HELP! broke down abroad and being screwed by the AA

[gonzomillstrood]

Hi guys and girls. I need help please. Heres the story, its a really long one so pull up a chair, I will keep it as brief as I can.

I went to Le mans on Friday for the classic racing. Myself and 4 mates in the westy (I was sleeping in the van, the others in a tent. just thought I would add that one in).
Ive got european breakdown cover with the AA. At about 70 miles from Le Mans the front wheel bearing gave up the ghost. I pulled over, called the AA and a breakdown truck took me to a garage a few miles away. They left us abandoned in the middle of an unmade forecourt outside a garage/petrol station on the outskirts of a town. The breakdown driver asked me to drop the keys through the letter box when we leave and they will have a look at it in the morning. Meanwhile, Im told by the AA that they will put me up in a hotel for the night. Fair enough, I await a call back from the AA. A couple of hours pass, still no call from the AA, and I was totally uncomfortable about leaving my pride and joy in an unsecured location overnight (any other owner would have their concerns too right?), so I pull out my tool box, jack her up and check and adjust the wheel bearing. Get the wheel back on and go for a drive. All seems good so we all decide to grab a pizza and hit the road. I phone the AA and tell them I sorted it. Happy days, 60 miles later I get to the Le Mans turn off and 'clonk' the van swerves, I grab the steering wheel and shit my pants as Im doing about 50MPH at this point. I wrestle the van to the side of the road, hit the hazard light switch once more and decide to limp the rest of the way (approx 4 miles) in first gear to the camp site by the track. By this time its 11pm and we've been on the road for 17 hours!

We pitched the tent and hit the sack. I phone the AA at around 11AM the next morning and they promise to send out a breakdown truck to take my van to the local garage in Le Mans. The truck rolls up at 8PM and takes my van away. I load it up with everything but the bare necessities and the tent. I phoned them up at this point and they tell me they will pay for a hotel for the 5 of us for Sunday night. Our ferry was booked for Sunday night but we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we won't be going home until Monday which would more than likely be with the van on a breakdown truck!
I make five phone calls to them on Sunday as no one could be bothered to phone me back. The fifth one being at 1.30pm when the woman promises they will phone me back. 20 mins later my phone rings for a split second with nowhere near enough time to grab the phone out of my pocket. So I phone them back. They tell me, (bearing in mind that they started investigating the night before) that because I repaired the van myself, I caused the fault and as a result they will not:
Pay for the repair.
Pay to repatriate the bus back home.
Pay for a hotel for the night.
Or pay for car hire.

So, Ive had to foot he bill for a hotel for the night for 5 people, and find a hire car, pay for it, drive back to Calais. Jump on the boat and pay for a taxi from Dover back to mine.

Bottom line is;
I got a phone call from the AA today with a quote from the garage in Le Mans to the tune of 650 Euros for a new wheel bearing and brake drum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You couldn't even make this up. What should have been a weekend away with the lads watching the racing has turned out to be a total nightmare. I don't really know where to turn at the moment. My van is 300 miles away, Ive got no support from the AA. All the time the camper is spent at the garage Im sure the garage will charge me storage, unless I'm willing to make a 600 mile round trip plus costs to pick it up.

If anybody has got any ideas please let me know. Im losing the plot here.

Cheers guys.
Colin.

 

[Bay-low71]

Only two options get the spares and tools required and head out, repair and drive back, or pay the dosh!! If you spend the time to attempt to get any resolve from the AA and they still say no, you bill has increased due to storage costs if applicable. Can you contact the garage direct and have a French speaking person to hand!!! You could always get hold of a student to help!!! What a bloody nightmare!! Good luck bud!!!

 

[Graham L]

Whereabouts are you in the UK?

My suggestion would be as above to get a wheel bearing and drum and head back over and sort it yourself, is the stub axle OK?. do you have a jack in the vehicle and any tools?. as long as the stub axle is OK then its a max of an hour (if you need to change the upright) to get it sorted and back on the road.

Happy to help out if I can but I'm in the midlands so 200 miles from Dover so not the closest by any means, any body closer to France that could offer assistance?

 

[bluenose]

I would probably hire a vehicle transporter and drive it to France and fetch it. They're only about £100 to hire self drive. I probably wouldn't mention I was taking it out of the country.

