BlowMax blowout rips hole in floor

[gslabbert5119]

I had a blowout of the left rear tire of my 2013 Bighorn 3685RL on Jan 3rd in New Mexico, I caught it immediately and thought that I had only lost the skirt. So I ordered a new skirt and I have had it for a month or so and went to fit it today, only to find that the tire has ripped a 6 inch wide by about 14inch hole in the floor. It is through the base plate and through the foam core and not through the actual interior flooring.

My questions are ...
How does National General handle this
What repairs have to be done
Frankly there was no hole there before the blowout and I am really not interested in having it patched, what are my chances of that. I realize that would involve significant cost and basically removing the RV off the frame to replace the floor. Probably cost more than the RV is worth, though I have new replacement insurance on the RV for 3 years.
Frankly I have zero faith in the insurance industry and any and all guidance would be most appreciated

Gavin

 

[Bones]

Usually insurance companies will do what is best for them. I don't think they would opt to take the unit off the frame but opt to repair the hole and damage. But for starters you'll have to start the claim process. Good luck and hang on for the long haul.

 

[gslabbert5119]

Usually insurance companies will do what is best for them. I don't think they would opt to take the unit off the frame but opt to repair the hole and damage. But for starters you'll have to start the claim process. Good luck and hang on for the long haul.

Yeah I agree but that does not mean I have to like it,and with how little I trust them I may hire an attorney.
That may be putting the fox in charge of the hen house so to speak though, but I am spoiling for a fight.

I attempted to open a claim today but National computer systems were down all day. and I was supposed to leave on a trip to Oregon this afternoon, only to find this damage and I am not moving until I have at least spoken to the assessor.

 

[danemayer]

Hi Gavin,

I'm trying to visualize the damage. On our rig, the wheels sit outside the frame. So I would think the steel belts might have damaged the underside of the slideout floor. If that's the case, it's probably not a difficult repair. There have been some cases where people had water damage to the slideout flooring and repaired the damage themselves. Here's one thread describing such a repair.

Worst case, the slide room could be removed to make the repair.

If National General is your insurance company, you would open a claim so they can assign an adjuster. The adjuster would probably not have expertise on RV repairs, so you'd likely be pointed to a dealer or independent repair location to get an estimate. Your Comprehensive coverage on the RV should cover the cost of repairs, less your deductible.

 

[Bones]

First things first is to seal up the damaged section with some scrim tape. Take some pictures and show us what you see. If it is not structural and more cosmetic then you could use spray foam to fill the hole and then trim it up then glue some backer and use scrim tape to seal it all up or use some aluminum plate. I would put off your trip. But please get rid of the blow max tires

 

[Lynn1130]

Ripping holes in the floor is pretty common in tire blow outs. At least according to the repair shop after the one that I had. It can get expensive but my experience with National General was that they went with what the shop/estimator came up with. This was not a floor repair but there was not really any hassle with the insurance company.

Take lots of photos including the VIN plate/info plate on your trailer and views of all angles of the trailer. They will want that when you file.

 

[gslabbert5119]

Here are a few pictures which are not the greatest of the damage and the new Hankook tires that are surprisingly good, and some of the support frame is bent (one of the cross braces) and there appears to be a metal tear at the bolt. Other than that it looks cosmetic but may not be which is why I am asking.

The blowmaxs tires are all gone, i replaced them with Hankook 2000863 F19 7.50R16 G/14PR BSW tires (I think this is the model.)

Frankly they were not what I wanted but that was the only choice that I had as I was just outside a little town in the middle of New Mexico, but the tires have turned out to be fabulous. The rig runs true, it is not anywhere near as squishy - soft when towing and it stands just a little higher.

Apologies about the image rotation, I snapped them quickly with a cell phone so you guys could see, but they are quite confusing.

 

[rjr6150]

Had just underv$20,000 in hail damage last June. As others have stated most likely the adjuster will have zero to limited knowledge of RV's. Mine even admitted it.

My suggestion would be to find an RV collision center and let them work through it.

Forgot to mention I have National General once the repair center became involved and submitted requested photos it was a breeze.

 

[Tree14]

WOW what is up with t he RV manufacturers putting deadly tire bombs on our RVs? We spend our hard earned money to buy our dreams and what I've been reading is so sad. We had two rear tires explode on our 2016 Cyclone ,our insurance Guardian was closed on Saturday and no one would tow us using our roadside assistance policy because 2 tires were on the same side!! It took 8 hours to get help. Our tires were Power King. STAY AWAY. We are looking for 12 or 14 ply tires ft or our 2016 Cyclone 4200 any suggestions for us?

