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Old 09-28-2024, 10:46 AM   #1
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My truck is getting old ...

Hi, I'm curious about how you've managed a vehicle breakdown far from home.

My F150 is from 2014, it has low mileage but it's 10 years old, which also counts. I'm traveling from Montreal to Mission, Texas.

My concern is a breakdown while travelling to the destination, especially a major one like the transmission. What would you do with the trailer in such a scenario? How would you handle it?

The truck might sit for weeks... If you're prepared for this or have experienced it, please share your experience or ideas. :-)
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Old 09-28-2024, 11:02 AM   #2
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traler towing.

Hi
Don't know the answer, but commenting to see what others say.
Have seen insurance that gets your rig home if you get sick, but haven't seen one for truck breakdowns.
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Old 09-28-2024, 11:08 AM   #3
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I suppose it depends on the mileage and how that mileage accumulated (towing, city driving, or lite highway usage). I would suggest a transmission temperature gauge which you may can get (if not on the dash already) via OBD2 monitoring software and connector.

I will add that I have purchased many new trucks in life and have found that new trucks often have many issues (covered under warranty) and old trucks (esp high mileage) have worn out components that can be addressed, but that middle age (primarily in mileage) are often the most reliable trucks I have owned.

I would get the truck fully checked out in any case by a reputable mechanic prior to taking any long trips with it. ~CA
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Old 09-28-2024, 11:35 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by craigav View Post

I would get the truck fully checked out in any case by a reputable mechanic prior to taking any long trips with it. ~CA
X2
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Old 09-28-2024, 12:00 PM   #5
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We had Good Sam for over 30 years. Used their Roadside Assistance twice without any issues. When Marcus Lemonis took over Camping World he also took over Good Sam. The reviews since then are terrible for both. Good Sam is not the same today compared to what it was a few years ago.

Two years ago we dumped Good Sam and joined FMCA. Their benefits for the cost of a membership are more comprehensive than what Good Sam had to offer. We paid extra for their Roadside Rescue, but hopefully will never have to use it.

The most important thing on avoiding breakdowns is vehicle maintenance. If you neglect oil changes, tire maintenance, and other important issues then you are asking for trouble.

https://www.fmca.com/fmcarvclubbenefits

https://www.fmca.com/fmca-rv-roadside-assistance
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Old 09-28-2024, 12:02 PM   #6
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We are from St.Louis. We were in Gunnison, CO, a 1000 miles from home for our oldest daughter's wedding when our truck died. They left on Sunday for their honeymoon, truck died on monday. All of the shops I contacted were at least 3 weeks out. Had to be at work the following Monday. I travel with a lot of my work tools, so a flight was out of the question. Our other kids had left on Sunday or early on Monday.
The airport had 2 car rental places, but neither one would rent to go out of state. Had to rent a car to drive 3.5 hours each way to CO Springs to prucure a one way rental home. Towing the truck and 2 rentals $1500.
Trailer was in the Gunnison koa. They were ZERO assistance, and got kind of pissy with Friday being 4th of July and needed our site.
We managed to get ahold of one of the daughter's friends on facebook. She hooked us up with the rancher where the wedding took place. He came out and moved our trailer to his ranch for safe keeping.
Quick detour. After the service, the newlyweds rode off into the sunset on a 2 mule drawn carriage . There is something you don't see everyday..
Almost 4 weeks later I flew back to Gunnison via Houston where I hoppod onto a twin engine puddle jumper for the rest of the flight. Weaving thru the Rockies to land at 7000 feet was quite the ride. Flight cost about $600.
Daighter picked me up from the airport and we went to her house for the night. Next morning we picked up my truck and trailer so I could start the thousand mile ride home solo. Truck repair $1000.
Kind of sucked at the time, but made for a good story.
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Old 09-28-2024, 12:06 PM   #7
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Not the same situation as you are asking about but a couple of years ago I wrecked my truck while we were out on a camping trip, not towing at the time of the accident. We were about 350 miles from home and the truck was not drivable. I had a transport company tow my 5th wheel back home and they also hauled my truck to a repair center near home. My insurance only covered a small portion of hauling my truck home stating they only reimburse for towing a "reasonable distance".

