Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2015 13:28:40 -0500
Reply-To: Vicki <vicary2u@AOL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Vicki <vicary2u@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Coach Net roadside services
In-Reply-To: <20150301115216.D0U5B.86724.imail@eastrmwml207>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
My favorite breakdown story...
We are the the people who pay Porsche prices to have our Vanagon maintained...we do not work on it ourselves. More than a decade ago we were on an interstate during Friday rush hour heading out of Big City in our 86 Westy Weekender. We had some (terrifying to me) symptoms that prompted us to limp from the passing lane to the breakdown lane on the right, then eventually to the nearest exit to Nowheresville, where we ended up in a BBQ restaurant parking lot (it's The South) and called AAA.
My husband had a heated argument over the fact that we did not have RV coverage. Was it or was it not a motor home? Did it have a toilet? No. Did it have a stove? No. Did it have a bed? Yes. At one point my husband said he would be happy to throw the (bleeping) mattress into the road if that would satisfy them. Finally, after we specifically told them we needed a flatbed, AAA sent a regular tow truck from Just Outside of Nowheresville.
The tow truck driver, who appeared to be in his late twenties-early thirties and had a blonde ponytail reaching to the middle of his back, asked what our problem was. When we told him, he said it sounded like a stuck brake caliper to him, and he could probably fix it if we went to his shop. We hemmed and hawed of course, until he said he really liked Vanagons and had rebuilt a Synchro from the ground up as a teenager in Germany. Wait...what?
His dad had been in the Air Force, and he was raised on VWs. The minute he said "Synchro" we trusted him immediately. He took the hook truck back to his shop and returned with a flatbed and towed us to his shop where he put our baby on the lift and confirmed his original diagnosis. We needed a screw or nut or bolt or something (can't remember now) and he probably had one in the Dead Car Graveyard out back...but alas, none that was the correct metric measurement. By this time it was dark and obviously we were stuck...in more ways than one.
Our Good Samaritan said we and our golden retriever could spend the night in his shop yard, surrounded by his chain link fence, and that he could have the needed bolt for us in the morning when the auto parts store opened. The only problem was that his wife was in the hospital about to give birth to their fifth son...so he gave us his personal cell phone number in case we needed something in an emergency.
He arrived bright and early Saturday morning (no baby yet) and made coffee for us before he replaced the broken bolt. He was very apologetic about the fact that the bolt was a little too long, and asked that we inform our regular mechanic that it was all he could get at the moment. He charged us NEXT TO NOTHING (of course we gave him the humongous tip) and we met up with our friends at the camp site that morning with a great story to tell. And photos!
I guess my point is...when you're on the phone with AAA, don't say the word "camper" unless you have RV coverage. Van is a better description. However, on the other side of the controversy, my daughter and her husband toured the USA in a 1978 Toyota Mini-Mirage camper about nine years ago with AAA RV coverage, and were towed a few times with no problems.
Unfortunately the Westy was T-boned and rolled by a USPS delivery car a couple of years later. There's a story about dealing with insurance when your Westy is totalled...bottom line is, if it's not your fault, get an attorney. Thesamba.com is invaluable for printing out comparable values.
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 1, 2015, at 11:52 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote:
> Hmmm...... . When the water pump failed on my camper right after I bought it, AAA contractor towed it 70 miles to Fort Smith, Arkansas, though there were repair shops considerably closer. He said that I needed to go to a VW dealer, and at the time, I didn't know any better. But probably no one in the little towns we passed would have been qualified to work on a Vanagon, either.
>
> I have AAA Premium, and though I haven't used tow service since that time, right now I am happy with it. The contract does not say the nearest qualified facility. I have been told that they will tow it home, so long as it is within the 200 mile limit.
>
> mcneely
>
> ---- J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>> And this has been my problem with all these auto "clubs". The nearest "qualified facility" may be simply a gas station that does repairs. I had this issue 3 years ago with my daughters New Beetle. It broke down in Newport News Virginia (where she attends college) and I wanted it towed to her dorm parking lot, about 9 miles away. Despite having 100 mile towing through Good Sam, the tow truck driver wanted to take it to the nearest gas station that did repairs. He refused to tow it more than 3 miles, anything over was extra $$$. I ended up paying the extra, and complained to Good Sam, who could not have cared less. End of Good Sam and on to AAA. Recently tried to use AAA, basic towing was 3 miles and $4.00/mile after that. Girlfriends ATT Auto Service was 3 miles and $3.00/mile after that. My AAA membership is up the end of March and I'll bve giving them the boot too.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>
>> The towing plan for the RV which also includes the family vehicles is only
>> about $100/year. They tow to the nearest qualified facility, not a preset
>> mileage. It is worth looking into.
>>
>> Dennis
>
> --
> David McNeely
