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| Trip report [message #338388] |
Mon, 05 November 2018 12:18  |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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To the Chattanooga area for a rally, with the Kia as a toad. Coach ran flawlessly save poor oil pressure going up. A fun rally with fine folks from the Dixielanders. Unfortunately, on the way home I 'lunched the mill'. Increasing knock and failing oil pressure put us into Rest Are #35, South on I - 75 and a call to FMCA Roadside Assistance, for which I had signed up. Worth the $70.
The Roadside Assistance company has it together. The first thing out of the rep's mouth each time we interacted, "Are you safe?". Which I was. They kept me informed, their automated system called shortly after the towing company's estimate of arrival. I was talking to the Help Person on the ten minute over schedule call when the wrecker pulled up. The driver didn't think he wanted to put the coach on the bed, and his company has quit using the wheel lifts on the truck - which would have worked quite well. Anyway immediately he decided 'better safe thatn sorry' the Help Person called back and said we're looking for a suitable wrecker service, and recalled a few minutes later with the schedule of a wheel lift wrecker... and apologized that it would take about 90 minutes to arrive. In that 90 minutes, the driver called me and gave his timetable which was within a few minutes of the Help Person... and he met it.
The Help Person noted the tow was over their maximum 100 miles to a qualified shop and negotiated a $100 surcharge to get to the 'nearest qualified shop'. We agreed, the shop across from Road Atlanta was the closest and as she quietly pointed out, the closest to my home. "We have to tow to a qualified shop.....". Which shop was at 6118 Highway 53, while the turn to my house is 4000 highway 53. I tipped the driver an extra 20 for detouring and getting the coach close to my shop. He said he was going on 53 to I-85, I told him as far as I'm concerned he had delivered me to the shop and thanks.
I followed Ken Henderson's advice on dealing with Roadside Assistance. The idea here is to catch flies, which is way easier with honey than vinegar. It works, I even got an apology from the Help Person's supervisor whip called to make sure I got the word on delay and who was coming.
The service guy told me they pretty much have abandoned wheel lift wreckers because more and more cars can't be towed that way, but all can be hauled on the rollback if they can get on it. Which is why the outfit hauled me home with a ten wheel wrecker with a sleeper cab, designed to pull semis by hooking to the front axle and lifting. Fit just fine on the crossmember on the GMC. Given the size of the wrecker, he could have simply picked up the whole coach with the lift and brought it home sideways if the roads were wide enough. I doubt the driver even knew he had it on the back without looking in the mirrors.
At the beginning of the stop, after I called Roadside, I wandered up to the other GMC in the lot, a bobtail. Therein I found Jim Galbavy lamenting the loss of power steering on his coach. The belt is on tight, and I gave him a bottle of steering fluid which didn't improve the steering. He headed on out at slow for freeway speeds,changing lanes and passing as little as possible between North Georgia and Alex Ferrara's place to diagnose and fix.
All in all a fun trip, even with the delay getting home. Improved my assessment of roadside, the FMCA one is good as any and cheaper than the others. I obtained a new engine at the rally (Beavers' Racing Engines John Beavers build) with the idea of picking it up around the end of the year and heading to Ken's place which he graciouslyu offered for the swap. Slight change of plans, I'll pick it up around the end of the year and bring it back to my shop and install it - Foolish Carriage made it the 50 feet to under the cover this morning with no oil pressure and a phenomenal clatter. It >might<run another minute or two but it ain't going anyplace so I'll slowly get it ready for the new mill over the next month or two.
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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