I've always suspected that the NRMA doesn't really like Volkswagens.
I remember an NRMA Insurance TV ad from the late 1980s, that showed a large dump truck backing into a Beetle and crushing it. I have some old '80s VHS tapes at home - if I find it, I'll post some stills from it.
Then they published this ad in the Open Road a few years ago.
In that same Open Road, they publish values for popular used cars. Plenty of Toyota, but NOT ONE Volkswagen listed. In the '80s this was fair enough, they didn't sell any new ones, but in the late 1990s VW was still selling 15,000 cars a year here.
Recently I've seen quite a few NRMA VW T5 Transporters, painted up with 'NRMA Battery Service'. Obviously someone in the NRMA knows a good thing when they see it! Yet their web page, and the ad in the latest Open Road, show Toyotas.
And the best indication that the NRMA doesn't like VWs:
They clearly like showing a recogniseable Volkswagen in a broken-down position (see above). Yet, when they use a shiny new Mk5 VW Golf to promote their Safer Driving School, both on their website and in the Open Road, they airbrush out the Volkswagen badges ! That way the young kiddies don't know that it's a VW.
See
http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/nrma-safer-driving-school-home.htm...i know a roadside assist guy in sydney that quite likes vws actually 😂
Volkswagen Drivers Club of Queensland - member 🙂
STIDUB - yep its still a work in progress
Vwdcq club car racing/ and crashing while my bug isn't finished.
The above are personal views, no more, no less
Hence why I'm no longer insured by them.
This is my Volkswagen, there are many like it, but this one is mine. Without me my Volkswagen is useless, without my Volkswagen, I am useless.
61 Karmann Ghia 2110cc type1 w Los Panchito's
66 Deluxe Beetle 2270 type 4
10 Subaru WRX Impreza
Hi
66deluxe, two different companies IAG own the insurance company it was sold off years ago and the members own the roadservice.
I don't think its any deliberate thing, just some ponytail wearing Pruis driver at the add agency. You know what you find under ponytails?
They are now trialling VW Caddys as roadservice vans.
Steve
Let's hope so. If so they might look a little like this RAC-sponsored Caddy from the UK....
I remember my P plate days and Uni, the NRMA roadside assist helped me alot....
BMW R65 LS
1967 1300 Deluxe
Swing-axles FTW
❗
NRMA Dose Hate Volkseys cause we got ours stolen and they wrote it off and said yeah its all good we will pay you. Turns out it got crushed in a wrecking yard then they rang us and said your caim has been denied , they said you get no money and no volksey. Very Slack , Big loss. NRMA Sucks big time and will never use them again.
From Dylan
When I used to be insured with them, I had a small prang, (dented fender and the bumper bar), they were saying it's borderline write off!
The smash repairers replaced it with a new Brazilian bumper, and sure enough it rusted. I got them to replace it (lifetime parts guarantee), and they rewarded me afterwards by increasing my premium and reducing the value!
Then when I asked why, the sales clerk said it appears that someone at NRMA had adjusted the values manually but can't tell me why.
Didn't NRMA have early kombi's as their roadside assistance vehicle back in the 60's?
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...
rob53 wrote:Didn't NRMA have early kombi's as their roadside assistance vehicle back in the 60's?
No, they had Morris "J type" vans, Morris Minor panel vans and motorcycles with sidecars, then they went to Holden panel vans starting around Ej or Eh. Country NRMA depots were free to use any vehicle so theres a possibility of 1 or 2 VW's here and there.
Regards,
Matt.
Hi
People are still confusing NRMA insurance issues with Roadservice, the examples that Phil gave were from road service or Member Services as they call it now, not the insurance company.
I have my wifes Prado with them and David's Skyline, the both our bugs are with Shannons. Shannons didn't want to know about the Skyline.
Steve
I'm with Shannons for both of my bugs (1957 & 1971), and a motorbike too. Great service (so far for 6 + years), great agreed value too. When I inquired, NRMA had non negotiable maximum agreed values for my old bugs and they were pitifully low. Gave me the impression that they really didn't want my business.
As for roadside assistance, I have no complaints - on the odd occasion I've needed them they've been great.
I had my Bug insured with NRMA for the last 7 years now, and have had 3 claims on it (not my fault) every time it's been good with them, fixed up nicely and never an issue.
First time a motorbike tried to overtake me whilst I was turning right
2nd Time a truck backed in the front corner of the car.
3rd time a BMW rear ended me whilst it was parked on the street.
BMW R65 LS
1967 1300 Deluxe
Swing-axles FTW
❗
No
Real
Mechanics
Available
😏
1303Steve wrote:Hi
I have my wifes Prado with them and David's Skyline, the both our bugs are with Shannons. Shannons didn't want to know about the Skyline.
Steve [/quote
Both my bug and my wifes Bora are insured with Shannons - have found them excellent.
We used to be with NRMA for over 20 years, then when we had a claim with the bug, they gave us 3 months of absolute grief - I wouldn't touch their insurance now with a 40 foot barge pole with a disinfectant rag on the end.
I have always found their road service very good though - be very hard to beat.
From your ole' mate Jeff
Gringo_54_oval wrote:No
Real
Mechanics
Available
😏
Never
Ring
Me
Again
Not
Really
My
Area
I'm not going to be an NRMA spokeman, but after a long and heated phone call, I found out NRMA had a vintage and classice car division. My bug is now insured with them and its costing me peanuts. I've not had to make a claim or anything yet, but they were fine to deal with.
sander288 wrote:I had my Bug insured with NRMA for the last 7 years now, and have had 3 claims on it (not my fault) every time it's been good with them, fixed up nicely and never an issue.
