Our Brakes Failed In The Mountains! (Campervan Nightmare)
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- Опубликовано: 3 дек 2024
- Driving the Most Dangerous Road in the US (our breaks failed)
We drove the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado, known as the most dangerous road in the US. We had the worst preparation as in the lead up our breaks failed on 2 separate occasions and after $1000's of dollars, we were finally ready to tackle this exhilarating road.
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Hello and welcome to our channel! We are Alex & Emma, a British couple who have been exploring the world together for over 10 years - from backpacking to vanlife:
2012/13: We both embarked on our own solo backpacking trips through Southeast Asia, where we would eventually meet at a hostel in the mountains of Thailand and begin traveling together. After a year and a half of backpacking around Southeast Asia & Australia, we returned home and to the corporate world!
2015: Travel Beans was born and we filmed our first videos on a road trip around Europe with friends! This was our biggest trip yet.. and you can go back and watch the entire adventure because we filmed ALL of it! This trip took us through Russia, Mongolia & China, on the longest railway journey in the world. Followed by highlights such as staying on a local island in the Maldives for a month, going on safari in Sri Lanka, couchsurfing & hitchhiking in Korea, seeing the snow monkeys in Japan, island hopping in the Philippines, trekking 60km through the centre of Myanmar, exploring the Indian Himalayas, and checking out some of the incredible US National Parks.
2016: Despite an unbelievably memorable year and a half of travels, which we were incredibly grateful to have had the privilege to experience.. we found ourselves in New York City, battling depression. At this point, we decided to go home and confront this problem head-on.
2017: After 6 tough months at home we decided to go away again, but this time with a goal in mind.. to turn travel into a lifestyle. We left the UK with just £500 in our bank account and a dream to make a continuous travel lifestyle happen! We both got online English teaching jobs to be able to fund our travels and to keep creating videos. We can't quite believe that our younger selves decided to take this plunge but we are so grateful they did as we are still on this journey today!
What now?
Over the years, we've discovered that we LOVE road trips and even decided to renovate our very own little VWT4 van into a campervan to be able to enjoy vanlife and spend more time on the road. We are now the proud owners of 2 awesome little campers - one based in the UK and one that we keep in the USA. You'll often find us using one of these vans to explore Europe and North America. If you enjoy this kind of content we'd recommend checking out our Italy Road Trip series, USA vanlife series and our Japan in a Tiny Van series as well as our UK vanlife content.
Our time spent overcoming depression has influenced our outlook on life dramatically! We are now traveling the world in search of what makes us happy. We love sharing the highs and lows of our trips through our videos and hope to spread a little positivity and light to all of the beautiful people who take the time to tune in and watch each week!
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A couple of suggestions: because your camper van weighs significantly more than a regular passenger car or van you need to be careful using overdrive (OD) on the transmission especially in hilly terrain you could over heat your transmission and cause it to fail. In hilly terrain shut off overdrive on your shifter column if possible. You may consider having a transmission oil cooler installed to keep your transmission cool. The oil cooler is a smaller radiator that sit behind the engine radiator, transmission fluid circulate through the cooler loop dumping excess heat to the outside air.
When in hilly/ mountainous terrain down shift when going down hills to a lower gear to help slow the vehicle using the engine and without having to ride the brakes. Riding the brakes can cause them to overheat, the brake fluid will boil, and you will lose braking ability. Down shift, go at a slower pace, and pump your brakes.
Do you guys carry a tire plug kit and a manual large volume tire pump in case you do get a flat tire?
GREAT advice
I just came to say the same thing. They fried the brakes. Low lander problems 😀
I really hope they read this!!
I grew up in Colorado and part of learning how to drive was how not to fry your brakes when in the mountains. It also made having a manual transmission desirable.
I was taught “same gear going down that you use going up” for mountain terrain.
I'm a CO native and these mountains kill brake jobs very quickly. Especially in a heavy vehicle. I'm so sorry you guys had to deal with all of this. I'm glad you were able to enjoy some of the sights even with all of the troubles.
