Coach Net or Local Tire service?

[Gordon Groff]

If you're gonna have a flat, this is the way to have it.  I backed my MH (2010 Tiffin 35QBA)into the field behind my house to test-fit it there in preparation for a party we're having in 2 weeks.  Maybe 50' or so.  Anyway, after confirming the fit and putting it back on the pad, my wife (who was spotting me) said one tire was bulging more than looked right to her.  Sure enough, the left rear outer tire was totally flat - off the rim flat.  Now I know why the rut in my yard was deeper on that side.  ??? 

It's back up on the levelers, no problem.  My wimpy 4hp, 110v compressor does not put out enough to pop the bead back on the rim, so I don't really want to take it over the road on one tire, even though there is a local truck tire shop just a mile or 2 away.

My question - Is there any reason to call Coach Net, or should I just call the tire shop?

I'm thankful that we found this as we did and grateful to my wife (who it not usually very observant of technical stuff) for seeing it.  At home, no trip planned till Thanksgiving.  Plenty of time to get it fixed.  The scary thing is that when it's up on the levelers, the bulging is not noticeable., I've been lax in checking tire pressures since they've held air perfectly for almost 4 years.    Our next trip, we could have taken off down the road with one tire totally flat and I would never have realized it.  :'(  Lesson learned!  Check tires before every trip!  :-[  It could have been a very expensive lesson.

Gordon
Gordon

 

[Jim Dick]

I would call Coach Net and explain the situation. They will find an outfit that can fix the tire for you. My wife had a flat on our toad when we were in Sierra Vista last year. A call to Coach Net had her back on the road in 20 minutes.

 

[Jim Godward]

Gordon,

You may want to consider one of the tire pressure sensor systems for the MH.  Ours has  been a live saver a couple of times, on the car and on the MH.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

See if Coach Net will dispatch the local tire shop to you. That way Coach Net pays for the service call and you can get a new tire from the store if needed.

 

[Gordon Groff]

Thanks for the advice, guys!  I'll call CoachNet on Monday.  I'll bet they don't get many calls for service that can wait a week or two. 

 

[Gordon Groff]

Now, For the Rest of the Story......

On Monday, I called Coachnet and explained that it's not an emergency, I'm not stranded and that I would like Michelin dealer service in case it is a warranty claim.  I suggested some local ones.  They dispatched an outfit from Harrisburg (about 45 miles away), who were not a Michelin dealer and did not have a new tire.  They were bringing a used one with them.  I found a local Michelin dealer and cancelled the Coachnet guy.  I felt bad, since he was already on the road, but thought it best.  The local outfit ordered in 2 new tires (in case tread wear on the inner required both to be changed) and came out Wednesday and changed the 1 tire (other one had plenty of tread).

Here's the interesting part.  On October 14, we were returning home from a weekend out, when we heard an incredibly loud "CRACK".  Loud enough to make our ears ring, but no sensible impact to our coach or change in it's ride.  The sound could have come from the opposite lanes of the highway, but I could not imagine what could have made such a load sound that would have been so loud inside our rig.  I did a walk around and found no damage on my coach anywhere and no visible tire issues.  Continued the 1hr. trip home on 65 mph highways and parked the coach.  No problem.  I noticed the outer rear tire was bulging slightly more than normal, but since I have a 2x2" "locator" bar on my pad that I drive over, I though I might have been more on top of it than normal.  It sat there on it's hydraulics for a month before I discoverd it was flat this past weekend.

When the tire was dismounted yesterday, we found about a half dollar-sized blowout hole on the inner sidewall.  No evidence of outside damage from debris.  The frayed steel cord ends were visible.  Now we know what a sidewall blowout sounds like!  I believe this will be a warranty issue, but have to wait for the Michelin rep to visit the service center on Tuesday.  It won't be a lot, prorated for 3.5 out of a 5 year warrenty, but I'm hoping it will be acknowleged as a factory defect.

I'm almost glad I did not figure it out when it happened, or we'd have been stuck along the side of the road for emergency service rather than having the liesure to handle things at home.  I would NEVER have driven it home if I knew one tire was blown, but it worked - this time.

If it had been an inner dually rather than outer, we may never have discovered it until the other one blew.  I'm going to have to look into a TPMS system.  I'll post that inquiry seperately.

Thanks Folks,

Gordon

 

[driftless shifter]

Ya gotta kick 'em or thump 'em. The soft/flat one will sound/feel different than the others.

Bill

 

[Wyotraveler]

You should have a thumper. Almost every truck stop sells them. I check at every rest stop when traveling. The tire? I guess it depends where you live. I am in a farm community. Tire dealer comes out all the time to change tractor tires. They replace huge tires in the field. No problem. I would bet even small MH tires.

