Roadside Assistance programs

I have recently read a bunch of posts about a few different roadside assistance programs. Now I am thinking I want one and here's why:

My last MH was great for the first 5 years. WE bought it used. I fixed a few things and we were off on our first of many great trips. As stated this lasted for about 5 years. Then on a trip to The Big E we heard an odd noise as we pulled through a toll booth. Very quickly it became apparent that the odd noise was my alternator belt filing for divorce from its relationship with my motor.

So there I was in a parking lot with no alternator, no roadside assistance and no clue what to do. It was the middle of the night so getting parts and fixing it was out of the question. Also add to that the fact that I am a fat guy and don't fit into the tiny area that is required to be in, in order to fix the problem. So what is a guy to do? I figured it was unlikely that I would loose a hundred pounds by the morning so I sought other options.

I ended up hooking up a battery charger (I always have on in the coach) to the chassis battery, running the wires up through the engine access cover and plugging the charger into a 110 outlet inside the RV. Then I started up the Gen and was on my way. I made it to my destination with no problems at all. In the morning I sued the same set up to get me to a Firestone dealership and they installed a new SET of belts for me. I was back in business.

The very next year, while on my way to The Big E again, my battery box filed for separation from the chassis. Once again I was stranded on the side of the road. After some roadside manufacturing, a few jolts of 12VDC into me and a few swears later we were back on the road again.

In both cases I was lucky enough to have enough "stuff" with me in order to get where I was going BUT here's the thing. When your motorhome breaks down on you multiple times its like a girlfriend that cheats on you. You never quite trust it again. So for the past 2 years my MH sat and was not used at all. I said I would not use it until I had it gone through completely. So I just used it as a guest house when company stayed with us. The problem is that the longer it sits and the more guests that use it, the more that needs to be tended to.

So I was in a point of no return (on my investment). The repair costs would now cost more than the RV was worth. That would be OK but I did not want the repair costs to far exceed the RVs value. I was discouraged and did not know what to do. Spend more money on the cheating girl or let her go. Ultimately we decided that she was no longer right for us (its me not you) and we sold her. I told the new owner EVERYTHING that was wrong with it and sold it for a LOW price. Both parties were happy with the transaction and now that cheating RV is out of my life.

Now its time for a new chapter in our lives and we are in the midst of starting up a new relationship with a different RV. Although I she seems real nice I still fear she may cheat on me. It’s a hard thing to get over. So I am thinking of getting some “Cheaters Insurance” in the form or Roadside Assistance.

I only know of 2 companies for this. GS and Coach Net. What are the pros and cons of each? Is there a 3rd for 4th that is a better option? What are your thoughts?

Class A

Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
Hey Magilla, double check your RV insurance plan as you might already have Roadside Assistance (aka cheaters ins.) LOL!

We had Coach Net and didn't realize that it was built-in to the RV policy. We also bought Good Sam's so we are double covered.

We have been RVing since April 2007 (not counting the previous rentals) and have never needed Roadside service.

I have to ask, where is 'TheBig E'?

Good luck,
MM.
PastorCharlie
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
I have had GSERS for years and am satisfied with it....although they have some problems at times, like all other companies, GS has bent over backward to correct the problems. No business that is operated by humans is perfect....the admirals ones are the ones that are striving toward perfection in their customer care...I find GSERS to have that goal.
MagillaGorilla
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
Mr.Mark wrote:

I have to ask, where is 'TheBig E'?