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[TravelTiger]

WOW what is up with t he RV manufacturers putting deadly tire bombs on our RVs? We spend our hard earned money to buy our dreams and what I've been reading is so sad. We had two rear tires explode on our 2016 Cyclone ,our insurance Guardian was closed on Saturday and no one would tow us using our roadside assistance policy because 2 tires were on the same side!! It took 8 hours to get help. Our tires were Power King. STAY AWAY. We are looking for 12 or 14 ply tires ft or our 2016 Cyclone 4200 any suggestions for us?

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Sorry to hear of your adventure! I'm just curious, what does the sticker on the off-door side by the front of your rig say for tires? What is the manufacture date of your rig?

I ask because I was under the impression that in Q-2 of 2015, Heartland started putting Sailun G rated tires on all toyhaulers.


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[tireman9]

Here are a few pictures which are not the greatest of the damage and the new Hankook tires that are surprisingly good, and some of the support frame is bent (one of the cross braces) and there appears to be a metal tear at the bolt. Other than that it looks cosmetic but may not be which is why I am asking.

The blowmaxs tires are all gone, i replaced them with Hankook 2000863 F19 7.50R16 G/14PR BSW tires (I think this is the model.)

Frankly they were not what I wanted but that was the only choice that I had as I was just outside a little town in the middle of New Mexico, but the tires have turned out to be fabulous. The rig runs true, it is not anywhere near as squishy - soft when towing and it stands just a little higher.

Apologies about the image rotation, I snapped them quickly with a cell phone so you guys could see, but they are quite confusing.

Too bad you don't have pictures of the failed tires so we could learn if the failures were caused by a slow leak (run low flex failure) or a belt separation (due to heat from speed and degradation due to age)

 

[mlpeloquin]

Do to a friends Big Country, I learned the when the Towmax aka Blowmax are about to go soon the flatness across the treads go very round. Not that it matters since anyone with common sense would dump them ASAP.

 

[tireman9]

Do to a friends Big Country, I learned the when the Towmax aka Blowmax are about to go soon the flatness across the treads go very round. Not that it matters since anyone with common sense would dump them ASAP.

Yes that is a sign of a belt separation. Many times it can be discovered during a "Free Spin Inspection".

 

[TravelTiger]

I discovered the "ballooning" of a TowMax tire, by feel. I was looking under the rig at the suspension bracing myself with the tire and felt the "bulge". Looking closer, I could see the tread pattern as it wraps to the sidewall was distorted, where the bulge was. We changed all 5 tires immediately. When the tire was removed, this is what it looked like:

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[farside291]

Ripping holes in the floor is pretty common in tire blow outs. At least according to the repair shop after the one that I had. It can get expensive but my experience with National General was that they went with what the shop/estimator came up with. This was not a floor repair but there was not really any hassle with the insurance company.

Take lots of photos including the VIN plate/info plate on your trailer and views of all angles of the trailer. They will want that when you file.

Along with taking pictures of the trailer from all angles don't forget to take a picture of the door, the insurance will need a picture of the little placard that shows the model of your trailer.

- - - Updated - - -

I discovered the "ballooning" of a TowMax tire, by feel. I was looking under the rig at the suspension bracing myself with the tire and felt the "bulge". Looking closer, I could see the tread pattern as it wraps to the sidewall was distorted, where the bulge was. We changed all 5 tires immediately. When the tire was removed, this is what it looked like:

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That is incredible, why the industry doesn't outlaw that manufacturer of those tires is beyond me. There are a lot of Chinese made tires on the market, I have 6 of them on my 2016 Ram right now. Working my way towards Michelins.

 

[Tree14]

I had a blowout of the left rear tire of my 2013 Bighorn 3685RL on Jan 3rd in New Mexico, I caught it immediately and thought that I had only lost the skirt. So I ordered a new skirt and I have had it for a month or so and went to fit it today, only to find that the tire has ripped a 6 inch wide by about 14inch hole in the floor. It is through the base plate and through the foam core and not through the actual interior flooring.

My questions are ...
How does National General handle this
What repairs have to be done
Frankly there was no hole there before the blowout and I am really not interested in having it patched, what are my chances of that. I realize that would involve significant cost and basically removing the RV off the frame to replace the floor. Probably cost more than the RV is worth, though I have new replacement insurance on the RV for 3 years.
Frankly I have zero faith in the insurance industry and any and all guidance would be most appreciated

Gavin

They won't do much !! Our blowout eliminated skirt and various other things. We have tire insurance and whatever else was available when we bought new. American Guardian a joke!! Would not help us get towed had two tires explode on RR. Spent 8 hrs on FL turnpike. Oh they're closed on Saturdays but Mgr at Collier RV helped. Great place !
PS all buyers beware of Camping World's they ARE horrible. We took our rig there April 10 and they just ordered parts, it's RV season !!!! I had to get Heartland involved since they said they could not get parts. The rep said that's is completely wrong, parts were just ordered and in stock



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[BigGuy82]

I had a blowout of the left rear tire of my 2013 Bighorn 3685RL on Jan 3rd in New Mexico, I caught it immediately and thought that I had only lost the skirt. So I ordered a new skirt and I have had it for a month or so and went to fit it today, only to find that the tire has ripped a 6 inch wide by about 14inch hole in the floor. It is through the base plate and through the foam core and not through the actual interior flooring.

