Sittin' by the side of the road
(to the tune of Dock of a Bay) We have Good Sam Roadside Assistance... SPECIFICALLY to handle things quickly, professionally, and as painlessly as possible in the event of a serious problem... Li...
Forum Discussion
To start... I was absolutely confident SOMEONE would chime in with the thinly veiled "WHO serviced your bearings" implication that it's my fault... So, lessee, I spent approximately 10 years as an automotive dealership mechanic, doing a variety of jobs including servicing various bearing sets.
SO THE LAST PERSON TO SERVICE THE BEARING WAS ME The same person that greases the bearing buddies every spring when it warms up enough not to be dressed like you're visiting the arctic, and every fall before we park the trailer 'til I get so sick of winter I have to go south. And in that spring greasing, I raise each wheel, check for perceptible play, and adjust the bearings as needed... Would you like me to take you through the process I use to preload the bearings, release the load, then put the final 10-20 inch-pounds of preload on them?
In any case, I stayed out of here for a couple days, 'til I got back to the point where I could put together a sentence without strings of obscenities about GS Roadside Assistance...
DAY 2 - the SAGA CONTINUES...
Found a local RV repair shop in Kingman. Contacted them to verify that they could make the necessary repairs. Got a recommendation from THAT shop for the towing service they typically use to bring in RV equipment that can't be towed on the ground.
THEN I contacted Good Sam again. I'm going to try to leave out much of the stupidest and most infuriating details 'cause it'll just turn me into a raving lunatic again...
Went through the whole process again, and finally got to a guy who told me he had "little" of the detail from the previous call. Including the picture they demanded I take and text, which was nowhere to be found. He couldn't even find the make and model of the trailer. BUT, eventually, we got to the point where I AGAIN requested that the disabled trailer be transported to the RV repair shop.
Hold, wait, wait for call back, hold some more, wait some more... HE contacted the repair shop to verify they could do the repairs (did he figure I was lying?), then went off to find a towing service...
After a while he came back with "NOBODY" will tow the trailer to the shop. No reason, rational or not, just "nope, you're screwed."
THEN he came up with the idea of the "mobile mechanic" who would come to the TRAILER and weld on a new spindle, then fix all the rest of the damage. Sounded good to me, so I had him give me the phone for the "mobile mechanic" so I could talk to them.......
Called, got a dispatcher, told her what was going on. SHE told me they had the "AXLE DOCTOR" who was a magical person who would come over, cut off the old spindle and weld on a new one. Then a mere mortal mechanic would repair all the other damage. COOL...
"When's he going to be here?"
"About 45 minutes." COOL!
Wait 90 minutes.... Nobody shows up. Called BACK. Was told "Oh, the one who was coming over had some problem and was going somewhere for treatment. A DIFFERENT guy is going to be coming over."
"Wow, bummer on the injury. when is the NEW guy going to be here?"
"In an HOUR."
"OK, I'm going to get lunch (we'd now been messing around for about 2 1/2 hours) and I"ll be back well before he arrives. You HAVE MY NUMBER. IF ANYTHING CHANGES LET ME KNOW."
Go to lunch. Come back. Wait... After ANOTHER 90 minutes call AGAIN. "Where's the guy?"
"Oh, he was doing something in the shop, but he's DONE and he'll be there in about 10 minutes."
"FOR REAL THIS TIME?"
"Yup"
Guy finally shows up. Gets out of the service truck, walks over, crouches next to the axle and looks at it. So, I asked "OK you're going to FIX THIS, RIGHT?"
"NOPE. I'm just the guy that LOOKS AT IT. Do you have a VIN for the trailer?"
So, we went around the other side and I showed him the tag wit the VIN, and he took a picture (shouldn't these people who do this all the time KNOW there's a tag with the VIN on it?)
In any case, "So WHERE IS THE GUY THAT'S GOING TO FIX THIS?"
"Oh, he's in Lake Havasu, but he wouldn't come anyway. We'll have to look at whether we have a spindle or not, and if we do something will be set up to have him come over and do the repair."
"And if you DON'T have a spindle?" SHRUG. "Well, we'd have to get one."
"So, WHEN will I know what you have and WHEN this will get fixed?"
"Our dispatcher will contact you."
"TODAY, RIGHT?"
"YES, ABSOLUTELY - SHE'LL CONTACT YOU BEFORE END OF BUSINESS TODAY."
