RV Towing insurance when in an accident

[JacobA]

We are looking at adding Coachnet, but in reading some topics out here regarding seriously high tow bills after being in an accident and finding CN does not cover any towing if RV was in an accident. Went to our motorhome policy with Foremost and found they only cover $250 for towing expenses - no other options to increase that amount. What are some of you finding with other insurance companies regarding towing your RV after an accident? 

[jacwjames]

Good topic,

Now I need to check on my insurance and roadside assistance program.

[96 EVO]

That's scary!

I'm guessing if your coach ended up scattered on the highway, the tow bill could be many thousands!

[jacwjames]

I have AAA roadside assistance and have had 3 different tows, no questions asked but none involve in an accident. 

I did a quick check and the policy specifically says NON Collision tow.  Will have to do some more checking. 

[Ivan K]

I would expect it to be covered as part of insurance claim, at least it was when our truck got hit but it was the other party's claim, don't think it should be different either way?

[Martinvz]

That is a good question that I do not know the answer to but need to do the research.  We do have CoachNet RSA. 
We just switched our insurance via FMCA to Progressive and saved a lot. I questioned them about the inclusion of RSA and the response was that as the OP stated, CN dies not cover it in the case of an accident but Progressive does for the first $xxx. I just need to find out what the $xxx is. 
Thanks wor asking that question. 

[96 EVO]

Yeah, forget Coach Net, or Good Sam's if your involved in an accident!

That's up to your insurance Co.

[Bill R]

3 hours ago, JacobA said:

Went to our motorhome policy with Foremost and found they only cover $250 for towing expenses - no other options to increase that amount.

Jay - I have Foremost Policy with a Towing and Roadside endorsement.  It does not have a limit and says "AMOUNT - REASONABLE AND NECESSARY EACH DISABLEMENT".  I discussed this endorsement with Foremost and they confirmed this did cover for an accident and no limit amount.

[mschfmkrs1]

Have 45’ so can’t be towed, has to be put on a lowboy and AAA will only pay $500 max so we canceled them after 13 years, not sure what they cover if RV is in accident. 

[Bill C]

1 hour ago, jacwjames said:

I have AAA roadside assistance and have had 3 different tows, no questions asked but none involve in an accident. 

I did a quick check and the policy specifically says NON Collision tow.  Will have to do some more checking. 

What kind of rig do you have. What was your wait time, experience, knowledge of the tower about your rig, etc?

Have had bad experiences with my 40 foot DP from inexperienced towing policies and the people they call to tow me.

[jacwjames]

10 hours ago, Bill C said:

What kind of rig do you have. What was your wait time, experience, knowledge of the tower about your rig, etc?

Have had bad experiences with my 40 foot DP from inexperienced towing policies and the people they call to tow me.

First RV we had towed was a 31' Class C, wait time was not bad, driver did a good job.

Second time 2013, rig was disabled in front of our house on the road.  TCM went out and Allison shop refused to fix there and insisted I get towed.  Called AAA and they had a truck there pretty quick BUT I was heading out of country and actually met the drive as he was pulling in to our subdivision.  Stopped him and told him the specifics, wife supervised the tow, all went well. 

Third time 2015, it was our ~40' Windsor, this was on Memorial day weekend, we'd just pulled into a Cracker Barrel and found coolant pouring out the bottom of the radiator.  Contacted AAA and they dispatched a company pretty quick, within hours.  A guy showed up in a pickup to access the situation and said he'd be back, waited for several hours and did not hear anything so I called AAA again.  They struggled to find another company, I actually spent the night in the parking lot.  Next day the driver showed up but refused to try and pull the rig out from the parking lot and said I'd have to pull it down to a better spot.  So I rigged up a water line pumping water into my surge tank, let it start flowing out of radiator, started rig and drove it down to where driver was.  He did a very good job rigging the rig to tow, took out drive shaft, tied up mudflap, hooked up air, I released the brakes, he did a check and we started the drive to the Cummins shop,  The driver knew every bump in the road, and would move from lane to lane.  Made it to the Cummins shop and he parked it in an open area, left the driveshaft off to the side where he normally left rigs. 

