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Old 05-29-2017, 07:21 PM   #1
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Roadside Assistance - Coach-Net versus Good Sam versus Progressive ... oh, my! (Not t

Greetings on this 2017 Memorial Day, fellow MBS Foresters.

Since it is stormy and raining in Houston, I have been inside, pouring over the notices about needing to select renewal of various 1-year service agreements on this first birthday of our taking possession of our 2016-unexpectedly-2017 Forester MBS 2401 WS. After 1 year of new RV owner syndrome, I feel I am finally able to venture into evaluating and making conscious choices about coverage, rather than just submit to the newbie blast of accepting (or ignoring) all coverage ... baby steps ...

Question: How have you all decided on Roadside Assistance coverage options? Seems to me, that roadside assistance is provided by so many overlapping choices among Good Sam and other providers of basic RV insurance (Progressive is mine, courtesy of USAA membership) ... and then there is Coach-Net roadside assistance provided by Forest River. Is there a compelling case for choosing Coach-Net along with insurance-provided roadside coverage, and - if so - opinions from your actual experience with the various options?

Let this be said: I am not a mechanically-gifted RV-owner, but I am good with tools. Although I can often figure out the source of the problem, I am likely not going to be the one to fix it if it goes beyond basic handy-woman skills. Discuss ...
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Old 05-29-2017, 07:39 PM   #2
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Here in Texas there is another option, AAA premium level covers many RVs. Apparently this is offered in our region but not in all regions. Might be worth looking into.
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Old 05-29-2017, 07:59 PM   #3
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I chose the Good Sam Roadside Assistance program years ago when I bought my first RV (used) and didn't want to be saddled with an unfortunate $6-800 tow bill. When I found out it covered every car in the household as well it was a no brainer for me. (With teenagers at home)
Experience....
Daughter ran out of gas once- She called the 800# They brought her 5 gal and put it in the car for her.
Son was away at college- dead battery... Get this... he called a towing service 4 straight days to get a jump (LOL) I received a call from GSRA asking what the problem was at --S University (I wasn't aware of this) They basically said... you need to replace his battery. We won't be covering any more jump starts at that location for you on this car.
Peace of mind - Priceless!
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Old 05-30-2017, 06:06 AM   #4
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One concern and policy difference is towing.

Will they tow your RV and the boat, or trailer if you are towing?
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:12 AM   #5
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One concern and policy difference is towing.

Will they tow your RV and the boat, or trailer if you are towing?
I never asked that question. I used to tow all the time using a dolly. I guess I just took it for granted.... Interesting question though. I'll have to ask that question.
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Old 05-30-2017, 01:10 PM   #6
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All towing services will tow you to the nearest garage or place of repair. At least GSRA is available everywhere as they contract with the nearest tow company. So you get service for your buck. As opposed to being told you are in a non-service area.
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Old 05-30-2017, 01:15 PM   #7
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I have GEICO and for $20 a year emergency service rider all roadside problems are covered. My 32-foot motorhome broke down on I-10 and GEICO covered 100% of the towing some 60 miles to a repair shop. If your RV insurance company offers emergency services you should buy it. No need for GS, Coach-net or other coverage at much higher prices per year.
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Old 05-30-2017, 02:05 PM   #8
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I used to have Coach-Net on one of old 5th wheels and I used one time in an emergency situation and it was very good. Now, I have just purchased a new Puma 5th and it is supposed to come with Coach-Net for one year free. I don't know where the card is, but, it shows a phone number on the owner's manual. Does anyone know if this is normal or do I need to call the number to get the card?
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Old 05-30-2017, 02:19 PM   #9
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I have GEICO and for $20 a year emergency service rider all roadside problems are covered. My 32-foot motorhome broke down on I-10 and GEICO covered 100% of the towing some 60 miles to a repair shop. If your RV insurance company offers emergency services you should buy it. No need for GS, Coach-net or other coverage at much higher prices per year.
Just about any roadside assistance plan is fine for motorhomes, but it’s different for those who tow a trailer. If your tow vehicle breaks down do you know what your roadside assistance plan will do with your trailer? In some cases they leave it on the side of the road. Good Sam and Coachnet are the only two ERS designed for RVers and those are the only two I ever recommend for those of us who tow trailers and they take care of the tow vehicle and find a place for the trailer.
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Old 05-30-2017, 02:43 PM   #10
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One thing to remember is that Sprinter service (especially warranty service) may be difficult to find. Not all MB dealers service them, so you might wind up with a very long tow.
Keeping that in mind, I chose the Good Sam membership as it offered the best coverage. And you get the camping discount card, too.
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Old 05-30-2017, 03:24 PM   #11
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I've been using Good Sam Roadside Assistance since I purchased my fiver in 2009. Overall I would give the service a C+. We've needed their service about 6 times for a variety of problems. The best experience was with a blown tire on I-10 about 100 miles east of Tucson. It seemed we were in the middle of nowhere, but the service truck arrived within 15 minutes (really!), put on the spare and directed me to a nearby tire shop where I could buy a replacement. Most of the other times the wait was hours rather than minutes. GSRA makes a point in its ads of saying that they are RV specialists, not auto shops that also do RVs. That came into play with a breakdown of my tow vehicle in Northern California. We were about 50 miles north of the campground we were heading to and about 50 miles south of the closest Ford dealer. In just over an hour Good Sam sent a tow truck for the TV and a pickup truck with a 5th wheel hitch for the trailer. The tech with the pickup brought us to our campsite and helped us set up and level the trailer. The service cost nothing other than the tip for the tech. The TV repair cost a bit more. On the other side of the equation, we blew a tire and broke a spring in Texas. Good Sam never showed up. A few guys from Texas DOT stopped and put on the spare, then directed us to a repair shop. They wouldn't accept a tip. And last, we blew another tire on a local road in S. Carolina. This was just a couple of months ago. It took 30 minutes for Good Sam to answer the phone and another 2 hours for the service truck to arrive. I guess my point is this: it seems like all of the road service outlets contract out to local service facilities around the country. I would bet that several of them use the same service suppliers, especially in lightly populated areas. For that reason I'll stay with Good Sam because I imagine the level of service is totally dependent on where you break down, and how busy the service suppliers are at the time you need help.
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Old 05-30-2017, 04:21 PM   #12
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I have been with GSRA for 5 years now and have used them about a flat tire on my 5th wheel while at a campground, a flat tire on my 5th wheel at my home storage area and just today a dead starter in my pick-up in my driveway. In each case I received service within an hour and today it was within half an hour and a tow for 2 miles to a service center. I am happy with GSRA and their Customer Service so far and plan on renewing up in coming years.
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Old 05-30-2017, 04:28 PM   #13
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Good Sam will tow both, tow vehicle & trailer, 1 to repair shop & the other to campground/ hotel
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Old 05-30-2017, 05:54 PM   #14
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AAA membership has its privledges

