Planning for the unplanned

[Kelpiesgmc]

Yesterday was my first experience having my coach towed (engine failure (knocking rod)). It was far from worst case scenario — last day of our trip, we were < 200 miles from home, and able to limp off the road to a parking lot. Still the experience has me feeling shook.

I am obsessed with these GMCs and really have zero interest in any other motorhome/camper van. But this experience has me wondering if I can really keep using the coach. Here's what I mean...

No one will work on them. Generally this doesn't bother me. I can do the mechanical work myself. Hey— it's cheaper that way anyway! But when you're on the road I'm now realizing what a liability that is. It means when the s#^+ hits the fan, I can't just have the coach towed to the nearest shop. Just finding a company that would tow it took hours. The tow itself I waited 12 hours for. Honestly that kinda terrified me. I was somewhere relatively safe— but what if I'd been on the side of the highway? What if I'd been further from home?

I know a lot of you travel with your coaches routinely. How do you deal with these situations? What's your contingency plan?

Is there a roadside assistance service that could offer peace of mind? When you're too far to tow home, then what?

It's amazing that we have the "black list", but when you need to get a broken down coach off the highway it doesn't feel like there's time to reach out to numbers on the list.

traveling with animals really compounds my anxieties on the subject. In this instance my wife had to Uber to a car rental place and return to evac the kid and animals.

Anyway, I'm hoping y'all can ease my mind because I'm not done loving these coaches

 

[Matt Colie]

Kelpie,

In 80K+ and 18 travel seasons, we have been on a hook three times and the last of those was only because I was close to home and didn't feel like replacing belts on the highway shoulder. The other two were serious mechanical but non-engine issues. Between the Black's list and our unbelievable suppliers, there is very little that can not be accommodated. We have been on both sides of Black's (aka GMC assist) list, and the two times I really needed them, they were right there. I can only hope that you don't have more first hand experience.
I will admit that finding the resources as in capable tow companies or technicians can be an issue.

Sorry to hear about the rod knock, that can be a serious issue.

Matt_C

 

[kidjedi]

I am wondering what your comparison is for these scenarios? Are you asking about RV-ing in general, because in another RV you'd be experiencing the same scenario, right? (trouble finding someone to tow a large vehicle) If it's comparing the GMC to a Mercedes Sprinter... good luck finding someone to work on that in the moment. In the boonies there are no techs, and in the city they are booked out 6 months or more. There is no denying that servicing our vehicles comes with problems, but I'm not sure those issues are isolated to our brand. Perhaps I'm off base, but that is my current understanding. You could downgrade to a camper slapped on a 350 van or box truck chassis, but what's the fun in that?

Also, and this is probably a bad answer... I'm betting just about everyone who drives one of these things has childhood memories of being "stranded" while waiting for repairs. That's a tremendously stressful time for parents, but usually ends up being a lifelong memory (often a fun one) for the kids.

There is no denying that getting our rigs serviced by someone else (not doing the work yourself) is often quite difficult, but I'm wondering if it's really any different with other brands and models.

 

[kidjedi]

p.s. Take it from someone who learned the hard way... don't be afraid to cut and run. If it looks like things are going to take too long to fix, find somewhere to park the rig semi-long term, and then find the nearest rental place and send the family packing. Paying off unexpected expenses over the next year or two to get the spouse and kiddos home or on to the destination is worth it. I wish I had done that when stranded in Wyoming for nearly 2 weeks waiting for parts (incidently, NOT a GMC story).

 

[LQQKatJon]

It is a big problem…. But not unique. Depending on the breakdown other rv’s have long wait for parts and also find some shops will not work on them. Worst case is there are transport to haul gmc about anywhere in the us if needed.

I have a 2024 f-250 in the shop now 2 weeks. We jump started it after running 4 way flashers all night and something happened with electrical. Window wont go up or down.

