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Old 10-28-2019, 11:30 PM   #1
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roadside assist?

Ok, my pucker factor is increasing... I’m considering buying my first RV this week. If the test ride and price are right, I’ll be driving it home (1200 miles)

I’ve got Eire vehicle insurance and they’ll add the RV for about $1000 per year. That’ll cover me for an accident.

I’ve got AAA Plus and plan to add the RV coverage for $36 per year (may even splurge for Premier). That’ll cover me (somewhat) for roadside assistance.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for AAA, Good Sam roadside Assistance, FMCA Roadside assistance and a couple others.

I want to be confident that if I break down, I can get a tow / repair / gas... If a tire blows I want to be confident that they’ll bring a replacement (I don’t plan on carrying a spare - or should I?).


What additional coverages should I get?

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Old 10-28-2019, 11:47 PM   #2
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You need to add which RV you have. It makes a difference on whether it is practical or not to carry a spare and what options you have. Also who might answer you.
Congrats on your new coach and good luck.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:14 AM   #3
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Congratulations on the new RV what ever brand , model, size it is. Road service, I carry two policies. I do not plan on getting stranded. I have Good Sam and I have it through my insurance carrier, National General. At first we only carried a spare tire unmounted but have since mounted it. It rides under our couch but probably will go on a hitch carrier next year. You never know when you will have a blow out and you will have to pay big for a spare from a service truck.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:41 AM   #4
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IMO, if you have a little motor home, like a class b or class c, having a flat is no different than having a flat on a dually pickup. Carry a spare and do it yourself. If you get a bigger coach, roadside service is a requirement.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:54 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WearyTraveler View Post
If a tire blows I want to be confident that they’ll bring a replacement (I don’t plan on carrying a spare - or should I?).


What additional coverages should I get?
Realize that no matter which RA provider you are getting RA from a third party contractor so the tow truck driver will not have a spare with them. They will either change your tire if you have a spare, call back to the office to obtain one if available from a tire dealer, or tow you to the tire dealer.

Even if you have something like Good Sam's Tire and Wheel Coverage, they don't provide the tire (and wheel), they just reimburse you for the cost. There is no magic coverage that will prevent you from sitting on the side of the road for hours.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:59 AM   #6
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When you get a little older, you may realize that it is not only the size of the motor home but also the number of candles on your birthday cake. While I still might be able to change a tire and would if I absolutely had to, I am now content to wait for AAA and not risk ending my trip with an injury.
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Old 10-29-2019, 01:03 AM   #7
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Realize that no matter which RA provider you are getting RA from a third party contractor so the tow truck driver will not have a spare with them. They will either change your tire if you have a spare, call back to the office to obtain one if available from a tire dealer, or tow you to the tire dealer.

Even if you have something like Good Sam's Tire and Wheel Coverage, they don't provide the tire (and wheel), they just reimburse you for the cost. There is no magic coverage that will prevent you from sitting on the side of the road for hours.
Very true. That’s why I have a spare tire (not on a wheel) mounted under my Axis. I figure if I have to call AAA I will tell them that they need to send someone who can mount my spare on a wheel as well as changing the tire.
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Old 10-29-2019, 01:06 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Lt Keefer View Post
IMO, if you have a little motor home, like a class b or class c, having a flat is no different than having a flat on a dually pickup. Carry a spare and do it yourself. If you get a bigger coach, roadside service is a requirement.
Fully loaded pickup with possibly no or improper jacking equipment on the side of a narrow mountain road in the rain..no , I'll be a sissy and take the insurance. Easier on the 74 year old back also.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:28 PM   #9
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Fully loaded pickup with possibly no or improper jacking equipment on the side of a narrow mountain road in the rain..no , I'll be a sissy and take the insurance. Easier on the 74 year old back also.

Same here...my "Little C" weights 20,000 pounds and has dual rear wheels with 10 lugs, no jack or tire tools. There's always beer or coffee in the back. Life's too short to worry about a few extra bucks and your life on the side of the road. I'll drive it on a flat for a short distance if necessary. If it tears it up...I'll buy another one. I have road side assist with Ford, Progressive, American Express...etc....etc. I'll be "Sissy #2".

The great thing about it all...do what makes you feel comfortable. You'll be there by yourself when this happens.
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Old 10-29-2019, 12:38 PM   #10
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Type and size of RV

Quote:
Originally Posted by WearyTraveler View Post
Ok, my pucker factor is increasing... I’m considering buying my first RV this week. If the test ride and price are right, I’ll be driving it home (1200 miles)

I’ve got Eire vehicle insurance and they’ll add the RV for about $1000 per year. That’ll cover me for an accident.

I’ve got AAA Plus and plan to add the RV coverage for $36 per year (may even splurge for Premier). That’ll cover me (somewhat) for roadside assistance.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for AAA, Good Sam roadside Assistance, FMCA Roadside assistance and a couple others.

I want to be confident that if I break down, I can get a tow / repair / gas... If a tire blows I want to be confident that they’ll bring a replacement (I don’t plan on carrying a spare - or should I?).


