No brakes, hills and Romahome

I now know Romahome brakes arn't too good after owning one for 8 months but I had a shock last wednesday.

I was returning home from government auction at Dunkerswell, nr Honiton, Devon. Leaving the site the ground was bumpy and lots of bottoming out.

Once on the main road back towards Honiton I felt that my brakes weren't too good going down the hills, my foot kept going down to the floor.

I turned onto the A30 but after 5 miles the break warning light came on, so I stopped at a layby and took a look at the fluid reservoir.

it was on the danger level so I topped it up thinking air may have bleed up to it. So off I went again all releived but afet 5 miles the light came on again.

I stopped took a look and the level was down again to danger. My stress levels started to rise knowing that I had a serious leak somewhere.

I took a look under it and to my shock I found the brake pipe had broken of the left rear cylinder at the joining nut. Fluid all over the wheel, ground and under the vehicle.

I bent the pipe back on itself then put some plastic over the filler on the reservoir held in place by elastic bands to slow the leakage.

Trouble is I still had 45 miles of devon hills to go till I reached home at Brixham. I'm not a AA member or RAC member and they would have charged £300 + to get me back.

This is what I did. I just drove back normally and not using my brakes. To stop I would slow in advance, use the gears and handbrake.

At Paignton there's a hill called Kings Ash Hill, very steep indeed. When I reached that it was clear of traffic and using 2nd and a little Handbraking I got to the bottom, I guess i would still get to the bottom either way.

I made it home an hour after discovering the problem.

The cause ? simple

When I bottom out at leaving the auction i think my spring assister spring bent out to the side and hit my brake pipe, this is my theory and i could be wrong. The pipe was steel, old and weak. I have now changed both rear pipes for copper ones and routed them away from the assisters.

Other than that the auction was very good and I saved several thousand pounds, I only bought a burger.

[anchorman]

ecobezhig

Would like to say, what a dodgy thing to do. But quite a number of years ago I was in the same position and a pair of mole grips on a front flexible pipe gingerly got me home, luckily in the middle of the night and no traffic. Didn't half snatch to the left if I braked. However now older and wiser I would'nt dream of doing it again.

Tony Anchorman

[jayjay]

Just join the AA!!!!!!!!!

Go on, go on, the first year is only £36 or something.... worth it for peace of mind, I think.

They will tow you home or to the nearest garage if they can't fix at the roadside, y'know.

[Ian.C.S]

Some years ago in a heavy DAF motorcaravan, I drove slowly off the frontage of the local repair garage who had just done a full service,MoT and changed a dodgy brake caliper, and swung slowly into a line of traffic heading towards a set of traffic lights.
The lights went Red, everyone stopped including the tiny Fiat 500 infront of me, it was at that point I discovered that I had NO brakes at all.
It was like playing snooker, 2 1/2 ton DAF hits 1/2 ton FIAT in backside, clean into top pocket.
End result! garage had to pay for repairs to four vehicles and my chum who is a D o Transport inspector removed their vehicle testing license.
I bought Chocs and flowers for the poor girl in the Fiat, and doubled my dose of Beta blocker for that day.
Garage went bust soon after, good, dangerous idiots like that you dont need.
I sympathise with your sense of surprise at the nasty realisation that the brakes are gone!
Ian

[jessiem]

Just join the AA!!!!!!!!!

Go on, go on, the first year is only £36 or something.... worth it for peace of mind, I think.

They will tow you home or to the nearest garage if they can't fix at the roadside, y'know.

I wish it was £36 jayjay I have just got my quote for the next 12 months. Roadside assistance and relay (take me home) £110. I have been with them for 7years now and I think they should give me a reduction, but you should see what they charge for all the extras!!

[Twolitre]

I wish it was £36 jayjay I have just got my quote for the next 12 months. Roadside assistance and relay (take me home) £110. I have been with them for 7years now and I think they should give me a reduction, but you should see what they charge for all the extras!!

I was talked by an AA Officer into joining the AA at a car show a couple of years ago at about the price jayjay mentions.
Nobody, but nobody normally works on my vehicles except me because I am properly qualified to do so. But I liked the idea of roadside assistance because I may not carry the tools needed and with the assurance they would get me home to repair the car myself, I signed up.
Months later, reading the documents, I realised I would only be taken to the nearest garage for repairs at my own expense. Phoning the AA confirmed this, but it did not get me my money back!

I now have insurance which includes roadside assistance and get you home and at a price most companies want without it.

I think it may not be proper to name the Broker here, but search around! It covers Europe too!

[Twinkletoes]

I now know Romahome brakes arn't too good after owning one for 8 months but I had a shock last wednesday......

Wow, no brakes is just about the worst nightmare, I did have that once in a car back when changing down helped to slow the car, with that and the handbrake I managed to stop. Next worst thing for me is suddenly loosing the gears.

On the narrow, twisty, uphill road from Shaftesbury to Blandford 10 years ago in an old C14 Romahome I went to change down and the gear stick waggled around looseley leaving the engine in neutral. I managed to coast into the only layby for miles. No mobile phones, but a phonebox that still worked half a mile down the hill. The AA eventually arrived and found a pin had dropped out of the linkage, a temporary fix with a piece of very stiff wire got me the 16 miles home to Poole. Ann

[jayjay]

I wish it was £36 jayjay I have just got my quote for the next 12 months. Roadside assistance and relay (take me home) £110. I have been with them for 7years now and I think they should give me a reduction, but you should see what they charge for all the extras!!

Tell me about it! That price is only for new members... I've been with the AA for around 10 years now, it goes up every year. I only have roadside assistance, on the basis that if they took me to a garage instead of back home (which ever is nearest) it would save me having to get to a garage from home with a broken car! And they will also look after the caravan, should I be towing it when the car fails.

