How to Have a Successful Breakdown

[VanFan]

First, have "the talk" with your van about where to break down early.  Explain that, while you know he is old and will break down, choosing the right place to do so is important!  (The entrance to the service road, a mile away from the dealership, was a good choice--especially versus the 80 mph, gazillion lane, Jersey barriers/no shoulder areas we had just been through.)

Stay OFF America's craziest roadways.

Put on your flashers and orange hazard vest, deploy the heavy duty warning triangles you've kept easily accessible for decades, and get away from the vehicle if safe to do so.

If feasible, have a loving, supportive partner with you.

Know where you are.  Have Road Rescue's number on speed dial, so you don't have to find it in "contacts" in bright sun light.

Travel during business hours.

Have emergency funds at hand.

Grab your "go" bag with critical items for a day or two away from the rig.  Ask the dealership to shuttle you to a nearby motel, order a pizza and get some sleep.  Request shuttle service after breakfast, pick up the van, and resume trip on the backroads, enjoying the fall color.

May your travels be safe, and all your breakdowns "successful"!

 

[kklowell]

It sounds like you may have perfected this plan over a few "practice" sessions.

 

[maki2]

Sounds more like a fairy tale than everyday reality. If only it was always that perfect and predictible. You could breakdown in the middle of nowhere and the nearest town does not even have a motel and there is no shuttle service available.

Lots of folks enjoy traveling the Blue Highways and even smaller backroads. You are lucky to find gas stations with tirev pair out there. Shuttle service amounts to standing on the side of the road hoping someone comes along who is willing to give y ou avride to a town. You will be pretty lucky if you have cell service as towers can be far apart.

I broke down one time where fortuntely someone had a small portable Ham radio. Patched me to the closet repair place which was 30 miles away in the barn on a farm. The mechanic did come and tow me to his place. He was too busy to replace my blown engine but his parents came out of retirement, it used to be their repair business and they did the work. There was a motel in a town 10 miles away and I had a bicycle with me so that is how I got to the motel and back to the repair shop. But I was 3 days in the motel, not just one night. Not all repairs can be done overnight. Sometimes the parts could take several days to show up. Other people might be lined up in the schedule ahead of you, not at all unusual.

But for me it was still a successful breakdown even though I had to get a friend to wire transfer some money he loaned me to a local bank in the town where the motel was. Successful because I did eventually reach my desired destination driving the vehicle.

 

[MrsBackRoads]

At this time of my life I am lucky enough to travel in a newer minivan. When I started roaming around in my travels I joined Triple A. And years ago my hubby taught me how to check and change the oil, how to jump battery if needed. Also change air filters, and change the oil! All of that makes me feel a little more in control when traveling.
A break down is never going to be convenient. But if you can keep calm to think it through, that break down won’t be emotional break down as well.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Stay calm and carry on. Look for the silver linings. Practice makes breakdowns perfect, so have lots of them!

 

[Calaverasgrande]

My old 77 Ford Econoline got me in the habit of always having a toolbox and an assortment of parts on hand. As well as bottles of the four food groups, ATF, brake fliud, oil and antifreeze.
It's also really important to have an actual jack and spare. Surprises me how many people do not.
Jumper cables, or one of those portable jumper gadgets too!

 

[Freelander]

I thought maybe you were having a Nervous Breakdown.

But I heard Ford was offering a free Dog with every new purchase, that way when it breaks down you have somebody to walk home with.

 

[MrNoodly]

It sounds like you may have perfected this plan over a few "practice" sessions.

Avoiding mistakes comes from experience. Experience comes from making mistakes.

 

[maki2]

Never had a husband that taught me much of anything when it came to mechanical stuff. My father didn't either. Lots of men know very little about such stuff, by choice and by inclination of not wanting to get their hands dirty.

 

[gizmotron]

My father, a WWII pilot, taught me all my cuss words while laying on a gravel driveway under the car bashing his head on solid metal parts while changing things like alternators, starters, and bleeding the brakes.

 

[MrNoodly]

My father, a WWII pilot, taught me...

My father, a highway engineer, failed to teach me about checking the oil on the lawnmower and then blamed me when the connecting rod broke. I was about 10 at the time.

 

[VanFan]

Sounds more like a fairy tale than everyday reality.

Exactly.  After safe, warm/dry and not too hungry, everything else is gravy.  I like gravy.

Yes, I've had a hiccup in a town(?) with no gas station/lodging or cell service, where the local law mentioned a guy in the next town who "can fix anything."  Fortunately, it was just a hiccup.

This actually was a continuation of a fairy tale:  the one where Mama Bear is trying to find the just-right bed for Goldilocks.  Not many mattress stores on the backroads.

Haven't heard of phone patch in forever.  i got my Novice (no voice) license when I was ten, but have since forgotten all the code and what little theory was needed to pass the test.  I do remember the bus trip to the state capitol to test, though!