Maybe they could of enjoyed a lot more if they didn’t get ripped off from the first place , which by the way i called it that they would get ripped off not just by those thieving bastards that saw the beans coming , but also those same bastards probably owned that rip-off motel they stayed in , $250.00 a night , PLEASE NO PLACE WOULD CHARGE $250.00 a night unless you were the bloody HILTON get real. $660.00 brake job ruined in a few miles , where do you go to get your brakes fixed ? , must use the same thieves do you. Then they got done again by the other place saying they had to redo the work from the first place. Moreover they should’ve had the issues in the beginning if the bloody service place did their bloody job to start with. So YOU tell me , who’s in the wrong here?. BLOODY AMERICA , WOULD’NT GO NEAR YOU PEOPLE IF YOU PAID ME A MILLION BUCKS , YOUR COUNTRY IS CRAP , FULL OF REDNECKS!!!😱🗣️👎😡😤🫣😜🤬🥴😵💫
Someone mentioned it below so I'm seconding the advice: you have a ton of fans here in the states. If you have mechanical troubles and get really stuck, go live and reach out to viewers. I can guarantee you'll have someone reach out and give you a hand. It's really not a big ask- America is car country and we love doing that stuff.
Former Denverite here. Back in the summer of 1976 my then partner and I had spent several months building a 1955 Metro step van (former Wonder bread delivery truck) as a fully self contained camper. We drove all over the mountains for days and finally made our way over the million dollar highway headed to Mesa Verde. It was July and blistering heat and no a/c so he drove with the front doors open. Most terrifying ride of my life as we had a 6 week old baby and 4 year old. And the road was narrower then as well. We made it safely over as we were accustomed to mountain driving but that old step van swaying all over the road on those hairpin turns was the most unforgettable and nauseating road trip of my life.
You guys handle adversity well. I was once pulling a trailer over the Continental Divide in Yellowstone when I lost my transmission in my truck. Two tow trucks, a new transmission, a rental car and hotel rooms. Probably about $4K! And that was just a week after a tire blow out. I've driven the Million Dollar Highway and I'm glad you played it safe! Enjoy Durango. My favorite town in Colorado!
Lmao! No they don't at all! They are the most lazy people I have ever seen on yt. You can watch a 15 minute video on youtube and understand how to fix your own brakes. If they could handle things and were "Adverse" as you say they would fix their brakes themselves. It is very easy btw. They can't even replace a flat tire on their own lol. They are the exact opposite of adverse. More like pathetic.
Darn! Sorry! That really sucks! Now I know why people say to have $5,000 in savings for emergencies! They were right.
Glad you are safe. I had a stuck caliper that caused a fire and subsequent total loss of my truck. Those mechanics should have NEVER let you drive. They deserve more than a strongly worded email. Next time you are in trouble here in the US GO LIVE, ask your subscribers for help. You would be SHOCKED at who can step up and either help you fix something or know someone local who can. God speed on your journey and if you are ever in Northern Minnesota again stop by Big Al's in Emily, I'd love to meet you and get you a great dinner.
That’s great advice, with you platform just put it out to the peoples opion / help . Hell unstoppable Morgan rebuilt here ford bronco on the side of the rd .
I concur. I'd imagine that wherever you find yourself, someone would be nearby who would love to help you find help. And you'd probably have some new friends. 🙂
@@kellmeister2kbrilliant advice! Thank you for sharing!
Happy to see you back. We drove Million $ hwy 2 years ago with our 25 ft RV and it’s the most stressful drive in my entire life. But it’s worth it. It’s so beautiful there. We did experience issue with our brake and received help from a person in the area who happened to be familiar with brakes. It turned out a small rock got stuck on the caliper and we simply just made a reverse and small rock fell. You’ll be surprise with the help you’ll get on the roadside from fellow Americans. 2 persons stopped by to make sure we have the help we needed. One even offered food and shelter while we wait for the roadside assistance.
Hi Beans, this week was rough, but you went through the worst experience with the van fire, so - everything after that must seem slightly less traumatic. My car engine caught fire in the middle of the Eisenhower tunnel. That's the mile-long tunnel that goes under the continental divide on I-70 in Colorado. You may have driven through it already. The response was incredible. The signs inside the tunnel immediately started flashing instructions to me and a giant Tonka truck seemed to come out of nowhere and pushed the car out of the tunnel where the State troopers were waiting to help. I was safe but I don't want a repeat of that again. You did all the right things. I'm glad you're enjoying our beautiful Colorado mountains. Thank you for sharing your travel challenges because you're showing others how to deal with issues the right way. Happy travels.
