Oaky, any problems with CoachNet?

[CoffeeGuy]

We are 15 months into our skoolie conversion and I've only taken the bus out a few times. It's probably been a year since we've moved it due to the stages of construction we were in. I want to start driving it to shake out any mechanical issues but since our driveway is a b*tch to get in and out of, I want towing coverage to deal with any "oh, sh*t, I'm not sure what happened but we can't get home" type issues.

Times have changed and Good Sam seems to be out of the skoolie game. Coachnet looks too good to be true, but it also looks like the best option out there. I'm ready to pull the trigger, but I'd like a little 3rd party info.

My bus is currently registered as a motorhome in Vermont, but my current insurance policy is still "commercial for personal use". I'm not sure if that's a problem or not, but I guess that's another thread. Feel free to comment, though.

1. As a CoachNet member, have you ever had a problem dealing with them?

2. Is $249 really all you need to spend to have towing and roadside assistance?

3. When my wife's Honda Element had the starter die at 6pm on a Sunday evening in a tiny tourist town with no rental vehicles 100 miles away, would CoachNet have towed us home?

4. Is there anything I absolutely need to know before pulling the trigger?

Thanks, y'all. I need to update my build thread here, because we've been making some progress!

[rossvtaylor]

Thanks for asking all these, MorningElixerGuy! I'm curious, as well, so I'll be following along. I've had Good Sam for 4 years, without ever using them, and they just auto-renewed me. This is my reminder to call them tomorrow and cancel. And I've been looking at CoachNet as well.

[fo4imtippin]

Have you considered AAA RV Premium? I was hoping to pull the trigger this week, but haven't seen any good reviews. Didn't do a coachnet quote yet

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by fo4imtippin

Have you considered AAA RV Premium? I was hoping to pull the trigger this week, but haven't seen any good reviews. Didn't do a coachnet quote yet

Nope, I've heard nothing great about AAA RV Premium either. I'm basically looking at CoachNet because it's the one that keeps getting rave reviews on the skoolie groups on FB.

I like the entertainment there, for the most part, but I come here for solid information without the fluff and noise.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

Thanks for asking all these, MorningElixerGuy!

It's not just for mornings anymore!!

[rokett]

Going into my second year with Coach Net. They rock!!


While they are scheduling you a tow they have a tech/mechanic call to see if they can talk you through something simple.



They call ahead to verify the shop is qualified to make the repair as well.


Some of the extras are nice. Articles, tips, resources, etc. and rental car discount codes.


They have towed my bus twice as well as my toad (jeep cj7) once from my campsite to the shop.


In Utah they had my bus towed from the side of the highway, found me a pet friendly hotel with parking for the bus and I used a mobile mechanic. 30 mile flatbed tow would have cost me a lot.



In Montana I broke down in front of the house luckily. I found a great bus mechanic 18 miles away and they had no problem sending a tow truck.

[NovaTRON]

Originally Posted by fo4imtippin

Have you considered AAA RV Premium? I was hoping to pull the trigger this week, but haven't seen any good reviews. Didn't do a coachnet quote yet

AAA RV coverage is not available in every State. I'm in WA where it is not available.

[Skyhiker]

Originally Posted by rokett

Going into my second year with Coach Net. They rock!!


While they are scheduling you a tow they have a tech/mechanic call to see if they can talk you through something simple.



They call ahead to verify the shop is qualified to make the repair as well.


Some of the extras are nice. Articles, tips, resources, etc. and rental car discount codes.


They have towed my bus twice as well as my toad (jeep cj7) once from my campsite to the shop.


In Utah they had my bus towed from the side of the highway, found me a pet friendly hotel with parking for the bus and I used a mobile mechanic. 30 mile flatbed tow would have cost me a lot.



In Montana I broke down in front of the house luckily. I found a great bus mechanic 18 miles away and they had no problem sending a tow truck.

Thanks for that! Helpful review as we are looking into it. Have you had any experience with them with roadside tire replacement?

[rokett]

Originally Posted by Skyhiker

Thanks for that! Helpful review as we are looking into it. Have you had any experience with them with roadside tire replacement?

Skyhiker, I have not used the tire replacement plan. I had to put new tires on my bus shortly after purchasing and carry a spare so I have taken my chances on that one. If I was running with older rubber or had re-treads/caps (which I would not) then I think I would give the tire plan a try. It's likely something I will add on in the future.

