There was a story on 60 minutes years ago about guys that would scam RVers...they'd say they saw smoke coming from underneath and direct the victim to a "friend that had a shop" who would drain the diff into a pan and add metal shavings. They would then say they could get another diff lickety split, you say yes, and they then remove your diff go on a road trip with it, come back and sell it back to you plus installation. 60 Minutes put a camera under an RV and got it all on tape as the guy did the deed.
lanerd wrote: I can't remember if it was in Beaver or Scipio, but the same scam situation happened to me in 2010 while on our way to SLC. Guy came out in a golf cart, thought he was a service station employee and didn't pay any attention to him. While pumping fuel, he walked around the front of the mh and said Hi...did you know you have a bad right front tire? Of course I asked him to show me and he pointed to a dark spot on the tread and told me that the tread was separating from the steel belts and that he owned a tire shop across the street and would be happy to install a new tire for me. Looked closer and noticed that the dark spot was just a smudge where he had rubbed his thumb across.
I got up close to him and asked him if he thought his mother was proud of him and that he ought to be ashamed of himself trying to take advantage of senior folk. He got back on his cart and left. I immediately went inside the station and reported the incident.
I'm still driving on that same tire 15,000 miles later.
Obviously, these nogoodfornothings do make a living from this... Just ask LTalbot.
Ron
Invite the guy to say the same thing and point out the "problem" while you record him on video. I bet he gets a case of laryngitis.
But we can't ignore every one of these warnings. We were on a trip towing a boat with our one-ton van. Stopped for gas at a station that was also a shop. Somebody came out and said we had a big bulge on an inside tire sidewall.
We did.
God Bless, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100
Just West of Salt lake City in 1966 driving a Volkswagen "bug" stopped to fill the gasoline tank. mechanic came rushing out of the garage and gave me a son and dance that I neede shock absorbers because my car did considerable bounce driving into the station.
going East
I took me five hundred mies to convince my wife that the shock absorbers on my volkswagon where just fine.
Scams will continue as long as there are people on this planet. AMEN
I had friends come visit last week. They stopped at a Mobil station in Flagstaff and were given the same story. I think next time I'm in Flag I might stop and see if I get the same sell. These guys need to be reported.
Dave
Any person, aproaching you, at a gas station, that is pointing, to tires, shock absorbers, or other sintoms of damage, is normally trying to get you, to purchase what ever they are pitching.
What they do is this.
Tires, maybe remove them, maybe not, they use a bucket, of soapy water, and clean them, then rub some automatic transmition oil, to shine them, and make them look new. You pay for a bottle of Dawn, some water, and a little bit of ATF. You do get to keep yor own tires.
Shock absorbers, maybe lift vehicle on hoist, maybe not, they use kerosene, with air presshure, to clean the shock's struts, you pay for kerosene, and electricity, for the air compressor. Again your own struts, are left in vehicle, if you ask for the old ones, they always have old ones, yust in case.
Learn what the real dangers are, and what bad tires look like, shock struts are normally bad, when your vehicle bounces with bumps, if you place a knee, on the bumper, and press down, and let go, the vehicle should move a little, if it bounces more than two times, you are ready for struts. On a motor home the bounce test is nearlly imposible, before every trip look at the struts, for any sign of oil seepage arround the shiny rod, and the the thick rod. Thats the beggining of failure.
Make it a habbit to check tires, lights, do not worry to much with the shock struts, when they go, your wife might get sea sick, before you do. Anything else, that they are triying to sell, thank them, and let them know, that you will let your mechanic check it out.
If, on the other hand, you actually spot a problem, you are now aware, and can deal with it at the apropite time and place.
Hoppe it helps a bit, do not be taken by skammers, they are aware, that when you are gone, there isen't much, that you the consumer, is going to do.
The other one they pull, is the brake pads are worn, and you need to have the calipers either, replaced or rebuilt, all they do is clean the calipers, and maybe put CHINEESE pads that will not last more that maybe 10,000 miles, and charge you through the nose.
Yes navigator, They did get the car on a hoist and with a screw driver began lifting the rubber debris cover protecting the shaft. I had to stop them from getting carried away with their sales pitch.
The big problem I had, is listening to my wife about riding in an unsafe vehicle for 500 miles into Nebraska before i had to lay down the law and tell her to "zip it."
j-d wrote: But we can't ignore every one of these warnings. We were on a trip towing a boat with our one-ton van. Stopped for gas at a station that was also a shop. Somebody came out and said we had a big bulge on an inside tire sidewall.
We did.
My question is, how did they see (from inside the shop) a bulge on an INSIDE tire sidewall?
Many years ago we were driving cross country,a young gullible family in our brand new Pontiac Grand Prix. While I was in the john, at a gas station in St.George Utah, somebody with an ice pick did his thing on all four tires some how making "bubbles" on all four tires. They made us a "deal" on four Firestone tires. Saw this demonstrated on an NBC expose' TV program years later. Don't leave your vehicle unattended or let somebody fiddle with things under the hood unless you are watching.
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