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I have read so many reviews about roadside assistance it seems to be a waste of money. If you get a flat you still have to buy a tire so if someone comes out you get what from roadside assistance? If your motorhome engine or transmission has a problem is where it seems to be touchy about what they will do. Most of us big motorhomes will have to be towed with large tow trucks cause large flatbeds aren't that many around the USA. So the policy says they tow you to the nearest service provider. I have read many providers they tow you to can't do any repairs then you are stuck there in someone's parking lot who can't help you. When you call back, they tell you that you cannot be towed to any other place else because they did their part as per the policy. So now you have to find on your own dollar aa tow truck to take you to a qualified and able to help mechanic and not a gas station mechanic. Ford Dealer, Freightline chassis service center or someone who can do the work. So now you spend $500 more to get towed and the policy will not reimburse you. So why not save your money and fly on your own and pay on your own? It just seems they are all a big scam to not give you what you pair for. I know some here will say read your policies fine print... I'm willing to pay for a tow to a dealership who can do the work with no limits on miles, but that policy doesn't exist in FMCA, GS or any other company that sells insurance policies. So, lets here from all who think these policies are worth your hard-earned money. I don't want to hear from the ones who had 1 instance but want to hear from all who have the horror stories to tell and agree what I say above.

I'm in Memphis, using my FMCA Mifi through Sprint, and service has really degraded. Is this because of the switch over to T-Mobile? Is FMCA working on a replacement program?

Just so they know!

Hi Everyone! I am new at the forum and planning to get the services of fmca services for my travel to Miami. Actually, I husband is stationed at Fort Knox Base of Kentucky and in the mid of April, he will be at home on vacations that’s why we decided to go to Miami with both kids Allen & Jessica. However, I also want to take my kids’ pet Joffy with us but I don’t know fmca will allow or not. On the other hand, I also want to know, is any specific legal documentation will also be required in this regard. I would be grateful for your suggestions & cooperation.

JUST FINISHED PLANNING OUR SUMMER HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE. MEMBERS OF THOUSAND TRAILS. 6/14 MICHIGAN 6/18 NIAGARA FALLS 6/25 ORLANDO, FLORIDA 7/2 WISCONSIN DELLS 7/15 NAARVA RALLY, SARASOTA FLORIDA 7/23 FISHING, STURGEON BAY ,WISCONSIN

With fond memories of our last convention in Gillette, WY we have jumped at the chance to register for 2018. The facilities were excellent, we enjoyed the various trips offered and had a lovely time. I used the link on the e-mail announcement to get to registration. I looked for a way to access registration here on the website but couldn't find it. I guess it will surface sooner or later. Louise and I are going to try working the welcome committee this time. We're looking forward to welcoming you to Gillette in July!

Roadside Assistance for just $69/year. Stay tuned for more details about this SCARY good savings!

