Question about Good Sam roadside tire service...

[Mark N.]

If you have any experience with GS roadside tire service here's a question for you: So if you are traveling without a spare at all, as I know some folks do, and you have a flat, how does it all go down? I assume you call them and tell them you don't have a spare and they send someone out with a tire mounted on a rim? Do you have any say as to what kind of tire you'll be buying from them? I have G614's and would sorta like to stay with them. But I can image lots and lots of places where you aren't going to find one around in your size.
Will they attempt a roadside repair on your tire if it is deemed repairable?
I assume they can pretty much charge you whatever they want to and you are pretty much obligated?
I guess this is why I like having my own spare on board.

[Pete Hanson]

The one time I needed a tire replaced the truck that came out had the capability of mounting a.new tire on my rim but I used my spare instead so I could buy the tire I wanted. Not sure thats the norm. I have to ask,,,,,why would you tow without a spare????

[hunts800]

I had g614's on my last unit also, and had a pair of stainless scissors penetrate the sidewall on the Oregon Coast - unrepairable. When the Good Sam truck arrived, he refused to mount the spare since it was a different size than the G614s, claiming it was a safety issue. (I left the factory spare on when I bought the. g614s). I had to go to the nearest tire dealer and purchase a new spare the same size as the G614s, but they did not have G614s in stock - still cost me $280 for an off-brand.

Moral to the story - make sure your spare is the same size as your other tires. And, remember the service you get from Good Sam depends on who they happen to contract with in the area and how close you are to tire retailers when you have a problem. In my case there was a tire dealer less than a mile away.

[1retired06]

We have found it best to travel with a spare

[jjackflash]

Always have a spare!

[DQDick]

Would not travel without a spare. Too hard to get what you need on Sunday's or out in the boonies.

[LonnieB]

As a roadside assistance provider for several companies (Allstate, Coachnet, Good Sams,.......etc) I can tell you how it usually works. Most of these companies will only pay for a service call and tire change, meaning your spare will be installed. If you have no spare, some of them will pay for a flat repair (if your tire is repairable), if not repairable they will work with the service provider to find a tire of the right size and load rating (may or may not be the brand you prefer), which you will have to purchase from the service provider.

quote:I assume they can pretty much charge you whatever they want to and you are pretty much obligated?

No, not if the provider wants to keep their preferred provider status with the roadside assistance company. If you ever feel you have been unfairly treated by a service provider, contact Good Sams (or whichever roadside assistance company you have) and let them know what happened. If they get enough negative feedback on a provider, they will be removed from the preferred list.

If you don't have a spare, you would be doing yourself a big favor in getting one. Preferably one of the same size and load bearing capacity as the other tires on the rig.

[Mark N.]

Just to be clear, I have a spare. It is not of the same type as is on the ground. It is the brand -new Goodyear Marathon that came on my Montana. I replaced the 4 tires on the ground with G614's, but elected to keep the spare as the original Marathon. Being as many people run the Marathons for years without problems, I'm convinced one would serve as a spare tire just fine. I couldn't see spending an extra $350 for a tire that might never touch the pavement.
I asked this original question, because I was forced to travel this last trip without a spare as my Montana's superb factory workmanship left 2 screws (or something) protruding from the floor which destroyed the sidewall of my mounted spare in place. A replacement is ordered from the dealer, but it didn't arrive before my trip and I couldn't postpone the trip.
Luckily, no tire problems on the 700 mile round trip.

[Carole]

Mark, we did the same thing. Replaced the four on thw ground ith G614s and kept one Marathon for spare. Oh yeah, I forgot, these G614s aren't supposed to blowout. LOL.

[Mark N.]

quote:Originally posted by Carole

Mark, we did the same thing. Replaced the four on thw ground ith G614s and kept one Marathon for spare. Oh yeah, I forgot, these G614s aren't supposed to blowout. LOL.

Maybe not a blowout as often, but they sure aren't any more resilient to a nail! We will all use our spares sooner or later, no matter what tire we run. That is unless your Montana spends most of it's life not moving. I've heard folks say "I've had this trailer for 8 years and never had a flat!" Of course, it's been parked for 7 years and 11 months of those 8 years.

I just feel if you bother to replace a brand new, never-been-on-the-ground, Marathon spare tire with a G614 spare, you have waaaaaaay too much money in your bank account. But that's just the very pragmatic me talking. It's the Star Trek's Spock coming out...It's illogical.

[DQDick]

Here's the way I look at it. We all spend lots of money on TV's, satellite systems, and other kinds of add on's to our rigs, but without tires under it the whole idea of a 5th wheel doesn't work. Since we spend much of our time miles and miles from any tire stores, particularly those that stock 614's, that extra tire under there was cheap insurance.

[napria]

When we replaced our Marathons with G614's we left the Marathon spare as a spare. It's just going to get us to the nearest tire dealer, same as the "donut" spare that comes on most cars nowadays. Heck, my husband's car doesn't even come with a spare! (His car came standard with run flats, which he switched out)

[Chris Sr.]

Had two blow outs in one day two weeks ago. Used my spare for the first one and had to call GS roadside when the second tire blew. Told the lady on the phone that I needed a tire and she refused to give me a price saying that was between me and whoever showed up. After getting to talk to a someone else, I stated I would not authorize what was for all intents and purposes was a blank check. She agreed and set up a three way phone call with the people that would be responding. We agreed on as price before they left their shop. They came out with a tire, removed the blown tire from the rim and installed the new tire.
Just today mounted 4 new Bridgestones, leaving me with my original spare and the new tire from the road side service I will use it as a second spare if and when I can find a rim to put it on.

[sambam]

I'm with the folks who keep the 5th Marathon as a spare. I don't do enough traveling to justify a 5th G614 mounted under the rig, maybe to never touch the ground. The story might be different if I was a full-timer, or even long-timer. Right now I'm happy to get out half a dozen times a year, and I believe (rightly or wrongly) the Marathon will get me to a repair shop in the event I need it.