[David Pratt]

None of the Road Assistance plans will cover a TOW if the vehicle is involved in and Accident. Most if not all will have a mileage limitation if the TOW is related to a Mechanical Breakdown.

I am not going to allow a debate on the issue of Roadside Assistance Service Providers, But of all the companies that provide towing have mileage limitations. Coach Net is arguably the best company for Roadside Assistance as the majority of their customers are more than satisfied with the services they provide. Coach Net offers many different services with their plans. Coach Net may not be the least expensive but then you get what you pay for. If you go cheap, you will be disappointed when you need them. I have been a member of Coach Net for 20 years and have never been disappointed with their service yet. Roadside Assistance that is provided by your insurance carrier is the worst. AAA and Good Sam are some of the worst.

If your your coach is involved in a traffic accident, then recovery and towing is on your insurance provider and most of the reputable ones do not have limits when the vehicle is involved in an accident. If you have Roadside Assistance as part of your policy it will have a limitation for towing in the event of a mechanical breakdown.

[Joel Sheriff]

I add progressive many years ago and a mechanical tow. No no problem to a shop of my choice. Just, in April, had an accident. Geico towed from murietta to Redlands ca 49 miles. Driver very knowledgeable did everything right took over 2hrs start to finish.  $1500 tow bill GEICO PAID IN FULL 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Joel Sheriff

[dl_racing427]

41 minutes ago, Joel Sheriff said:

I add progressive many years ago and a mechanical tow. No no problem to a shop of my choice. Just, in April, had an accident. Geico towed from murietta to Redlands ca 49 miles. Driver very knowledgeable did everything right took over 2hrs start to finish.  $1500 tow bill GEICO PAID IN FULL 

I have Progressive on my coach, and they seem to have a pretty good roadside service plan as part of the policy.
It is a specialty RV policy, however, with many items specific to RV's covered.
I've never had to have my Dynasty towed, but they were very good when I needed roadside, or rather trackside service when my TCM failed when leaving a race at VIR.

I severely dislike Geico due to their collusion with police to defraud their customers. 🤬  It's an old story, look it up if interested.

[Joel Sheriff]

I've had geico 43 years for auto, can't change now they've seen me through a lot with no appreciable increases due to accidents with kids etc 

[a4epilot]

On 8/21/2023 at 3:59 PM, JacobA said:

We are looking at adding Coachnet, but in reading some topics out here regarding seriously high tow bills after being in an accident and finding CN does not cover any towing if RV was in an accident. Went to our motorhome policy with Foremost and found they only cover $250 for towing expenses - no other options to increase that amount. What are some of you finding with other insurance companies regarding towing your RV after an accident? 

OK, here's the straight skinny on all of this. 😉

After reading these postings, was shocked to realize that all these years I didn't know I probably wouldn't have towing coverage in the event of an accident!

I have Coachnet and Good Sam insurance with National General.

I called both of them and Good Sam Roadside Assistance in addition. Got it all straight, but, to be sure, called them all again the next and asked the same questions. Received the same answers so I'm confident what I'm posting is correct.

1. Coachnet does NOT cover towing in the event of an accident.

2. GS insurance with National General does NOT cover towing in the event of an accident.

3. GS Roadside Assistance DOES cover towing in the event of an accident to the closest facility that can make repairs with no mileage limits. If the coach is totaled, towing is NOT covered.

4. 60 Days from now, Coachnet will be offering full coverage insurance, for the first time ever, that will have towing coverage available in the event of an accident.

There you have it. Out...........✈️

Gary K

 

[JacobA]

Thanks for all of the input and, Gary, for the awesome leg work. After lots of prodding with agents, I have the same answers Gary got. Interested to see how Coachnet morphs into this full coverage game as well

[Raymond]

AAA takes care of the issue for coach and all my cars. Simple and reliable. 