YIKES!
Alex turning slowly into Bear Grylls by going on a survival course 😂
The next course he needs to go on is how to be an auto mechanic.
So glad you're all safe though ❤
Making a comment partly because we know it helps you algorithm. Although it sure seems you got overcharged, we're glad you made it safely to your destination! Enjoy watching your videos!
Colorado is so amazing! Glad you made it okay with the brake situation. 😮 Just an fyi having lived there, it is best to downshift rather than constantly riding the brakes when going downhill. Safe travels!
Really respect how well you guys handled the van problems. Hope your trip gets better and better.
There is a reason why some mechanical workshops have a 3 week wait and others have availability.
The locals always know who is good and charges a fair price.
I conceed that you had no choice ,I'm glad all is well again.
A wonderful ,visual episode.
We just completed a 12,000+ mile trip across country and back following 2 of our granddaughters. We tow a 22' travel trailer with a Toyota Sequoia which handles the job very well. Our adventure included losing our brakes while going over and down the Teton Pass with its 10% downgrade that goes for miles. I was in low gear and applying the trailer brakes as well as thecToyota brakes but the brakes smoked and eventually burned up. AAA to the rescue. They towed us, oddly enough, to Big O in Jackson Hole, WY where they saw us within an hour, stayed past closing time and replaced the pads, rotors and callipers to the tune of $2100,00. We got to our next campsite 3 hours late but we were safe and grateful to AAA and Big O. Continued safe travels to you.
Nope nope nope nope nope. My heart was racing from the intro alone. I hate cars and heights so this was my literal nightmare. Glad y'all are ok! -S
I drove the Million Dollar Highway last year. You’re right about the beauty of that highway, as well as the difficulty. The key is to take it slow and easy, and don’t worry about doing it in a hurry. If someone wants to go faster, just pull into a turnout momentarily and let them past. Accidents can happen because impatient drivers can’t get around slower drivers-although that is no road to drive if you are impatient!
Love travelling with you three. Noah is growing so fast - he is adorable. I'm so sorry you had to endure so much "car trouble" but grateful you are all safe. Enjoy the rest of your trip and I'll look forward to seeing the next video. xoxoxo
God has a way of making your brakes fail IN THE VALLEY so you will survive the mountains! It's absolutely no use to hate on these situations, and I'm so glad that you take it so zen-y. Love you three, keep safe!
Car repairs are horrible as I always suspect I am being fleeced and bullshitted. This may be unfair to mechanics, but no matter how plausible and genuine these guys seem, I cant bring myself to believe them. I always walk away feeling ripped off. On another point: There is no way on earth I would drive that road. Hats off to you.
Very very unfair to the honest mechanics out there!
@@deniseiozzo8821 It is, but unfortunately founded in some level of truth. Given the age of the van, I would have checked the brake hoses before assuming the calipers needed replacing. But the unfortunate reality is that when time is limited, the "shotgun" approach of replacing everything is often the route mechanics take. Simply because the time to diagnose a problem that may only need a cheap solution is more expensive than just replacing everything.
@@ianfurqueron5850 Not if you find a reputable garage and they are out there.
Denise, if you have a formula or trick for finding a reputable garage then I’m all ears. It’s even difficult to believe Review sites like “Checkatrade” or similar. I’m 61 and therefore make the comment based on many many years of experience.
@@deniseiozzo8821 That's funny. And I actually do go to a garage I trust. But that has also been part of literally decades of building that relationship. Finding a shop like that takes time and word of mouth. Something that doesn't come naturally these days of searching on the internet.
We went down the Million Dollar HIghway in a Jeep because we wanted to see if going that way would be safe to drive a 34 ft Class A Diesel Pusher. We followed a semi truck out of Silverton and he rolled his back wheels over an edge. My anxiety was so bad that we pulled over to let him go ahead of us so we didn't have to watch him go over the edge. Thankfully, nothing happened. Ummmm....needless to say, we took the long way around. Ouray is gorgeous. I grew up in Colorado and had never been there before. Hope you've enjoyed the rest of your trip!!
