By Chris Smith
FMCA Executive Director
January 2017
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, shared with close friends and family. 2016 was a fantastic year all around, in my opinion. I welcomed my second child and accepted the job of my dreams. Here’s to 2017 being even more successful!
One day this fall when the weather started turning cooler, my wife, Jill, received the dreaded low tire warning in her SUV. I took the vehicle to our local gas station to fill up the air in the tire. Within a week the warning came on again. I grudgingly came to the realization that the original tires on the SUV needed to be replaced. The first thing I did was check the pricing through the Michelin Advantage program that Family Motor Coach Association offers.
I did my own research trying to find a price that matched the Michelin Advantage offer. I had no luck doing so. I also had my father-in-law contact one of his friends who owns a tire shop. His friend’s exact words were, “I cannot touch that price, but I do have a lower grade tire in that price range.” My assumption was correct that the FMCA program had the best pricing for Michelin tires.
I gave Jill instructions on how to set up the appointment with a Michelin dealer that offers the program and have the tires installed on her SUV. The process was smooth. A quick step by step appears below. Keep in mind that FMCA’s Michelin Advantage program covers motorhome, light truck, and passenger vehicle tires.
*Find the specifications for the tires you need to have replaced. Use the specifications to find out which Michelin tire is a match. You can do this by calling Michelin, by contacting the FMCA national office, or by using a new tool on FMCA.com. This tool is extremely helpful and will give you pricing on every single tire that matches your search. It can be found at www.fmca.com/michelin-advantage.html.
*Call Michelin at 888-532-6435 (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time) to register your credit card. The billing is handled by Michelin corporate and not by the dealer that installs the tires.
*Find a local Michelin Advantage dealer that can do the install and then set up an appointment with them. You can find a list of dealers at www.michelinrvtires.com/dealer-locator/#/.
*When you go to the dealer, give them your FMCA membership number. The dealer uses this as the purchase order number. You also need to give them the Michelin FMCA account number. You can find this number and complete instructions at www.fmca.com/benefits/michelin-advantage.html. Since this is an FMCA member benefit, you will need to sign in as a member to obtain this information.
*Keep in mind that Michelin quotes only the tire price and federal taxes. Any mounting, balancing, or other services the installer offers will be at an additional cost. FMCA staff members cannot quote those fees up front.
When my wife received the final bill, four brand-new 19-inch Michelin tires with everything included cost approximately $830. We saved around $320 in total. These savings more than pay for the yearly FMCA dues. If you know anyone who owns a motorhome and needs to purchase tires, please share the pricing tool above and spread the word about FMCA and this amazing member benefit.
Speaking of tires, soon FMCA will be offering Continental as another option in the tire program. This is exciting news and gives our membership another high-quality alternative. More news will follow as the program gets up and running.
Switching gears, on November 11, 2016, I made my first trek to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. If you have not been yet, please do yourself a favor and make your way there. What a fascinating display related to the RV industry, past and future. While I was there, FMCA national senior vice president Jon Walker was kind enough to show me around his stomping grounds. He lives in Elkhart, which, without a doubt, is the motorhome mecca of the world.
The main reason I made the visit, though, was to support our good friends at RVillage.com. RVillage founders Curtis Coleman and Cameron Mills visited the museum to celebrate the grand opening of their display there. They have created a wonderful social networking site for RVers. I encourage everyone to join their site to connect with fellow FMCA members. RVillage.com has 52,000 members and continues to grow every day. It is the only social networking site built for the RV community. After you join (which you can do for free, by the way), look for the FMCA group — Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) Official Page — and join it as well.
I did have an interesting experience during my drive up to Elkhart. I left Cincinnati after work on November 10. Jon Walker allowed me to stay the night at his lake house in Union, Michigan, so I could just wake up and drive down the road to Elkhart the next day. I made it to Jon’s exit when my phone died. I had been using GPS on the phone to find my way to the lake house.
I went to pull out my phone charger and realized I had grabbed my iPad charger instead when I left the house. Now I was in a panic! It was 11:30 at night; I was in the middle of nowhere without my phone; and I had no clue where I was going. I continued down the road off the exit until I reached the end. Luckily, I saw a sign that said to turn right to head into Elkhart. My fears were calmed a bit. I figured I could pull into a gas station and charge my phone.
I crossed over the border from Michigan into Indiana. Within two minutes of doing so, I saw a deer dart out in front of me. Fortunately, it only made contact with the passenger-side front bumper of my car. I pulled over and saw that my car was still operational, so I continued my journey. My night had gone from bad to really bad! I had no phone, no clue where I was going, and I had just hit a deer. Thankfully, I found a gas station shortly after my deer strike. I explained my dilemma to the attendant, and she kindly allowed me to charge my phone. I made it to Jon’s place around 1:00 a.m.
It was quite the journey. One good thing is I did get to drive a shiny new red Camaro as my rental while my car was getting fixed. You have to find the silver lining in everything.
You never know when technology will fail you. I sure wish I had a road atlas in the car to alleviate some of my anxiety of being lost. If you don’t have an atlas or need to update yours, please visit Store.FMCA.com or give us a call at the FMCA national office (800-543-3622) to purchase a new one. The FMCA North American Road Atlas and Travel Guide is geared specifically toward RVers and is the perfect travel companion.
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope 2017 is as good as 2016. Enjoy the journey!