To Tow or Not to Tow

[Toedtoes]

For those who attended the National Rally this weekend, I have the updates to my ongoing saga at the end of this post.

for those who didn't attend, here's the background:

I headed down I-99 on Friday morning for the French Camp RV Park.  I had just replaced the steering gear box and idler arms and gotten an alignment and everything was looking good.   The drive was going great and I was less than 20 minutes away (closer to 10 if my memory is right) when I heard a short shhhhhh'ing sound and then smelled burning rubber.  There was a transport truck in front of me and as it took the exit, the smell went away.  I listened to my engine, watched for signs of problems, etc., but everything seemed to be OK.  So, it must have been the truck.

I arrived at the park and went in to register.  Right behind me was Clipper Joe!  We got to our spots, parked and settled in for a weekend of fun.

The weekend went great (we'll start a rally reflections thread in the club section for other detail).  On Sunday morning, I looked at the front of my clipper and noticed a black strip of rubber hanging down.  Quick shout out to Clipper Joe and confirmation that the shhhhh'ing sound and burning rubber WAS ME.  I shredded my alternator belts (there are 2 on the 75 Dodge 360 engine).  Everyone checked to see if they had a belt (or two) to fit, but no such luck.  So, Clipper Joe drove me off to the local O'Reilly's to pick up new belts.  Bring them back and no go.  Still too long.  Called O'Reilly's and checked for smaller ones.  They set them aside.  Luckily, I also checked the old belt and was able to find the number 7535.  Clipper Joe brought me back to O'Reilly's.  The belts they set aside were way too short, but since I had the number, we were able to get the right ones.  Also picked up a new power steering belt.

Got back to the park and Clipper Joe and Larry installed my belts for me!  Thank you guys!  Climbed in to start up the clipper and make sure things were good...

Nothing.  We tried several times but it wouldn't start.  Fuel was OK.  Wasn't the "spray a little starting fluid" problem (Hastm - I'm glad that's all that went wrong with yours).  Clipper Joe had to head out at that point (thank you again for staying as long as you did to help me).

I called a friend in Sacramento and she agreed to come down so I could get a new resistor (that was the current thinking as to the problem because I wasn't getting a spark).  She arrived at 6 p.m. and drove me to pick up the part.  Came back and it's not the same part.  My resister connections have 2 prongs on each side, the resistor only has 1 hole on each side - apparently my setup is very unusual.

The club president and supply officer helped me and we tried to bypass the resistor.  Still no spark.  So the supply officer tried to go directly from the battery to the coil.  Nope.  No starting.  Looks like it's probably the distributor.

By this time, I had already let the RV park know I was having trouble and might have to stay the extra night.  So at just before 7 p.m., I called the Good Sam Roadside Assistance (Thank goodness I just enrolled the week before!).  For the first 15 minutes, I tried explaining to the operator that a mobile mechanic was not going to do me any good.  I carefully explained that we had done everything possible, that it was most likely the distributor, and that the mobile mechanic wouldn't be able to do anything more.  I also explained that I had 2 dogs and a bird with me and that I had a ride home for them for only a short time that evening.  I could not wait for several more hours for a mechanic to test everything AGAIN before finally arranging for a tow.  I just needed the tow.  The operator argued that the mechanic would be able to fix it right then and there.  I replied that he would need a distributor for a 1975 dodge van in his mobile shop.  The operator argued that he would "just order the part".  I said "and it's after 7 p.m. on a Sunday night and tomorrow is a holiday - he's not going to be able to get the part until Tuesday and meanwhile I'm stuck here with 2 dogs and a bird".  He put me on hold for about 5 minutes.  When he came back, he agreed to just send a tow truck.

YES!  Now we're going.  After putting me on hold for a couple moments, the operator comes back and says "the provider wants to give you a jumpstart".  If all I needed was a jumpstart, I would have been out of there by noon!!!  Arggggghhhh.  I tell him no, no jumpstart - I need a tow!  He puts me on hold again.  25 minutes later, the phone disconnects - I had not spoken to the operator since the jumpstart request.

I call back and get another operator.  I explain what happened and at that moment the other operator tried calling me back.  I told the new operator that I didn't not want to risk losing them again because my phone was almost out of battery.  She had the original operator step over to her cubicle to speak with me.

He tells me that the first provider was disconnected from him and when he tried calling them back, they didn't answer the phone.  So he was calling providers to find one who would answer the phone.

QUESTION:  if you provide towing service for your customers, wouldn't you have a listing of all-night towing services?  Why would you be wasting your time calling providers that don't offer services after hours?

