Breakdown

Caveman Charlie wrote:

2oldman wrote:
If this post is legit, I really don't know what unrepairable means.

I do see that my spell check says there is no such word.

There was a day when spellcheck wasn't the last word on whether a word's a word..."unrepairable" is in the dictionary.

I think one thing that must be pointed out is that not all ERS services are created for the same thing. Some exclude trailers unless you have the premium plan. Some require that the trailer be a travel type trailer and will not cover utility trailers. Some probably exclude motorhomes. Some have milage restrictions while others don't. What is best for me may not be best for you. It is necessary to read the accessable portions of the plans to find out if they will work for you. As with everything in the market place today, "Let the Buyer Beware!" And you have more choices that just Good Sam, Coach-Net, or AAA. There are others out there.

Edit: Your tow service through your auto/RV insurance policy may be for towing from accidents only. And some auto insurance companies offer optional regular ERS coverage for breakdowns. You need to know which you have. You might think you are covered for a breakdown, and not be!

If it unrepairable, then it most definitely is replaceable.

There are many good road side service plans out there. My coach is covered under coachnet. Last year my transmission ECU went out and I had to be towed to a repair facility the tow cost $745.00 which coachnet paid 100% of It was on labor day so it took a week to diagnose and repair. My option was to take a car and explore the area or fly home and then back. I enjoyed the countryside and waited all in all it turned out well. This is a case of I could not repair but towed to a facility that could. With a TT and tow vehicle you may have different options but I am sure they are out there.

And now to tell the OP our latest story. MTPockets1 said "If it's not repairable leave it there." We very recently considered that!!! We broke down in Valentine Tx, and Coach-Net towed 125 miles to Cummins Coach Care in El Paso, Tx. My tow would have cost over $1200 had I had to pay the bill. We spent the night hooked up at Coach Care's RV parking area and they got us in the shop the next day. It was determined that our diesel had dropped a valve, doing catastrophic damage to #3 cylinder. Our options were to find a used engine or get a Cummins re-manufactured long block for our 1994 Foretravel Unihome U225. I knew we were looking at a very large bill no matter what route we went. My very first thought was to abandon the coach there with the signed title. Who is going to buy a 1994 DP with a DOA engine and how are we going to handle it when we are over 2000 miles from home??? Rather than jumping into this, we decided to sleep on it. The next day we came to our senses and decided to go with the Cummins long block. A "long block" is a whole engine, minus the turbo, exhaust manifold, air compressor and other items, which are transferred from the old engine. The long block carries a Cummins warranty. I have read that many of todays Cummins re-manufactured 5.9 long blocks are actually brand new engines. Well one was ordered and we moved into La Quinta Inn and Suites with our two traveling cats to wait it out.

A week later and with the long block was no where in site...!! Seems it got held up in adverse snowy weather somewhere along the way and was still several hundred miles away. We had seen all the El Paso sites and visited all their many excellent restaurants, including Cattlemans Steakhouse and Carlsbad Caverns, and were very tired of motel living. So we decided to make the 2000+ mile trip home and wait it out there. We loaded the cats and our clothes into the toad and made the 4 day trip home. Anyway the story is not over yet. The engine is in and almost buttoned up, and we are ready to make the return trip to pick up our Foretravel.

Now I know that some will question putting a new diesel engine in a 1994 Foretravel. Well, I know the condition of the coach is still solid and has excellent bones, having been built by Foretravel. Has brand new tires and many new parts, like a new air dryer. Basically, we have it the way we like it!!! And it is paid for! So question all you want, cause we are going to continue enjoying it for many more years.

Now we are looking forward to making the return trip to El Paso to pick up our 1994 Foretravel with a brand new re-manufactured, warrantied, Cummins 6BT 5.9 mechanical diesel engine. My only regret it that the new engine did not increase the book value of the coach. But it would have had no value if we had walked away from it. Also, I have to thank Coach-Net, Duran Towing, El Paso division of Rocky Mountain Cummins Coach Care, La Quinta Inn and Suites, and Foretravel Motorcoach for all putting up with us and making our trip more pleasant!!! Yes, I can be difficult at times and they deserve that.

That is how we dealt with what the OP is worried about. "When life gives you Lemons, make Lemonade" - those are not my words, but we try to live by them. It makes life more fun, even if the saving account is much lighter!

ventrman wrote:
Good Sam has a Program called Travel Assist, that will do that.

Good Sam Travel Assist is for medical emergency and medical evacuations for the policy holder and those traveling with him. It does not assist you in a breakdown, catastrophic or not.

stuplich wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:
My roadside assistance allows up to 200 miles tow to the location of my choice. Beyond that distance, I'm on my own to pay so-much-a-mile.

Francesca
Which roadside assistant do you have?

CoachNet pays the tow to the "nearest shop qualified"" to repair your coach.
That can be problematic because CoachNet's list of "qualified shops" is sometimes WRONG!

When I had a CAT engine problem CoachNet paid for the 60 mile tow to the "nearest qualified shop" on their list.
However that Caterpillar shop DID NOT work on motor homes!....I had to drive,(LIMP), my coach with a de-rated/malfunctioning engine, over 50 miles to another CAT shop that could, (and did), fix it!

I'm surprised that Coach-Net did not tow you further to the other shop that you had to "limp mode" to. Sounds like you should have protested and asked to talk to a supervisor.

Going further, I know of one case where Coach-Net towed a motorhome from Alaska to the lower 48 and another where they towed a motorhome from Newfoundland to Cummins in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

They just recently towed my coach 125 miles to Cummins Coach Care in El Paso, and probably passed several diesel shops along the way that would have worked on my Cummins diesel. They talked to Coach Care before having me towed there to make sure that they would do the work on my coach and made arrangements to get me right in the shop the next day.

Been lucky that I have never had more than a half day break down in 40 years of RVing. I like the idea someone said about bring the title along, I may have to consider that. I always figured if I have a breakdown that was not fixable or to expensive, I would get rid of the equipment and find a substitute or rent a vehicle and either finish the trip in motels or head home.

The two worst break downs I personally know about happened to friends. One was a transmission. They were close to where they were going (meeting us) when the transmission died. They had it towed to a transmission shop, rented a van and loaded what camping gear a such they could and met us. Bit rougher camping than planned but 3 days later they got the call that is was done and retrieved it and finished their stay, a few thousand dollars poorer.

The other was a bigger break down, a friend of my parents had a big diesel pusher bus conversion and blew the engine. They located a place that would rebuild it but that is a multi week job between getting it scheduled, getting parts and rebuilding. They rented a car and drove home, then flew back a month or so later and paid an even bigger bill and drove home.

Jim...

2oldman wrote:
If this post is legit, I really don't know what unrepairable means.

I do see that my spell check says there is no such word. But, I think we all get the idea anyway.

I would think a collision could make something unrepairable quite quickly. Especially these days with the way vehicles are now built. And, if it's a older vehicle and say, the engine blows up, or something like that it might cost more to fix it then it's worth. Sure just about anything can be repaired, if you have enough money, but, at what cost? It's something I think about a lot because I have older vehicles and if I could get them home I could repair them myself. But, on the road you are at the mercy of what ever is the closest mechanic and quite often they charge so much in labor that you just can't afford to have them do major repairs.

2oldman wrote:
If this post is legit, I really don't know what unrepairable means.

On our farm it means that hay wire or duct tape can not fix it.