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Old 05-19-2020, 04:20 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Biloxi, MS
Posts: 60
Year: 1999
Coachwork: International 3800
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444E
Arrow The case for GoodSam (1500 reasons why have it)

I set sail a few weeks back from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi on the quest to retrieve and return "Bus 732" (and or) The Horse (iron) with no name, deep from the bowels of Dallas, Texas.

The flight there was of no real issue, other than several wrenches being confiscated from my carry on, due to their length exceeding the TSA 7" maximum limit, but thats a conversation in and of itself, for another day.

24 hours before my scheduled flight, I was going over my check list on what to have and what not to have. The case was made for having a roadside service provider and I opted to go with Good Sam. At the time (and currently) they are offering 50% of all plans, and I opted for the Platinum complete plan. Great bang for the buck.

Being a boater all my life, I always carried seatow. It was always the best $100 a man could spend in a year, and its obvious the same applies to the Bus.

Let me just say, thank god I had the good sense to procure it.

Roughly 235 miles into my trip home, my bus, a 1999 international 3000 with 7.3L v8 Diesel (T444E) and Allison transmission (AT545) began to lose power. I dropped from the governed 55MPH to 15MPH by the time I limped off the exit, where I brought it to a rest.

Long story short, in the middle of no-where, I wasnt moving from the spot the bus lay. No gas stations, stores, people, or taxi services were available. It was me, myself, I, and a very under powered, low signal cell phone.

Long story shorter, the radiator was shot. Bottom blown out.

I called goodsam, gave them my member number, and without several hours, the big rig tow truck was out, as was my drive shaft, enroute to the nearest diesel mechanic for repair. This tow cost Good Sam $750, had I not had it, those would have been duckies out of my pocket.

Needless to say, a weekend, late night tow, shop closed, no parts stores open, I left the bus with them, and returned home to MS after my ever-so-understanding wife drove through the night to get me.

A week later, said wife drove me back to the shop, coughed up the dough for the repair (I replaced the radiator, thermostat, water pump, belts, and hoses, along with fan and assembly), a quite expensive repair, but I digress...

I am back on the road again, the wife is around 40 miles ahead of me, roughly 200 miles into our trip, suddenly, the bus starts to lose power again. Of all places, on a bridge, over a swamp, with very little median to escape into, to make matters worse, a 75 mph zone, trucks and cars flying by.

I of course popped the hood, went right to all that was just replaced, could find no issue, nor any other issue after fluids checked, et al. I could identify it to be a fuel starvation issue (it seemed so). Everything checked out that I could identify, without getting run over, or what I could see.

At this point, im over it, and on the phone again, with Good Sam. Give them my member number, the approximate location of where I was, and shortly thereafter, a big rig tow was there, drive shaft off, and I was on the way again, to a diesel shop.

This tow cost Good Sam $800.

So in a matter of a week, I used the service twice.

In both instances, Good Sam paid the full cost, $1550 total.

Best $120 I could have ever spent, for Good Sam service.

Longer story shorter, this break down, of all god forsaken things, was caused by damn Dirt Dobbers. While the bus was at the 1st mechanics shop, the dobbers had invaded and built their mudtubes over the fuel tank vent. Because it couldnt breath of course, tank became pressurized, collapsed fuel pick up line, now vapor locked.

The 1 thing I didnt check (the fuel cap) while broke down, on the bridge, in the dark. Had I done so, The pressure would have been released, and I would have been on the road again, until pressure built back up, where I could simply rinse and repeat again, until I got home and could actually see where the issue was.

I returned back a couple of days later to get the bus for the final 170 miles back home. Made it without incident (3rd time was the charm) and will begin the strip down in the days to come.

There ya have it. My 1550 reasons WHY you should have GoodSam too.

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Old 05-19-2020, 04:35 PM   #2
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Wild Wild West
Posts: 691
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins MD3060
Rated Cap: 84
That's a great beginning to a beautiful love/hate relationship! (Hopefully it's with the bus and not the wife!)

I guess I'll look into Good Sam before I make my madden voyage!
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Old 05-19-2020, 04:54 PM   #3
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: So Cal
Posts: 3,227
Year: 1935
Coachwork: Superior
Chassis: Chevy
Engine: 317 ci/tid / Isuzu
Ha! A couple of more Good Sam good luck stories like that and there will be no GS insurance--at least not for $100!
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Old 05-19-2020, 07:10 PM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 52
Year: 1991
Chassis: Wayne Lifeguard
Engine: 7.3L IDI
Rated Cap: 23,600 lb
Oh man! I haven't needed it but that's EXACTLY why I pay for Good Sam.

It's either a good time or a good story!

