Finally Happened . . .
That dreaded tire blowout finally happened to us. We were headed out of town for a four day holiday weekend and boom! View in the side mirror shows the fender flying off! That was the bad news. The good news was that it happened just ten miles from our house, in cell phone range, and before we climbed the big mountain grades.
We were not overloaded and the tire pressure was good. We even have a TPMS that didn't register anything. I was watching it. The alarm on that tire sure went off though when it blew. We knew we had to change the tires the end of this year because according to the DOT code on the tires, they were good till 2015.
After our roadside service put the spare on, we drove straight to Les Schwab and had all new tires put on. They said all the tires were bad, except for the spare. Now our fifth wheel is at the dealership waiting on repairs. The dealership shop guy says it could've picked up a nail and blew instantly hence no TPMS reading. We know it took off the wheel well cover, bent the step frame, ripped the brake wiring out, tore out the wheel well under cover and damaged some of the underbelly, possibly the lower side wall will have to be replaced too, but they may be able to cover some of the edge damage. Good thing is that this falls under our comprehensive. The dealership will check all electrical, gas, and water lines to make sure nothing was compromised and will re-lube all axles too since not only did the one tire blow, but it damaged the hub on the tire behind it. We'll know the full extent of damage after they really take a good look at it. Unfortunately this is the busy time of year for RV work, so we'll be without it for at least 3 weeks, maybe a month.
It could've been worse, really. In talking to the shop guy, he says he's seen far more damage,even wires ripped completely out of the inside of units. The dealership offered to fix the brake wires and do a spot check so we could go on our way camping, but DH didn't want to take a chance in case something else went wrong as a result and then we find out up in the middle of nowhere. Better safe than sorry.
Lesson learned here - have the tires professionally inspected often, at minimum beginning in the middle of the tire life span.
We were not overloaded and the tire pressure was good. We even have a TPMS that didn't register anything. I was watching it. The alarm on that tire sure went off though when it blew. We knew we had to change the tires the end of this year because according to the DOT code on the tires, they were good till 2015.
After our roadside service put the spare on, we drove straight to Les Schwab and had all new tires put on. They said all the tires were bad, except for the spare. Now our fifth wheel is at the dealership waiting on repairs. The dealership shop guy says it could've picked up a nail and blew instantly hence no TPMS reading. We know it took off the wheel well cover, bent the step frame, ripped the brake wiring out, tore out the wheel well under cover and damaged some of the underbelly, possibly the lower side wall will have to be replaced too, but they may be able to cover some of the edge damage. Good thing is that this falls under our comprehensive. The dealership will check all electrical, gas, and water lines to make sure nothing was compromised and will re-lube all axles too since not only did the one tire blow, but it damaged the hub on the tire behind it. We'll know the full extent of damage after they really take a good look at it. Unfortunately this is the busy time of year for RV work, so we'll be without it for at least 3 weeks, maybe a month.
It could've been worse, really. In talking to the shop guy, he says he's seen far more damage,even wires ripped completely out of the inside of units. The dealership offered to fix the brake wires and do a spot check so we could go on our way camping, but DH didn't want to take a chance in case something else went wrong as a result and then we find out up in the middle of nowhere. Better safe than sorry.
Lesson learned here - have the tires professionally inspected often, at minimum beginning in the middle of the tire life span.