I’m afraid you were hosed on that hotel bill and the brake job(s) as well! Unfortunately, as you know by now the higher the need and the sooner that need must be satisfied, the more expensive it will likely be (no matter what the normal charge would be). So happy you all are safe and managed to continue laughing about your misfortune. By the way Emma, I suspect you were doing this so don’t be offended but shifting into lower gear and allowing the engine to slow your van could help you in the future. Those steep mountain roads can eat brake pads quickly! Again, I’m guessing you were doing this, but I didn’t want to assume you knew and risk keeping the information from you in case of an emergency. Love y’all! Stay safe!
I'm afraid you are right. The Hotel bill is just plain extortion. The first brake bill at least had the cost of a set of 4 brake pads, which might be $200 plus labour. Sometimes opening the calipers in order to get the new pads in can be time consuming. So $660 I think was not too bad. The second brake bill which involved only labour as they only had to take off one caliper and free it up, should have only been $400 - $500 .
@@CookingAroundTheWorldI thought they put a new caliper on for that price
@@CookingAroundTheWorld The first place was negligent when fitting the pads as the callipers should always be checked and the sliders cleaned and lubed if single pot. The pistons should always be checked for sticking and cleaned if required. Shortcuts may come back and bite. They may have a claim against them.
As an English ex-pat that lives overseas and travels alot, I have to say that you were totally taken! It's such a shame as you are amazing, lovely people - but unfortunately that also means easy prey for many locals looking to extort funds from foreigners. Keep smiling and enjoy your travels as we all love your content 🙂
Unfortunately, these are the normal prices these days.. Everything used to be a lot cheaper and now, everything costs twice as much as what they used to... so if you are paying $1005 today, it means it would have been $502 one or two years prior.... so don't feel bad.... it's normal. :)
Thanks!
Thanks so much! 🙏✨
Your forthrightness with all you experience, good or bad, is a breath of fresh air. Your calmness and expressions of appreciation and joy are heartwarming. Blessings on your adventure in CO.
Corona! Nice choice. Cheers to the all American f'ing frustrating roadtrip! AH.... to be a mechanic in a tiny western town in the summer. Happy you're safe having enjoyed the gorgeousness of the Rockies.
I got rear ended by a truck in the snow on that road while visiting my sister in Gunnison, a truly spine tingling experience. There used to be a historic train you could take from Silverton to Ouray. It was a great way to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The train is still there: The Durango to Silverton Scenic Railroad (formerly the Silverton Branch of the narrow gauge Denver and Rio Grande Western San Juan Division). There's another one at Chama NM, too: The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
You both are so amazing. For me, after taking a spontaneous drive out to Salt Lake City from San Diego to see a concert, we thought we were doing well by starting the trip home at roughly 3am. Well, the rain was pouring so hard we could barely see the lights of the massive truck ahead of us when suddenly I felt the power steering go out and all sorts of lights went on across my dash. I pulled off at the next exit where there was only an AM/PM convenience mart. The lady there just happened to personally know the town mechanic, had coincidentally grown up as a kid in my hometown, and she was kind enough to wake up the mechanic who agreed to meet us at the shop. We were back on the road before noon with two new belts for the engine and just $75 poorer but we felt so bad getting him out of bed before 4am to fix our car. Interestingly enough that same SD-SLC stretch was also where I experienced driving in snow for the first time...during a blizzard...in the mountains but thankfully that was 13 years later.
Well done for driving along that dangerous mountain road. Getting the willies just watching you do it
You two really have handled all the ups and downs very well. Thank you for the videos. I always enjoy watching what you are up to next. 😊
I can relate to your trauma! We were just traveling in Wyoming with our truck camper when our transmission died. We were stopped dead for 10 DAYS! Thousands of dollars later, we were happily back on the road with a new transmission and a big sigh of relief. Hope you enjoy Colorado and have easy travels from now on.
We were in the mountains when something went wrong with the car. The mechanic we eventually found said, "Don't ever bring this car here again because nobody up here can fix a Saab". Well, he fixed it so...there was at least one who could. I can't count the number of times I've shouted, "How much can a guardrail cost, for God's sake!" Now, we're living in the foothills of mountains and we don't drive a Saab. Safe travels my friends. ❤Love to all the Beans. Suzi
It's a bit like that in outback Australia, locals only drive ,Nissan,patrols,Toyota Landcruisers,Mitsubishi Tritons and a couple of other, if you don't have one of those ,even getting tyres can be hard
Saab's suck.
