Traveling on Sundays

[Dmharris]

I was leaving Cottonwood AZ on a Sunday heading to Tennessee. Just east of Winslow AZ on I 40 a trailer tire blew out. I have Good Sam Roadside Assistance and called for help. They couldn't find anyone to send for tire change with a new tire.

I called them back a few times over a couple hours while stuck in emergency lane and no help and never heard back from them. I called highway patrol and they showed up an hour later and tried to help find roadside assistance with no luck.

Finally I got a place that told me to go to truckdown.com website and put in the info they requested. They called me and were able to dispatch a roadside assistance guy out of Flagstaff with new tires to get me back on the road. He showed up about an hour and half later.

I was stuck on I 40 emergency lane for 9 hours! Beware of traveling on Sunday's. Tire stores are closed and roadside assistance is hard to get.

 

[Hillman]

Sounds like another knock against Good Sam, to me. The Good Sam website doesn't say "Roadside Assistance, except on Sundays". My own previous negative experience, where the nearest roadside assistance they could get for me to get a trailer tire, was six hour wait. In Nashua, NH, not the middle of the empty desert. Drove myself up literally to the next exit, where there was a tire store. Bought a tire and put it on myself. Complained on the Good Sam forum and they mailed me a check, which did nothing while I was sitting on the side of a busy highway!

 

[skychs]

It took 8 hours to get someone to our RV for a flat tire. They sell the service then say its out of their hands if you need service. Awful.

 

[NGC 613]

Why does anyone still deal with Good Sam? There are so many other options now. CW, Gander, Good Sam. Why in the heck would anyone deal with them now days?

 

[Hillman]

Why does anyone still deal with Good Sam? There are so many other options now. CW, Gander, Good Sam. Why in the heck would anyone deal with them now days?

Because they promise the world and are cheaper (up front) than the other options. They also advertise more. New people who don't do their research are exposed to them much more. I had Good Sam years ago, and even though our only experience was negative, when we got back in to RVing and bought our current Class A, I stupidly thought "they must have fixed their issues by now" and signed back up. THEN I learned about Coach Net and FMCA. But, I already spent the money, and now I have their craptastic roadside assistance but I also have it through Progressive for the RV, I figure the two of them together might not leave us dead in a ditch somewhere. Next year, though, I'll switch.

 

[GeoKat]

Note to self: learn how to change a flat on my 5th wheel and truck.

 

[billnourse]

Note to self: learn how to change a flat on my 5th wheel and truck.

Exactly. I can understand possibly not being able to change a tire on a class A motorhome, but a "full timer" should be able to change a tire on a 5th wheel.

 

[DKRITTER]

Note to self: learn how to change a flat on my 5th wheel and truck.

If you have a spare!

My MH doesn't.

 

[FL-JOE]

Exactly. I can understand possibly not being able to change a tire on a class A motorhome, but a "full timer" should be able to change a tire on a 5th wheel.

First of all, Dmharris may or may not have physical limitations that would prevent him from changing a tire. But since he posted about his bad luck it could be a learning moment for many traveling in a fiver.

First of all I agree with Kat, anyone who is physically able should know how to change a tire on not only the fiver but the truck. Most if not all fivers carry a full spare. Depending on the type of suspension and leveling system it is possible on some fiver to actually raise one side without using a jack to change a tire. You can also use blocks of wood to get a single wheel/tire off the ground in most cases.

Another point that might be valid to discuss here is having a TPMS on your fiver. Dmharris did not say anything about receiving an advance warning that there was a tire failure so I will assume he does not utilize a TPMS. In my opinion it is the #1 most important piece of safety equipment any RV can have. On two different occasions over the years I have received an alert that one of my tires was rapidly dropping pressure. It allowed me a couple miles to get to a safe spot in order to address the issue.

When we had our DP Class A we kept roadside assistance. When we changed back to full timing in a fiver we dropped it.

Sundays are my favorite days to travel especially if we will be traveling through any large cities.

 

[tileman]

I was leaving Cottonwood AZ on a Sunday heading to Tennessee. Just east of Winslow AZ on I 40 a trailer tire blew out. I have Good Sam Roadside Assistance and called for help. They couldn't find anyone to send for tire change with a new tire.

I called them back a few times over a couple hours while stuck in emergency lane and no help and never heard back from them. I called highway patrol and they showed up an hour later and tried to help find roadside assistance with no luck.

Finally I got a place that told me to go to truckdown.com website and put in the info they requested. They called me and were able to dispatch a roadside assistance guy out of Flagstaff with new tires to get me back on the road. He showed up about an hour and half later.

I was stuck on I 40 emergency lane for 9 hours! Beware of traveling on Sunday's. Tire stores are closed and roadside assistance is hard to get.

I have AAA RV+ for many years. I've used them many times never a problem.