 

[Kelpiesgmc]

I am wondering what your comparison is for these scenarios? Are you asking about RV-ing in general, because in another RV you'd be experiencing the same scenario, right? (trouble finding someone to tow a large vehicle) If it's comparing the GMC to a Mercedes Sprinter... good luck finding someone to work on that in the moment. In the boonies there are no techs, and in the city they are booked out 6 months or more. There is no denying that servicing our vehicles comes with problems, but I'm not sure those issues are isolated to our brand. Perhaps I'm off base, but that is my current understanding. You could downgrade to a camper slapped on a 350 van or box truck chassis, but what's the fun in that?

Also, and this is probably a bad answer... I'm betting just about everyone who drives one of these things has childhood memories of being "stranded" while waiting for repairs. That's a tremendously stressful time for parents, but usually ends up being a lifelong memory (often a fun one) for the kids.

There is no denying that getting our rigs serviced by someone else (not doing the work yourself) is often quite difficult, but I'm wondering if it's really any different with other brands and models.

Oh that's interesting — I would have assumed that a sprinter would be super easy to get repaired.
I guess what I'm comparing the GMC to is the only other thing I have experience with. See, our previous camping/road trip vehicle was a 2008 Honda Element with a custom pop-up tent top. That thing was mega reliable, but we did breakdown once in the middle-of-nowhere Nevada. We had roadside assistance which took care of finding the tow, and finding a shop to tow it to was very easy since just about any garage would take it without batting an eye. The garage was probably 200 miles away so we paid a bit extra out of pocket for the tow, if I remember correctly. But in general, though it was a worse place to have broken down, it was a far less stressful experience.

 

[kidjedi]

...our previous camping/road trip vehicle was a 2008 Honda Element with a custom pop-up tent top. That thing was mega reliable, but we did breakdown once in the middle-of-nowhere Nevada. We had roadside assistance which took care of finding the tow, and finding a shop to tow it to was very easy since just about any garage would take it without batting an eye. The garage was probably 200 miles away so we paid a bit extra out of pocket for the tow, if I remember correctly. But in general, though it was a worse place to have broken down, it was a far less stressful experience.

Yep. Car vs. RV. Very different stories. But could you walk round and cook a full blown meal in the Element, let alone shower and use the restroom... and comfortably sleep 6? The "luxury" comes with risk (call it trade-offs) when compared to the ease of towing and servicing a car, especially a Honda.

 

[tmsnyder]

Oh that's interesting — I would have assumed that a sprinter would be super easy to get repaired.

I was just speaking with a woman last weekend that owned a newer sprinter van RV and it was not usable. It had a problem with the ignition switch. Mercedes Benz wouldn't work on it b/c it was an RV, they said take it to the RV dealer. The RV dealer wouldn't work on it b/c they said it was a Mercedes Benz problem. They've been unable to use their coach for months now.

This is not a GMC only problem.

 

[tmsnyder]

What's the history of your coach? How many miles are on it?

When did it develop the rod knock?

There ought to be a course to teach people how to drive a 12,000 lb 50 year old motorhome, some things would be similar to towing safely in your Honda Element. But other things would be very different.

 

[Kelpiesgmc]

What's the history of your coach? How many miles are on it?

When did it develop the rod knock?

There ought to be a course to teach people how to drive a 12,000 lb 50 year old motorhome, some things would be similar to towing safely in your Honda Element. But other things would be very different.

I bought it 1 year ago. Driven it about 6000 miles in that time. It has about 67k miles. I don't know a ton about what it's been through. From the relics I found in the coach, it appears it got most its use in 70-90s. Seems like it may have sat for a while before the most recent PO bought it and replaced a lot of the rubber and added HEI.
We just took it up to WA from AZ. It ran great all the way up. However in WA it weirdly pushed a pushrod through a rocker.. I replaced the rocker and pushrod and changed the oil. Then on the way home it was acting like it was starving of fuel. I suspected vapor lock, but was confused as it wasn't as hot as we'd driven through on the way up. I stayed in the slow lane and tried not to push it. Then about 150 miles from home it started sounding... weird. Pulled off the highway right away, and by the time I made it to the end of the off ramp it was clearly knocking. Luckily there was a parking lot just off the off ramp.

