Complete Vehicular Failure on the Road

[shadowmoss]

Also look at Good Sam roadside assistance. They market to the RV crowd so may go further off road.

 

[RoamerRV428]

yea any tow package thing ya buy can refuse....happened to us and it sucked for the bucks I paid......honestly you are better googling a local tow where you are stranded, plead your case big time and with luck you get the one that knows exactly where ya are and will come get ya fast. Local great people are sometimes better to depend on a mass corp who might find time to fit ya in.

 

[bullfrog]

My vehicle insurance has a small tow policy I believe $100 but I had to pay and save the receipt to get reimbursed. I currently have Good Sam Roadside Assistance. I have had it for 15 years that I have lived in remote places. It is not an enjoyable or quick experience to get the service I need but most of the tows have been over 200 miles and $750. They eventually figure out they are not going to get some desperate tow company that is about to go bankrupt to come get me for $10 like they used to do in major cities. I have had to explain several times there is no as the crow flies route to some lacky overseas or in a major city where I am and how to get there. Once I get in contact with the recommended tow company they usually have to negotiate with the case manager and sometimes I end up with another tow company, several phone calls and a day or two later. As my tows are expensive the plan has more than paid for itself. I could probably pay cash and get it done a little cheaper because I have dealt with the local tow companies but many times being a major company with many contracted associates has got it done when the locals were too busy. Because I have no out of pocket costs and have done the thankless job of being a tow truck driver I usually tip 10% to 20% especially if it is a driver owner and once I'm on the truck gotten really good service. Even with the big tip I figure I'm still ahead after the 5 or 6 tows I've had in 15 years. If you have a newer vehicle, have never broken down and your emergency fund allowed you to pay cash for the tow as well as repairs you might consider doing without the up to $200 a year towing policies. Many state roads out here are dirt and I have had service but that may be because of my good working relationship with the local tow companies.

 

[Homeless in Canada]

I was broke down for 3 days. rode my bike to the parts store and fix the truck.

 

[Weldman]

"Does AAA now pay for towing from Forest Service and other back country roads?"

no they do not UNLESS it's a county/state maintained non-paved road, and even then you might be waiting a very long time or they might refuse.

highdesertranger

Which is why it took me 3 days to winch my F450 off side of mountain it rolled down when parking brake gave out, cause they wouldn't come out there and paying for recovery out of pocket wasn't affordable...
Miracle what you can do with chain fall, Hi-Lift Jack, shovel and long half inch cable.

 

[bullfrog]

As stated previously there are still some local tow/repair services that do off road. Most don't like dealing with insurance companies because they try to leverage the tow companies with large amounts of guaranteed business but in return demand a low rate. There are just too many variables when retrieving a vehicle off road especially if a four wheel drive boom type truck is required. Check out Kiteley's Trailer and Towing photographs on facebook. They drove 70 miles then 3 miles around Lake Powell below the High water mark, then ran 100' of cable to recover a ton truck that was stuck in wet sand up to the frame, then drove 70 miles home. About a half days work not including cleanup and respooling and some extra maintenance on the truck. When it was all said and done they basically did it for the cost of gas and their time. There are some really great people scraping by providing service to people in remote areas. You just need to check with the locals to find them.

 

[Wabbit]

If you have everything you own in your vehicle, you prob want a "Plan B". Our "Plan B" if our big van broke down was to transfer everything to our minivan and just tent camp while we saved up for our next attempt.

That happened about 2 weeks ago. Our big van popped a squat and was no longer drivable. We decided to spend a night or two in a motel to regroup and move things from the big van to the minivan. The morning after our first night in the motel I went outside to start moving stuff. There was a small fluid puddle under the minivan. It was brake fluid. Long crappy story short, found out the minivan was also going bad fast.

We had a "Plan C". Worst case scenario was landing in a cheap monthly motel and getting jobs. If we didn't have an emergency fund that funded Plan C, we would be in way worse shape than we are. With no Plan C, all our possessions(for the most part) would be gone.

If you can't afford any kind of backup plan, you're risking what little stability you might have locally.

 

[maki2]

As to tools, depends on the vehicle, some are metric, other SAE standard inch. A repair manual is good, either one that can be viewed with electronics or a paper version. That is just as essential as the tools. You might not have an internet connection. Don't just buy it and ignore it. Set yourself a study course and go through it all and also watch films. How else would you learn without going to mechanics trade school what tools you would actually need the most often for repairs that you could do yourself?

 

[Cammalu]

Check your spare for air.... I ended up sitting on I-65 for hours and hours a couple of days ago.... no fun.

 

[B and C]

A small portable air compressor and a tire plugging kit are your friends.

 

[RoamerRV428]

small air compressor is a great thing to haul around, useless til YA NEED IT then it is the best thing ya ever had

 

[Weldman]

If you have everything you own in your vehicle, you prob want a "Plan B". Our "Plan B" if our big van broke down was to transfer everything to our minivan and just tent camp while we saved up for our next attempt.

That happened about 2 weeks ago. Our big van popped a squat and was no longer drivable. We decided to spend a night or two in a motel to regroup and move things from the big van to the minivan. The morning after our first night in the motel I went outside to start moving stuff. There was a small fluid puddle under the minivan. It was brake fluid. Long crappy story short, found out the minivan was also going bad fast.

We had a "Plan C". Worst case scenario was landing in a cheap monthly motel and getting jobs. If we didn't have an emergency fund that funded Plan C, we would be in way worse shape than we are. With no Plan C, all our possessions(for the most part) would be gone.

If you can't afford any kind of backup plan, you're risking what little stability you might have locally.

Sounds like a "Plan B" of pull the door jamb stickers off rip the VIN off the dash and wipe it down for finger prints and walk away lmao.

 

[Wabbit]

/\ This is pretty funny. I've done this before minus the "extra" work. Left everything in it and walked away. About 4 months later I got a call from the Police asking me about it. Told them it was abandoned and that was the end of it. This was about 28 years ago, I'm thinking that today, the conversation would go differently.

 

[Weldman]

I too have done this and was laughing trying to type it...

 

[Satellite5812]

Thank you everyone for the advice and stories!

I do know how to check the fluids, and do so on a daily basis, as well as making sure the tire pressure is maintained. I also have a very basic tool kit and manual, just not the know-how to do roadside repairs solo if anything big goes. I have AAA. As soon as my trusted mechanic gets back into town I will have him go over it and give me his opinion before embarking on any more long trips. In the meantime, sounds like I'd better buffer my emergency fund...

 

[Kaylee]

Satellite5812: wise decision!

I'm the poster gal for breakdowns, with two major engine problems (including a complete replacement) in less than two months. Combined cost was just over six thousand dollars.

Here's a couple of threads where it was discussed:
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=34982&highlight=mountain
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=35258&highlight=warranty
Much kindness was rendered to me, but it was shockingly difficult to find someone both capable & willing to do the work.

If one's disabled, it's often not an option to "save" or in any other way buffer one's emergency fund.
If you have any options, definitely use them to bolster that fund.
I only drive about once per week, but when I do, it's a constant fear that The Next Thing will Break.