https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/scope/threadsA place for you to share advice or concerns about breakdowns and emergencies2026-10-06T03:06:20Z2021-10-04T11:35:51Z302012-04-25T02:44:49ZMaggiehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/2120/scope/postsWe currently have an Extended Roadside Service for our TT with Progressive Insurance. A friend of ours told us to also get one from Good Sam's Club, too. Is getting more than one normal/usual, or is it a tad bit too much?112011-05-25T20:32:31Zgeorgitohttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/902/scope/postsI am new to RVing and to this forum, although I have explored much of the topics and the library already. I did not find this topic discussed exactly, so I am going to jump in and ask my first forum question. Maybe it was discussed at some point, but I have not found it. I live in Texas. Tomorrow's temperature is forecasted to be 103 in the San Antonio area. I have read the discussions about dash air vs. roof air and the gas mileage implications. But I have found that in my older motorhome (1995 National Dolphin, model 432) that all the air I have available is just not adequate when actually motoring cross country. I also would prefer to travel without the dash air for gas mileage reasons, although I realize there are those who will argue that it is negligable. However, I personally think there is a significant difference in the gas mileage of my RV when I run the dash air. That leads me to this question: Has anyone used a portable a/c and vented it out a window? Many portable units on the market today have easy water disposition and seem to be perfect for such cooling. I would only need it for cooling the cockpit and immediate seating in the front part of the coach. Instead of running the roof air conditioners, which provide minimal comfort while actually driving, why can't I run the generator and operate a portable a/c in the front of the coach? Has anyone tried this? Is there any reason it would not work? I appreciate anyone's feedback on this issue and look forward to your ideas.72011-01-06T16:06:36ZAlexSpearshttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/674/scope/postsBefore you set out on your RV adventure, remember that planning ahead is often the most important part of your trip. Particularly when discussing health, you can never be too cautious on what you choose to include in your first aid kit. (http://www.campingroadtrip.com/tips-and-articles/camping-first-aid-kit-essentials) Plan ahead. You'd be surprised how many disasters can be adverted with a touch of foresight. Have fun and be safe, Alex52018-09-01T16:12:21Zbikerv1369https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/4455/scope/postsOn Thursday afternoon (2018-08-23) I pulled into the parking lot of the Pilot Travel Center just off IH-40 Exit 161 at 3300 Highway 391, North Little Rock, AR 72117. After going inside to purchase food for dinner I returned to my Fleetwood Tioga RV - a 24ft Class C motorhome and Ford E350 conversion - and noticed my outer left rear tire was flat (which explains a whining I was hearing before I pulled in). The tire would not hold air from my portable compressor, so I sought roadside assistance. I began by calling AAA Texas Premier RV Roadside & Battery Service at 800-222-4357. The Customer Service Rep (CSR) answering my call took my information and said their local contractor would be arriving or contacting me shortly. About 30 minutes later a polite young man from East End Towing arrived. He looked at my tire then confessed to me that he did not know how to change it. I suggested he call for assistance. He did - and told me no one from East End Towing was coming to help him. We then mutually agreed that I should call AAA and request another contractor, and the young man politely waited while I did so. It took several tries to reach a human being at AAA this time, but finally a male CSR took my details, said he could not help someone with a 7X6 area code cellphone, and threw me back in the queue. After a few minutes a female CSR picked up, and I told her the East End Towing rep was there but recommended we get another contractor to change my tire. She said she would 'inform dispatch' and they would take care of me. The polite young man from East End Towing left, and about 30 minutes later another service rep arrived. But he wasn't from another contractor, because despite my report AAA sent another East End Towing rep. This man was older, obviously agitated and referred to his younger associate as a dumb**s, but said he'd take care of me. I then watched him fiddle around with the tire for a few minutes before he began asking me questions that made it clear he did not know how to remove the hubcap. At that point I told him I did not trust him to change the tire and suggested he leave - which he did in a huff. Once again I called AAA Texas, informed them what had happened, and demanded they send a contractor other than East End Towing. I eventually ended up speaking with the dispatcher himself - a Joe Slick type who told me