We are in rally mode. We do this every two or three years. It is a fun thing to watch the coaches gather, a small city literally pops up almost overnight. Thousands of people bring their houses, whether full timers or just camping for the week, they have almost all the comforts of home. And, at the end of the week we will all scatter to the four points of the compass and the city will just disappear - poof! Our rally attendance began last week. We were one of the last arrivals at the Monaco International Pre-Rally in Celina, Ohio. Monaco International is a chapter of FMCA, in this case the chapter is open to owners of all the Monaco family of coaches, including Safari, Holiday Rambler and Beaver. We like their pre-rally before an FMCA Convention and this one lived up to our expectations. We arrived Wednesday, July 5, in time for the 4th of July Picnic. Many gathered earlier in the week just for the chance to sit around and visit informally before the actual rally began on the 5th. By the time we arrived, most of the coaches were already parked. There had been significant rain so they were being quite selective with the parking. Even so we were directed to drive across a field up to a road on the far side. As I did so, I could feel the coach lugging in the soft ground. I kept a steady foot on the accelerator and managed to pull up to the road. More rain was forecast so after seeing some of the coaches that had arrived earlier, now with wheels sunken well into soft soil, I went in search of lumber to place under my rear wheels. At Menard's I purchased two 3/4 inch plywood pieces 2 feet by 4 feet. I also purchased four 2x12's four feet long, one for each tire. The 2x12's supported the tires while the 3/4 inch plywood under the 2x12's kept them from sinking into the ground individually. I now had a 2 foot by 4 foot pad to put under each rear dual. At this point let me point out our coach has air leveling only, we have no jacks which could be used to raise the rear of the coach. So I pulled forward far enough to put the pads behind the wheels and backed onto the pads. It worked, I was solid, for the moment. The front wheels sunk in some but being near the road, the soil was more solid there. I could move them if I had a solid surface for the drive wheels. By the end of the rally on Sunday, the whole assembly on the left rear had sunk into the ground about 3 inches. Still, the tires were now on a solid surface. It rained several times more during the rally, such that there were large puddles in the street which weren't gone by Sunday, our planned departure date. Saturday afternoon as festivities were winding down, I made a run to Menard's and picked up two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood, 2 feet by 8 feet and four 2x12's six feet long. This would give me additional support as I pulled off the pads I was parked on. I was certain enough that the wheels would just sink into the now saturated soil when I tried to pull out if I didn't have some support under them. Part of the convincing came from watching other coaches being pulled out by wreckers. Louise described our departure from our parking spot as the Egyptian method, kind of like moving stones for the pyramids. Place a set of boards in front of the tires, pull onto them, move the set that were under the wheels ahead, pull onto them, move the boards again. By then we were close enough to the road to put the short 2x12's in front of the tires and the plywood in front of that. I accelerated firmly until the tires were near the end of the plywood and then eased off to let the rear tires "coast" across the last of the soft soil. The left rear was running on mud and the tires pushed mud up eight inches between them. The resulting mud sculpture was impressive. We were out without damage, delay or expense. Yes, I could have used my road service for this but if I can keep the wrecker away from my rig I'm happy. We left Celina Sunday afternoon and drove to Anderson, Indiana. We spent the night at a very nice RV park, Timberline RV Resort. There we purged our waste tanks and recharged the fresh water tank in preparation for our stay at the FMCA Crossroads to Fun, Indy-2017. We arrived at the north campground shortly before noon Monday. There was a line of coaches waiting to be parked. We waited patiently and then impatiently for more than 30 minutes before finally reaching our assigned space. The north campground is pretty far from the activities of the convention but we have bicycles and they run a shuttle so we are happy to be here. More importantly, we are in a real campground with 50A power (which we paid for), water and sewer at our site (which was a pleasant surprise). We have learned never to expect this but sometimes we just get lucky. Louise was ecstatic. She can tolerate dry camping for a short period of time, we had just completed 5 days living on our tanks. She much prefers to have all the nice features of our coach working fully. I am certainly happy. It is Tuesday, the convention starts tomorrow. We woke up to thunderstorms this morning. It continues to rain this afternoon. Almost 3:00 p.m. now, we are under flash flood warnings until noon tomorrow and it continues to rain off and on with the occasional lightening and thunder. We are not in an area subject to flash flooding but if we travel we know there are already roads closed in the area due to flooding. We are parked on a solid surface, gravel is below the grass growing in this area. No worries about tires sinking into a soggy grass surface. So this year, we won the lottery. Now if we can get the storms to move on we'll let the fun begin. I certainly don't know for sure but I think FMCA may have scheduled us to be in the campground on Monday because the full hookups makes it easy for us to be on-site for a week. I assume then that those without hookups are being parked this afternoon or tomorrow morning. It would be a tough day to arrive and set-up. My heart goes out to those who are faced with this challenge and to the parking crew that is out in this weather getting everyone safely situated for the convention.

Just showing a little membership pride by means of our plate mounting. Happy to be new members of such a great Association and looking forward to meeting fellow members along the way!

I have been satisfied with Good Sam's Roadside Assistance since we bought our first motorhome in 2007. We joined FMCA two years ago and my Good Sam program was due to expire the end of this month so I decided to look at the FMCA Roadside Assistance Program. I studied the website and was troubled by a caveat on the winch-out service. The website states the service is provided when taking part in FMCA rallies or events. I couldn't believe my eyes so I called the service and asked them about the caveat. They told me that the winch-out service is only available at FMCA rallies and events. In the eight years I've used the Good Sam service the only thing I've needed is to be pulled out when stuck while camping. I'm thankful I made the call. I'm renewing my Good Sam Roadside Assistance this afternoon. One more thing - I was also disappointed that I need to add my wife to the program and I also must register all vehicles (including rentals) before they are covered. Neither is necessary with Good Sam. Bob McCann