[Skyhiker]

Originally Posted by rokett

Skyhiker, I have not used the tire replacement plan. I had to put new tires on my bus shortly after purchasing and carry a spare so I have taken my chances on that one. If I was running with older rubber or had re-treads/caps (which I would not) then I think I would give the tire plan a try. It's likely something I will add on in the future.

Thanks for the reply. Would you change your tire yourself? I’ve never changed more than a car and obviously never removed rubber from the rim. Just getting all my ducks in a row read a bunch about tools needed and skills strength etc etc but if I wasn’t concerned with a wait time and obviously being in cell range a roadside tire plan sounds great. Having ur own tire for them to use saves a lot of time so that I feel is my plan. (Coincidentally we are looking at a 30’ tc2000

[rokett]

Originally Posted by Skyhiker

Thanks for the reply. Would you change your tire yourself? I’ve never changed more than a car and obviously never removed rubber from the rim. Just getting all my ducks in a row read a bunch about tools needed and skills strength etc etc but if I wasn’t concerned with a wait time and obviously being in cell range a roadside tire plan sounds great. Having ur own tire for them to use saves a lot of time so that I feel is my plan. (Coincidentally we are looking at a 30’ tc2000

I would NOT change my own tire roadside or if I was on a trip. Its no joke to change a tire that size! I can't even pick it up alone and my dog isn't much help ;p


With that said, I carry a spare tire only, not wheel and tire so it still has to be swapped out. I do it because I had one decent takeoff still in DOT date spec when I bought new ones and save the potential of a $500+ tire coming out of my contingency fund while on the road. Once the spare is no good I will likely not bother to carry one and will sign up for the Coach Net tire plan. That dumb tire is huge, dirty and too heavy to move myself. I don't want an undercarriage carrier because on my bus (27' long) it only fits rear of the drive axle and I prefer the ground clearance on dirt roads so its stuffed in my "garage" of the bus.



If you could get the tire off the wheel and a new one back on filling it will become the issue. A small, or even standard, air compressor won't fill it well when there is bus weight on the tire. I would only attempt it if I'm stationary and have access to the heavy artillery and needed to do so.


I've done some of that type of thing with trucks out in the back roads and out of necessity only, its never fun and usually needs a "do not try this at home" disclaimer.


Let the pros knock it out if you have the means to do so and buy good brand tires. Your life, and others, depend on it! IMO



Good luck on your TC hunting! I love mine.

[HamSkoolie]

I did motor T in the military for a number of years. If you think a skoolie tire is a pain try changing a 5 ton military truck tire with the gear the military issues. Especially if it's a super single.

First you do have a hoist and boom to lift it up and drop it down on the ground....that was nice of them.
Then you have a long "socket" to bring the drive outside teh wheel. A metal rod goes through the end of that socket but, unfortunately, the rod is of such mild steel that it almost always bends trying to take the lugs off. And you often need an 8 foot long pipe over the end of that bar to get enough force to break it loose.
Not a fun think and I don't know how many times I had to do a road trip to recover a rig that simply couldn't get the wheel off the axle.
Learned some tricks though. A bar under the tire will lift it up to the studs for mounting a whole lot easier than your arms will do it. And a Coke bottle (glass not plastic) is all you need to jack the rear up to change an outside dual......or a 2x4, properly sized rock, a brick, a little piled up dirt.....


Our rig will have a single spare mounted on the nose. Before we make our alaska trip we're considering mounting a second spare on the nose so that together they create a bit of a "moose bumper". They'll be lifted and lowered from travel position by a hoist that we haven't decided yet on whether to have a pull out rail supported by the above roof rack or a lay down mount that raises and lowers the spare mounting structure.

[rokett]

Originally Posted by HamSkoolie

Our rig will have a single spare mounted on the nose. Before we make our alaska trip we're considering mounting a second spare on the nose so that together they create a bit of a "moose bumper". They'll be lifted and lowered from travel position by a hoist that we haven't decided yet on whether to have a pull out rail supported by the above roof rack or a lay down mount that raises and lowers the spare mounting structure.

Great idea for a road trip to Alaska and smart to have the gear to replace your own wheels in back country. Seems a simple block and tackle might work well with an arm off the roof rack to rig it to. Light, stow-able and useful in other situations, dig it.

Enjoy Alaska!! I'm sure it will be amazing!