 

[werewilfs]

with regard to "getting off the highway" you have to use magic words to get the attention of tow truck people. "Are you safe?" If you're on the side of the highway, you are NOT safe. Even if you think you are. So many times inattentive drivers plow into the back of unsuspecting people stranded on the side of the road. You're not safe until you're in a parking lot somewhere. If you say you are not safe, they are obligated to get you to safety by whatever means necessary. If you say you're safe, prepare to wait.

That said, we too have played the waiting game with these motorhomes when it comes to a tow. Just know, if you end up needing to get towed, you're likely to be waiting a minimum of 12 hours and sometimes up to 24-36 hours. All depends on where you are. The tow insurance reimbursement rates are abysmal and the tow truck operators know that if they wait longer, the tow insurance companies will up the reimbursement. So they've effectively taught them that the longer they wait, the more money they'll make. At the cost of our sanity of course.

This is the main reason we tow a car behind us now. We call it our life raft. Allows us to run out and get parts to hopefully fix whatever issue we're having ourselves and forget getting towed.

 

[Bhart]

On Tuesday 18th of October , 2022 at 2:30 pm my GMC Motor Home broke down on I-80 Mile Marker 243.5 near Lexington, Nebraska.


I called the Progressive Roadside Service at approximately 2:40pm. I was instructed to go to text message and follow the link provided for service. One of the questions I was asked as what is the model of my GMC. I put in Palmbeach and the system did not recognized that model and would not let me continue to get service. I called my agent's office and talked to his representative and she was able to get through and provided me with a different number (800-776-2778). I tried that number and got the same recorded call as the first time. Called my agent again and the rep said she would call Progressive herself. I was texted that a Progressive rep would give me a call, that was 3:33pm. I received another text number from Progressive to provide them with my location at 3:36pm.

As a side note Progressive out sources there tow insurance to a third party.

I received the following message from Progressive at 5:04, 5:12, and 5:20. We apologize for the delay. We are still working to secure service or your vehicle's needs. You should hear from us again shortly.
I got a hold of a Progressive rep and was told hat we needed to find a safe location and to get reservation at a RV Park as all repair service providers were closed for the day. My wife got a reservation at Four Seasons RV park in Elm Creek, Nebraska at 5:40


At 5:53 I received text message from a Supervisor Renee stating she is working on dispatching a tow service. I did receive a text from Progressive at 6:55pm on Tuesday asking if I was still waiting for service to arrive? (Y or N) Since I was on the phone with Renee I felt this was redundant to answer.
Had to call 866-920-5242 a couple of times during the evening to check on status of our tow. Each time was told they were not able to find a tow company. My wife informed me that Dowhy Towing was a 24 hr. service and that they were available. My wife called Dawhy towing and was told Progressive had not contacted them. I got on the phone to Renee to tell her to call Dowhy Towing, I could hear her but she could not hear me on the phone connection. I called again and same thing happened as she could not hear me. Had my wife call Dowhy Towing and requested a tow. Tow truck came at 8:58 pm to take us to Four Seasons RV Park. A 30 mile tow that cost $1000.
When I was able to talk to Renee earlier she confirmed that they would try to get us towed to a repair service in the area the next day. Never heard from anyone from Progressive so I called late morning to ask for the status of our tow to a repair service. I had to explain the whole situation back to them. I went back to the text message “Are you still waiting for service to arrive? (Y or N)” on Wednesday at 10:59am and answered Y. Again at 1:28pm Y, 2:51pm Y, Nobody has called, and lastly on Thursday at 12:05pm Y, I am still waiting to hear from someone.
When we never got a response from anyone from Progressive on Wednesday we started to check on long distance haulers as we felt we were left high and dry and to fend for ourselves.. We found Transport Masters USA. and received a final quote for $2800, Estrella Americana LLC would be the carrier.
Motor home was picked up at Four Seasons RV Park on Tuesday the 25th of October and was delivered to our house in La Grange, WY.
Four Seasons charges $40 a night or$150 per week. When we left early Thursday morning we did not have a pick up date established. So we elected to go for the weekly rate as on Friday it would have been $160.
We were reimbursed for 80% of the towing bill and one night at the RV Park.

