RV breakdown advice

[dsa3778]

We are fairly new to Rv'ing and are planning a 2 week vacation soon where we will be pretty far from home. We have a class A Fleetwood Flair, 35ft. What have other peoples' experiences been if your huge motorhome breaks down? Can just any tow truck tow a vehicle of that size? Do regular mechanics work on them or do you have to find someone that works specifically on RV's? We had a situation on the way home from purchasing it (8 hours from home) where it had to be towed and we had the hardest time trying to find someone that could handle towing something that large. Ended up that we had to have a trucking company who works on semi trucks come and tow us, and since everything was closed, he took it to his shop, and was actually able to fix our problem himself(radiator hose broke). Is this normally going to be the case? (Having to find someone other than just a car towing company to tow us) and also, who fixes them (regular car mechanics)? We now have AAA on the vehicle and that helps peace of mind, but I am just concerned that they won't even be able to locate someone to help us.

[garry1p]

I had Good Sam however, at the time they did not cover boat or utility trailers so I switched to Coach Net.

I did call Good Sam one time to find the closest place to fix a slow leak no tow needed, never have had to use Coach Net.
I have free Motor Home towing through Hartford Insurance but I want RV experienced roadside assistance so pay the extra.

You can compare coverage on line, you can't go wrong both are good.

[G_Lewis]

I have Good Sams. Don't move that motorhome without a roadside assistance policy....both companies mentioned are very good.

[eabc5454]

We have Good Sam, and it covers all the cars and the MH. However, we also have two years of roadside assistance from Ford for the MH, two years from Honda for the new CR-V and two years from Toyota on our six month old Venza.

The only one we pay for is Good Sam, but I wouldn't travel without it. One flat tire in BFE on a holiday weekend would cure anyone!

Elizabeth

[Islandtime]

Just a question on Coach Net or Good Sams. If I'm reading this correctly, CoachNet does cover all your vehicles (personal car, motorcyles), but Good Sam's has a separate policy for that. So you would need to buy two policies?

I am looking at getting one of these, but not sure which would be better.

[JimM68]

coachnet for us. Never leave home without it.

As for the off topic oil change question, once a year is typically good.
Check your manual. a gasser would for sure be as often, or more often than a car. A DP is typically annual or 15k, but check your manual.

[dsa3778]

What do people recommend as far as how often to change oil in the RV? I imagine it is more miles than recommended for a car?

[GTN_and_Catz]

BobR wrote:
Coach-Net might be a better choice since they offer phone support for technical issues. Being new to the RV, that feature might come in handy.

X2

I've used the tech line a couple of times and they've been very helpful.

[BobR]

Coach-Net might be a better choice since they offer phone support for technical issues. Being new to the RV, that feature might come in handy.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

Coach Net! RV repair shops can usually handle your repairs or know someone who can.

[dsa3778]

Thanks everyone! I looked at both and they both look awesome. I will definitely have peace of mind on our trip 🙂

[dverstra]

Good advice here. Coach-Net or Good Sam roadside assistance. Check both out.

[rookie_rv]

Rookie Rver :C here! Good question. The one time I needed a tow my insurance company did the coordinating of getting me help. It was also late on a Sunday and everyone was closed. One of the questions the insurance company asked me was which vehicle. Thinking back on it my assupmption is they wanted to know so they would be able to get the right towing equipment to me. Yes it turned out to be a towing company that tow trucks. I was also taken to their local shop and they were able to fix it. Get this.......it was a $15 throttle cable that broke. The challenge was waiting for the part for four days. The actual labor to replace the cable took less than fifteen minutes!

[crasster]

Good sam/coachnet

check belts
check hoses (springy not mushy)
check spare tire
make sure you have a jack and able to remove tires
make sure oil looks good
make sure plenty of coolant
check tire pressure on all tires and spare

Other than that, roadside assistance is there.

[wny_pat1]

No, not just any tow truck will do it. That is why I don't leave home without CoachNet. They know all about my motorhome, and what is required tow, or fix it. And they have their contracted facilities through out the US and Canada that are ready to aid you. It's the best bang for tbe buck out there!