Then argue out with the AA once I had my van back

 

[gonzomillstrood]

Cheers guys.
I know someone with a trailer. Got no towbar so might have to buy one. Could be an option.

 

[Graham L]

Cheers guys.
I know someone with a trailer. Got no towbar so might have to buy one. Could be an option.

Have you got something big enough to tow it on a trailer, really needs to be a van or 4x4 as a westy can weight in at 1500 kgs + trailer at 500 kg so ideally need something that can tow 2.5 tonne giving you some margin.

At least you are close to the ports, I'd still be tempted to just go and fix it and drive it back.

 

[gonzomillstrood]

I've got a vivaro graham. Should do the trick.

 

[Danbury Doug]

Early Bay member Trikky2 lives in France.
Don't know if he's based near where your van is or not, but possibly he may be someone to have handy to correspond with.

Doug

 

[Graham L]

Early Bay member Trikky2 lives in France.
Don't know if he's based near where your van is or not, but possibly he may be someone to have handy to correspond with.

Doug

I think he's way south Doug.

 

[gonzomillstrood]

Early Bay member Trikky2 lives in France.
Don't know if he's based near where your van is or not, but possibly he may be someone to have handy to correspond with.

Doug

Could be worth a try.

 

[Graham L]

Just asked Christophe at Vintage Autohaus if he knew of anyone in the area that could help and he suggested these guys http://www.nostalgia-lemans.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Trikky2]

Yes, sorry guys, I live further from Le Mans than somebody living in Oxford.

In your position I would be tempted to get the parts needed and come down with the necessary to fix it and then drive the bus home. A front wheel bearing is no big deal and can be changed quite easily.

That said, having driven it whilst broken you need to know if the spindle, backplate, brakes and brake drum are re-useable or not.

If the spindle is damaged it becomes more than a roadside repair but the rest can be done pretty easily.

 

[Max Power]

Eclipse recovery are based near Dover and got to Europe collecting for AA green flag etc etc,they could pick it up maybe but probably a couple of hundred,fix at there yard and drive home?Cheapest way is go fix it yourself in France?Hope that helps

 

[gonzomillstrood]

Thanks guys. I'm waiting on a phone call from the AA this morning as to whether they will change their decision. If they don't, all he'll is going to break loose. Watch this space!!

 

[Davydomes]

Thanks guys. I'm waiting on a phone call from the AA this morning as to whether they will change their decision. If they don't, all he'll is going to break loose. Watch this space!!

Have you checked your contract/agreement details? If it is written in the small print that "if a repair is undertaken by a non AA party after the fault has been reported then all further AA cover on THAT vehicle is null and void"

If there is nothing like that anywhere in your contract/agreement etc. then do you have a case.

 

[jamesabell1978]

Are you a member of VWOCUK? Just seen a post on their forum

if you're in france wiuth a problem
Author: landroverbob I spend most of my time in france house and workshop and big trailer just south of POITIERS and am always there to help in emegencies or with language problems Also room to overnight if ness
The kettle is always on for a cup of tea if you are passing

 

[gonzomillstrood]

Here's the latest guys.
I had a phone call from a guy called Leighton in their technical office in Leon. He's an English patrolman who has been out their for the last couple of months. He is the first person I have had any sense out of (and I've spoken to most of the staff there). I explained the whole story to him, and he phoned me back within the hour to tell me they will be bringing her back home :msn4: finally. It's taken almost 6 days to get to this point, but the main thing is, I get my camper back.

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who has offered help. When I got back my wife suggested selling our camper..... No chance. Where would you find a nicer group of guys and girls with the same interest than you do in the VW scene. Nothing else comes close. Sure it's a massive pain in the arse when you do have problems, but every cloud has a silver lining. And if I didn't break down on the motorway on Friday I wouldn't have seen the Bugatti veyron go past!!!
When I get a chance, I will post the pictures up of our weekend so watch this space people.

 

[Graham L]

Good News, well done for persevering with trying to get them to get it home for you,

 

[Davydomes]

Glad things have worked out for you.

 

[Trikky2]

Glad it's sorted and they are bringing it back for you.

Funnily enough, I had been hearing the occasional intermittent whine from the front of my bus for a while and initially put it down to tyre noise on some road surfaces.

Last year I decided to investigate the front wheel bearings and found they were both really badly worn. I couldn't believe that bearings in such a state would make so little noise!