[birdshill123]

Raymond: Do not be so sure that AAA  roadside will cover you in an accident. Or for that matter in many areas you have ZERO coverage Some states do not have any MH coverage with AAA. AS well there is a miles limit and maybe a $$ limit. I see that you have anj 08 Dynasty. Is it a tag model? In many cases after an accident you may not be able to tow via the front wheels or front axle. I would nver let them tow our 08 Tag Dynasty except on a Landoll. They could end up damaging your frame. Will AAA provide a special trailer? Many here are shocked to find out that towing can cost up to $10,000. In some states the highway patrol provides the towing at your expense. They do not all ow any other services. They may also insist that it be moved to the first open area before being loaded to a trailer. As mentioned in this thread not all insurers provide towing after an accident.

[Raymond]

53 minutes ago, birdshill123 said:

Raymond: Do not be so sure that AAA  roadside will cover you in an accident. Or for that matter in many areas you have ZERO coverage Some states do not have any MH coverage with AAA. AS well there is a miles limit and maybe a $$ limit. I see that you have anj 08 Dynasty. Is it a tag model? In many cases after an accident you may not be able to tow via the front wheels or front axle. I would nver let them tow our 08 Tag Dynasty except on a Landoll. They could end up damaging your frame. Will AAA provide a special trailer? Many here are shocked to find out that towing can cost up to $10,000. In some states the highway patrol provides the towing at your expense. They do not all ow any other services. They may also insist that it be moved to the first open area before being loaded to a trailer. As mentioned in this thread not all insurers provide towing after an accident.

In 2018, we had a coolant hose burst traveling through South Carolina on our was to Hilton Head; I was too green at RVing and still afraid of the size of an eight-wheel motor home to realize this was an easy diy-fix. We called AAA roadside several hours later (near midnight) a massive flat-bed diesel truck arrived. Long story short the tow-driver went to the truck stop at next exit and obtained the hose and replaced the ruptured hose on the side of the road. During this ordeal a State Trooper came by to check on us a few times because we broke down in the curve of an entrance to the highway. AAA paid for most of the cost and we tipped the guy for getting us done without having to tow us. AAA works for us. 

[birdshill123]

Great that it worked for you. I do not think they tow if it is an accident.Good Sam, FMCA and Coachnet Do NOT cover accidents. Even some insurance companies do not cover acidents. I think Progressive has coverage.

[Robert92867]

This stuff keeps me awake at night.  

Breaking down in a remote location. I like to travel to remote locations.

Repair bills exceeding (by several magnitude) the value of my RV.

Breaking down, but something I can fix, but it's 110 degrees or -20.

So I spend a month under the RV  every year now, looking for the next part that is going to fail.

The only time my RV left me stranded was when I was struck by Lightning in Texas.  The EMP even killed the electronics in the toad.  AAA handled it satisfactorily.

[96 EVO]

13 minutes ago, Robert92867 said:

This stuff keeps me awake at night.  

Breaking down in a remote location. I like to travel to remote locations.

 

I hear ya!

Town I live in doesn't have a wrecker big enough to move me, and to get one too me, it would need to catch a ferry from a larger city! 

[Frank McElroy]

On 8/25/2023 at 3:22 PM, birdshill123 said:

Raymond: Do not be so sure that AAA  roadside will cover you in an accident. Or for that matter in many areas you have ZERO coverage Some states do not have any MH coverage with AAA. AS well there is a miles limit and maybe a $$ limit. I see that you have anj 08 Dynasty. Is it a tag model? In many cases after an accident you may not be able to tow via the front wheels or front axle. I would nver let them tow our 08 Tag Dynasty except on a Landoll. They could end up damaging your frame. Will AAA provide a special trailer? Many here are shocked to find out that towing can cost up to $10,000. In some states the highway patrol provides the towing at your expense. They do not all ow any other services. They may also insist that it be moved to the first open area before being loaded to a trailer. As mentioned in this thread not all insurers provide towing after an accident.

With the proper setup, a tag axle coach can be safely towed without damaging the coach as long as ALL of the following items can be performed.  A wrecker with an underreach capable of lifting the front axle, the drive shaft must be disconnected (or both drive axle shafts removed and cover plates installed), the front axle lifted and chained to the wrecker underreach along with other safety chains between the coach frame and the wrecker, an air line connected to the wrecker, a light bar attached to the rear of the coach, the coach leveling system MUST be set to travel mode (you must have enough battery power to keep it in travel mode) and the rear mud flap removed.