The operator explained that he did not know when he would be able to get me a tow.  I asked about getting my animals home.  I was told "we do not provide concierge service".  Excuse me?  That's on the brochures and website when you sign up that Good Sam offers concierge service.  In addition, they also tell you they will get your pets to a safe place.  Stuck in a broken down RV is NOT a safe place.  When I asked him what I'm supposed to do since he does not seem to be able to provide me my "guaranteed" towing, he said "call 911".

So, I told him to forget it, I was going to use AAA because at least they've never left me stranded.

I hung up at about 8:15 p.m. with Good Sam.  I immediately call AAA.  On suggestion by a club member, I told them I had a Dodge B300 van (rather than an RV).

CLARIFICATION:  Do NOT do this.  It will create more problems.  If you have Premiere AAA, just tell them you have an RV, state the length, height, and tell them you need a "medium duty wrecker" for the tow.  trust me on this.

After 15 minutes, during which I was NEVER put on hold, the operator lets me know a tow truck would be there by 10 p.m.

I get a call about 9:30 from the tow truck driver.  There was confusion because the operator told him I was at a "trailer park" instead of an "RV park" and he wanted to clarify.  He asked me some more details on my clipper and said he wasn't sure he'd be able to tow it.  He had another driver with a flat bed tow truck come out also.  Unfortunately, the flat bed was too short to carry the 21' clipper.  The standard tow couldn't support the weight of the clipper.  So, they tried to see if they could fix the problem.  They also think it's the distributor.  But, they weren't able to fix it.

At that point, everyone agreed I should quit for the night.  My friend had waited around for 5 hours and I didn't want to make her wait any more. I also didn't want to have start calling other friends looking for someone to drive down and get me the next day.  So we loaded up the dogs, bird, perishable foods, and "items of value", locked up the clipper, left the overnight fee with another member to pay for that night come morning and headed home to Sacramento.

Got home at 12:15 p.m.  Got up at 7:30 a.m., hopped in the shower and then called AAA again.  Explained the situation, tried to clarify the clipper details, and arranged to get a tow truck out there once I drove down in my car.  I arrived about 9:30 a.m.  They had a tow truck there by 10:30 a.m.  Unfortunately, the flat bed was too high and the combined height was over 15 feet.  Can't get under the overpasses on 99, and the tow truck would get a ticket.  So the driver called his dispatcher and arranged to have the correct tow truck come out (remember: MEDIUM DUTY WRECKER).

At 11:30, the new truck arrived.  By 12:30, we were on our way to Sacramento.  At 1:55 p.m., I was back home on my sofa writing this report...

The clipper is parked outside my mechanic's shop, there's a message on his voice mail explaining WHY the clipper is there and that I will be there at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning with the key and to explain.

In the end, Good Sam was worthless.  Their promises went undelivered - all of them.  They did absolutely nothing to help me.  The operator left me hanging for way too long without any updates (I would have been willing to work with him a bit more if he did not leave me hanging for 25 minutes).

AAA was great.  The operators were very helpful and kept me informed throughout the process.  The actual tow service was provided for in a prompt manner (I have no problem if they help someone on the side of the highway before getting to me when I'm safely parked, etc.).  Even with the issues finding the right tow truck, they never left me feeling stranded or abandoned.  And each and every one of the tow truck drivers were absolutely wonderful and did everything they could to make sure I was taken care of.  Not one left me until he was certain that I was OK and that I would have assistance shortly.

The downside is that while Premiere AAA offers one 200 mile tow service per year, that service has a dollar cap.  For a standard tow truck, that cap will cover the 200 mile tow fully.  But for the medium duty wrecker, the charge is higher (in this case $175/hr) AND you are charged for the tow to your preferred destination AND BACK.  In this case, I had to pay $575 out of pocket for the 58 mile tow.  I will be attempting to get this reimbursed - by AAA or by Good Sam for screwing me over so badly.

I will update once I get the complete diagnosis of the clipper's problem.

But the rally was AWESOME!

[Clipper Joe]

Hi Toedtoes,

Wow, Must Of been Along Couple Of Days, For You.

Can't Wait To Here The Source Of The Problem.

I Also, Had A Little Blip, It Was 96 Deg. In Jackson, Climbing Big Hill Had To Pull Over, for A Bit.
We Wanted To Go Fishing, Figured Heck, A Lot Of Traffic Monday So We Justed  Drove Home.

Got In About 10:00Pm.

Had A Nice Time @ Rally.

Looks Like Good SAMs Is Not The Way To Go.. We Need  Maybe To Have A Topic On This For Others Who May Have Have Same Problems With Them. I'm Going To Call AAA Tomorrow & See What They Offer??