When I related my experience to my insurance agent he informed me next time to contact the State Patrol for towing assistance.

 

[werewilfs]

On Tuesday 18th of October , 2022 at 2:30 pm my GMC Motor Home broke down on I-80 Mile Marker 243.5 near Lexington, Nebraska.


I called the Progressive Roadside Service at approximately 2:40pm. I was instructed to go to text message and follow the link provided for service. One of the questions I was asked as what is the model of my GMC. I put in Palmbeach and the system did not recognized that model and would not let me continue to get service. I called my agent's office and talked to his representative and she was able to get through and provided me with a different number (800-776-2778). I tried that number and got the same recorded call as the first time. Called my agent again and the rep said she would call Progressive herself. I was texted that a Progressive rep would give me a call, that was 3:33pm. I received another text number from Progressive to provide them with my location at 3:36pm.

As a side note Progressive out sources there tow insurance to a third party.

I received the following message from Progressive at 5:04, 5:12, and 5:20. We apologize for the delay. We are still working to secure service or your vehicle's needs. You should hear from us again shortly.
I got a hold of a Progressive rep and was told hat we needed to find a safe location and to get reservation at a RV Park as all repair service providers were closed for the day. My wife got a reservation at Four Seasons RV park in Elm Creek, Nebraska at 5:40


At 5:53 I received text message from a Supervisor Renee stating she is working on dispatching a tow service. I did receive a text from Progressive at 6:55pm on Tuesday asking if I was still waiting for service to arrive? (Y or N) Since I was on the phone with Renee I felt this was redundant to answer.
Had to call 866-920-5242 a couple of times during the evening to check on status of our tow. Each time was told they were not able to find a tow company. My wife informed me that Dowhy Towing was a 24 hr. service and that they were available. My wife called Dawhy towing and was told Progressive had not contacted them. I got on the phone to Renee to tell her to call Dowhy Towing, I could hear her but she could not hear me on the phone connection. I called again and same thing happened as she could not hear me. Had my wife call Dowhy Towing and requested a tow. Tow truck came at 8:58 pm to take us to Four Seasons RV Park. A 30 mile tow that cost $1000.
When I was able to talk to Renee earlier she confirmed that they would try to get us towed to a repair service in the area the next day. Never heard from anyone from Progressive so I called late morning to ask for the status of our tow to a repair service. I had to explain the whole situation back to them. I went back to the text message “Are you still waiting for service to arrive? (Y or N)” on Wednesday at 10:59am and answered Y. Again at 1:28pm Y, 2:51pm Y, Nobody has called, and lastly on Thursday at 12:05pm Y, I am still waiting to hear from someone.
When we never got a response from anyone from Progressive on Wednesday we started to check on long distance haulers as we felt we were left high and dry and to fend for ourselves.. We found Transport Masters USA. and received a final quote for $2800, Estrella Americana LLC would be the carrier.
Motor home was picked up at Four Seasons RV Park on Tuesday the 25th of October and was delivered to our house in La Grange, WY.
Four Seasons charges $40 a night or$150 per week. When we left early Thursday morning we did not have a pick up date established. So we elected to go for the weekly rate as on Friday it would have been $160.
We were reimbursed for 80% of the towing bill and one night at the RV Park.

When I related my experience to my insurance agent he informed me next time to contact the State Patrol for towing assistance.

Sounds so familiar. Tow insurance is hit or miss. Mostly miss sadly. Your best weapon against unexpected breakdowns is to stick to your maintenance like a hawk and just keep your fingers crossed.

