Vehicle prep?

[Stomper]

The world revolves around me so this doesn't even make sense.




lol

Bonus tip from the past:


When my girlfriends' (plural) hands got cold I had them place their hands into my front pants pockets..... that I cut the bottoms out of.


Win-win situation!!





Not really.

 

[SonicBlue03]

Own multiple vehicles. When one breaks, discard it and drive another.

 

[Yotehunt]

At least it wasn't a .40 cent primer jammed in there.

 

[Member 5605]

Yeah, good to have proper stuff.

Personal note: never use your vehicle to jump somebody else's. Never know if they gonna back feed power and blow your system, make them hook stuff up to their vehicle, you verify but don't touch. Keep your vehicle off, don't stress your charging system on their draw. Make sure you always have a pump and tools needed to change your tire. Season changes are good times to verify tire pressures in spare.

 

[Nosferatu]

I will be upgrading to RV+ when we get the sidecar on the road.

I would recommend it.

A couple years ago, we were coming home from camping with the travel trailer. I got over Stevens pass and one of the tires on the trailer blew.

One of the wheelstuds on the hub has sheared off and In the process of removing the wheel, 3 others broke. Turns out the entire hub was damaged and was about to fail. The tire blowing out pretty much saved us from a potentially disastrous wreck on the highway.

We only had the regular AAA service, not the RV+ at the time. We got on the phone with AAA and they signed us up for RV+ on the spot and tried to find us a tow, but they didn't have anybody in the market that had a lowboy trailer that could tow us.

After about an hour of calling around, we found somebody about 130 miles away that could do it. $1200+ and about 6 hours later, the trailer was home.

AAA reimbursed us the entire $1200+ for the tow and had the check to us in a few days.

 

[SonicBlue03]

Unimog.

/thread

 

[Certaindeaf]

Unimog.

/thread

Even a turtle can turtled.

 

[blueswarrior]

I've had AAA for decades. I couple years ago we had a multiple day snow and ice event. I stayed home for a few days. After things were settling down I drove to Tualatin to see a band at the CI. I left about midnight and found I had a flat tire. I couldn't get my spare out because my Truckvault cabinet blocked the release mechanism. So I called AAA. They said sorry, we can't help you, we don't have anyone available. I told them I could wait and they said it would be days before they could get anyone because all their trucks were removing abandoned vehicles on Highway 26.

The one time I really needed them, they left me stranded.

I didn't freeze to death because a good friend got up at 1am and brought me a 12 volt pump. I bought one the next day.

 

[edzz]

Even a turtle can turtled.

Fixing a tire Bill's way.
http://www.billcaid.com/2009/MogFest20091015/TripMain.html

 

[DangerDog]

AAA is nice, but they won't be there when things go to hell, but while things are still operational they're nice to have. My Blazer has everything I'll need for most repairs and situations I may experience on the road. Including fire extinguisher, high-temp gloves and extraction tools and trauma kit. Never know when I need that stuff for my vehicle or to come to the aid of someone else. Sheepdog for life. Bow to the wow.

 

[johnny bob]

I remember back in the day during drivers ed, the question was asked on what tire is the worst for a blowout. My sarcastic butt said the spare, which elicited laughs. All kidding aside, your spare tire is no good if it is empty.

My low tire warning light came on and I checked all 4 tires on mag wheels and they were within spec pressure. My 2006 Toyota had a sensor on the steel spare also. I'm glad I didn't need to use the spare.

 

[The Heretic]

I remember back in the day during drivers ed, the question was asked on what tire is the worst for a blowout. My sarcastic butt said the spare, which elicited laughs. All kidding aside, your spare tire is no good if it is empty.

A lot of cars today have no spare, but come with run flats, which in general cannot be repaired (or the tire shops generally will not repair them).

My daily driver had run flats, and when I had a flat I limped home on it, took it in to get it replaced (it was totally thrashed - but you couldn't see that until you took it off the car or got under the car to see the inside), then I spent much of the day at the tire shop waiting for the other tires to come in and be replaced. I went with standard tires after that, and again for the next set. I've had a few leakers, always caused by a screw or nail, repaired by the tire shop.

The standard tires are a softer ride - which with my car and where I live is better; my X1 has the M-Sport package with a stiffer suspension and I live off a dirt road with a lot of potholes in it.

Anyway, no I keep a close eye on the tires. Every once in a while I get in, drive off and one tire or another is 10 PSI down from the others and I get a warning. I fill it up and it is fine again for months, then another does the same thing. *shrug* I carry goop/slime/whatever and a 12V compressor.

My trucks are much much older and conventional tires with spares.

When I started driving 50+ years ago, tires went flat regularly, especially because we usually drove them until the tires were bald, then went behind the tire shops on Sunday's when they were closed, took some of the better used tires they piled around back, then sweated and cursed with a pry bar (or a long screwdriver) and soap/whatever, to get the tires off and replace them with the used ones - not because we were cheap, but because we simply didn't have the $ to buy new tires.

