Help with new A-Class insurance please

[TheHat]

Have you tried phoning A I B to see what they say Minxy Girl

 

[Abacist]

I dont know how the alarm etc. works but assuming the thief steals your keys that has the alarm fob on it would by pass the system and the alarm will not activate??? Then they can just start the engine and drive off? With the Vodafone 5S you also need the driver ID card so even if this does happen the tracker would know it is being stolen and activate.

What’s on the keyring can only turn the alarm off. The immobiliser is a separate system controlled only from your mobile phone.

 

[eddie]

I dont know how the alarm etc. works but assuming the thief steals your keys that has the alarm fob on it would by pass the system and the alarm will not activate??? Then they can just start the engine and drive off? With the Vodafone 5S you also need the driver ID card so even if this does happen the tracker would know it is being stolen and activate.

You need the phone to start the motorhome. The problem with driver ID tags is that people get lazy and either leave them in the motorhome, or drill a little hole on it an keep them with their keys.

If my motorhome, my motorhome keys AND my mobile in the same place, so am I. If I am away from home, so is my phone so even with the keys the motorhome won't start

 

[MichaelT]

You need the phone to start the motorhome. The problem with driver ID tags is that people get lazy and either leave them in the motorhome, or drill a little hole on it an keep them with their keys.

If my motorhome, my motorhome keys AND my mobile in the same place, so am I. If I am away from home, so is my phone so even with the keys the motorhome won't start

Thanks for confirming so I guess the only drawback is losing/forgetting your phone, dead phone or no signal?

Even if I forget the tag I can override it on the app to get moving so I guess all systems have good and bad points? Oh and I do keep tag separate and not on the key ring or hide it in the van as it negates the idea of having the tracker and I am guessing nullify s insurance like leaving keys in van.

 

[Pausim]

Yes I have twice tried to insure a van with them, on our first coachbuilt they quoted something like £800, then when we got the a class this year was told unless we had another policy with them they could not insure it. Such a strange business model and not very customer friendly IMHO.

The NFU Branches are franchised and some of them are very helpful and keen to have your business and others are not. A little bit of trawling through the Fun threads will reveal some who are interested, I have found the Brockenhurst Office helpful others mention Chichester. Their new limit on high value vehicles is not being applied to existing customers but may be an issue for others.

For some the lack of roadside assistance/recovery is a disadvantage, they only cover cars not motorhomes. I have a joint policy for my motorhome and car but only the car is covered. It does not bother me because I have 5 years cover with Fiat Camper Assistance. Some people consider the NFU level of contents cover too limited. I have most things, such as bicycles and valuables, covered by my home policy so again I am not bothered. On the plus side the windscreen cover is not limited and you don’t have to use their preferred repairer, meaning you can get an original replacement instead of an xyz if you want to.

Unfortunately insurance policy terms can vary significantly and it is not just a matter of shopping around for the cheapest, you also need to make sure the policy covers your needs and not take anything for granted. Another factor is the reputation of the insurer when it comes to paying out on a claim, you don’t want one that is going to make your life miserable and argue for months.

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[MichaelT]

The NFU Branches are franchised and some of them are very helpful and keen to have your business and others are not. A little bit of trawling through the Fun threads will reveal some who are interested, I have found the Brockenhurst Office helpful others mention Chichester. Their new limit on high value vehicles is not being applied to existing customers but may be an issue for others.

For some the lack of roadside assistance/recovery is a disadvantage, they only cover cars not motorhomes. I have a joint policy for my motorhome and car but only the car is covered. It does not bother me because I have 5 years cover with Fiat Camper Assistance. Some people consider the NFU level of contents cover too limited. I have most things, such as bicycles and valuables, covered by my home policy so again I am not bothered. On the plus side the windscreen cover is not limited and you don’t have to use their preferred repairer, meaning you can get an original replacement instead of an xyz if you want to.

Unfortunately insurance policy terms can vary significantly and it is not just a matter of shopping around for the cheapest, you also need to make sure the policy covers your needs and not take anything for granted. Another factor is the reputation of the insurer when it comes to paying out on a claim, you don’t want one that is going to make your life miserable and argue for months.

It was the Brockenhurst office I went to but as I said strange business model and one I will not bother with again.

 

[eddie]

Thanks for confirming so I guess the only drawback is losing/forgetting your phone, dead phone or no signal?

My wife has a phone as well ? and the app is on our ipads?

 

[tomag]

NFU only do third party for Morocco and Turkey and as Safeguard no longer do the green card [ not strictly true they did offer me insurance with AXA and a green card but it was double what I am paying Saga ] I have gone with Saga

 

[Scotch mist]

Does anyone have a Smarttrack tracker?

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I am with comfort £400 this year without recovery £445 last year with recovery, the first time I insured they told me I needed to take out their recovery, the second time I insured with them they told me It was my choice if I wanted recovery , the operator who insured the first time told me I had to take it out (I think it was for her commission !!!) , I also had to have a tracker as my van was valued more than £80,000 , My choice was Global Telematics , I believe it is called smart track, I’ve attached a picture showing my current location which I access through a free app , after fitting it was £300 for life tracking , I broke down in France 3 weeks ago , when the tow truck started to tow me I got a call from Global Telematics to tell me my MH was moving without the ignition switched on & to contact them if there was a problem , great service

 

[Minxy]

Scotch mist we're getting the Smartrack fitted next week at a cost of £199 plus £399 to Global Telematics for lifetime monitoring.