that since I had 'refused' the two East End Towing reps he'd sent that there wasn't much else he could/would do to help me. I heatedly told him to correct his records because I had not 'refused' help from East End Towing, they just weren't qualified to give me any. So much for AAA Texas... My next call was to Good Sam Roadside Assistance at 800-586-7400. In short order a polite female CSR took my details and said she'd send someone right away. A few minutes later she called back, identified herself as being with Allstate but representing Good Sam, and told me their primary contractor for the area - East End Towing - had already sent two reps and refused to send any more. I then told her what had happened earlier. She said she'd try to find someone else but could not guarantee anything. I asked her to make sure whoever she sent at least knew how to take a hubcap off, and she said she understood. Unlike her counterparts at AAA Texas, the Good Sam (Allstate) CSR went the extra mile and found an alternative contractor for me - Southern Tire Mart. Within 45 minutes their rep Jeff H. arrived on the scene and asked me to follow him to their location - which was only a few hundred yards away at 12100 E Valentine Rd, North Little Rock, AR 72117. There he turned his service truck floodlights on the left side of my RV and went to work. This was obviously not Jeff's first rodeo: Within minutes he had my RV jacked up and the hubcap and wheel off. He identified the problem as a busted valve stem rather than a flat tire, replaced it with a new one and then popped the tire back on. He took care with my valve extensions and made sure everything was aligned and tight. Start to finish he took less than 20 minutes, and my tire was good as new. I thank Jeff H. and Southern Tire Mart for a job well done, and I am grateful to the Good Sam (Allstate) customer service representative who took the time to find them for me. As for AAA Texas, I recommend they teach their staff to think beyond their screens and scripts - and find a competent roadside service provider to replace East End Towing. 02011-06-03T15:06:57ZMaggiehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/941/scope/postsSpent some time diagnosing a lurching/stumbling problem under load and have concluded that it is a clogged cat converter. I am looking at an aftermarket replacement for a '93 Ford E350 with the 460 motor. The current catalytic converter is one round pipe in (3', I think), and one round pipe out. I am looking at a Walker or a Magnaflow? Any recommendations? Thanks,22014-02-20T22:36:21ZBillNSusiehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/3609/scope/postsThe ceiling covering in our 95 Winebago has come loose. At one time it was a layer of plastic with a foam coating on the back. Over the years the two have seperated. It sags down a bit. For the moment we're using some well placed thumb tacks but we'd like it to look nicer. Any idea of how to replace it or at least not let it sag so badly? Thanks!12012-06-05T04:10:38Zmadidihttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/2390/scope/postsThe motorhome of a good friend of mine recently got damaged after a lighting strike hit the tree right beside their MH. The tree didn't cause any damage to the motorhome and thankfully, none of them were hurt. But the power of the lighting bolt was strong enough that it caused a huge power surge in their motorhome that their rig filled up with smoke. It damaged their dish network box, in motion satellite, alternator fail light, ABS light, etc. They filed a claim with their insurance company (National Interstate). Even though their policy clearly states that the company will pay for loss to personal effects cause by lightning (among other things), the only one that they were willing to cover was the freaking TV! My friend and her husband are on retirement and are full-time RVers, and I really would like to help them out. Any course of action that we can go with this?32012-03-14T08:00:57Zmary22https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/1950/scope/postsWhile we were over a friend's house, her husband told us about witnessing a class A Motorhome catch fire while they were camping a few months back. Honestly, we never really paid attention to the fire extinguisher that we have in our Motorhome until he told us that story. We checked and saw that the one that's in our Motorhome is quite small, and I don't think it would do us much good in case of an emergency. We're now looking into replacing it with a much larger one. Can anyone suggest what type of fire extinguisher would be most effective and where can we go out and get one? 52011-05-23T14:00:46Zhenryinreallifehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/886/scope/postsDiscovered last night that one of the cargo lights in the basement had accidentally turned on during travel or when I was packing things up. It's one of those cheap flat lights with a slide switch. The bulb was an 1141 and draws 9.5A. By the time I found it, the plastic lamp cover was melted and a small burned spot had been made on a dog bed that