Geico Claim AFTER blowout
Last April I had a blowout on the rear inside dual. We were on I-10 outside Tonopah, Arizona. A call to Geico Roadside "service" was anything but. They wanted to tow us back to Phoenix. This would require a flatbed trailer and cost roughly $1100. I found a replacement tire locally and asked that they simply have a roadside truck pick it up and install it. They declined and said the only option was the tow which would occur on Monday since it was Sunday afternoon. Not being excited being parked on the side of the interstate for 24 hrs. I opted to drive back to Tonopah on the flat to have it repaired. I had the new tire installed and we proceeded to Quartzsite for the night. When the tire blew, it put a hole in one of the hydraulic lines for the rear driver's side slide. The allowed the slide to extend about 8" and while it would retract, it immediately popped out again. After arriving in Q I found a RV place who would make a temp fix on the hydraulic line. This got us to California where we spent the next several months work camping. I called Geico and filed a comprehensive claim when we got settled in California, as we experienced three issues. 1. The hydraulic line was still leaking; 2. The driver's side bay doors would not unlock, (see earlier post) and 3. The air bags would not hold.
Upon returning to Arizona last week, it was time to start fixing that which was broken from the blowout. First thing was buying new tires. Then I took it to my local dealer in Mesa. Here's what they found. 1. Three hydraulic lines need replacing. There's a short somewhere in the electrical line to the bay doors. Two air bags have tire shrapnel imbedded in them and an air line and valve are leaking. So far so good right?
Geico has inspected the coach and agreed to pay for the hydraulic lines and the air bags. They declined repairs to the bay doors. They have balked paying for the air line and valve repair. Now, I don't believe in coincidences. I accepted the responsibility to repair the bay doors although the tech has not found the exact location of the short and is simply going to run a new wire to that side of the coach. However, since two air bags were damaged IMO, it's reasonable to assume; either the air line and valve were damaged at the same time or the valve failed because it worked overtime keeping the air bags level. Either way, I feel that should be part of the Geico claim.
Thank you for listening to my rant today. Has anyone had experience with Geico and their claims? I'm also looking for opinions as to whether I'm being petty with having the air valve replaced on Geico's dime. The bay door fix is $357 and the air line and valve is $541. Not a lot of money but if it's their responsibility I think they should pay for it. The claims adjuster is going to go back out Monday and reinspect the coach but she says she doubts they will cover it. I'm looking for experience and opinions. Thanks....Dennis
Upon returning to Arizona last week, it was time to start fixing that which was broken from the blowout. First thing was buying new tires. Then I took it to my local dealer in Mesa. Here's what they found. 1. Three hydraulic lines need replacing. There's a short somewhere in the electrical line to the bay doors. Two air bags have tire shrapnel imbedded in them and an air line and valve are leaking. So far so good right?
Geico has inspected the coach and agreed to pay for the hydraulic lines and the air bags. They declined repairs to the bay doors. They have balked paying for the air line and valve repair. Now, I don't believe in coincidences. I accepted the responsibility to repair the bay doors although the tech has not found the exact location of the short and is simply going to run a new wire to that side of the coach. However, since two air bags were damaged IMO, it's reasonable to assume; either the air line and valve were damaged at the same time or the valve failed because it worked overtime keeping the air bags level. Either way, I feel that should be part of the Geico claim.
Thank you for listening to my rant today. Has anyone had experience with Geico and their claims? I'm also looking for opinions as to whether I'm being petty with having the air valve replaced on Geico's dime. The bay door fix is $357 and the air line and valve is $541. Not a lot of money but if it's their responsibility I think they should pay for it. The claims adjuster is going to go back out Monday and reinspect the coach but she says she doubts they will cover it. I'm looking for experience and opinions. Thanks....Dennis