 

[Mavarick]

Well that?s kind of disappointing to hear about Coachnet. I wonder why they disregarded your request which seemed very reasonable? I have never had to use them so was looking forward to see how they did with your issue.
It also seems strange to have a defect failure after 3 years of use. Is it possible that side or axle is overloaded? Either way the TPMS system is a very good idea. Good luck with your claim.

 

[Jeff]

Coachnet has contracts with road service companies throughout North America that the dispatchers use when a customer calls.  Since many of the call outs are for other than new tire warranty service many tire dealers may not be interested in being on the list.

 

[Gordon Groff]

I have no problems with Coachnet.  My situation was outside their usual usage.  I did not need "roadside assistance" in this case.  That's why my original post was to help me decide if I should even call them or not.  The reps I spoke with were very pleasant, competent, and responsive.  they were gonna get someone out to help me quickly, whether I needed it or not! 

Seriously, overall, I was impressed with Coachnet and even though they may have missed the essence of my specific need,  they did have someone with a tire I could use on their way to me in ? hr.  I do not hold it against them that they did not specifically have a Michelin dealer in Lancaster PA under contract just for this occurrence.  It was a good dry run for Coachnet service. 

Gordon

 

[Wizard46]

Anytime one of the duals blows and the coach is driven, the other tire should at least be inspected thoroughly or replaced also as it was subjected to a extreme overload situation.

Also I was told by Coachnet, that if I call about a low tire pressure while in my yard and it just needed air, that they would send a service man but would not pay anything. Same thing happened wit GS ERS ant that was the reason I switched services. Later called Coachnet and that was what I was told.

 

[Gordon Groff]

Update - I just received a $358 check from the local "Service Tire Truck Center" from Michelin!   
It really was a tire defect that blew out.  Phew.  So glad I contacted a local Michelin truck tire dealer to do the work. 

It was shocking to not even know I blew one of my dually's and continued to drive on it ignorance, so I also installed a TPMS.  So glad we happened to notice it before our next trip!!  I'll update my TPMS query thread about that.

Gordon

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It was shocking to not even know I blew one of my dually's and continued to drive on it ignorance, so I also installed a TPMS.

Wise move!

 

[Jim Godward]

Also I was told by Coachnet, that if I call about a low tire pressure while in my yard and it just needed air, that they would send a service man but would not pay anything. Same thing happened wit GS ERS ant that was the reason I switched services. Later called Coachnet and that was what I was told.

Interesting as all 3 of the local tire shops will come out and add air at no charge.  If they have to do anything else, there is a charge.  This assumes that you are at home and either in or close to town.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Bridgestone has a very informative series of tire articles on their web site.

One in particular explains that a tire's load carrying capacity varies according to speed.  The truck style radials used on motorhomes are rated for 100% load at 51-65 MPH.  If you're traveling 70 MPH the tire's load capacity decreases by 4%, at 75 MPH you have 12% less capacity - even after inflating the tires 5 PSI over the sidewall pressures.

It works the other way, too.  Reducing your speed to 50 MPH gains 7% capacity.

This is significant when you realize many motorhomes are loaded at or close to their rated weight limits under normal use.  You can think you're within the tire capacity when you're actually overloading them by going too fast.

Replacing a single tire on a dual pair can also cause problems - if it's diameter is different than it's mate it will carry more or less than 50% of the pair's load.  A difference of 1/4" in diameter between two tires can make the larger one carry 600 lbs more than it's smaller mate.  And since the two tires are locked together, unless their circumferences are identical they will travel different distances per revolution and their treads will squirm as one or the other is dragged down the road by it's mate.  A 5 PSI inflation mismatch between identical tires can change their circumference by 5/16", enough to cause tread scuffing as they roll down the road.  Since a new tire has about 11/32" of tread depth, putting a new tire on a pair where it's mate has 50% tread remaining can result in a 5/16" diameter difference, or a difference in circumference of almost one inch between the pair.

http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20120618/ISSUE/306189960/be-wary-when-matching-truck-tires

 

[John From Detroit]

Regarding coach net or the local tire shop.....

Coach Net is a roadside assistance program, IF you need to be towed they have contracts with local service providers,,, If you have a flat they have contracts with local tire providers. So from the viewpoint of who fixes your flat.. Might not make any difference.

HOWEVER if there is a posibility of WARRANTY on the tire.. Call the tire maker's authorized dealer if at all possible.. You may have Coach Net do the tow to the tire store, (If needed) but deal with the authorized dealer.