"Show stopper" road probems

[WTD44]

When I was younger we traveled all over the lower 48 and never gave breakdowns a thought, just fixed them and kept going. Now that I am an old geezer and can't do the stuff I used to do, we are somewhat hesitant to just take off and go where ever.

And, mo-ho's are so much more complex now, that finding a competent repair person in The Middle Of No-where is hard to do. So, we stick to traveling fairly close to home and in areas where we know of good RV shops. This has become a bit boring as we would still like to strike out for "parts unknown"

What do others do to overcome the fear of break-downs where there is no help available.

[hipower]

Potential breakdowns are just part of the experience of RV travel. A road service plan is always a contingency that gives many a sense of comfort and works well in most cases.

We just completed a trip from PA to CA and back, just under 6,000 miles and had a major problem with the exhaust system. The pipe exiting the turbo broke off and was dumping exhaust under the bed and required some serious repairs with parts that are just not normal in most exhaust systems today. Just smaller size than common use today, so we ended up stuck for the weekend in Ogollala, NE.

We were fortunate to find a good shop (suggested by another shop who did not want to do the repairs) who did an outstanding job under the circumstances and had us back on the road Monday afternoon after a Friday afternoon arrival at their shop and an extensive search for parts on Friday afternoon. Would we have liked to be fixed and back on the road Friday afternoon? Certainly, but that wasn't reality and we were within a mile or so of a very acceptable campground and were able to drive the coach there and back so we were inconvenienced minimally and worked out the problems.

Long story, but I would recommend Big Mac Diesel in Ogollala, NE completely. They don't look like much when you pull into their lot and don't have any fancy waiting room, but they are very competent and did a difficult job for us at a very fair price.

[wallynm]

We use Coachnet.

WTD44 wrote:
When I was younger we traveled all over the lower 48 and never gave breakdowns a thought, just fixed them and kept going. Now that I am an old geezer and can't do the stuff I used to do, we are somewhat hesitant to just take off and go where ever.

And, mo-ho's are so much more complex now, that finding a competent repair person in The Middle Of No-where is hard to do. So, we stick to traveling fairly close to home and in areas where we know of good RV shops. This has become a bit boring as we would still like to strike out for "parts unknown"

What do others do to overcome the fear of break-downs where there is no help available.

[John_Joey]

WTD44 wrote:
When I was younger we traveled all over the lower 48 and never gave breakdowns a thought, just fixed them and kept going. Now that I am an old geezer and can't do the stuff I used to do, we are somewhat hesitant to just take off and go where ever.

And, mo-ho's are so much more complex now, that finding a competent repair person in The Middle Of No-where is hard to do....

X2 on everything you said.

The hardest part of MH'ing for me was turning the key. Once I was on the road no problems. I think the more you know the harder it is when you age. You understand what things can go wrong, but you no longer have the physical ability to do your own repairs.

For short trips we now use a very reliable Toyota and hotel it. Anything under 2-3 weeks.

For longer trips I jumped shipped from the Class A to a Chev truck and 5'th wheel. Now if I can't find someone to fix a Chev then I just went too far :B

[rgatijnet1]

IN many years of RV travel we have only had one problem that stopped us and caused a week long delay. As it turned out, this happened to be right outside of Dutch John, UT. We had passed through the little town when we broke down. There is ONE small garage in Dutch John and CoachNet sent the mechanic out to us in about 20 minutes. He was able to do a temporary repair that got us back to the RV Park in Dutch John, right next to his garage. He determined what the problem was and we ordered the parts. We ended up spending a week in a fantastic area of Utah that we would have driven right past. This incident changed our "schedule" but it did not hurt our trip. As it turned out, had it not been for the problem we would have missed a great destination. He completed the repairs, gave us a bill that was way less than I expected, and we continued on our way with a note on our map to return to Dutch John the next time we are in the area.
One of the advantages of having an RV and a toad is that a problem does not mean that your trip has to come to a halt. There are usually alternatives that will allow you to just switch gears and enjoy the circumstances that you are in.

[mmiille]

All I know is that I worry a lot too. But I'm glad that everything I worry about hasn't happened. It would be a very large list. I just do my best and take deep breathes and go. If something happens, we deal with it and move on. There hasn't been a problem that we couldn't solve, and we love going.

[GHOST1750]

I know the feeling, I am 81 and even though I don't feel it and they say I don't look it I still have those travel reservations. In the 14 years I have been RVing I've not had any real problems but I do understand how you feel.

[Ductape]

Help is always available, as long as you can find them and have the coin. So a good phone, a good credit card, and a good roadside assistance membership if you're so inclined should ease your concerns. Keep the fridge stocked and you can always wait in comfort while the cavalry is coming, should it come to that.

[DSDP_Don]

I do all of my own maintenance and know that my coach is ready, every time it leaves the driveway. If I do become apprehensive about a break down, I just look at some of the pieces of junk that pass by smoking, awning flapping and more rust than paint go by and then know.....if they can make it, I can make it.

[bluwtr49]

Since there are very few things that would prevent us from driving to a facility, I simply don't worry about it. If the engine runs, drive trains moves it, and the tires are round every thing else is minor. No different from a car or truck.

Than there is coach-net, a cell phone, and credit cards for the unpleasant things. Plus we have an extra set of wheels following behind just in case.

[Moderator]

Moved from ATC

[Dutch_12078]

Jim Shoe wrote:
I had Coachnet since their main office is about 5 miles from my home. Until I had a flat tire on my toad. I was already parked in American Heritage RV park in Williamsburg, VA. One hardly ever sees an RV in Williamsburg. Yeah, right. Multiple phone calls and someone finally showed up the next day (Monday). I don't suppose that Sunday being Father's Day had anything to do with it.

Coach-Net's main office was in Lake Havasu, AZ until a couple of years ago when they moved to Texas. They've taken good care of us even when our toad broke down on Christmas day.

[noe-place]

I use Coach Net for such situations. Fortunately I've only needed them once and they came through with flying colors.

[WTD44]

Thank you all for your comments and encouragement.
WayneD

[Jim_Shoe]

I had Coachnet since their main office is about 5 miles from my home. Until I had a flat tire on my toad. I was already parked in American Heritage RV park in Williamsburg, VA. One hardly ever sees an RV in Williamsburg. Yeah, right. Multiple phone calls and someone finally showed up the next day (Monday). I don't suppose that Sunday being Father's Day had anything to do with it.
So now I have Good Sam Roadside Assistance and Medical Travel Assist as well as AAA. Not a single problem. But then, I haven't needed to call either one - yet. But at least AAA has good maps and Triptics.
These folks are all independent contractors and its rarely their full time job. They tend to not be near the phone on weekends and at night.