All that to say, you could have a transport company haul your rig to a nearby campground/RV Park and haul the truck to the nearest repair center. It won't be cheap but it will get you off the road and in your rig while repairs are being done.
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Old 09-28-2024, 02:51 PM   #8
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We had an issue with our truck about a year ago. Pulled in to get gas, with trailer attached. Truck would not start back up. Had a tow company, tow truck and trailer to campground. Thankfully very close. Next morning had an appointment at dealership in town for an issue anyway. Got towed to dealership and they told me how much the repair was going to be.
I didn't like the amount, so we ended up buying a new truck.
Went from a 2017 Colorado Diesel to a '24 2500 6.6L.
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Old 09-30-2024, 05:31 PM   #9
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Manual trans and no more worries about slushbox failures. My truck'll be old enough to drink next year. 'course I'm not 'normal' (like most of you) in that I have a BS in Automotive Tech so there's a cam and couple boxes of parts slated to go in over the winter when I pull the engine to do a light refurb/reseal on it and the trans.

Maintenance maintenance maintenance. There are fluid change and parts check intervals for a reason. "Lifetime fill" means life of the warranty, so change it. especially towing change it under the "harsh conditions" schedule.
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Old 10-05-2024, 12:57 PM   #10
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If we have learned anything over the years, it is to be prepared for an unexpected night or two, and 25+ years of AAA RV plus!

2023 - Alternator failed at Cedar Point - Deidrick's Auto had us up an running that day following a tow in.

2023 - Broken leaf spring in West Virginia - Hillbilly Towing had us back on the road in a few hours through a major rainstorm late at night with a roadside repair.

2021 - Caliper hung up on way to Myrtle Beach - the big dealers turned me away - got connected with Mr. Smith at Smith's - excellent service, and learned he trains the local kids to fix cars as well. Wouldn't take a tip, but the staff enjoyed the pizzas I brought over.

2018 - transmission problems left us dead on the roadside in West Virginia- local big Ford dealer in Beckley refused us service - fortunately connected with Steve at Mid-State Ford. Can't speak enough about how he went out of his way for us. We were down for a week. He stored our RV, drove us 45 minutes to a rental car, and fixed our vehicle over the week we drove to Florida. On the way back, he had our truck properly hitched to the vehicle and ready to go after hours!

2012 - Wheel bearing repaired at Myrtle Beach Ford dealer.

Just a few examples. We have always been treated so well with all the help we have received on our voyages out of Buffalo, NY.

On the flipside, we have stopped many times to help others.

In 2020, we came upon a rollover incident outside of Pittsburgh. While my wife turned on the heater in the RV, pulled out the slide, and laid down some tarps, we moved victims out of the ice storm and into the RV until medical help arrived (which was quite some time).
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Old 10-05-2024, 01:26 PM   #11
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We've had CAA RV Plus for many years. Have only had to call once for a blowout, but service was quick. It's been a long time since I read the membership T&C's (my bad) but IIRC it will get both the TV and RV to safety, so I would probably try to find a CG nearby and ride it out until the TV was fixed. DW is retired, and I can work remotely when needed, so I wouldn't have to worry too much about getting home for any specific date.
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Old 10-05-2024, 04:19 PM   #12
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Three breakdowns.
1. Stayed in welcome center one night, towed PU to dealer. One-day repair and back on the road. Central Oklahoma.
2. Stayed at State Park Campground, drove PU to dealer and rented a car. Two-day repair. They had the part FedExed to a town 100 miles away and sent a runner to get it. Quicker than having FedEx deliver to their dealership. East Texas.
3. Drove to dealer, stayed in Cracker Barrel lot one night, GM dealer lot one night. One-day repair. Tennessee.

I don't know about Ford or Dodge, but GM policy (as I was told by a dealer service rep) is that stranded out-of-towners get priority over locals that need routine maintenance.
So far, so good.
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Old 10-05-2024, 05:12 PM   #13
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Had this issue a month ago. Ask the camp hosts. They can be a lot of help.
Bottom line if you need help it’s always out there
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Old 10-05-2024, 07:21 PM   #14
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That's not old but maybe had a lot of miles. Just sold my 2004 F250 with 83,700 miles. Probably needed to drive it more often and hard. Last 2 years had FICM go bad, probably my fault as unknowingly I had a bad battery and it's very important you run 2 good batteries to have sufficient voltage. One injector went out, replaced all 4 on that bank. Hot side boot kept blowing off after replacing with Gates boots, replaced with Sinister Diesel, problem solved. That all happened after 18 years of TLC, never left me stranded once.
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Old 10-05-2024, 08:47 PM   #15
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Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I'm confident that we will find a way to manage should anything unfortunate occur.
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