it says on the tin.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Thanks for the replies, chaps, and the impressive lateral thinking. I've checked the position regarding 'personal' rather than 'vehicle' breakdown insurance cover with the Caravan Club and Britannia Rescue (as I'm already a member of the CC and CSMA). Both organisations said that the way this works is that you nominate a UK-registered vehicle (essentially the vehicle you normally drive) and breakdown cover is then extended to other vehicles you happen to drive or be a passenger in. (Presumably there's some small-print exclusions, otherwise they could be recovering buses or coaches!) However (as Roy suspected) the extended cover only applies to travel within the UK. I also checked with the CC's travel service whether I could arrange 'single-trip' breakdown cover, but this was only available for journeys commencing in the UK and for UK-registered vehicles. I spoke today with Shield Total Insurance, whose breakdown assistance policy uses Europ Assistance, but the same story - the vehicle needs to be UK-registered first. (By the way, if you are looking for reasonably-priced motorhome breakdown insurance, it could be worth you contacting this company. 0800 393 033 if you are interested.) I've now given up on this and shall rely on my lucky rabbit's foot to protect me during the journey back home.

[Guest petej]

Dunno if i,ve missed something here but, presuming this is a new vehicle, doesn't the chassis manufacturer supply at least 1 years european breakdown insurance with the purchase? I know my Peugeot came with it, or is it different on the 'other side of la manche'? pete.

[Guest Keith Daniel]

Hi Derek More lateral thinking. Get a cheep personised number, put it on retention and take the plates with you to collect new vehicle, register the breakdown cover with that number and your new vehicle description before you go. Keith D

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Keith: I don't know anything about the procedure that transfers a UK personalised number on to a new vehicle, but I would have assumed this would happen when the vehicle is first registered in this country. In my case UK-registration won't occur until I've driven the 600 or so miles from Germany back to my home. Can one actually get personalised number-plates made up that easily nowadays? I thought there were all sorts of documents needed (like a V5) before plates could be provided. Your suggestion sounds a mite illegal to me, rather like the 'pre-registration before you've imported the vehicle' idea I discussed with a motorhome dealer in Germany. There would also be a practical dilemma, as the motorhome would already be wearing the set of number-plates relating to its compulsory temporary German registration. An entertaining concept, but I think I'll pass on it. Pete: Certainly there can be significant differences between the warranty offered on (say) a Ford Transit commercial vehicle manufactured in the UK or one manufactured in another country. I happen to have UK and French 2004-Transit brochures. The UK brochure defines the Transit warranty as 3 years/100,000 miles, while the French brochure says 2 years/unlimited distance. UK Transit customers also get an RAC package that includes "Roadside Assistance" during the warranty term, while French buyers get 2 years of "MobilPro" services. (I expect Transit buyers in other countries get something similar.) Whether such benefits will be included in the warranty of a motorhome based on a Ford Transit is another matter, however. Even if they were, there would be a strong likelihood that 'roadside assistance' designed for delivery vans or trucks may not operate beyond national boundaries and won't be applicable to the way motorhomes are used. I've checked with a UK parallel-importer what the warranty terms are for the Transit-based Hobby motorhomes he buys new in Germany and sells on in the UK. He told me "2 years pan-European" for the Ford base-vehicle and Hobby conversion. I asked whether the Ford warranty included any roadside assistance/recovery services and was told "No - this would be something buyers would need to arrange themselves via an insurance company". Hence my forum enquiry. At the Stratford show I was talking to another motorhome importer about 'fire-risk upholstery' and the subject moved on to the differing legal requirements in the UK or abroad and the impact this had on importers. Warranty duration/conditions were mentioned, including the practice of a base-vehicle manufacturer setting the warranty start-date when a chassis was sold to a converter, often many months before the completed motorhome found a buyer. I was told this had almost been the norm with LHD Hobby 'vans (incidentally I hadn't revealed I was buying one myself) leaving the importer with disgruntled customers, a bureaucratic mess and the Hobby company uninterested. "No more Hobbies for us", said the importer. In view of this criticism (though all these Hobbies would have been based on Fiat who seem to be the prime culprit for 'short' warranties on motorhome chassis) I think it wise I now confirm with 'my' German dealer that all warranties will commence when I collect the vehicle. I can also ask about within-warranty breakdown/recovery services, but I suspect I shall have to rely on the old Rabbit's Foot.