Thanks for sharing.
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Old 05-20-2020, 01:00 AM   #5
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: GA
Posts: 611
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Amtran RE
Chassis: International 3000
Engine: T444e 7.3L
I popped a tire driving Alaska to Georgia. Good Sam sent a gentleman out to put my spare tire on. When I got to my destination, they bought me a new tire.
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Old 11-11-2020, 10:31 AM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 30
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 77 Passenger
Was your bus already converted? I'm looking into Good Sam, too, but mine is still just seatless and bare-bones.
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Old 11-11-2020, 10:55 AM   #7
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And THIS, ladies and germs, is why I advise people to get in the habit of pre-trip inspections, on which I created a thread. Good on the OP for having a Plan B though.
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Old 11-11-2020, 11:35 AM   #8
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Biloxi, MS
Posts: 60
Year: 1999
Coachwork: International 3800
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444E
Quote:
Originally Posted by sambulate View Post
Was your bus already converted? I'm looking into Good Sam, too, but mine is still just seatless and bare-bones.
It was not converted. Still full of seats. No questions were asked by GS or tow driver, although the driver and I did discuss (in general) what my plans were for it.
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Old 11-11-2020, 04:03 PM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 30
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 77 Passenger
Thanks for your response!
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:06 AM   #10
Almost There
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: NJ
Posts: 88
Year: 2010
Coachwork: Collins
Chassis: Chevy Express
Engine: Duramax LMM
I just got off the phone w Good Sam and their customer rep (Jeff) informed me that they no longer cover converted school busses.
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:20 AM   #11
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Near Flagstaff AZ
Posts: 1,951
Year: 1974
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: "Atomic"
Engine: DD 8V71
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWNJ View Post
I just got off the phone w Good Sam and their customer rep (Jeff) informed me that they no longer cover converted school busses.
I wonder how that applies to folks who've had their plan for a while...like us. I guess I need to give them a call this week. Thanks for the heads up!
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:25 AM   #12
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Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 6,995
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
Quote:
Originally Posted by rossvtaylor View Post
I wonder how that applies to folks who've had their plan for a while...like us. I guess I need to give them a call this week. Thanks for the heads up!
Man, I'm afraid to even talk to my Allstate rep.
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:43 AM   #13
Almost There
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: NJ
Posts: 88
Year: 2010
Coachwork: Collins
Chassis: Chevy Express
Engine: Duramax LMM
Quote:
Originally Posted by rossvtaylor View Post
I wonder how that applies to folks who've had their plan for a while...like us. I guess I need to give them a call this week. Thanks for the heads up!
No problem. I just wanted to pass along what I was told in my phone conversation with the GS rep to the forum. Hopefully you guys are grandfathered in or something.

I'm waiting for a call back from coach-net to verify they cover skoolies. They have an article on their blog from 2016 about someone w a skoolie that they assisted. Hopefully they're an option for me. I'll report back w what C-N has to say.
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:45 AM   #14
Almost There
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: NJ
Posts: 88
Year: 2010
Coachwork: Collins
Chassis: Chevy Express
Engine: Duramax LMM
Quote:
Originally Posted by musigenesis View Post
Man, I'm afraid to even talk to my Allstate rep.
Allstate wouldnt even talk to me unless I transferred ALL of my vehicles over to an Allstate policy lol. I ended up throwing my bus onto the commercial policy for my work truck.
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:02 AM   #15
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 6,995
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWNJ View Post
Allstate wouldnt even talk to me unless I transferred ALL of my vehicles over to an Allstate policy lol. I ended up throwing my bus onto the commercial policy for my work truck.
Apparently that is not an Allstate thing but something that individual agents do, likely unscrupulously. According to Kelly Newsome, agents are supposed to suggest it but it's not required by the company (it might even be illegal). I have my bus insured with Allstate but my car with Geico and it's never been a problem.
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Old 07-05-2021, 06:30 PM   #16
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Biloxi, MS
Posts: 60
Year: 1999
Coachwork: International 3800
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444E
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWNJ View Post
I just got off the phone w Good Sam and their customer rep (Jeff) informed me that they no longer cover converted school busses.
I just had this talk with them on their Facebook page to keep it in the public:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...id=70870387802
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Old 07-05-2021, 07:10 PM   #17
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Near Flagstaff AZ
Posts: 1,951
Year: 1974
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: "Atomic"
Engine: DD 8V71
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sraycwb View Post
I just had this talk with them on their Facebook page to keep it in the public:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...id=70870387802
And...I see that they dodged the question in that public forum.
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Old 07-05-2021, 07:53 PM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Biloxi, MS
Posts: 60
Year: 1999
Coachwork: International 3800
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444E
Quote:
Originally Posted by rossvtaylor View Post
And...I see that they dodged the question in that public forum.
That depends on your interpretation. In 1 breath, they conceded that if it's registered as an RV, your covered, and in another, they say to call and when you do, you get varying answers.

I cancelled my renewal and went with Coach-net.com
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Old 07-05-2021, 08:08 PM   #19
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Near Flagstaff AZ
Posts: 1,951
Year: 1974
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: "Atomic"
Engine: DD 8V71
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sraycwb View Post
That depends on your interpretation. In 1 breath, they conceded that if it's registered as an RV, your covered, and in another, they say to call and when you do, you get varying answers.

I cancelled my renewal and went with Coach-net.com
Oh, you are so right. I didn't click on the "see other responses" so I only saw the first two answers which showed up...basically, "call us." The additional back-and-forth did shed some light on things. Thanks for the info and for digging into that
.
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Old 07-05-2021, 08:35 PM   #20
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Biloxi, MS
Posts: 60
Year: 1999
Coachwork: International 3800
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444E
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWNJ View Post
I'm waiting for a call back from coach-net to verify they cover skoolies. They have an article on their blog from 2016 about someone w a skoolie that they assisted. Hopefully they're an option for me. I'll report back w what C-N has to say.
Before I joined coachnet, I also queired them on their Facebook page.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...22344944448591
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