First time a motorbike tried to overtake me whilst I was turning right
2nd Time a truck backed in the front corner of the car.
3rd time a BMW rear ended me whilst it was parked on the street.
is this the "normal" NRMA or the classic vintage car insurance
they are seperate .. and have seperate computers etc..
although in the same building... lol
last time I rang them, the classic people had gone home...
but a "normal" NRMA insurance guy went over and checked on their computer... for Me..
they are great, although I haven't had a claim...
I've had My beetle insured with them for 5 years..
and You agree on what Your beetle is worth..
and if its a write off You are given the car... [great]
after being paid what its worth... lol
LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
rob53 wrote:When I used to be insured with them, I had a small prang, (dented fender and the bumper bar), they were saying it's borderline write off!
The smash repairers replaced it with a new Brazilian bumper, and sure enough it rusted. I got them to replace it (lifetime parts guarantee), and they rewarded me afterwards by increasing my premium and reducing the value!
Then when I asked why, the sales clerk said it appears that someone at NRMA had adjusted the values manually but can't tell me why.
Didn't NRMA have early kombi's as their roadside assistance vehicle back in the 60's?
You need to try the NRMA classic Vintage & veteran car Insurance... altogether different from the "normal" NRMA insurance....
LEE
never ever seen an NRMA Kombi..
many of the country NRMA used the old city vehicles...
many years later..
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
I wasn't really referring to NRMA Insurance, Classic Car or otherwise, as Steve said they aren't owned by the NRMA nowadays. I'm referring to the original motorists' organisation that does road service. Having said that, I wouldn't touch NRMA Insurance with a barge pole. Their 'Classic' insurance is an attempt to capture some of the Shannons market after years of telling classic car owners to go away.
NRMA Publishing (I don't know who owns them?) now puts out the Australian Classic Car magazine. It's a nice enough colourful glossy magazine but I've seen a few mistakes in VW articles in the past.
No I have never heard of the NRMA using VW Kombis as road service vehicles. I'm not sure whether the RACV or RACQ might have, as they are the equivalents in other states. I suspect the NRMA won't be buying any Volkswagens for their road service vehicles in future. I think the Crafter van would be way too big, and even the T5 might be too tall (for underground carparks etc). The Caddy is a fantastic little van and the biggest-selling light van in Australia but I don't think the NRMA will buy them. In Europe you can buy 4Motion 4WD Caddys with slightly higher suspension, but they aren't sold here.
I wondered what the German equivalent of the NRMA - the ADAC - use. Apparently they use Ford Galaxy people movers, the same body shell as the VW Sharan, and made in the VW Portugal factory. The ADAC buys Galaxies, strips them out and converts them to road service vehicles with their own kit.
And the ADAC also used Beetles as German road service vehicles in the old days. The NRMA would NEVER have even considered doing that.
Phil74Camper wrote:And the ADAC also used Beetles as German road service vehicles in the old days. The NRMA would NEVER have even considered doing that.
Can't see why they would (or would have) a beetle or any sedan is not realy the type of vehicle suited to road service with a kit of tools etc.
Does anybody here realy think the NRMA would have a dislike for any particular vehicle brand, provided it did the job required and was good or the best value for money then why would they be biased against any particular make? although in the early years I believe that they did have a few motorbikes in Sydney (to battle the horendous trafic problems way back then.)
😂I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
The NRMA had its beginnings as a motor cycle club in the 1920s, and grew out of that. Yes you are right that there should be no bias for or against any particular make, but that's a 2010s attitude, not a 1950s one.
In those days Australia still thought of itself as a British country - Menzies was PM, there was a new Queen on the throne and she even condescended to visit us in 1954. Prejudice against German cars was common for at least ten years after the war. It's hard to imagine now, but that's how things were then. The NRMA used British vehicles as road service vans - Morris trucks and Morris Minor vans - which they chose even over the Holden. There was NO way they would have chosen German Volkswagens in those days, even if they were made in Melbourne. I'm simply observing the remnants of anti-VW sentiment in the NRMA's ads and publications.
Phil74Camper wrote:I've always suspected that the NRMA doesn't really like Volkswagens.
Yeah, see your point relating to "back then" but I was realy refering to the comment that kicked this off.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
I know it seems a silly idea, but I've shown some evidence to back up my comments. As Prof Julius Sumner Miller often said, "Why is it so"?
I remember once seeing a photo of a split window panel with the nrma roadside assistance branding painted on the side. But from the photo it did appear to be in the country. Pretty sure it was in one of the vw mag's 10ish years ago?
One good point for NRMA roadside assistance, is that if you get one of the older blokes come out, they'll know a fair bit about vw's (probably cause they learnt on them as an apprentice LOL)
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...
roadside assistance... NRMA..
You need to carry Your own spares..
fan belt - rotor- dizzy cap- points- clutch & accelerator cables.
as the NRMA roadside assist can't really help with any of those parts....
LEE
PS: If You can't fix it Yourself that is.... Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
I'm sure Steve can tell us in a lot more detail about what he fixes every day, but I would bet that most NRMA road service calls would be:
* Ran out of petrol
* Flat battery
* Flat tyre
* Locked keys inside
I doubt whether most cars have old-fashioned engine or other mechanical failures any more.