My questions are ...
How does National General handle this
What repairs have to be done
Frankly there was no hole there before the blowout and I am really not interested in having it patched, what are my chances of that. I realize that would involve significant cost and basically removing the RV off the frame to replace the floor. Probably cost more than the RV is worth, though I have new replacement insurance on the RV for 3 years.
Frankly I have zero faith in the insurance industry and any and all guidance would be most appreciated

Gavin

Won't help much, but here's my guesses/observations - which are probably pretty accurate:

• The BlowMax folks will probably prorate a replacement (why on earth you would want one of those rolling disasters is beyond me) after you ship it to them at your expense. Save your money and put it towards new Sailun or Goodyear tires (I recommend Sailun - a good product at lower cost than Goodyear).
• Take the coach to a reputable dealer (yes, I know - a mutually exclusive expression) for a damage estimate. Forums are dandy, but you need a pro to look at the coach - it may or may not be as bad as you think.
• Your faith in the insurance industry has nothing to do with this - what does the contract say? If they're liable for coverage, put thier feet to the fire. Before you spend bucks on legal fees, you should contact the agency in your state that regulates the insurance industry if your company doesn't live up to the terms of the contract.
• In a later post you mentioned engaging an attorney. Unless you have gobs of spare cash laying around and enjoy throwing good money after bad, spend it on something else. That insurance company can outlast you financially any day of the week.

Not pretty, but you asked ...

- - - Updated - - -

Along with taking pictures of the trailer from all angles don't forget to take a picture of the door, the insurance will need a picture of the little placard that shows the model of your trailer.

- - - Updated - - -



That is incredible, why the industry doesn't outlaw that manufacturer of those tires is beyond me. There are a lot of Chinese made tires on the market, I have 6 of them on my 2016 Ram right now. Working my way towards Michelins.

Curious - did your Ram come from the factory with "Chinese" tires? What brand? I put Chinese in quotes because you'd be amazed at what famous brands are now manufactured in China.

 

[FMC]

WOW what is up with t he RV manufacturers putting deadly tire bombs on our RVs? We spend our hard earned money to buy our dreams and what I've been reading is so sad. We had two rear tires explode on our 2016 Cyclone ,our insurance Guardian was closed on Saturday and no one would tow us using our roadside assistance policy because 2 tires were on the same side!! It took 8 hours to get help. Our tires were Power King. STAY AWAY. We are looking for 12 or 14 ply tires ft or our 2016 Cyclone 4200 any suggestions for us?

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I just put 4 new Goodyear G-614's on our Sundance.

 

[Tree14]

Here's some of our PowerMax tire 2 of 3 on right Rear. Less than 4000 miles on tbem. No one wanted to tow us or help!!

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[BigGuy82]

The REALLY interesting thread would be one that praisesd TowMax tires - I'm betting it would be an extremely short discussion.

You know, we lament this farcical (and dangerous situation). It happens again and again. We show pictures and wonder why the government doesn't do something. We hear about how we should write in and send tires to Washington. We are told that "hey, it's not Heartland's fault - they didn't make the tire and they don't warranty it".

My peronal opinion - that's all nonsense. The industry (Heartland and every other manufacturer who has used and worse, continues to use, these lousy skins) knows very well what is going on but they are doing NOTHING. I don't buy into the idea that they don't read these forums and that every customer who has had one of these failures doesn't call in. If it happened to me, that would be my first call. It's all because of money and liability I'm sure, but in my opinion, there is absolutely no excuse for not stepping up and proactively replacing these things and I don't care who made the tires - there should be a factory recall. As an example, Takata made millions of faulty airbags, but Ford, Honda, Toyota, et al issued the recalls. As far as I know, it's only been property damage that's resulted from these TowMax failures - what happens if something worse transpires?

This note probably won't change anyone's mind, but hey ... you never know. Maybe an executive level person at Heartland will read it and take it into consideration. I don't have a horse in this race - I have Sailun's, but I do feel for my fellow RVer's who have suffered with this problem and continue to be at risk. Whatever happens, I wish you all luck and safe travels.