NEVER HEARD FROM THEM AGAIN.........................
So, the owners of the RV park had earlier suggested I go talk to the guy at the shop nearby who does a lot of RV work for them. So, I walked over and described the problem... Guy said "Hm... We can fix that."
I told him about the mobile mechanic and that I was waiting for a call, but if it fell through (based on my experience to that point I wasn't feeling real warm and fuzzy about the 'AXLE DOCTOR').
I asked what they needed to do the repair, and he told me they jack up the trailer and do measurements since the distributor for their parts uses the measurements to get the right part - NOT THE VIN. He had one of his people walk over and take a look, guy climbed under the trailer and said it COULD have a new spindle put on or the whole axle could be replaced.
SO, at the end of the day, when I hadn't heard, went back to the shop and was told bring it over at 8 a.m. and they'd position it, get it set up so I could stay there, connect me to their power, do the measurements and get started...
SO, this morning that's what I did... I NEVER HEARD FROM THE MOBILE MECHANIC PEOPLE and wasn't about to chase them any further. In short order the trailer was level, jacked up, stabilizers front and rear in place, and they started measuring.
Since things were happening, I made myself scarce and went off and played tourist.
Came back this afternoon, and they had everything disassembled, a bunch of new parts - parts to repair the broken shackle, new bushings and such, and a new spindle to weld on. They're waiting for some parts that are being "overnighted" and will be there tomorrow, so I'm hoping repairs will occur and I'll maybe get out of here Thursday. They're confident they can weld the spindle, and since it's off the trailer and in the shop they're confident of a great repair - turns out they're an automotive and hydraulic shop, so they're familiar with large things with lots of welding for repairs.
BUT, as far as I'm concerned, Good Sam TOTALLY screwed the pooch on this one. I HAD TO LIMP THE TRAILER TO KINGMAN 'CAUSE LET'S BE REAL, THE POLICE WEREN'T GOING TO FORCE ANYONE TO COME OUT AND TOW THE THING PROPERLY. And despite the suggestion of the mobile mechanic I HAD TO WASTE ALL DAY TRYING TO GET SOMEONE OUT TO DO SOMETHING, AND GOT SOME CLOWN THAT "LOOKED" AT THE PROBLEM. NEVER GOT ANY FOLLOW-UP FROM GOOD SAM. So, yeah, it's getting fixed, NO THANKS WHATSOEVER TO GOOD SAM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.
SO THE LAST PERSON TO SERVICE THE BEARING WAS ME The same person that greases the bearing buddies every spring when it warms up enough not to be dressed like you're visiting the arctic, and every fall before we park the trailer 'til I get so sick of winter I have to go south. And in that spring greasing, I raise each wheel, check for perceptible play, and adjust the bearings as needed... Would you like me to take you through the process I use to preload the bearings, release the load, then put the final 10-20 inch-pounds of preload on them?
In any case, I stayed out of here for a couple days, 'til I got back to the point where I could put together a sentence without strings of obscenities about GS Roadside Assistance...
DAY 2 - the SAGA CONTINUES...
Found a local RV repair shop in Kingman. Contacted them to verify that they could make the necessary repairs. Got a recommendation from THAT shop for the towing service they typically use to bring in RV equipment that can't be towed on the ground.
THEN I contacted Good Sam again. I'm going to try to leave out much of the stupidest and most infuriating details 'cause it'll just turn me into a raving lunatic again...
Went through the whole process again, and finally got to a guy who told me he had "little" of the detail from the previous call. Including the picture they demanded I take and text, which was nowhere to be found. He couldn't even find the make and model of the trailer. BUT, eventually, we got to the point where I AGAIN requested that the disabled trailer be transported to the RV repair shop.
Hold, wait, wait for call back, hold some more, wait some more... HE contacted the repair shop to verify they could do the repairs (did he figure I was lying?), then went off to find a towing service...
After a while he came back with "NOBODY" will tow the trailer to the shop. No reason, rational or not, just "nope, you're screwed."
THEN he came up with the idea of the "mobile mechanic" who would come to the TRAILER and weld on a new spindle, then fix all the rest of the damage. Sounded good to me, so I had him give me the phone for the "mobile mechanic" so I could talk to them.......
Called, got a dispatcher, told her what was going on. SHE told me they had the "AXLE DOCTOR" who was a magical person who would come over, cut off the old spindle and weld on a new one. Then a mere mortal mechanic would repair all the other damage. COOL...
