Roadside assist

This was for a 295 x 22.5 Goodyear tire. If memory serves....it was in the area of 700-800 for the tire. So yes, I was gourged pretty good for the tire.

The rest of the charges were for labor, valve stem, tax, disposal, etc. The only charge picked up by Good Sam was the service call, I believe was around 50.00.

Shortly after this happened I purchased a new set of tires, 7 tires (plus I used the Goodyear as it matched the new tires in size perfectly), TOYO brand..had them installed, balanced, new valve stems for an out the door price of 3750.00.

I thought when I paid $550 for one tire it was a lot....You sure you only paid for 1 tire???

For that much money for one tire, I hope they gave you a kiss.

I had Good Sam roadside service. Had a blowout on my Class A motorhome on the east side of Birmingham, AL. Was able to limp it down to an exit ramp, and called Good Sam. A mobile service showed up in a timely fashion with a new tire, installed it and handed me a bill. Good Sam paid for the service call. My share was $1100.00. This is how roadside service works for blowouts.

I was towed 70 miles from the Badlands in SD. to Rapid City, and then probably 30 miles at Kalispell, MT. That would have cost much more than the price of my membership with Good Sam. Since it was Sunday evening, they towed me to a campground for the night and then came back Monday morning and towed me to a Chevrolet dealer at Kalispell.

I'll spend the money. I have used it over the years 3 times, once locked out on a Sunday and they were there in 30 min, once had a blow out on inside dual also on a Sunday and they brought a tire and fixed it in about a hour (I paid for the tire), and once I had to be towed maybe 15mi and they were extremely careful with my rig....Never paid anything other than the tire. Worth every penny.

crasster wrote:
I'm starting to wonder with Smartphones if the "mystery" of breakdowns is become more null and void. Don't get me wrong, there really is still some value. However, we can often crank up our 4g (soon 5g) hit google and say "Rv towing service" and "mechanics near me". We'd probably get an answer very quickly.

I know there are other things these services offer, but seriously, I'm starting to wonder a bit of the worth. I mean it's nice to have 1 number and all....

Does your smartphone pay the tow bill for you? When my RSA calls a tow service for me I just sign the slip with no cash out of my pocket. I've had tows that would have cost $500+ in the past that cost me nothing beyond the annual RSA fee.

Roadside Assist is not just for breakdowns or tires. Two years ago I got stuck in the mud on the Navajo Reservation. Closest big rig towing service Coachnet could find was more than two hours away. Two very nice men with a gigantic tow truck arrived disconnected my car (the tow bar release was jammed), hooked up the coach and pulled it out of the mud, reconnected the car, had me sign a form and went on their way. They did confirm they were the only big tow company within three hours of my location and said they had a lot of experience pulling rigs out of Arizona's red mud. I have a hunch that tow service would have cost me a lot more than the $125 annual membership I paid for Coachnet.

DFord wrote:

crasster wrote:
I'm starting to wonder with Smartphones if the "mystery" of breakdowns is become more null and void. Don't get me wrong, there really is still some value. However, we can often crank up our 4g (soon 5g) hit google and say "Rv towing service" and "mechanics near me". We'd probably get an answer very quickly.

I know there are other things these services offer, but seriously, I'm starting to wonder a bit of the worth. I mean it's nice to have 1 number and all....

The reason to go with a "sponsor" like GS or FMCA or CoachNet or AAA is to have someone to talk to if things go wrong with the fella that shows up. I want those sponsors to "qualify" who they send out based on past experiences. I don't want to deal one on one with someone that's not prepared or equipped or qualified to tow or work on my MH miles from nowhere.

I think Qualifying is a stretch. In my experience they start calling a list of people in their network in that area. Coachnet had an issue with us once where they had to go out of network. Turned out great, but the guy wasn't vetted at all.

I would agree with the invent of cell phones that you could do the homework yourself. Basically what you are paying for is someone who does the legwork for you. They do have established contacts/networks though that you don't. If you break down in a particular area, the likelihood that your RSA has been through it before in that same area is a benefit - where it's also likely that you haven't.

They do offer trip interrupt and some other things along the "insurance" line. Don't hear much about those though.

Could you get by without an RSA?, absolutely. Are they helpful and make the process easier? - yes. I prefer Coachnet although I think anymore they are all pretty much the same.

crasster wrote:
I'm starting to wonder with Smartphones if the "mystery" of breakdowns is become more null and void. Don't get me wrong, there really is still some value. However, we can often crank up our 4g (soon 5g) hit google and say "Rv towing service" and "mechanics near me". We'd probably get an answer very quickly.

I know there are other things these services offer, but seriously, I'm starting to wonder a bit of the worth. I mean it's nice to have 1 number and all....

The reason to go with a "sponsor" like GS or FMCA or CoachNet or AAA is to have someone to talk to if things go wrong with the fella that shows up. I want those sponsors to "qualify" who they send out based on past experiences. I don't want to deal one on one with someone that's not prepared or equipped or qualified to tow or work on my MH miles from nowhere.