We call these trips ‘Our Shakedown Trips’. Our Trip from Central NC to Key West, FL was one of those trips in the middle of summer. We had one problem after another on our motorhome. If it could break…..it did! Thankfully our air conditioning waited until we arrived back in SC and we were almost home before it decided to quit too. We can laugh at it now, but at the time it was absolutely exhausting. We spent the whole trip fault finding and fixing stuff! So glad you made it safely back on the road - and I love your whatever it takes attitude. ❤
The garage absolutely rinsed you on the brakes 1st time! That should have been $250 at the absolute most!
That’s the cost in canada.
I’ve been following you for a while. I love how you always find a way! We’ve been full time rv for 2.5 years. We went vintage Reno and it was far too small, then newer travel trailer with a real bathroom and loved it so much we upgraded again this year, to a very large travel trailer we’re renovating and we love it. The amount of truck repairs and last minute issues we have had is mind boggling. It seems to be part of the lifestyle. Enjoy Colorado!
You guys are absolute troopers. What a stressful adventure that was. You both deserve some real rest relaxation ❤
Glad you survived your RV mech issues. We are fulltime RVers since 2020 and the last two months our RV has been sitting at the mechanic waiting for a single part... Any day now... we hope to be back on the road soon. It has been a great experience as we have had to rely on others to help us out. Something we had to learn.
Safe Travels Beans.
What part?
F J B
Now you know why we watch you travel, so we don't have to go through all that stuff lol much appreciated you guys! Seriously I apologize for the costs, everything is too expensive now. I hope it's worth it. Love you guys ❤
I’ve driven the Million Dollar Hwy several times in my lifetime and it never gets any easier. I’m always on edge and gripping the steering wheel. Glad you made it safely.
@2:30 oh, yeah, it's peak driving season in the US and compound that with the fact people are keeping their cars longer which means more repairs per vehicle on average over the whole fleet. All the mechanics shops across the country, and in Canada, are very busy right now. You'll end up paying a premium to get in on short notice right now.
I just found out through DNA tests that I am about 75% British. Your comments about complaining confirm this. 😂
So happy that you were able to get your van fixed In the small towns that you were in, sorry the first place didn’t do a very good job at fixing your breaks and took advantage of you, but as you say you are all safe. Beautiful scenery of the places you went, thanks for sharing beans 😊
Been there on the brakes. Now I am a brake professional. Learned that if they are acting up time for rotor's pads new fluids. The brake fluid is only good for about 5 years before to much moisture gets in.
Yikes, those were some expensive brake problems!
The roads going up into the mountains from LA are like that road and we had to go up in a big dually truck pulling a 40' 5th wheel trailer. I nearly passed out I was holding my breath so much. Scariest trip of my life. Glad ya'll made it!
Hope you are enjoying your trip and are past all the obstacles. I’ve driven the Million Dollar Highway a couple times and it is scary. I love Silverton and Durango. Hope you have nothing but fun the rest of your trip!
Happy that you all made it through all the hurdles you had to get over. Road trip'n is always an adventure. Safe travels Bean!!! 👶🏻👨🏻👩🏻
When I lived in Colorado a friend’s brakes went out on the way to Silverton before the million dollar highway. She had to leave the car at the mechanic’s for a weekend so we met up with friends to go camping while we waited. I made her drive my car over the million dollar highway because that road is no joke! So glad you are safe!
So sorry about the break issues but glad they are repaired! Loving you travel footage! Thanks Beans!
Car trouble is the worst. My husband never lets me forget the time we had 3 flat tires in three different places on a trip to Florida.
Just FYI - there is nothing wierd at all about using a parasol! ☂Emma, you rock on, girl! So sorry the van is trying to bankrupt you every day.
I concur as live in a very hot climate and many residents from the Far East walk around with umbrellas. Stay safe triple Beans ;-)
MD highway was definitely more intense than I expected a few years ago when we travelled it. Glad you managed it despite the setbacks! Happy trails.
So sorry for your troubles but things happen for a reason and you surely needed your breaks for this trip better before not during. Look at the beauty you found during the break you would not have seen it and brought it to us Americans to take time to see. We get to busy and always in a hurry.