We thought long and hard about whether to get one and stick with Comfort, or not bother and go elsewhere, but hubby has decided he wants one as he's a worrier and frets if we have to leave the camper with the dogs in it in case it's nicked ... probably very unlikely but the though of our monsters being taken away from us doesn't bear thinking about. Hopefully we'll 'recover' the cost from lower insurance premiums in the future.

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[Barclaybasher]

When I saw you needed help with the insurance I thought you needed help with paying for it.....
.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Duplicate - crap internet on my phone!

 

[Scotch mist]

Minxy girl , I also didn’t want to pay for additional recovery as fiat have their 2 year recovery on our new MH
which we had to use in France , fiat’s recovery was through the RAC and was very good , all repairs were done by fiat , I think you may have a new MH so just watch comfort don’t try to make you take their breakdown because the woman at comfort I renewed with this year said I definitely had the choice & shouldn’t have been told the year before I must take it , I definitely don’t have it this year & am £45 better off

 

[Minxy]

Minxy girl , I also didn’t want to pay for additional recovery as fiat have their 2 year recovery on our new MH
which we had to use in France , fiat’s recovery was through the RAC and was very good , all repairs were done by fiat , I think you may have a new MH so just watch comfort don’t try to make you take their breakdown because the woman at comfort I renewed with this year said I definitely had the choice & shouldn’t have been told the year before I must take it , I definitely don’t have it this year & am £45 better off

We don't have recovery presently and have been told that when I do the change from our current camper to the new MH it's just the increase in the insurance premium to cover the period from now until the end of April 2020 which is £71 plus £20 admin fee.

We used to be with Safeguard as we always wanted recovery (no choice with them, you have to have it) but due to having Fiat Camper Assist with our current PVC we didn't need it, hence being with Comfort.

 

[Jagtazman]

I have just renewed my Metatrak at £64.95 per annum which is the system where it tells you where your van is but is not a tracking system as generally accepted in that there is nobody to report your van's theft to and then track and advise the police. Metatrak also provides the engine block and unblock facility at the press of a few buttons on your phone, either at the van or remotely.

I have Trackstar as my tracker where there is a team to track your vehicle and keep the police informed leading to its prompt recovery. Not been asked for a renewal on that so maybe I paid for it up front or for three years or something.

Both obtained from VanBitz along with the Growler alarm system.

Ditto just renewed mine also excellent piece of kit.

Scotch mist we're getting the Smartrack fitted next week at a cost of £199 plus £399 to Global Telematics for lifetime monitoring.

We thought long and hard about whether to get one and stick with Comfort, or not bother and go elsewhere, but hubby has decided he wants one as he's a worrier and frets if we have to leave the camper with the dogs in it in case it's nicked ... probably very unlikely but the though of our monsters being taken away from us doesn't bear thinking about. Hopefully we'll 'recover' the cost from lower insurance premiums in the future.

Which spec have you gone for?
£199 seems very cheap

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[Minxy]

Ditto just renewed mine also excellent piece of kit.

Which spec have you gone for?
£199 seems very cheap

Its on offer at the moment, reduced from £229 to £199, it's an asset tracker only as we don't want the driver fobs etc as hubby would more than likely leave his at home! This is the company we're using, when hubby rang about it they said its a very good tracker for the money, made in the UK and good quality, so no need for anything more expensive.

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[Kirsten]

I'm getting more and more confused with all of this! Perhaps I should just not buy the Carthago and put all my stuff back in the Campscout ...

I am at the same point Ms Minxy ! Tracker ????:
I have spent ages phoning round for insurance quotes for our new-to us Hymer 544,- AIB; Comfort and Safeguard did not mention a tracker but lastly the Camping and Caravan club did - I hadn't thought of that until they said most companies insist on one - so now back tracking quotes to make sure I have correct information [never likely ,to be honest] I have also spent ages researching windscreen cover- that seems to be OK tho
I hate technology and the thought if having any more apps or buttons/bells whistles - PAYING an annual amount for them- is grief - but thought of learning how to use them and not loosing the fob /phone /my mind is giving me palpitations.
We have separate recovery for Europe already and dont need to change that - it covers cars as well as van.
Why is everything so difficult? Our new van is not as pricey as yours but AIB were the best quote - no tracker unless I misunderstood. I hope you get it sorted.
Now going to look at this Mr Eddie Van bits bits - but not sure we want a growler as neighbours not so happy with us van-loving hippies anyway.. when I set alarm off by mistake [a given, and not a one off I fear] we will be run out of town . Exhausted and weeping. When we bought our current van we just looked -loved it - paid- drove it away a week later and have had 9 happy carefree underpowered years with it.

 

[Minxy]

Kirsten I went with our existing insurer, Comfort, and had the tracker fitted mentioned earlier on Wednesday this week. As our MH cost over £75,000 that's why Comfort required the tracker, so if your MH is below this they may not.

As for the alarm, we had an Autowatch fitted, can't remember the exact model at the moment but it's the coachbuilt/a-class version of the ones we had on our previous campers and never had a problem with it at all, so unless you really want a Van Bitz alarm have a look at Autowatch.

We didn't go for a VB one as we didn't feel we needed to from previous experience of Autowatch alarms, plus VB are a long way from where we live so it didn't make sense for us to go there due to the distance, the timescale to get it done, and obviously the higher cost of their system, oh also we prefer a system that can be sorted wherever in the UK we are.

Make sure whoever you get to install an alarm includes sensors for all of the doors/lockers which you need including (any that can allow access to the interior will be required by your insurers if they are to give you a discount) as some alarm installers only allow for 1 and every extra one costs more, as much as £50 for each one.