What would you do?

37chief · Sep 15, 2012

I went on the first long trip with my new used 02 Motorhome. I had a flat on the inside rear. I got to a Discount tire store. The flat was caused by someone installing the tires in the past and letting the brass valve extension rub on the rim and causing a hole in the stem. I was quoted 39.00 for a flat repair. Not bad I thought, since I was 350 mi from home. They didn't have a solid stem, so they just added a flexable braded tube to the stem and brought it to the outside. The tube just flops around they had no way to secure it. I plan to take it off when I get time. The rub is they charged me 50.00 for this tube, plus labor. I knew it was like this when I pick up my motorhme. I had already spent 1 1/2 hrs there, It was around 110 outside. I had a hot wife, and a hot dog, all I wanted to do is get on the road again.I was thinking of sending it back to them, or should I just eat the 50.00 bucks? Stan

jon f mn · Sep 15, 2012

eat the 50 and be glad you didn't pay for a road call.

retired farmer · Sep 15, 2012

I have got them or had them on mine when I bought it several years ago. Put new tires on it and I think they took them off. The ends of them were secured to the outside of the rim somehow.

Kenneth R Ohnstad · Sep 15, 2012

Yeah, I would be eating my liver also,...but
eat the fifty and get a roll of gorilla tape and tape the thing to the rims.
Enjoy the trip/ ride
good luck
k

big fred · Sep 16, 2012

If you enjoy the stress of arguing about the fifty bucks, go ahead. Seems like you're on vacation, you gotta decide what's more important to you. For my part, I'd do the gorilla tape thing mentioned by another fellow, and enjoy my vacation.

Dick2 · Sep 16, 2012

Just be happy that you didn't go to a Big O Tire store; they would have run the bill up at least 4 times that amount! I took my truck in for a new tie rod end for a quoted $175. Two hours later the manager called and said that I needed a new rack & pinion for $700 more charge. I told him not to do anything to the truck.

I've been doing my own mechanic work for over 60 years and I knew that there was nothing wrong with my rack & pinion. My wife thinks I'm getting too old to be doing that kind of work anymore, but I'm going to change that tie rod end myself when it cools off a little more.

TGIN · Sep 16, 2012

We all hate getting the shaft but that is just a way of life anymore it seems . If your rims are steel you could use a magnet with a clip of some sort to hold the tube in place , put the same magnet on the other side to try to keep things balanced .

Nebraska Cowman · Sep 16, 2012

I'd be happy I got back on the road. You don't always have flats in front of a 1st class tire store.

showcrop · Sep 16, 2012

I'd a been happy to have the motor home there to go into and pass the time with the hot wife.

donjr · Sep 16, 2012

'Nother addition to i,000,000,0001 uses for dust tape----

Vito · Sep 16, 2012

Priced towing lately? Be grateful they could do something to get you going for $ 50.00.

Vito

Ray · Sep 16, 2012

Upset over 50 bucks? Wait till you have some real trouble on the road with a camper and need repairs,you'll long for the days of a 50 dollar rip off.

DoubleR · Sep 16, 2012

When I'm on the road I'm just glad to be moving again. I don't expect to get a great deal on a repair. I don't really think you did that bad, just fix it right when you get home again.

MFPoor · Sep 16, 2012

You had alternatives...You could have jacked up the motor home, took off the wheel, rolled it down the highway until you found ANOTHER tire store, then took your chances on how much they wanted for THEIR tube, then rolled it back to where your MH was parked, OR, paid the $50 and quit the complaining. Did you expect them to GIVE it to you? (Tubes aren't cheap these days)

Goose · Sep 16, 2012

I'd shrug it off and quit complaining. They really weren't that far out of line, if at all.

Best scene I ran into once, was I was travelling across country towing a boat. A few miles outside of Osceola, Iowa, the fuel pump started going out on my car. I limped into a service station about 7 pm. I had my tool box in the trunk, and I was perfectly capable of changing the fuel pump if I only had one. (Back in the days of mechanical pumps).

The fellow at the station got on the phone and tried to locate a fellow who owned a parts store in town. He finally located the guy at a Little League ball game. The fellow left the ball game, went to his store, got a fuel pump, and brought to the station. I tried to pay him extra for the disruption of his evening, but he insisted on only charging me the normal price for the pump.

