We are often told by our elders that “things were simpler in the old days”. For one thing, cars were, in fact, much simpler in earlier days. However, now automobiles are becoming far more complicated with their ECU’s, Electronic Fuel Management, and sensors for seemingly everything. When minor breakdowns occurred back then, with enough knowledge, motorists were able to carry out the necessary repairs to get themselves going again. You’ve no doubt heard the stories about using a pair of stockings to fix a fan belt, or tin foil over the front of a radiator etc…? However, with faster, more powerful cars with much more complex engines, it has become increasingly difficult for motorists to successfully carry out minor repairs, especially without a set of tools to hand.
In fact, motoring clubs used to encourage members to help each other in the case of a breakdown, with rotas put in place and money placed aside in case a tow vehicle was ever required. These days, companies like Auto National exist to soley offer breakdown services so that you can feel comfortable that the repairs that need doing on your car will be done successfully and without fail, either by the roadside (minus the stockings and tinfoil) or at a approved garage if not.
There was once a time when, in the eventuality that a motorist would break down, they would either have to:
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Try and repair the car themselves by the roadside which could be dangerous
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Spend time trying to find a local garage that could come and carry out the repairs (whilst paying an extortionate amount for the emergency call!)
Breakdown companies like Auto National now offer very affordable breakdown cover options so that if a time comes when you and your family are stuck in a broken-down car on the side of the road, you won’t be stranded for long. In fact, forget having to trawl through the Yellow Pages to find a local garage like we used to do (no Internet or 4G back then!), motorists today can rest assure that they will be covered on almost every journey they take, nationwide, at any hour of the day, any day of the year. Trust us when we say breakdown recovery was not like this 50 years ago…
Breakdown recovery has also evolved massively in terms of cost. As we mentioned before, motorists used to have to pay out of their nose for an emergency callout when their car broke down. Today, with affordable annual costs, motorists don’t have to attempt to repair the car themselves which can increase damage or cause more danger, and they don’t have to pay high amounts for a callout.
We’d like to think that the evolution of roadside assistance has led to a lot more motorists driving with peace of mind. And without tinfoil and stockings in the glovebox.