"When's he going to be here?"
"About 45 minutes." COOL!
Wait 90 minutes.... Nobody shows up. Called BACK. Was told "Oh, the one who was coming over had some problem and was going somewhere for treatment. A DIFFERENT guy is going to be coming over."
"Wow, bummer on the injury. when is the NEW guy going to be here?"
"In an HOUR."
"OK, I'm going to get lunch (we'd now been messing around for about 2 1/2 hours) and I"ll be back well before he arrives. You HAVE MY NUMBER. IF ANYTHING CHANGES LET ME KNOW."
Go to lunch. Come back. Wait... After ANOTHER 90 minutes call AGAIN. "Where's the guy?"
"Oh, he was doing something in the shop, but he's DONE and he'll be there in about 10 minutes."
"FOR REAL THIS TIME?"
"Yup"
Guy finally shows up. Gets out of the service truck, walks over, crouches next to the axle and looks at it. So, I asked "OK you're going to FIX THIS, RIGHT?"
"NOPE. I'm just the guy that LOOKS AT IT. Do you have a VIN for the trailer?"
So, we went around the other side and I showed him the tag wit the VIN, and he took a picture (shouldn't these people who do this all the time KNOW there's a tag with the VIN on it?)
In any case, "So WHERE IS THE GUY THAT'S GOING TO FIX THIS?"
"Oh, he's in Lake Havasu, but he wouldn't come anyway. We'll have to look at whether we have a spindle or not, and if we do something will be set up to have him come over and do the repair."
"And if you DON'T have a spindle?" SHRUG. "Well, we'd have to get one."
"So, WHEN will I know what you have and WHEN this will get fixed?"
"Our dispatcher will contact you."
"TODAY, RIGHT?"
"YES, ABSOLUTELY - SHE'LL CONTACT YOU BEFORE END OF BUSINESS TODAY."
NEVER HEARD FROM THEM AGAIN.........................
So, the owners of the RV park had earlier suggested I go talk to the guy at the shop nearby who does a lot of RV work for them. So, I walked over and described the problem... Guy said "Hm... We can fix that."
I told him about the mobile mechanic and that I was waiting for a call, but if it fell through (based on my experience to that point I wasn't feeling real warm and fuzzy about the 'AXLE DOCTOR').
I asked what they needed to do the repair, and he told me they jack up the trailer and do measurements since the distributor for their parts uses the measurements to get the right part - NOT THE VIN. He had one of his people walk over and take a look, guy climbed under the trailer and said it COULD have a new spindle put on or the whole axle could be replaced.
SO, at the end of the day, when I hadn't heard, went back to the shop and was told bring it over at 8 a.m. and they'd position it, get it set up so I could stay there, connect me to their power, do the measurements and get started...
SO, this morning that's what I did... I NEVER HEARD FROM THE MOBILE MECHANIC PEOPLE and wasn't about to chase them any further. In short order the trailer was level, jacked up, stabilizers front and rear in place, and they started measuring.
Since things were happening, I made myself scarce and went off and played tourist.
Came back this afternoon, and they had everything disassembled, a bunch of new parts - parts to repair the broken shackle, new bushings and such, and a new spindle to weld on. They're waiting for some parts that are being "overnighted" and will be there tomorrow, so I'm hoping repairs will occur and I'll maybe get out of here Thursday. They're confident they can weld the spindle, and since it's off the trailer and in the shop they're confident of a great repair - turns out they're an automotive and hydraulic shop, so they're familiar with large things with lots of welding for repairs.
BUT, as far as I'm concerned, Good Sam TOTALLY screwed the pooch on this one. I HAD TO LIMP THE TRAILER TO KINGMAN 'CAUSE LET'S BE REAL, THE POLICE WEREN'T GOING TO FORCE ANYONE TO COME OUT AND TOW THE THING PROPERLY. And despite the suggestion of the mobile mechanic I HAD TO WASTE ALL DAY TRYING TO GET SOMEONE OUT TO DO SOMETHING, AND GOT SOME CLOWN THAT "LOOKED" AT THE PROBLEM. NEVER GOT ANY FOLLOW-UP FROM GOOD SAM. So, yeah, it's getting fixed, NO THANKS WHATSOEVER TO GOOD SAM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.