My husband and I always took the back roads and always had a breakdown down but those trips you remember so much more than a trip that nothing happened. You will talk about this trip always.
I’m new to follow you and so glad I did. It brought great memories to me. My husband has passed on and I miss our travels. Blessings for a
Great journey ❤️🙏🏻❤️
great journey
Oh, the chills this video gave me! I'm so glad you are safe, and it was great watching you experience our backyard. That road is quite scary for sure, and it doesn't get any less so the more you drive it.
I'm a Colorado native and I can understand the feeling of dread when you break down on those mountain roads. Years ago I broke down in a little VW rabbit heading to a ski resort (Breckenridge I think)in a snowstorm. Thankfully a tow truck driver came along and towed me into the nearest mechanic. Those were pre cell phone days too,lol. Glad you made it and got everything fixed. Colorado is indeed a beautiful state. My favorite place is Estes Park and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. So beautiful ❤️. Trail ridge road is another hair raising drive with incredible views. My dad took us camping in a little class c and i remember the stunning views so well and the scary drop off.
Glad you are all safe! The transmission on Hymer Aktiv (ProMaster 2500 chassis) with 125,000 miles died while in Olympic National Park. It took two separate flatbed tows to get it back to my home where I waited six weeks for the replacement transmission to arrive and be installed. $8200 later and I'm back on the road!
Enjoy your trip as best you can! Glad you are safe.
Just watching you drive along the sheer cliffs gives me anxiety and sweaty palms, so scary!!
When going downhill (uphill too, but downhill is more important), use the overdrive "off" option on your gear shifter. It will use the engine to slow down the van without having to apply brakes constantly. If it's really steep, shift into 2 or even 1 and go slow... let the motor do the braking for you!
My palms are sweating after watching this video! I would definitely do this trip in the opposite direction so the camper could "hug" the wall! Good to know too, that other people spend hours in garages getting problems fixed ! most videos only show the glamorous side of life on the road.
omg what a few days you have had but you are all safe that is the main thing, and wow seeing Noah have his first touch of water swimming sort of. OMG that road is like...no way would I do that or I would be driving very very slowly.......Great Vvlog thou guys keep up the good work... love you all 3 see you next time, take care.... Hubby and I did do Scotland and yes those roads are scary but compared to this its nothing.
What an adorable baby! I knew a couple of years ago that y'all would make great parents, too.
Congratulations on 300K subscribers!
You guys are so positive in these situations though, pretty inspiring stuff 🫡🙌
Well, it was so glad to see you made it through with such positive attitudes
Love the way you protect your sweet boy from the sun.
Thank you again!! I’m so sorry you had so many problems with your brakes! Very stressful!! I think I drove on part of that road (million dollar highway) once.
All the best!!
Glad to see you back in line and I see that you’re safe and I hope you’re still enjoying yourself I look forward to the next one
Brings back bad memories. I had a 1978 class B Dodge van and had the same problems with the front calipers. Replaced the pair when they started grabbing in the mountains of western Pennsylvania and again a year later when they started smoking as we were leaving Phoenix. The second mechanic told us the the calipers has plastic pistons which tend to fail. Both brake repairs were done at Midas shops. On the plus side - baby Bean will sleep very well with that beer chaser! Safe travels.
Glad you sorted it out. Your mechanical issues are exactly why camper van hire companies have business. No one wants to have issues while on holiday, let alone the added expense. Safe travels!
You guys have been so great and positive over the years, why so woe and despair all of a sudden!
Cost against saftey, no compassion. 😊So glad the 3 beans are safe. Enjoy your journey.💚
Holy Beans - you had a rough ride there and an expensive one! The best way to look at it, is that you paid a high price for a quick repair. It was worth having it done so fast, but they sure took advantage. I couldn't really tell how stressed you both were because you always look so chilled and smiley. No wonder, omg those views are amazing. Phoenix rises again from the ashes yayyy ❤
Loving the views guys, thanks for sharing.
