Has this happened to you?

[dom101]

I pulled in to get gas, once in New Mexico and once in Utah. As I was filling up two guys come up and tell me that I have a flat spot on my tire and should have it looked at. First guy says that tires must be out of align and I could bring it over to his shop (located on the same property) and he would check it out for me. I politely declined, made up a story that it wasn't my motor home and I would let owner know when I got home. Second time two guys, same story about alignment , when I said ya it should be ok now, as I just got it aligned . Then his buddy looks underneath and says, hey you've got a broken shock. Again I declined. Only has 20,000 miles

[Big_Redneck]

Most dealerships do this all the time to make extra money. They put there service people. on commission to sell you all kind of parts and service. You half to be careful where you get service today.

[azrving]

doc brown wrote:
No. I don’t think think it would happen to me, I open carry at fuel stops and rest areas.

Heck yeah, it's got to be great traveling when you get out of state

[doc_brown]

No. I don’t think think it would happen to me, I open carry at fuel stops and rest areas.

[Stim]

Was also an episode of I Love Lucie many YEARS ago where they were traveling and stopped at a roadside motel and the owner (Tennessee Ernie Ford) stole parts off of their car and was selling them back to them!

[Stim]

There was one of these scams exposed back in the low 80's on TV where they claimed they heard a noise from M H rear end and told them it was the differential.
M H had cameras under it, guy removed cover and dumped metal shavings in oil.
Sold them their old parts back that were marked! Busted!
Your best bet is to call the police!

[ppine]

Yes at a Walmart near home. I told them I had no money to fix anything.

[rk911]

when we were traveling by car back in the "full service" days I never allowed anyone to open the hood or do any sort of service short of cleaning the windshield. I always stood right by the pump as the attendant was doing his thing while my wife stood outside and watched that side of the car. if we needed the restroom or a snack one of us would "stand guard" while the other ran the errand. assume the worst. now in the self-service world we live in it's not much of a problem but I still do not allow anyone to service or exam anything without my express permission.

[dougrainer]

YEARS ago, Readers Digest had an article on traveling the hiways cons(mainly for Autos). Granted this was back when they had NO self pump and all gas was pumped by them and the YOUNGER members will be flabbergasted that they checked the oil and water and air in tires for free. And free MAPS
1. They Short stick your oil and claim you are low and need an oil change
2. They cut one of your tires and claim you need a new tire, OR LET AIR OUT AND CLAIM THEY CAN FIX THE FLAT
3. They use a razor and nick or cut one of your Fanbelts and show you, you need a new fan belt.
4. They spill old dirty oil below the engine and claim you have an oil leak and they can fix it there.
The list can go ON, but the main thing they state is to NEVER let anyone go over your vehicle without YOU standing right there watching them. Doug

[D_E_Bishop]

It did happen to me once in Utah as we were heading out to take HWY 50 toward Great Basin. What the jerk didn't know was that I had not been happy with the tires on the front end for some time, the steering wheel was oscillating and that is usually a sign the tires are not quite right.

I kept saying no everything's good, and told the kid that their prices were too high. He kept going to his boss and checking on a lower price and when he came down to what I had been quoted by my tire guy here in LA, I said yes.. They threw in balancing and new metal stems and no sales tax. When I asked to see the tires before they lifted my rig and I checked the date they were only three months out of the mold. So about fifteen minutes later we had new front tires.

The rig did steer better after that.

[mike_brez]

HERE is some more

[rgatijnet1]

We had gotten hit on so often when refueling for various scams, including just your basic panhandlers that the wife now stays in the coach when I am refueling. As soon as she sees someone stopping to talk with me she comes out with our 100+ pound dog and that usually makes them cut the conversation short. In the West we usually came across the alignment and tire scams and in the East, the panhandlers are more prevalent.

[FloridaRosebud]

Yep, I didn't know that scam was still going on. I remember the 60 minutes expose' on the issue with the guy that had the small tube of oil and he squirted some on a shock and said the older couple needed new shocks.

If someone did it to my shocks I would quickly point out they are nitrogen filled shocks, or, as an alternative mention that I own a couple of Ford dealerships (My MH is on a F53 chassis - but I of course don't own a dealership, but they would have no way of knowing) so thank you, I'll have my guys look at it when I return. Then report them to the station manager. I think the big take-away here is lock your coach when it's unattended, even if you are fueling.

Al

[valhalla360]

gbopp wrote:
I had a similar incident years ago involving shocks. It was in Arizona, I was in a car at the time..
Just tell them you will go to their shop as soon as you get gas, etc..
Then drive away.

Probably the best option...anything else leads to a long unpleasant discussion.

Arizona is likely a hotbed due to snowbirds...many are new to RV's and driving on long grades, so it's easy to scare them.

[ItsyRV]

azdryheat wrote:
Wonder how many fall for it and get ripped off?

Enough to keep them doing it.

Sadly, according to the AZ Attorney General, the majority who fall victim to the RV Repair Scam are older retired individuals.

You can get a good laugh on the scammers if after they approach you, agree to the repairs but ask if they would cash a Certified Check from the Bank of Nigeria and give you cash back for the overage.

[ArchHoagland]

Had that happen in Needles California while getting gas on the east side of town. The guy at the station said he noticed a problem with my front tire.

I had just read of that scam a couple months before going through there so I knew what was going on.