You can have an AAA membership for roadside assistance without buying insurance. They are nation wide and if not state specific as here in Michigan, they are regional as in the south.

As far as mechanical breakdowns. If I am not mistaken Mercedes Benz covers towing for entire length of your warranty.

Member Benefits Chart

Hope this helps.
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Old 05-30-2017, 06:24 PM   #15
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Roadside Assistance

I've kept Coach-net after that first year for two reasons: I had a couple of technical questions early on as a new RV owner so called them and talked to a tech who walked me through my problems. Second, I had a flat on the motor home on Mother's day, a Sunday, last year on Galveston Island of all places. It took an hour or so for them to even find someone open who could make the trip but the customer service guy called me often to let me know the status. I was still on the park road so there was no safety issue.
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Old 05-30-2017, 07:08 PM   #16
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Progressive came through for us

We always used USAA to insure our RVs but had always had fifth wheels or TTs. When we got our motorhome, USAA referred us to Progressive. We did some comparison, but found the Progressive price was very reasonable. Little did we know how soon we would test their service!

Less than 3 months after buying the MH, at the beginning of our first long-distance trip, we broke down on the top of a mountain on a Sunday afternoon! We called them and got excellent service. They kept us apprised of how long until the tow truck would arrive, found a repair shop within 30 minutes away and arranged for the gate to be opened so we could leave it inside for the night. They continued to check on us to make sure the tow truck had arrived and that we had a place to stay for the night.

We never felt we needed any additional coverage.
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:12 PM   #17
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My GSRA story

Been with GSRA since 2013 when we started full timing. Three tire blowouts on fifth wheel with two of them on busy interstates. The other flat acquired when I scuffed the side wall of one rig tire on a curb coming out of a Wal-mart. By the time we got to the rv park, about 10 miles, tire was flat. One call was to mobile mechanic to wire a new 7 pin after ours came loose on IH 10 in Louisiana and dragged for about 5 miles basically shredding half of it off until a nice biker rode by and pointed and gestured. One call for a mobile mechanic who I asked for by name, because I got stuck on grass with the tractor and rig because of too much rain and ran out of air shifting back and forth (has and air assist clutch). Happened at BIL's place by the lake with too much up hill grade. Mechanic (who does all my work on the tractor in his shop) also pulled me out for $100.00 GSRA paid for service call.

Last call was flat on the front drive axle of tractor on Palm Sunday this year on I-10 in El Paso. Third party involved because new tire had to be brought out as we carry no 22.5 inch rimmed spare. That call and what transpired is another story for another time.

Coach-net won't cover us because we have a tandem axle semi tractor. One axle then they would. Have not talked to them in several years

Dave
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:55 PM   #18
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I attempted to use Coach Net which I got for a year on my first trip. Refrigerator would not work on gas. I called them and they told me that soonest I could get service was 30 days down the road and 200 miles from where I was at. I threw away their card.
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:58 PM   #19
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I attempted to use Coach Net which I got for a year on my first trip. Refrigerator would not work on gas. I called them and they told me that soonest I could get service was 30 days down the road and 200 miles from where I was at. I threw away their card.
So instead of roadside assistance you wanted them to be an in the park repair service??
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Old 05-30-2017, 09:03 PM   #20
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I thought Coach Net was for roadside assistance, not appliance repair.
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