 

[pvfjr]

I bought it 1 year ago. Driven it about 6000 miles in that time. It has about 67k miles. I don't know a ton about what it's been through. From the relics I found in the coach, it appears it got most its use in 70-90s. Seems like it may have sat for a while before the most recent PO bought it and replaced a lot of the rubber and added HEI.
We just took it up to WA from AZ. It ran great all the way up. However in WA it weirdly pushed a pushrod through a rocker.. I replaced the rocker and pushrod and changed the oil. Then on the way home it was acting like it was starving of fuel. I suspected vapor lock, but was confused as it wasn't as hot as we'd driven through on the way up. I stayed in the slow lane and tried not to push it. Then about 150 miles from home it started sounding... weird. Pulled off the highway right away, and by the time I made it to the end of the off ramp it was clearly knocking. Luckily there was a parking lot just off the off ramp.

Sorry to hear about your luck. I was relieved when you found a bad rocker, and hoping that was the end of your troubles. I wonder if some metal pieces from the rocker found their way into your oil and wreaked havoc with your bearings?

 

[Matt Colie]

B and Kelp,

I hate to tell you that with only 3 times on a hook, I could almost do a ^C & ^V for our names.
No matter whose road service you think you have (We actually have 3), be ready to call the State Police and ask them to find you a tow company - they always know how that they can count on.
The hardest time is finding a BIG roll-back (a Landoll is better) or someone that can do a 4500 front wheel lift.

Oh, and don't feel bad about getting service. Nobody has that easy. If we should meet, I will buy you the first round and tell you that
A: Black's list is a savior,
B: Knowing your coach and staying current on the maintenance is essential,
C: Knowing what you will need is important.

The only thing you can count on even if you are in your own county is that the service provider might reimburse you for the towing cost.

I have known owners of megabuck coaches to the laid up for a month or more just getting parts.

Matt_C

 

[tmsnyder]

Why does a rod bearing spin / knock? They don't just do it for no good reason, imo:

- Low oil
- Pinging excessively
- contaminated oil from coolant
- built too loose or too tight

Other causes?

 

[pvfjr]

Why does a rod bearing spin / knock? They don't just do it for no good reason, imo:

- Low oil
- Pinging excessively
- contaminated oil from coolant
- built too loose or too tight

Other causes?

I'd add abrasive debris, like metal particulate from elsewhere in the engine. A little abrasive action gets you some wear, wear gets excess clearances, and excess clearances get more wear.

Since OP had a rocker break up just hours (of driving) before, I'd think they're related. That's too much coincidence for me. I'd bet the rocker sent debris and particulates into the oil, it got into the bearings, and slowly started wearing them down. After many more miles, clearances were adequate to hear a rod knock. It probably started before the oil change and rocker diagnosis, and was already too late. Just my theory for this particular sad story.

 

[LarryW]

Why does a rod bearing spin / knock? They don't just do it for no good reason, imo:

- Low oil
- Pinging excessively
- contaminated oil from coolant
- built too loose or too tight

Other causes?

Check this for engines that have not been run for an extended period of time. https://www.gmcmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/weidner-starting-engine.pdf

 

[lw8000]

Agreed on the stress when travelling, the more people on board and the farther from home, the more stress. There are many ways to cope with it. I've found that AAA Roadside Assistance has been good. Used it a couple of times unfortunately, one time with a 200 mile tow, with good experiences. I also have a decent inventory of spare parts on board, especially those that are small and hard to find, including OEM parts and couplers, splicers, etc if a hose breaks or things like that. Obviously we can't carry everything and it's impossible to predict what could fail, but I believe there have been some lists floating around on this forum for common items to carry on board. And as already mentioned, regular and preventative maintenance, which is also tough because it can never end. I run the coach regularly and check things over, because i believe letting it sit is the worst thing you can do.

 

[Tinman]

Why does a rod bearing spin / knock? They don't just do it for no good reason, imo:

- Low oil
- Pinging excessively
- contaminated oil from coolant
- built too loose or too tight

Other causes?

Contaminated oil . If I read correctly , there may have been som pieces fromt the rocker push rod failure that blocked a oil passage , or was fed Trough the bearing ?