Two years ago, I responded to my wife's comments that having an RV might be a nice alternative to searching for pet-friendly hotels as we attended dog obedience rallies. I mean, nothing against La Quinta -- they have a universal pet-friendly stance -- but hotels located in the vicinity of such events are afflicted with noise, puddles, and lawns strewn with doggie bombs. To make a long story mercifully short, our initial rig candidates fell short of her requirements: the shower was too small, the decor too ancient, the smell too musky. Eventually, we'd tripled our initial budget of $20,000; when friends were panicked because a second buyer for their bus failed to qualify for a loan after our friends' purchase of a Newell, we wrote them a check and became the proud owners of a 2005 Fleetwood Excursion. My wife was largely indifferent, convinced initially that we'd overspent and could never extract even a fraction of the rig's value, in terms of convenience and usage. Then, something curious happened: she fell in love with RVing. Suddenly, the RV wasn't just a tool for attending shows. She planned camping trips, visits to family and friends. Along with fellow dog show aficionados, we started doing weekend escapes to local parks and attractions. Together, we discovered the art of outdoor cooking, thanks to a well-timed state park seminar on the subject and became involved in that. As the wife learned more about RVs, she also learned ours didn't have everything she wanted. Eventually, she formed a list of requirements, like basement trays with attendant pass-through storage, an enclosed bath, electric basement door locks, quieter air conditioning. Oh. AquaHot came onto her radar, and she added it to the list. Well, readers, we all know the league into which she was migrating and its cost, eh? I'd created a monster, and it... er, she was combing dealership and sites for candidates. We did afternoon field trips to dealers, test-drove rigs, pored over NADA values, built spreadsheets. Attending the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, we made a rainy afternoon trip to the local dealer and almost put money down on a showroom stalwart, an unsold two-year-old Winnebago Tour. Then came the rumors of my airline employer filing for bankruptcy, and the whole upgrade notion was put on Hold. Fast forward to Autumn, 2012 and the bankrupt airline was coming back to life, having "renegotiated" its vendor and employee contracts. The wife's research swung back into motion, culminating in a call to me after I emerged from a training simulator period and drove back to the tidy RV park where my alternative to flight academy lodging was parked. "I put money down on a new bus," she ominously announced. Two days later, we were hitching a ride to Tucson, crammed into a row in the back of Coach. I was doubtful: after all, she'd gotten a trade-in credit for our pristine but high mileage Fleetwood equal to NADA Retail, and the new Beaver Patriot Thunder was less than wholesale. A host of scenarios bounced around in my head. To my surprise, the Beaver was a good candidate. Most of its flaws were cosmetic, and I happily declared it suitable to buy, after careful inspectiion and a brief test drive. Two days later, we were driving our Fleetwood across the American Southwest, to make the exchange. Like any new purchase, there have been bumps in the road; but, for the most part, I'm happy with the outcome now that the new bus is wedged inside our hangar (we live in an air park community, have small planes). In two weeks, I've adjusted the full-length slideout, soundproofed the cockpit, repaired the exhaust pipe that was damaged by the previous owner and somehow escaped notice when the dealer's mechanics inspected the underside. ================================================== So, what does all of this have to do with praising the FMCA? Well, during the course of learning about RVing during our Fleetwood days, I spent a lot of time on a larger forum similar to that of FMCA. So much time, in fact, that by March of last year, I was designated as a Senior Member, and I'd amassed 647 posts to my credit. Sadly, as the 2012 campaign season swung into gear, so did the occurence of political rhetoric on what, like our own forum here at the FMCA, was by design a politics-free zone. Both forums, this one and the FMCA, are deemed politics-free zones. At that forum, however, a secondary problem became evident: moderators seemed to be enforcing community rules according to political leaning. Specifically, gripes against one party were ignored; but, members who responded in protest were held in violation of the rules. When I pointed this out, I was deemed in violation for "questioning moderators' decisions," itself a violation. I terminated my membership, erased the forum from my Bookmarks. Not wishing to function as an owner without the expertise of fellow RV'ers, I came to the FMCA. Cautiously, I might add: I put every controversial term I could think of into our Search window, scoured the site for signs that similar activity was taking place, here. Nothing. FMCA simply didn't suffer from the same problem. Or, if it did, the staff had erased it seamlessly and invisibly, out of sight. Either was good enough for me. Two weeks ago, I received an unsolicited email from the staff at the other site, inviting me to renew my account. My response to them was nothing less than scathing. There was silence, but a week later, I received a sticker and renewal card in the mail. Someone had, without saying a word, given me a complimentary year of membership and re-opened my account. Rather than criticize, I accepted the gesture and resumed my blog there, assuring readers that each would receive my utmost respect; in short, that the bullying of the