[nick1200]

i have been working in a garage for 2 years i have now quit because i was bored of being in the same place every day some times even working 6 days a week

i am about to start college to get my motor vehicle licence i did it last year has well but now i have quit the garage i have to start again ( seen has the college course was apprentice ship )

i have been looking around on here and on the rac site and it doesn't say any grade you need to be in the rac

in 2 years i wanna try and work for the aa or the rac
id prefer rac seen has i like the orange van :p


but does any 1 know grade wise what you need ?
i have passed all my gcse's ( not that high gades )
and in 2 years will have my motor vehicle licence

[davesdad]

you would still be working 6 day week and 12hr shifts

[Snowball]

As a longstanding member of one or other of the rescue organisations, my perception is that, over time, the job of the rescue service has changed from "get you going again" to more of a "get you to a garage or home", particularly where the vehicle's electrical/mechanical failure is concerned.

To my way of thinking, this is down to the complexities of the modern motorcar.
For myself, I have a manufacturer's service and maintenance warranty, for which I pay a monthly fee.
Rescue is supported by the RAC but, in the event of a breakdown, I would not be happy to have anyone but an acredited dealership service department for my vehicle to do any work on the vehicle.

For this reason I am also a member of another rescue organisation which operates a "get you home" service.

[dazid1]

6 day week and 12 hour shifts how can that be legal?

[smudger]

I thought that was why all these road side rescue companies carry those lap top computers, to check out the diagnostics and the electronics of the car.

Mind you, I have only used the breakdown service once, and that was way back before computers were installed in to cars;)

(We used to work 12 to 14 hour shifts for the whole two weeks we were working off shore, and that could go to three weeks, if the weather got bad!)

[Snowball]

Sometime around the last 3 or 4 years, in the readers' letters of our caravanning mag, a member reported that, whilst on caravan site, he had to call out one of the resue organisations to his car because he could not select the gears.

The rescue man checked over the car and advised its owner that he would need a new gearbox, and offered to get him moved to a local garage. For whatever reason, he declined an "on the spot" decision and the rescue man drove away.
A fellow camper asked the owner if he could have a look, and was told he could. After a few minutes under the car, he got out and said to try it now. Bingo - everything worked OK.

I am by no means insinuating that all rescue operatives would have failed in this way, but subsequent wariness is inevitable.

[Hometune]

Originally Posted by smudger879n

I thought that was why all these road side rescue companies carry those lap top computers, to check out the diagnostics and the electronics of the car.

Mind you, I have only used the breakdown service once, and that was way back before computers were installed in to cars;)

(We used to work 12 to 14 hour shifts for the whole two weeks we were working off shore, and that could go to three weeks, if the weather got bad!)

They both carry poor quality diagnostic tools, not fancy laptops :rolleyes: I agree with Snowball on this. They don't seem to want to fix you on the spot, it appears they want to take you to a garage. While working for a breakdown/recovery company, I fixed a car on the M1 as it was a simple exhaust problem. I got a right bollicking because had I taken the car to its home address, the company would have made a lot more money from the AA :eek: Seems the customer is not in this equation at all....

[saloon drifter]

Originally Posted by Hometune

They both carry poor quality diagnostic tools, not fancy laptops :rolleyes: I agree with Snowball on this. They don't seem to want to fix you on the spot, it appears they want to take you to a garage. While working for a breakdown/recovery company, I fixed a car on the M1 as it was a simple exhaust problem. I got a right bollicking because had I taken the car to its home address, the company would have made a lot more money from the AA :eek: Seems the customer is not in this equation at all....

Actually i think you need to get your facts right the RAC and as far as i am aware the AA do carry lap tops not poor quality at all, We can access the data on most cars and at the roadside we will try and fix and replace parts where possible.
Also if a part can be sourced to fix the car and you decide you would sooner have it recovered to your garage then i'm afraid the answer would be no, it's in the T&Cs that if a repair can be carried out at roadside then the member will only pay for the part, if the member refuses then he is not going to be recovered.
Most patrols do want to fix your car at the roadside and indeed that is what we are encouraged to do.
I come on this forum quite often but do not post a lot, but i am recently geting sick and tired of people slagging off patrols, ok some are not as good as others, but you will find the same in most dealerships,
and how come this post has got hijacked into another discussion the OP only asked about working for the RAC not how good or bad they are at repairing vehicles.

So to answer the OP you need a recognised qualification, (city and guilds, NVQ) and five years experiance, and a full driving licence.

[Snowball]

saloon drifter, I think I am the guilty one for expanding on the OP. I am not apologising for this, because that is the way of forums; they are just like any other form of conversation, where a comment will prompt another side issue. This is good for everyone, as it often raises further points of interest. Yes, it can be better to raise a fresh thread, but it isn't always obvious that enough interest (and drift) will make it worthwhile.

