Ever got stuck on a deserted road, at an unearthly hour, or simply on your way to work on a busy day, just because your car decided to break down?

RMF is celebrating its 20th anniversary of giving speedy and efficient help to its clients on Maltese roads by launching a number of initiatives that mark this milestone in the company’s history. The launch of the RMF Personal Membership and the Warranty and Extended Warranty is taking local motoring to new standards. At a news conference in the presence of the Urban Development and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett, RMF directors Patrick Rausi, Paul Vella, Paul Musu` and Nathalie Spiteri Xerxen gave details of the new initiatives.

The RMF Personal Membership scheme makes it possible for the individual and not the vehicle to be the member. Therefore it is the person who is recovered, no matter what car they are in, and if they are a passenger. This means that, contrary to the standard RMF membership where it is the vehicle that is registered, with this new scheme, it is the individual driver who is the member. Anyone who drives more than one vehicle and any family with more than one car stands to benefit from the Personal Membership. If someone with a Personal Membership is driving a car that is not covered by RMF and it breaks down, he is entitled to RMF assistance. An added bonus is that even if one is not the driver but just a passenger, his Personal Membership still counts.

Imagine not having to worry about the hassle and expense of repairs on your car for the next few years. The new RMF warranty/extended warranty makes this possible. Ever on the forefront of innovation for motorists, RMF has introduced a new scheme by which motorists can purchase a warranty from RMF that can extend the existing warranty on their vehicle to a total of eight years. This is an idea that won RMF the prestigious ARC Transistance Innovation Award in 2006.

There is also an added extra for new cars. Because cars are becoming increasingly sophisticated, problems often result in hundreds of liri/euros in expenses. At the time of purchase, or while one’s car is still relatively new, one can buy peace of mind at a fraction of the cost of these repairs. People are already used to the idea of a choice of warranty. On white goods such as water heaters, for example, we are offered a choice of prices for either a two- or five-year warranty. This concept will now be offered by RMF on vehicles for private use.

New cars already come with a warranty from the dealer. Japanese cars are normally covered for three years while European cars are covered for two. The RMF scheme allows you to increase the warranty on your new car by purchasing an immediate further two or three more years of peace of mind.

Old cars benefit too. Even if a car is not new, its owner can still easily buy a warranty. A full vehicle check will be carried out, resulting in two options. If there are any faults, the vehicle owner can have the problems fixed and then proceed to buy the warranty. The second option is to accept a warranty with the faulty part excluded from the cover. People are familiar with this concept in health insurance schemes, where they are not covered for any illness that they already suffer from.

For a car that has been on the road from three up to five years, a maximum warranty of 24 months can be purchased. For cars older than five years, up to eight years old with less than 180,000 kilometres on the clock, a warranty of 12 months can be purchased at any one time.

During the period covered by the warranty, should any problems occur, the vehicle owner will first inform RMF and then have the repairs carried out by any reputable garage of his choice.

The warranty cover also includes a full RMF roadside assistance and replacement car cover, so if a car breaks down, RMF will not only repair the car but also recover its owner, replace his car at the time of breakdown and keep him mobile.

Finally, RMF is also presenting the 20th anniversary edition of the RMF motorist handbook. RMF has also taken the extra mile to provide incentives to encourage motorists to keep the handbook handy in the car.