Um you were saying about issues with vehicle, ours is a 1977 Toyota Coaster bus, every time we are ready to hit the road, something stops us, from vandalism, tech screws in rear dual tyres, unknown hard to get to hose for radiator that split, handbrake didnt work, needed extra leaf springs, new shockers. These things didn't happen at once, it started happening 3 yrs ago, 😢 little annoying things. Now right as i type, we neeed rear lamp trims, old bus, old indicators, old wiring 😅😅😅😅i need to laugh,
Happy travels Beans, ❤
We love Ouray and Silverton! That road scared me so much. I agree that it is hard to watch the road with that beautiful scenery. So sorry for your brake problems because it made that road trip so much worse.
Our car broke down in Aspen, CO and cost us $1500. Fortunately we had accommodations for the week. It did put a damper on our holiday though.
Most importantly that your little familyare safe after all.that financial...unexpected...happenings...but you are both so positive and made the right decision...shall.we or shall we not...and your little ...Noah...having his first hot springs...swim...that is priceless...beautiful memories...safe travels....on.the road...travel beans.
Keeping the wee ones happy, cool and most of all safe, never looks weird.
Wow. that's so scary, glad to hear you're ok and got it sorted.We were nervous when driving the Blueridge parkway, wondering how our brakes in our retro van were going to handle it, but changing down gears made a huge difference. We broke down in Florida in June. The car wouldn't start but a mobile mechanic got us going and only charged $75, so amazing. But we sat around in the heat for about 4 hours while we waited!
I love you guys, glade your safe. When I was young I had a old MGB convertible and was lucky enough to take it on a couple of long road trips, I had no trouble on the Million Dollar highway. Being close to the ground made all winding roads fun!
I am so sorry you had that experience in the US. Everything is so overpriced these days. Being in the middle of nowhere, I’m glad you found accommodations and a repair shop that was willing to get it done in a timely manner.
They were ripped of with the breaks as well as the hotel, greedy people seen foreigners and were rubbing their hands
Got to say Beans, you where seriously ripped of on both the brake work and also the hotel, to change brake pads is no more than two hours work and the pads 100 dollars so I would have thought 300 bucks
Thank you for sharing ❤😊
My heart ached for you guys 😔 So sorry for all that you had to go through & I pray that it hasn’t turned you against the US. I am at the same time thrilled that you made it safely over that terrible highway 😮 I am praying for traveling mercies for the remainder of your trip.May God bless y’all & keep you in His loving care🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
I drove that stretch of highway in 2022 towing a 36’ 5th wheel. It was very nervewracking! And we took it northbound- it’s even scarier the direction you went because there’s more exposure as you go over red mountain pass. I am so glad you got everything fixed before you went on it, such a bummer it was so expensive :(. This summer we went to ridgeway and Ouray but I planned our trip to go up through telluride rather than drive that stretch again, lol! Hope you are having a wonderful rest of your trip, Colorado is breathtaking. Safe travels!!
So welcome to part of the US camping experience. Breaking down and overpaying for repairs with a side of anxiety! We traveled with a popup camper pulled by a station wagon when I was a growing up. I remember spending a hot day standing in the dirt waiting for an engine repair. Lots of tension that day. My parents commented on how expensive it was but they had to pay it. So still true today. And it was late in the evening when the car was ready, but there was no way my mom was paying for a hotel after that, so we drove and set up camp in the dark. We had repairs in the mountains and the desert. In the 1960s you had to put a water bag in front of the radiator for desert travel to help the radiator do its job, and we traveled before sunrise. Better today. And you handled it with grace and patience. I am thoroughly enjoying your trip. And can't believe what a trooper Noah is. From having the parents he does. From both nature and nurture I suspect.
I am Australian........ therefore TOTALLY understand your sense of humour/sarcasm!!! LOVE IT!!
Good to see you come out the other end still smiling. Honestly that stuck caliper can happen after you do a brake job. I've done many of my own and it once happened to me. Its a function of the fact that the piston in the caliper had been fully extended by your worn pads, the piston is potentially exposed to water and grime, you push it back in with new pads and that grime/water/rust will seize the piston or restrict it. safe travels
The views over the steep edge that you showed reminded me of roads we have driven in Norway. (We live in Dalarna, Sweden.) It doesn’t help, but I’m terrified with you! ❤️
Oh my goodness you have been through it , I wish you all the best it can only get better thank you for sharing your journey stay safe xxx
The million dollar hwy is definitely an experience! I’ve driven it many times. But, the scenery is absolutely beautiful!! 🌲🏔️
Looking at the positive side, it was a blessing that you found out about your brakes before going on that beautiful and dangerous road!