Back to the thread, and your comment about what the RAC will or will not do. If I had cause to call them out, it would depend on what was proposed necessary. If they declined to get me to my own choice of garage (an authorised dealership), I am a member of another rescue service that would do just that, so no problem for me.
But I am sorry for continuing the drift from the OP; I will avoid any further comment on this thread, and start an appropriate new one should it be necessary.

Regards, Snowball.

[Hometune]

Originally Posted by saloon drifter

Actually i think you need to get your facts right the RAC and as far as i am aware the AA do carry lap tops not poor quality at all, We can access the data on most cars

Strange then how I spend a lot of my time going to garages where the 2 mentioned recovery services have taken cars which they have been unable to diagnose with their 'laptops' then. Frequently, the garage owners ask me to 'plug in' because the report from you says something like the cat is suspect when in fact its the EGR valve. Or 'coil number 2' on 3 cylinder VWs, Seats etc when its a burnt out valve or a slipped timing chain. When you take a car back to a customer's house, they will often say the patrol man couldn't plug his computer in, or he couldn't get his computer to communicate or he didn't have the right software.
This presents us with another problem. The customer believes that what is written on their report is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth because you are who you are. You are held in high regard by the vast majority, I find. When we tell them its not what the patrol thought, some get quite angry and call us in to question. In order to convince some, I have had to say that if the part I fit does not cure the fault, then it will be fitted for free.
I can understand your annoyance at people posting comments that seem to call into question your company's abilities, but this is a forum and this will always happen.
I really don't think you help yourselves on here though. There must be hundreds of patrols with experience of all sorts of breakdowns yet none of you come on here and post responses in the Technical section. When I first came here, there were a couple such as Merseypatrol and Haggisathome but they too seem to have gone. Currently, MrDanno, Rolebama (ex AA), myself and a couple of others are the only ones to try and answer technical questions.
When I asked the question a long time ago as to why the patrols didn't respond, it was because they weren't held in any better esteem for it, there was no reward as such and so why bother. That was from an RAC patrol. As you say, there are good and bad in every job and it is a fact that the few bad will seem to get more attention than the majority good.
You may not believe it but I am on your side ;)

[Rolebama]

When I first started with the AA, I spent a day at a Depot being orally questioned as to my experience and answering breakdown-related questions. I then had a practical examination where a vehicle had been 'sabotaged'. I then spent a further two weeks at the Depot learning about towing and recovery, diagnostics, AA Policy and paperwork. This was followed by a two week Course at the AA College undergoing further diagnostic training on ignition, charging, fuel systems, etc. During my time with the AA I attended a variety of more in-depth courses, usually 4 or 5 days back at the AA College, relating to engine management systems as the manufacturers introduced them. That was over twenty years ago. I have heard stories of Patrols being given the laptops and all the relevant paperwork and being told: 'Don't worry, you'll soon pick it up.' As for the AA College, I believe that was sold off when AA went commercial, along with the majority of the Depots and Control Centres.
As to 'know-nothing' Patrols, I have no reason to doubt they are out there, as I spent a fair time in my last years with the AA clearing up their mess.
As to the RAC, I think it was a very bold move to set up this Forum.
I agree wholeheartedly with Hometune's post above, and would endorse it 100%.

[JessTheCat]

I've read a lot of negatives about RAC (and other) patrols on here and I'm sure that many people have had bad experiences.

However, I must be one of the lucky ones because I've always found them brilliant. Helpful above and beyond the call of duty. Over the years I've probably had to call them out a dozen times and have had absolutely nothing to complain about.

It may be the 'lone female' effect but I just wanted to balance the negatives with a positive.

Broken down :( .... dark, cold, lonely :eek: .... big orange van :)

[Rolebama]

JessTheCat: I think it is human nature. When things go wrong, they lead to further communication, whether written or oral, which helps the negatives to stick in our minds. During my time with the AA I received complaints from members, all of which have stuck in my mind, and I can remember each of them clearly. On the positive side, we used to have a system of recording commendations, of which I remember very few. The only thing I remember clearly about commendations, is that I hold the record (which I do not think will ever be beaten) for the highest number of commendations received in one day. I believe I also hold the record for the highest number of commendations received in a year. Yet I only remember a couple of the instances for which I received commendations.

[KnightRoader]

Originally Posted by Snowball

As a longstanding member of one or other of the rescue organisations, my perception is that, over time, the job of the rescue service has changed from "get you going again" to more of a "get you to a garage or home", particularly where the vehicle's electrical/mechanical failure is concerned.

To my way of thinking, this is down to the complexities of the modern motorcar.
For myself, I have a manufacturer's service and maintenance warranty, for which I pay a monthly fee.
Rescue is supported by the RAC but, in the event of a breakdown, I would not be happy to have anyone but an acredited dealership service department for my vehicle to do any work on the vehicle.

For this reason I am also a member of another rescue organisation which operates a "get you home" service.

Interesting perception, however RAC are fixing more cars than ever at the roadside.

If I breakdown, I personally want to be fixed and on my way at the minimum cost.

Why pay dealer labour rates if a Service Patrol can fix it for you for the cost of parts only ? It makes no sense.