What additional coverages should I get?
It’s a 2017 THOR Outlaw 38re. It’s not a toy hauler. It has a small patio on the rear.
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Old 10-29-2019, 01:40 PM   #11
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Congratulations on the start of some really good times!
As much as we all tend to worry about "Things that go bump in the night": they actually rarely do!
You'll be just fine!

But since I sell insurance for a living...
I've got Good Same, and FMCA roadside assistance at the ready...
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Old 10-30-2019, 04:33 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WearyTraveler View Post
Ok, my pucker factor is increasing... I’m considering buying my first RV this week. If the test ride and price are right, I’ll be driving it home (1200 miles)



I’ve got Eire vehicle insurance and they’ll add the RV for about $1000 per year. That’ll cover me for an accident.



I’ve got AAA Plus and plan to add the RV coverage for $36 per year (may even splurge for Premier). That’ll cover me (somewhat) for roadside assistance.



I’ve seen mixed reviews for AAA, Good Sam roadside Assistance, FMCA Roadside assistance and a couple others.



I want to be confident that if I break down, I can get a tow / repair / gas... If a tire blows I want to be confident that they’ll bring a replacement (I don’t plan on carrying a spare - or should I?).





What additional coverages should I get?


The insurance coverage a person carries, many times isn’t simply better or worse than another. I found that at a recent breakdown over in Kentucky last month where I waited for 7 1/2 hours for a tow truck to show up, that it wasn’t necessarily the insurance carrier that I had, but it was of the network of tow truck operators operate and their work load. I initially called my good Sam roadside assist insurance at 10 AM one morning. That was followed by another call to the same number again at 11 AM with not much more than lipservice for a response. After beginning to feel like good Sam was not making any effort toward getting me a tow truck, I called Mercedes-Benz national number and that’s when I begin to see results. Even though Mercedes instigated getting tow truck service I was still at the mercy of numerous tow truck operators that kept shifting us off to another tow company because they simply didn’t have the manpower to take care of all of their business. Finally at about 4:30 PM that afternoon the owner of a tow truck company about 60 miles away arrived with his pick up just to make me feel comfortable that he was making an effort to get one of his tow trucks on scene. While he was there he explained to me that the original contract to pick my motorhome up was sent to him by another company that he did not know, but he explained that many times the tow truck companies would take on work that they couldn’t handle and simply don’t show up. This guy stayed on scene until one of his tow trucks finally arrived at around 5:30 PM that afternoon. By the time we were rigged up to tow, it was around 7:30 PM and then we had to head south to Nashville 120 miles away. We finally made it to the dealer around 9:45 PM that night. The point of order here is that once any insurance carrier issues a contract to tow a vehicle, you’re at the mercy of the tow truck operators.

In the end my good Sam insurance wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. They did absolutely nothing in securing a tow truck for me. Mercedes-Benz stepped up to the plate, got a tow contract issued and got me the tow truck, and by the way, Mercedes footed the bill for the 120 mile tow down to Nashville. Did I mention that the temperature that day was 95°F. Although we didn’t have a running engine, we did have a generator that ran on propane which powered the motorhome air conditioner. Thank God for small wonders. So although I have a Good Sam Roadside Assistance policy which has proved to be absolutely worthless, if I go back out on the road again I’ll have to make sure I have some other credible roadside insurance to cover me.
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Old 10-30-2019, 05:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WearyTraveler View Post
It’s a 2017 THOR Outlaw 38re. It’s not a toy hauler. It has a small patio on the rear.
First congrats. You're running 22.5 tires on that rig. I wouldn't try changing a tire on that coach on the side of the road if I was 25 years old again. Another thing to consider is the weight of the spare tire and wheel so you would need to decide if the other half or the dog stays home so you're not running overweight.

I have FMCA road side assistance and when I bought the Accolade this month I got a free year of Coach Net thrown in. I had AAA but they got ridiculous with their pricing.
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Old 10-30-2019, 10:42 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by EA37TS View Post
First congrats. You're running 22.5 tires on that rig. I wouldn't try changing a tire on that coach on the side of the road if I was 25 years old again. Another thing to consider is the weight of the spare tire and wheel so you would need to decide if the other half or the dog stays home so you're not running overweight.

I have FMCA road side assistance and when I bought the Accolade this month I got a free year of Coach Net thrown in. I had AAA but they got ridiculous with their pricing.
The extra weight concerns me too. And at 64, I’m not about to try changing a tire.
More things to worry about!
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Old 11-01-2019, 12:54 PM   #15
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As Gebills stated in his disaster...none of them have a towing service, it's all 3rd party servers and they all do just what you would do...start calling everybody. Location has everything to do with it. Second lesson learned, always keep enough water and fuel onboard to accommodate you for at least a 12 hour period. Had your fuel been low, it would have been a more than miserable day. I had a recent experience with a boat tire. Been a BoatUS Member for 30 years. Waited for 3 hours and finally removed the tire, chained the hub to frame and drove slowly to next town and bought new tires and wheels at TSC. If feels good to have a pocket full of cards but your chances of getting the help you paid for is 50/50 at best.
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Old 11-03-2019, 10:56 PM   #16
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We carry our RV spare in the back of our road, and have good Sam's for roadhelp, cause the also cover our pullbehind trailer and motorcycles
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