 

[Tony617]

My girlfriend's car had a dying alternator. I pulled the battery and took in to as auto parts store and had it tested and it held a charge just fine. I called AAA to have the car towed to a service center for the alternator be replaced. It only cost less than $30.00. AAA paid a bit for the mileage and I had to pay for the rest. If the car wouldn't start and had to pulled up on a flat bed tow truck since it an AWD car it a lot more money.

I called AAA one time as well since I had the check engine light some on and I was riding the bus to work. I got to the park and ride station and I unlocked all four door and then got my ice scraper out. I closed the car door to scrape the ice of my windows and it locked all four doors. Good thing I had my cell phone. I called AAA and sent they a person out that bought an small inflatable air bag. He inflated the air bag to push the window out a bit and unlock the drivers side door. I told AAA that my car was running so they sent a guy to the P&R in about 30 minutes.

 

[revjen45]

AAA is the last thing you cancel unless you don't have a vehicle. Times of poverty are often accompanied by vehicle problems (like trailer parks and tornados), and getting it home is a matter of serious import. We got a nastygram once from AAA that towing isn't a substitute for proper maintenance. Thanks. I knew that.
When we had Failure to Start Syndrome @ a concert in Fife on New Year's Eve they towed us back to Everett on New Year's Day.

I can also recommend Les Schwab if you have a tire related disaster. We blew a tire in our F-250 going downhill @ ~ 80 mph in the DPRK. AAA towed us to the Redding Les Schwab at the end of the day. Turned out the whole set of tires was ready to go and they went out of their way to accommodate us and get us on our way.

 

[clearconscience]

I worked for AAA in Kentucky and then part time when I came back to Oregon.

It amazing how many people know so little about vehicles, how many Men can't change a tire, how many spares are flat, how many people get a flat on their spare because they changed their tire and then just drove on the spare for days, weeks, or months!

Most spares will come out flat. It's good to check them and air them up every couple months.

I had a college girl who got a flat and then finished driving home. She said it just just down the street.
Had to be several miles at full speed.
her tire was COMPLETELY shredded!
Like barely on the rim, nothing but strands of rubber, and the rim was JACKED!
And this was on a nice Lexus SUV.

Its amazing the things you see

Saw a lady who's car wouldn't start, wanted a jump.
there's was a golf ball sized hole in her battery with duct tape over it.
I told her I can't jump that. You need tobuy a battery.

 

[Lesliet]

If you're taking it in, I'd have them patch it vice a plug.

Our shop has patch/plugs... a combination of the two. You can patch some pretty big holes with those things, and have it hold. Of course, if you have a puncture in the sidewall, the tire is done, game over.

Unimog.

I used to think Unimogs were pretty cool. I guess they still are, when they're running, but trying to find parts for one, let alone in a post apocalyptic USA scenario? From what I've observed after 35+ years as a mechanic, anything Mercedes related tends to evoke unusually large amounts of cussing when it comes time to repair it. Both from the poor S.O.B. who has to work on it, and the customer who has to pay for the overpriced parts, and wait for them to arrive, if they can even be sourced. Used to be, Mercedes still had parts for very old vehicles, but that's all down the road, now. I would say that you're better off with something that is very common in the country you are operating in, like an old F150 in the U.S. or a Toyota just about anywhere. That way, parts are easy, and usually pretty cheap. In a shtf and later situation, you can cannibalize parts off other rigs more easily if there are a lot of them out there.

If we get hit with EMP's, I hope you have a horse or two.

 

[Unicykle]

Had a junker $500 commuter that blew a tire on the freeway about 8 miles from home and i worked swingshift it was late and I was beat, and just said f it and continued on with the flat. Preps are great but in a shtf situation 3 tires works just fine.

 

[clearconscience]

When are these coming to a Les Schwab near me

 

[JohnnyMac]

When are these coming to a Les Schwab near me

They look pretty cool, but I read some on them a few years back and they apparently vibrate pretty heavily and at highway speeds they wander around like on ice. Awesome concept, just need to tweak them. I guess a lot of folks run them on fork lifts, lawnmowers and off road vehicles. I'm a customer if they produce something that will do everything my current tire does (plus doesn't lose air).

 

[revjen45]

1) "Own multiple vehicles. When one breaks, discard it and drive another."
Actually this strategy leaves a lot to be desired. X number of barely running vehicles does not = reliable transportation, just more expense and aggravation. It spreads rather than concentrates repair costs and effort, so nothing ends up getting any more than the immediate problem getting fixed. Having qty: (1) reliable machine beats having any number of junkers that die in the yard or elsewhere. Now ask me how I know this.
Yes, I have abandoned a car next to the road when it threw a rod journal clean through the side of the block. I still had to get to work.

2) " If we get hit with EMP's, I hope you have a horse or two."
Or a vehicle with points ignition. I'm sure EMP wouldn't kill our '49 Burb. and I still have the points ignition for the Sportster.