What went wrong?

[WVvan]

My 2 cents.
Unless its a sidewall blowout, I would not change the tire at all. That's why I carry an ARB plug kit for. Only had to use it one time but it was a cinch. Put enough air in the tire using your on-board compressor till you find the leak, plug it and re-fill the tire right on the ground. No Jack, no mess.

Do you need to take the tire to a shop afterward or is it good to go?

[TwoVans]

I second the "plug" for the ARB kit.

I used it on this tire over a year ago. Never took it to a shop. Still good to go...

Oh, and I had no idea what I was doing. Just followed the directions that came in the kit. Highest recommendation!

[Gnarvan]

If it were my tire I would take it to a tire shop and have them put a patch on the inside where the plug is. But that's just me. Overkill never fails!

[Gnarvan]

Originally Posted by Zeta

How long will it last? Would anyone like to volunteer to hold their breath?
Z

Z

My guess is you will be the one holding your breath. Every time you flip the switch on your soon to be installed Air Lockers.

[yvrr]

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

If it were my tire I would take it to a tire shop and have them put a patch on the inside where the plug is. But that's just me. Overkill never fails!

It is my understanding that plugs are the only way that a tire shop will fix a hole in a tire these days...is that incorrect?

[Gnarvan]

The mechanics at our shop at work put a plug in then apply a patch or boot on the inside of the tire. I'm not sure if you could talk someone at Schwab's into doin that. You may have to find a privately owned shop with an understanding mechanic.

For what it's worth the work truck's I'm talking about are 18 wheelers that run 90-100 psi and haul some weight. I've seen drive axle weights of 30,000 to 32,000 pounds. That weight is shared between 2 axles and 8 tires.

[Ultrasport12]

I carry a plug kit with me and have used more than once it in the past, they work good most of the time...

I have plugged many a tire in my automotive career but times they are a changing when it comes to tires and tire safty...

Since model year 2008 we have tire pressure monitoring on all cars and trucks under 10,,000 lbs GVW and tire dealers are getting more strick about date codes, load and speed ratings and tire pressures due to lawsuits...

Until recently just plugging a tubeless tire was the standard tire repair unless it was on the sidewall or was too big of a hole to plug... In some states (at least in NY starting in 2001) depending on the load and speed rating and tread depth of the tires the repair must be what they call plug patched... This requires dismounting the tire and using a special drill bit you clean out the hole and then clean the inside of the tire near the hole...Glue is applied to this plug patch thing that looks like a regular radial tire patch made onto a long rubber plug with a small steel pin on the end...The plug is pulled through the newly drilled and enlarged hole (drilling the hole gets rid of any sharp edges that could hurt the plug) from the inside out and you have a very safe (if done correctly) permanent tire repair (it cannot pull out like regular plug or fall off like a regular patch can) that should be safe at speed and be able to handle the weight as good as the rest of the tire...

More information here... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... ?techid=77

Some car companies say to to NEVER use a repaired tire and that tires should always be replaced in pairs...
All wheel drive vehicles (not 4wheel drive although you never want to run different sizes on them either) should also have all four tires replaced at the same time because of drive line wear by using tires that are different diameter...

I am not sure if in my area (SFBay) you could find someone that does plug patches as it is hard enough to find a tire shop that even does Road Force Balancing but if you want to repair your tire more permanently instead of replacing them you might want to try it...

[Rapidz]

Warning:
When you get your SMB serviced, do it on a ramp not a lift. Mine was put on a lift and when the rear springs went down, they hit the nozzle on the gray water tank and pow! It drained on the service room floor. Litha Ford fixed the gray water tank and we all learned a lesson.
Rapidz

[Viejo]

At least this time the 'what went wrong' happened on the last day of the trip rather than the first.

We were driving down a washboard road in the Hart Mt Antelope Refuge, Oregon when we heard a thunderous BANG.

Stopped immediately and got out expecting to find a broken spring or axle. Nothing! No broken springs, struts, leaking fluids, fresh bullet holes. Nothing. The engine continued to purr, gauges all within range. The only thing we could find out of place was a plastic soap dish that had fallen down on the glass cover of the cook top. We couldn't believe how that could have made so much noise but we could only shrug our shoulders and move on.

We were home a few days before I tried to raise the penthouse and discovered the true problem. The bolt on the left side X brace of the penthouse had sheared off releasing the full energy of the spring. It drove the front section of the X brace forward and twisted it to the right, ripping up the main support block in the center of the ceiling. The nut on the right side is also sheared off but the bolt is still wedged in place.

I managed to get the top latched back down so it's drivable but not liveable and the whole mess is beyond my ability to repair.

So now we're looking at no van until at least August and are trying to decide between 3 options.

1. Take it to Fresno and have the manual penthouse repaired for a rough estimate of $1000.

2. Take it to Fresno and have a new electric penthouse installed for a rough estimate of $6000.

3. Take it to Colorado and let Derek at CCV install a new top for a rough estimate of $7000.

Option 1 is out.

Sherri is favoring option #2 because SMB has been doing tops for many years and she is unsure of the good looking but unproven design from CCV.

I'm favoring option #3. I see it as a choice between an unproven design and a proven bad design.

So, what would you all do in this situation?

[BajaSportsmobile]

Option 1A: Find any good mechanically inclined repairman in your area and get it fixed for a few hundred bucks.