It's handy to have though, even if you are in someone else's car and it breaks down, it's still covered as the AA covers you, whatever car you're in. It's just peace of mind for me. After quite a number of breakdowns in my own and others' cars over the years, I can only remember one time where it wasn't repairable, and they put the vehicle on a breakdown truck and took us home as we were all in shock, even though there was a garage nearer.

[RRH]

A few years ago I drove from Whistable to Derby to collect an inflatable boat and outboard. Along the way my Rover 400 diesel flickered its oil light, very worrying.

To cut a long story short my membership of the AA was the basic ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. A call out to them acheived nothing and I had to nurse the car to a garage that allowed me to use their car lift and for me to strip the engine sump and clean the oil pick-up. After an hour and £30 fee then £20 for oil I started driving with a sense of relief.

When I accelerated onto the M1 the turbo seals went and the most incredible amount of smoke.

I pulled over onto the hard shoulder called the AA. 5 hours later after several relays, £250 upgrade to get me home I was totally depressed.

It was all my fault for not doing things right from the moment I bought the car. Flushing the old oil out etc.

Now I am not a wealthy man and I have to save money everywhere. My Romahome is almost fully rebuilt. The AA never fixed anything of mine in the past just a get you home or to the most expensive nearest garage possible. I remember all these things from 30 years driving. I don't want others touching my Camper and I dont want to pay others for doing it.

Yes I drove 40 + miles without brakes but the route had 1 hill to concern me, the rest was very careful driving.

The morale of the story, carry a hose clamp in the car and a simple tool kit.

Please could I have a few more lectures on how naughty I was.

[Ian.C.S]

A few years ago I drove from Whistable to Derby to collect an inflatable boat and outboard. Along the way my Rover 400 diesel flickered its oil light, very worrying.

To cut a long story short my membership of the AA was the basic ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. A call out to them acheived nothing and I had to nurse the car to a garage that allowed me to use their car lift and for me to strip the engine sump and clean the oil pick-up. After an hour and £30 fee then £20 for oil I started driving with a sense of relief.

When I accelerated onto the M1 the turbo seals went and the most incredible amount of smoke.

I pulled over onto the hard shoulder called the AA. 5 hours later after several relays, £250 upgrade to get me home I was totally depressed.

It was all my fault for not doing things right from the moment I bought the car. Flushing the old oil out etc.

Now I am not a wealthy man and I have to save money everywhere. My Romahome is almost fully rebuilt. The AA never fixed anything of mine in the past just a get you home or to the most expensive nearest garage possible. I remember all these things from 30 years driving. I don't want others touching my Camper and I dont want to pay others for doing it.

Yes I drove 40 + miles without brakes but the route had 1 hill to concern me, the rest was very careful driving.

The morale of the story, carry a hose clamp in the car and a simple tool kit.

Please could I have a few more lectures on how naughty I was.

Hi Chum,
Dont think you have been naughty, you are clearly a lot more skilled than the average Joe and I understand why you wouldnt want to pay anyone for something you can do yourself. I have trouble with anything mechanical so am happy to pay, I have had the full AA package for decades and when you are as mechanically stupid as me it works.
I envy you your ability.
Happy camping
Ian

[lizzie]

Travellng home on the Motorway from Yorkshire recently I hit some debris from
a lorry tyre blowout - probably an oil reservoir of some kind. There was a horribly loud crashing noise under the camper. Luckily I was near Trowell services because as I slowly pulled into the carparking area it sounded like the floor of the camper had fallen off and was dragging along the ground.

I could have cried at the thought of possible serious damage to my much loved camper and also I was a long way from my home in Somerset.

Luckily I had kept up my RAC membership and within half an hour a very pleasant young man -who was also a motorhomer - had removed the beyond repair pan and I was able to drive home in my camper, not in the cab of a recovery vehicle. This would have been a very stressful and costly business without the RAC support. It is certainly very expensive but worth it for this one occasion.
I have to say while waiting for the RAC man I phoned Ant who was very calm and reassuring and diagnosed the probable damage and said it probably wouldnt be as bad as might appear. This is pretty impressive service - I doubt if many dealers would be so helpful.

I am definately a recovery service fan especially as a lone camper - so long as I can afford it!

Lizzie

[lunnie]

k

Hi, I am a single lady with no knowledge of repairing a vehicle. I may know what is wrong! but not able to fix myself. Therefore I am in the RAC the monty! home start and relay costs £123 this year but for me well worth it, they have rescued me a number of times and they are quick, efficient and very pleasant.

It is for aby vehicle that I am travelling in. And my Romahome has been piggybacked twice now and earlier this year my oil pump leaked and squirked oil over my drive and I was on the way to a meet, nice RAC man had been fixed and on my way within 1 hour.

Had a great weekend so money very well spent.

[sparky]

Hi, I am a single lady with no knowledge of repairing a vehicle. I may know what is wrong! but not able to fix myself. Therefore I am in the RAC the monty! home start and relay costs £123 this year but for me well worth it, they have rescued me a number of times and they are quick, efficient and very pleasant.

It is for aby vehicle that I am travelling in. And my Romahome has been piggybacked twice now and earlier this year my oil pump leaked and squirked oil over my drive and I was on the way to a meet, nice RAC man had been fixed and on my way within 1 hour.

Had a great weekend so money very well spent.

I'm a single lady too... and an absolute thicko when it comes to.. well, almost everything to do with motors really ( I'm more of a people person ) After reading all the stories on this thread, I'm joining the RAC and getting the full monty too! The mere THOUGHT of being piggybacked has made me pour myself a stiff one!