MM.

go to TheBigE.com

It is a fall fair that is HUGE. My wife and I have been going there since we started dating a million years ago. There is no better way to go than in your RV. Stay for a few days. Get in early in the day and leave when it gets crowded. Have the use of your own toilet!!
mike_brez
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
Big E we go every year.
hershey
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
Any road side assistance program depends on the wrecker service(s) available in any given area. Sometimes they are less than adequate. But I really believe that CoachNet does a better job of screening the available services.
I've used CoachNet twice, once was a 90 mile tow to a Freightliner facility where they had an appointment made for me as soon as I arrived. The second time, only a 7 mile tow but again the facility took care of my needs as soon as I arrived. I wouldn't consider any other RS Assistance program.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Apr 10, 2015
The one advantage of CoachNet is that you can talk to a technician who may be able to guide you through your own repair. This includes appliances as well as mechanical items that fail. If you are at all handy, having someone talk you through a repair may work with your schedule and budget better than having someone sent out to do the repairs. CN will still send someone out but, depending on where you are sitting, may take some time for them, or any other emergency road service get a mechanic to your location.
et2
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
If you bought a cheater she probably isn't going to disappoint you in that area. If you bought a brand new girlfriend you most likely have ( if Freighliner Chassis) a two year road service from them. It won't work to pay for another for piece of mind.

We have two plans we pay for and ours is turning two years this year. Never hurts to have someone to rebound with when needed.A couple hundred buck goes a long way for covering your butt.
w3ozwizard
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
What about AAA. Are they any good?
Campfire_Time
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
Look closely at the available plan levels and what they cover. These places are not apples to apples comparisons. I recently learned something about AAA that I didn't know. They cover a tow for my HTT, but no trailers that can't be lived in, AKA, a utility trailer. It cost me a small fortune to have my truck and a rented utility trailer towed 170 miles away my home. I knew I was on the hook for mileage above 100, but they did not tell me the trailer wasn't covered at all when I called, so I did not find out until we were home. To their credit they reimbursed me a good chunk of the cost, but I was still on the hook for over $200 that could have been avoided. I also found out that each state's AAA club can have different rules and coverage than others. So AAA WI is not the same as AAA FL, nor are they necessarily the same as AAA nationally (see more below).

Some things from my research that may or may not be important to you:
AAA's best program will give a tow anywhere you want within 200 miles of your breakdown. So if you are within that range from home, you can get towed straight home. Anything over that is on your dime. Their RV coverage is 100 miles. Either way this is really important to us.
Coachnet, while they offer "unlimited towing", will only tow you to the nearest authorized repair center. That means if you are 99 miles from home and the nearest repair center is 5 miles, you are going 5 miles. If you want a tow home, it's your dime.
Good Sam has 100 mile towing on their best plan with a similar arrangement to AAA, that is they also allow for anywhere within 100 miles you want.
AAA's towing services may or may not have the equipment needed to tow your RV or trailer.
Both Good Sam and Coachnet have reputations for having alliances with services that can tow your RV/trailer.
AAA does not have any kind of RV help line. Both Coachnet and Good Sam do.
AAA RV will only pay to tow your travel trailer
Good Sam and Coachnet cover any type of trailer.
AAA US and AAA for each state are seperate clubs and they do not play nice together. I spoke to people from our state club and the national AAA and they not only pointed the finger at one another, they openly bashed how each one handles cases.
Additionally each AAA state club can have different coverage levels and rules which the 800 number folks (national club) may not be aware of.
Good Sam and Coachnet are each one club. I don't mean they are one club together, but that they aren't broken into smaller clubs like AAA with a central dispatch. That is when you talk to someone on one of their 800 numbers, the same rules apply no matter what state you live in.

All that said I'm seriously considering Good Sam instead of renewing AAA. They seem to have the best of AAA and Coachnet, without the petty infighting that AAA seems to have. And I don't read too many bad experiences on them. In fact most are pretty positive.

Keep in mind that we've been with AAA for many years and in town they have been very good. But my last experience on the road makes me wonder how things would be handled if I'm 500 miles away towing my travel trailer. Could they even tow my trailer, and would they understand what coverage I have?
kalynzoo
Explorer
Apr 10, 2015
I agree with a previous post: the service is only as good as the contracted service agent (tow truck) sent out to assist you. I had a bad experience with Coach Net and a good experience with Good Sam. Different types of call in different states. I'd go with Good Sam, just renewed.