past would not be tolerated so long as I was there. After all, it is incumbent upon each person of any forum to uphold the rules, treat all members with civility, right? Let me just block-copy and paste what happened next. For privacy, I've obscured the administrator's indentifying data. Back in the Saddle, but Cautiously Posted 02-06-2013 at 08:54 PM by XXXXX(me) Updated Yesterday at 06:12 PM by XXXXX (overstepping boundaries) A few of you might've noticed that I suddenly left XXXX a year ago, and have become active in the FMCA. After kindly receiving a sticker unsolicited in the mail, I've discovered that my old account has been reactivated. I've devoted 15 minutes to scouring the forums for the problems that prompted me to leave in the first place, and have found all to be in order. In fact, new features at the site will probably keep Community Rules violations to a minimum; if nothing else, members are now free to block offending forums and users. Warmest thanks to all the members who found me at FMCA and online, I appreciate your friendship and encouragement. Don't ask me how, but we manage at FMCA to have a nearly zero rate of visible violations of forum community standards. Possibly, the smaller size makes effective moderation easier; too, there seems to be perfect standardization, eg equal application of guidelines across the membership spectrum. There, like here, we have a handful of experts who could probably build a motorhome by hand. I'm truly humbled by the level of knowledge, talent, out there. That said, I'll ease back in the XXXX pool one toe at a time. [moderator edit]. That said, let me tell you about our latest adventure: I was just finishing a routine airline school -- the first year I've actually camped, near the flight academy -- and the wife called to say she'd traded our RV for another! Considering the fact that the dealer, whose facility is 1,000 miles away, offered us Retail and accepted Wholesale for theirs made me suspicious. One of you had mentioned such a scenario; the wife was transferring basement items into the new bus when hubby came storming out of the sales office, having been told the dealership needed to "reconsider" their trade-in value. My lawyer wife was on top of it: she drafted a contract for the dealer to sign, saying that if they found our rig to be unsatisfactory, they would pay for our diesel both ways. Then, we jumped on a flight, inspected the rig. It turned out to be in good condition, mostly minor complaints. She'd found a 2007 Patriot Thunder, and I saw much potential in the coach. The next day, we packed up and drove our Fleetwood to the dealer. I was thrilled that they loved our coach. With 100,000 miles on it, many dealers were reluctant to give even close to Wholesale for it, sight unseen. The high point of the experience was when the salesman called three days later, having driven the Fleetwood. "I've sold these all my life," he said. "And, I have never seen anything like this! It is like a new bus." He then asked if I'd be the maintenance manager for the entire dealership. That was nice. So, I'm wrapping up thirty or so hours of working on our new bus: the exhaust system got overhauled, I soundproofed the cockpit. The kitchen slideout drain hose had a drip, so that pipe got replaced and is ready to rebundle. I'd noticed that the full-length slide is slightly unsychronized, so with the help of the manufacturer, I've got it humming like a Swiss watch. The whole engine bay is open -- to do that the bedroom closet frame must be disassembled -- and I'll overhaul the insulation back there and apply undercoating. Funny, but the tag axle doesn't seem to make much difference. The Fleetwood ran so smoothly, quietly, and was immune to winds. Of course, the Patriot Thunder is bigger, and she weighs almost twice as much. But, at first blush the two buses cruise about the same. Backing into the garage is a whole different experience in the Beaver, whose awning casings on both sides broaden the rig nearly a foot. KayCee says the Beaver sways less, I contend that it "bobs" more. Noise is a big difference. Both have the same cockpit noise level; but, moving aft in the Beaver results in a swift reduction in noise. The bedrooms are dramatically quieter: the Beaver's lack of big windows and integral steel roll cage tempts me to nap back there, en route. I'm sure we'll enjoy many great adventures in this big coach: it is certainly a step up. Like the Beaver, XXXX has tremendous potential but is a little harder to keep on track. I hope both remain part of my RV'ing future. Regards, Andy, aka XXXXXX Now, here is the email I received revealing the "banned" content and explaining why it was deemed inappropriate. XXXXX Community Administrator The following section has been removed from your blog: Quote: All the while, making sure that everyone here is treated politely and with respect; as long as I'm here, no one will have community standards enforced differently than anyone else, from the newest member to the most senior moderator. We welcome you back; however, you are not in a position nor have the authority to be making such a statement. It is the responsibility of our Moderators & Administrators to interpret & enforce our Community Rules, not yours. If you have an issue with a member's post or suspect violation of our Community Rules, please use the report post button. Thank you, XXXX- I'll let you derive your own lessons from this. Except for one: no matter your position in any online community, each participant shoulders the burden for upholding community standards and for extending kindness and respect to every other member of that community. I am guessing that one thing instrumental to the success of the FMCA forums is that we each make the commitment I stated.