was touching it. Luckily the dog bed was heavy nylon and didn't ignite! This is not the first time that I've found one of these lights on; the slide switches require virtually no force to turn on and it is easy to do when I am taking stuff out or putting it away. After catching my breath and saying a few prayers of thanks, I'm now looking to buy LED bulbs to replace mine. The 1141 has now usually been replaced by the 1156; I would appreciate recommendations if anyone has tried some. 42011-10-07T16:57:01ZMaggiehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/1247/scope/postsWe just came back from a road trip. During the entire time, the interior lights in our TT just goes from barely on to dim. It doesn't really light up. We stayed in three different RV sites during our entire trip and it was all the same. Could this be because of a bad ground in the plug, or is there something else that we need to look into. Really could use some help on this. 62011-08-11T14:27:40Zabreu88https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/1107/scope/postsI drained my water heater tank last fall. I removed the plastic plug, no problem then. When I replaced the plug a couple days ago I stripped the plug trying to get it to stop leaking. My question is; was I supposed to use teflon tape? (I did). Metal treads on tank, plastic threads on plug. It looked like the previous owner had used a pipe dope or sealer or something. I put the new plug in today & it's got a small steady leak. I didn't want to over tighten & strip the plug again. Does anyone have experience with this kinda problem. I didn't use the tape this time. -thanks32011-06-20T14:46:04Zjeremyhttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/1003/scope/postsI have a 1998 Fleetwwod Pace Arrow. I have 2 A/C units on it. One will work when put on Auto Cool and the other will not when on Auto Cool. The one that will not will not even turn on at all. It will blow on High Cool but not cold air. I can switch the side the units are pluged into at the control unit on the wall that controls both units but each has a sepearte control on it and then it will do the same to the one I plug into the one side of unit. I have bought a new wall control unit and it does the same thing. What can it be that causes this? 52011-06-10T15:03:44Zthe Albanhttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/961/scope/posts I am wanting to know the best Insulation to use for keeping the heat out during the summer, and the cold out during the winter. I am looking to be living in places like NV, OR, AZ, ect. Places where it is very hot during the summer, and below freezing during the winter. Someone told me to use R-10. Is that the best? The walls had Styrofoam between the wood and the siding, should I put something in between the wood and the aluminum siding?22011-03-28T16:09:06ZMaggiehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/807/scope/postsI just wanted to post and have a thought about the Japanese population and what they've been through recently. hopefully they'll fix the nuclear issue so it does not have a huge impact. 02011-02-17T19:58:18Zmary22https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/744/scope/postsI was wondering for campers safety, is it required to have a defibrillator in campgrounds ??? 22010-06-04T01:08:45Zontheroadagain365https://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/477/scope/postsIf you encounter a bear: Give the bear plenty of room, allowing it to continue its activities undisturbed. Every bear has a zone of danger or personal space -- that is, the distance within which a bear feels threatened. If it changes its natural behavior (feeding, foraging or movement) because of your presence, you are too close. If you stray within that comfort zone, a bear may react aggressively in the form of a bluff charge, bodily contact, or even an outright attack. 02009-10-07T19:41:29Zhenryinreallifehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/70/scope/postsI have always used the Good Sam's Emergency Road Service Plan, but I just found out that AAA also has a road service plan. Has anyone used it? I use AAA for my F150 and my wife's Camry, but I'm not sure that I trust it with my Fifth Wheel. Any ideas? 32010-01-23T19:32:56ZCampingWifehttps://www.campingroadtrip.com/camping-and-rv-forums/forumid/37/threadid/397/scope/postsWe were heading down to NC, and pulled off I-95 at exit 98. Managed to get ourselves stuck in the mud and rolled down into the side ditch. All I have to say is THANK YOU to Frank. A perfect stranger who saw us slide, turned his van around and offered to help. In doing so, he got stuck too! Again, thank goodness for another stranger (you know who you are) who then came to the rescue. I guess I post this to say thanks to Frank and also to put it out there to all y'all - we saw so many people drive past and not blink an eye, and we have been those people ourselves too. It has just reminded me of the kindness of perfect strangers.2https://www.campingroadtrip.com/DesktopModules/Forum/Forum_Rss.aspx?forumid=37&tabid=90&mid=545&threadspage=2