Keep Us Updated
Joe
ACOC#3749

[the joker]

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[the joker]

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[Panel Pete]

Toedtoes,

Here's something to chew on, if you have have AAA auto insurance covering your RV you can add a premium RV roadside assistance and tow package to you policy. My family and I experienced a breakdown on Mother's Day last year, we sat on the side of highway17 for 4 hours while I tried to restart our clipper and keep it running (ended up being a failed ignition coil, the one ignition part I didn't have a spare for!) before I threw in the towel and called AAA.

Once on the phone with the agent it took a minute or two to explain what vehicle I was requesting a tow for at which point she explained what you previously stated - their 200 mile tow has a dollar cap and that the larger wrecker and total distance would exceed that amount by some $300.00! The agent then mentioned the additional premium roadside RV assistance that could be added to our policy as "enhanced transportation expense" for an additional $28.00. After my initial excitement and exceptance of this revelation, I was then "educated" that I wouldn't be able to use this new benefit for 24 hours!

After explaining to the operator that it was Mother's Day, my wife and kids were with me and this trip was a combo trip - the wife's birthday had been 2 days earlier - including the now 4 plus hours on the side of highway 17 in 90 degree heat she agreed to ask her supervisor for and was granted an exception to the 24 hour wait period. With my newly "enhanced" coverage the total cost of the tow was under $60.00 which included the amount I tipped the wrecker driver, a HECK of a lot better that the $300.00 or so dollars that it would of cost had the operator not mentioned the additional coverage!

All in all, we arrived home safe albeit some 8 hours later that we had anticipated and I now have the peace of mind of the better coverage as well as carry an extra ignition coil with me as a roadside repair item. Sorry to hear about your poor experience with Good Sam, you think that they of all service providers would be on their "A game" to help out a member.

[Toedtoes]

I have the premiere assistance with AAA.  They will cover up to $300 towards the towing of your RV or up to the 200 mile tow - WHICHEVER IS LESS.  In my case, the tow was only 60 miles, but the actual cost was $875 - $175 per hour x 5 hours (1 hour for the hitching and unhitching, 2 hours for the tow, 2 hours for them to go back to their shop).  So, AAA paid the $300 and I paid $575 (but Good Sam is reimbursing me that amount).

[Toedtoes]

It's time to update the story.  Good Sam came through and gave me the $575, so the tow did not cost me out of pocket - yeah!

So, back to my poor little clipper.  It has been at the mechanic's since Memorial Day.  That Tuesday, the mechanic tried to start it and get it inside their yard.  The clipper would not start (no spark).  He ended up replacing a resistor that was under the ignition module (not the resistor we had bypassed in our attempts to start the clipper at the park).  This should NOT have had any effect on the starting - but the clipper started right up for them.  They got it inside the yard, but had some priority jobs so my clipper didn't get much attention the first week.  They did start it up and move it around - and it started every time.  Then my mechanic went out of town for a week and a half, so not much happened then.  The next week, I was out of town, so I told them not to rush it.

So, a month later and my clipper has been started regularly with no issue.  They cannot reproduce the problem.  We agreed to just replace the distributor as it is likely to be the culprit.  They did that, and spent a couple weeks doing the start it, drive it, stop it, start it... routine to see if it would still have a problem.  No issues - not to say it's fixed, since it hadn't had a problem since that first day. 

The week before last, they were getting ready to send it home with me, but my mechanic didn't like that I had to pump the gas to get it to start.  So they spent some time adjusting the timing and the choke.  At this point, they found that there was a problem with the choke thermostat.  The choke would open when you held the pedal to the floor, but as soon as the engine started, it would slam shut.  So, they ordered the part.  Meanwhile, they next noticed that the carburetor seemed to have a problem.  So, they sent it over to a local carb shop.  It got rebuilt.  They put the carb back in, replaced the choke thermastat and spent a couple days adjusting the choke, etc.  This afternoon, they found that the ERG had a crack all the way down.  So they replaced that also.  I picked up my clipper tonight after work.

So, my beautiful, wonderful, charming, classy, spectacular, amazing, sensational clipper is HOME!!!!  Starting him was just beautiful - push the pedal to the floor and release to open the choke, then turn the key, and he's purring like a kitten!  He's much quieter and smoother than he ever was.  Can't wait to see how my mpg changes.  Don't know yet if the starting issue is resolved, but it's looking good.

[Clipper Joe]

Hey That's Great,

It's Funny How You Miss Something, Even It Is An
American Clipper, We Start To Get Attached To A Remarkable RV.
I Think Irv Perch Was Looking Down, And Said Hurray.

Good Luck, Great Story

[Toedtoes]

When I got the call this afternoon at 4 p.m., I was literally bouncing around the office, I was so excited to get my clipper back.  I don't think I've ever missed anything as much as I missed him.  By 4:50 p.m., I couldn't take it anymore, so I left work early to go get him - I was useless by that point.