On the road breakdown stories..
I'd be interested in reading your on the road breakdown stories and how you got back on the road. I'll share two. I have been RV-ing on and off since 1987. I guess we have been very lucky to have...
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July 3,2019 in 98 degree heat, 90% humidity, 5,000+ miles from our home in AK we had a major breakdown in NY state. We were driving happily along climbing a long hill when suddenly the dashboard lit up including the CEL. We were able to get to a safe place at the top of the hill to pull over.
We were able to get a tow with a wait time of 1.5 hours, someone who really did not know how to handle towing our class B Galleria. This happened just before close of business on the day before a holiday so getting the tow and a rental meant a lot of coordination and rushing around. Thank goodness for generators and air conditioning that work well.
We were towed to the Sprinter/Mercedes dealer in Albany, NY about an hour's drive away who let us know after a wait of a few days that we had a major oil leak due to our "free" oil change that we did not ask for. Apparently Midas in Soldotna, AK used an aftermarket filter which had a gasket that leaked and caused deterioration of the belts. As a result, the belt was caught up in the engine and fan parts.
After almost 2 weeks, we got the Galleria back. The service people were really great, but because Midas did the oil change there was no warranty for this episode.
The guys there took the engine apart 3 (I think) times before they were able to get all the debris out of the engine. We still had a lot of oil in the engine so we were lucky there, but we drove more than 5,000 miles with that incorrect oil filter and gasket.
This could have been a financial disaster. As it was it used up a lot of our "vacationing" budget for our trip and we did not get to do all the things we got to do.
The thing is, we did NOT need - or want an oil change. We took our rig to Midas to have the brakes and tires checked on our trailer for the trip. They threw in the oil change. Up till this time they were very good with all of our vehicles, but they were in the middle of a change in management, I guess.
We normally do not let anyone but Sprinter service touch our van.
I was going to tell about the time my husband had me drive our 5th wheel through a cornfield to park it in our yard, but he didn't think it was a good idea. Sure, the ground was solid, no mud. Right? We had to wait 3 hours for GSC to send us a tow, but our son got us out.
We were able to get a tow with a wait time of 1.5 hours, someone who really did not know how to handle towing our class B Galleria. This happened just before close of business on the day before a holiday so getting the tow and a rental meant a lot of coordination and rushing around. Thank goodness for generators and air conditioning that work well.
We were towed to the Sprinter/Mercedes dealer in Albany, NY about an hour's drive away who let us know after a wait of a few days that we had a major oil leak due to our "free" oil change that we did not ask for. Apparently Midas in Soldotna, AK used an aftermarket filter which had a gasket that leaked and caused deterioration of the belts. As a result, the belt was caught up in the engine and fan parts.
After almost 2 weeks, we got the Galleria back. The service people were really great, but because Midas did the oil change there was no warranty for this episode.
The guys there took the engine apart 3 (I think) times before they were able to get all the debris out of the engine. We still had a lot of oil in the engine so we were lucky there, but we drove more than 5,000 miles with that incorrect oil filter and gasket.
This could have been a financial disaster. As it was it used up a lot of our "vacationing" budget for our trip and we did not get to do all the things we got to do.
The thing is, we did NOT need - or want an oil change. We took our rig to Midas to have the brakes and tires checked on our trailer for the trip. They threw in the oil change. Up till this time they were very good with all of our vehicles, but they were in the middle of a change in management, I guess.
We normally do not let anyone but Sprinter service touch our van.
I was going to tell about the time my husband had me drive our 5th wheel through a cornfield to park it in our yard, but he didn't think it was a good idea. Sure, the ground was solid, no mud. Right? We had to wait 3 hours for GSC to send us a tow, but our son got us out.