An hour later I was back on the road.

ericlb · Sep 16, 2012

id just eat the 50 bucks if you send it back the shipping will cost you almost that, when in a larger vehicle you need to have tire work done at a store that deals with trucks, even though a motor home on a 1 ton chassis is a light duty truck, most'regular tire stores" have "regular" help, that is if its more than a single wheel on a 1/2 ton pickup, there lost on what to do for it, and dont have the parts in stock for duals, it cost me 2500 bucks when i had a blow out on my dump truck and the only place that did flats within 100 miles of where i was was a big o, they bought 2 new tires for me and installed them, [900 bucks at the time] the problem was " goober" forgot to tighten the inner wheel nuts, which in a few miles ruint them, the studs they were on and the wheel rim too, now i fix tires myself on my stuff

Chris Jones · Sep 16, 2012

$50 would tick me off too and while I'm not good at it either I have to tell myself sometimes I get taken or have to deal with 1/2 a$$ solutions because that's all that can be done at the time.

I just wanted to say is the other side fixed too? I'd worry whatever (I can't picture it) that was wrong with the side that went flat might be wrong with the other side. I'd hate to be 100 miles from anything and have the same thing happen on the other side. Perhaps out of cell range even.

37chief · Sep 16, 2012

I am not talking about a tube here, only a 6 in valve stem extension, that screwded on to my valve stem. Stan

Anonymous-0 · Sep 16, 2012

I would have let my Triple A Platinum Insurance take care of it.I use to to have to solve problems on road and now I call them and most the time no charge at all.

old · Sep 16, 2012

TUBE????? Those tires and rims should be tubeless. I think I would have asked for a phone book and looked around for a real tire place. A 2002 motor home I know would have tubeless tires on it and a tube is just flat out wrong

Walt Davies · Sep 16, 2012

You don't have towing and flat fixing on your insurance. It cost less than $15 and can save you hundreds. But never take the vehicle in call your ins or a reccomended outfit and have them come out and fix it. You should get it fixed for free.
I have had this on my ins for 44 years wouldn't drive across town without it.
Walt

Walt Davies · Sep 16, 2012

Oh! Forgot if you do have towing then turn your bill over to your agent for a refund.
Walt

bison · Sep 16, 2012

Be glad you didn't get stranded for over a week way up north in the yukon like my friend did a couple yrs ago.
He broke all the studs en eff'd up the rims on a set of duals on one side.
Studs and rims had to be flown in,nearest mechanic was 600 or so ml away.
Cost him a couple grand to get going again :shock:

in-too-deep · Sep 16, 2012

Not an innertube. He's talking about some flexible tubing to extend the valve stem.

scotc · Sep 16, 2012

The tube he's talking about would be one that screws onto the end of the valve stem so that it can be reached without taking the outer wheel off. Not a tire tube.

$50 is pretty bad for a few inches of hose.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 16, 2012

Does it really matter? Did you have a better plan? In a pinch, you take whatever you can get. It's not like driving around in a motor home is critical to our very existence. It's a "Luxury" like a boat....Nothing about them is cheap.

massey333 · Sep 16, 2012

Stan,they sold you something and you bought something that you did not have to have to finish your trip.All that does is MAKE it easier to inflate you inside dual.RV people are about the only ones using them.

Rollie NE PA · Sep 16, 2012

Where was the spare tire. Would have been cheaper to put the spare on I would think.

redtom · Sep 16, 2012

Or, if you were near a Sprawlmart you could've got it done real cheap by some pimply faced flunky who did it wrong and then complained about how bad their service is (but is such a good deal).

willie in mn · Sep 16, 2012

Step 1- go to your favorite local parts place & buy a truck dual inflator. Get the one that has a straight push on chuck for inside tire & angled chuck for outside tire. Do not get the one that is angled both ways.
Step 2- install a tank valve on end of inflator. This has a tire valve on one end & 1/4 or 1/8 pipe thread on other. Can be used with any air hose to inflate inner & outer tires. Keep it in the vehicle at all times. Should cost around 5 bucks.
Step 3- remove any valve extensions you may now have. Tape a quarter to them & thow in trash. That way you are throwing away 25 cents.
Tire valve extensions are about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

Willie

willie in mn · Sep 16, 2012

Step 1- go to your favorite local parts place & buy a truck dual inflator. Get the one that has a straight push on chuck for inside tire & angled chuck for outside tire. Do not get the one that is angled both ways.
Step 2- install a tank valve on end of inflator. This has a tire valve on one end & 1/4 or 1/8 pipe thread on other. Can be used with any air hose to inflate inner & outer tires. Keep it in the vehicle at all times. Should cost around 5 bucks.
Step 3- remove any valve extensions you may now have. Tape a quarter to them & thow in trash. That way you are throwing away 25 cents.
Tire valve extensions are about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

Willie

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