Servicing the slide out at the factory...

[Davel]

We just checked our coach in at Forrest City to get the slide repaired. The nylon pads are broken on the front of the slide. They are going to replace all the nylon pads and also the manual retraction threaded rod and the nylon nut that pulls in the slide as it is stripped as well. We had an appointment which got us right in and the service tech was very friendly and knowledgable about what would be needed. We were told it could take up to 3 days, but he assured us it will be done tomorrow...yeah!! We are staying in the Lodge which is very nice and had maybe the nicest check-in clerk we've ever met. He gave us our choice of two suites that are very comfortable. On to the Branding Iron for their famous prime rib tonight....

So far, so good.
Dave

[ditto]

We stayed at the lodge last year...very nice guy...clean rooms too! I too accepted the recommendations to go to forest city for slide repairs ...glad we did. Please say hi to Rebecca at the front service desk...she was great too!

[Davel]

Great news, to us, at least. The slide was repaired in 8.5 hours. The Tech, Brian, was very ingenious and replaced all the nylon pads and the front manual retract screw w/o removing the slide. He also fixed the carpet that had been pulled out of place by the slide being too low. It sure is nice to have it working right again. I don't know why it so much worse to have something wrong with the coach than with the house or the car, but it is.

Brian said to use no lubricant on the slide pads, just keep it clean. There's nothing much that can be done to prevent their failure, it just happens. Our coach is 7 years old and we have done a lot of cross-country traveling where there are a lot of "one-night stands", so the slide has gotten a lot of use. Just be sure to keep an eye on the paint stripes and when they get out of alignment have the nylon pads checked.

Headin' home,
Dave

[wagonmaster2]

My 2004 Meridian also needs the nylon glides replaced on the living room slide but I've heard good responses about those who have had HWH do this repair quicker and with less labor cost. Both Forest City and Moscow, Iowa are close to 750 miles from home so am undecided which one to have do the work.

Did you have any other work done, and can you tell what it cost to have these glides replaced? One Poster said it took Forest City two days to do his, maybe they are getting better and faster at this as more and more coaches need this done.

It does seem a little ridiculous that anyone would design such a heavily used and important item to be made out of plastic. One of my outer ones has been broken for several years but as I watch it it doesn't seem to be getting worse but I'm sure the slide is settling harder on the carpet every year.

Wagonmaster2

[SVTotem]

How does one inspect these components? I have not noticed nylon guides on my slides, but have not dug too deep yet either. Are they visible from inside or outside?

Bill

[Davel]

Because it was suspected that there were bent parts under the slide out, HWH would not work on the coach. Their comment was that if I needed Winnebago parts it would be better at the factory. As it turned out the parts weren't bent, just pulled out of place so the room did not have to came out. The charge was 8.5 hrs at $100/hr. plus tax. I was told it could take up to 3 days but the tech cut out a section of steel to replace the triangular pads, then welded the pieces back. A great time saver. He also replaced the manual retraction screw and fixed the carpet that had been folded under the slide....I've never been so happy to pay $850 in my life.

The pads are visible at the top of the compartment when the door is up and further back on the rectangular tube that the room slides on. The rectangular pieces are not too hard to replace, but the triangular ones are.

The coach seemed really big inside after not being able to use the slide the last two times out.

Dave

[edgray]

David: Glad to read such a positive result from your misery. NOW..........get the heck out of there, before Linda wants to go look at the new ones!
Ed

[Petro]

Dave;

Thanks for the post. We have an appointment at the factory Oct 24 -26 for repair to our right slide. It has a miserable rattle behind the passenger seat. They also scheduled us for 3 days. I hope we don't have to use the 3 days and luck out like you did. We are 5.5 hours away so I may just leave the coach there and come back to get it when it is done. Bev says she would go nuts sitting around FC for 3 days.

Don

[SVTotem]

Don,
Please post your results. I have a similar rattle that sounds like a
real loose bolt, but I can't see behind the fabric decorative cover to see if it is something serious.

Bill

[Petro]

Bill;

When I called the service dept and told Mike Hamson about my problem he seemed to know what was causing the noise. He said there is a repair kit that addresses the problem. He asked if we had extended warranty on the coach. It makes me afraid it is going to be costly to repair.

I just purchased this coach used from Lichtsinn Motors this summer and it has been in and out of repair shops since I purchased it. We have a shop here under contract that refurbishes Pierce Fire Trucks. They specialize in Cummins, Cat, Allison, and Onan. They agreed to service my Horizon and it spent a week there. This will be my 2nd trip back to Forest City. I noticed an annoying rattle behind the passenger seat. At first I thought it was a loose awning above the entry door or the slide but it was not. I had my DW drive the coach and I determined the rattle was coming from behind the pleated fabric cover. Mike told me there is a metal cover there and that needs to be removed. Behind that is a chain or cable that moves the slide in and out and they need to get at it. If this keeps up I will have to purchase a home near FC because this driving is getting awful expensive. I will post a report when I get back from FC.

Don

[SVTotem]

Sorry to hear you are having that much trouble and hope this sorts it out for you.

We have an extended warranty and it has covered the few big problems that came up on our used Journey. I feel we are getting it set up pretty well now.

Our rattle sounds like it might be a bolt loose on that access cover you described. Wish I could see in there to find out.

Bill

[Davel]

Ed,

We made it a point to NOT look at anything....

Petro,

Good luck, they did a great job on ours. We stayed at the Lodge which is very nice. About $88 a night with a discount for more days for a suite. The food was good too.

Dave