tire blow out
Well had my first blow out yesterday just south of erie. Little scary changing on the side of the road. Driver side to good thing the interstate wasn't busy did it in between cars. It was a goodyear m...
Forum Discussion
Most comments seem to be about tires. Let me address the tire changing experience. I had a blowout several years ago on I-10 on a Sunday afternoon not far out of Columbus, TX. I used my smart phone to call a nearby towing service (after a quick Google search). They in turn referred me to a mobile tire service guy, since they did not do roadside tire changes. He showed up within 15 minutes with a pneumatic jack and bed-mounted air compressor and had me on the road within 30 minutes of the original incident. I must point out that the tire was on the passenger side, which made it easier. He quoted a price which I considered reasonable and I even tipped him extra.
Contrast that to two other experiences:
1) Friends of ours had a flat on their fifth wheel and called a towing service they paid for through their insurance. The first contractor called by the service refused to do the job and the second got lost on the way. They got on the road 4 hours later in the middle of the night.
2) My wife had a flat not too far from our house and called the On-Star equivalent for her car by pushing the button. They sent a contractor from Houston, 90 miles away from the location of the car in Beaumont. The driver called me after getting lost. I was not on the scene but was the contact number for the service call. He either did not have a GPS or know how to read one, because I had to talk him to the location over the phone. My wife was stuck for well over an hour.
My learning: carry a smart phone and take your chances with that versus arranging and paying for towing services, since even pretty reputable outfits seem to contract out to the lowest and sometimes less than competent bidder.
Of course, I could change the tire myself on the side of the road. Been there, done that. Like the OP, that can be a harrowing experience. I am willing to pay to a certain extent to avoid it.,
Contrast that to two other experiences:
1) Friends of ours had a flat on their fifth wheel and called a towing service they paid for through their insurance. The first contractor called by the service refused to do the job and the second got lost on the way. They got on the road 4 hours later in the middle of the night.
2) My wife had a flat not too far from our house and called the On-Star equivalent for her car by pushing the button. They sent a contractor from Houston, 90 miles away from the location of the car in Beaumont. The driver called me after getting lost. I was not on the scene but was the contact number for the service call. He either did not have a GPS or know how to read one, because I had to talk him to the location over the phone. My wife was stuck for well over an hour.
My learning: carry a smart phone and take your chances with that versus arranging and paying for towing services, since even pretty reputable outfits seem to contract out to the lowest and sometimes less than competent bidder.
Of course, I could change the tire myself on the side of the road. Been there, done that. Like the OP, that can be a harrowing experience. I am willing to pay to a certain extent to avoid it.,
