My main experience of breaking down, was when the piston seal of my clutch master cylinder failed. You could say it was my own fault, I replaced the original, with what was supposed to be an after-market, upgraded version, claimed to be better and much more robust, except the seal wasn't up to the job. It took me 30 minutes to fit, at home. It failed 350 miles from home, middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest village, with no access to tools or a spare unit - so I reluctantly called breakdown....
Truck turned up and despite me having diagnosed it as a failed piston seal, idiot on truck insisted on pumping a litre of fluid into the system, whilst seeking advice on the phone from someone with 'expertise'. The litre flooded the carpet under the clutch pedal, before he finally accepted the piston seal had failed and took me in. The new master was ordered for delivery next morning and I explained the quick easy way to fit it. The unit came complete with pipe, and it would be a bugger to thread the pipe through the double bulkheads. Quick way was to just disconnect the pipe, and reuse the original without all the threading through of the pipe - just a 30 minutes job. 'Expert' now on the job, decided to do it the hard way, and claimed they had taken the entire day charging me £470 - £120 for the part, the rest labour. I do wonder if the breakdown companies get a back-hander, for providing them with business?
Us? They had loaned us a car, to get back to my caravan, until the car was repaired. Had I been there, I could have shown them the quick easy method, but then I am not a qualified 'expert'.
It also provides Good Motoringwhich simply must be the dullest motoring magazine in the history of publication. Note lots of ads for Stannah Stairlifts and haemorrhoid ointment. 