For us it's 2 years that we want to start living in a van with our 2 kids but the van we bought has a broken engine( we didn'tknow when we bought it).. the first time we tried to fix it ourselves and it didn't work, the second time we sent the engine to be professionally reconditioned in a VW place and it didn't work, now we are at our third try luckily this time through the warranty 😅 but it has been so long and we just want to start traveling and exploring but it seems so hard to get everything going! In the meantime I'm enjoying watching your adventures and taking inspiration from them, Sara 😊 x
That's got to be one of the most chilled out babies I've ever seen! He's wonderful! By the way, sorry I've not been following you for a few months! I've had a few issues. But enough about that, WHY THE HECK don't they put barriers up on the most dangerous road in the world? I guess it's because then it wouldn't be the most dangerous road in the world!? Bragging Rights and all that.
There’s no guard rails so in the winter when they plow all the snow goes off the side.
Along with a a snow plow occasionally?
Ohh my gosh! Reading your title for this video I thought your breaks had failed on that dangerous road!! So happy that wasn't the case at all. That road reminds me of the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana. It's 50 miles of narrow, winding road with steep drop offs and breathing scenery the entire way. It's considered a dangerous drive as well. So sorry to hear about your additional expenses. That's always a worry. But thankfully now everything is good and safe with Phoenix. Noah says y'all take him on the BEST adventures and he's had a delightful time! 😍
$660 for brake pads? 250 for a motel? Holy summer price gouging- feel for you guys. Ouch
Thanks for sharing!
We are planning a long trip to Montana from Arizona soon. Thank God I watched this video. We bought a used class c motorhome recently. Of course we had our mechanic check the engine and serviced it. BUT, nothing about breaks on the invoice. I'm thinking we better get them checked the vehicle is almost 20 yrs. old. Sure enough, they were shot ! Pads and rotors, front and back needed replacing. Several other items needed work as well. (I'll save you the details) Anyway, thankyou for suffering through your near disaster and filming it. Some of us have been saved from the same or worse. Nancy
Mountain roads are notoriously bad on brakes. Larger, heavier, vehicles, like RVs, often have to take time to pull over and let them cool before continuing.
Wonderful video. Did the Million Dollar highway going northbound 33 years ago in 26 foot MH. Had disconnected toed Jeep so wife and kids went separate. U 2 are amazing. Well done driving.
Brake getting warm and pulling . Can be the slides on caliper stuck. Repairable most times . Piston in caliper can stick , Replace caliper . But a lot of times it can also be the rubber flex brake hose going to caliper . I have a video showing how to check the hose . Your repair cost seems a bit expensive for just pads at first place . Second place harder to judge . If they replaced both calipers , Both rotors . maybe not to bad depending on location . Still more than it would of been in this area , but all depends on where one breaks down as to what is a fair price. Wonders if they replaced any of the brake hoses . They take a lot of stress and are often overlooked . They do wear out and get harder over time . Their main job is to flex and they do not do that as well when they get old and harder.
If drum brakes on rear , then the van may have 3 brake hoses . One going to rear axle brake lines , and one on each front brake caliper . With the age of the van i would probably have all the brake hard lines looked at for rust and have all the rubber brake hoses changed at some point .
Even if you have to arrange doing it while you are away . You then would have time to find a reasonable priced place do the work . Just something to think about. Being an old vehicle the second place may of changed the front ones or maybe not .
A lot of places would suggest it with the age of vehicle . But maybe they were changed at some time in the vans life or maybe not .
Just my thoughts
That drive is so gorgeous. It seems y’all were much cooler up there at higher altitudes. Sorry for the high cost of getting the brakes fixed.
I get heat stroke very easily so I always have an umbrella on summer walks. I'm also from the rainiest part of Oregon and we straight up shun umbrella use during rainy season. Lol
I like that you handle the stress with a positive mindset. That in itself is a great help. Have a great trip and I will keep my fingers crossed that Phoenix holds herself together from now on.
"When life serves you lemons...🍋🍋🍋
Make lemonade"! 😉🧋
Good that you could have the van fixed, and got up and down the Colorado mountains safely.😍