Major Slide Woes -> Where to go from here?

[WheelingIt]

Hi All,

OK...we're having some major slide issues on our HR Endevour 40PDQ and hoping to get some guidance on where we can go to get this fixed.

Here's the background:
The big living room slide (driver side w/ the fridge) started "popping" a month or so ago (everytime the slide was bought in), followed by a major water leak a little while later. Took it to a repair shop here in Grand Junction, CO that came highly recommended. Turns out the back corner of the slide (top end near the fridge) was somehow extending beyond the RV side-wall when it went out, causing it to "catch" the wall on the way back in. The "popping" was the wall bending and finally releasing the slide (yikes!). The misalignment of the slide was also causing water to get under the slide seal and cause the leak.

The RV tech worked on the thing for 2 full days...adjusting everything, putting in a shimmy under the back to raise it 1/4", checking all internal mechanisms, talking to the manufacturerer and could NOT get it fixed. The slide was fully re-aligned. The catch is much, much better, but it's still popping and if we continue to use it this way we'll probably damage the wall. The tech said this was the first slide he couldn't fix and thought we might need a complete slide re-build.

So...where do we go from here?

We're willing to drive just about anywhere to get this thing fixed since
not using the big front slide is a major negative.

-> Should we go to Eugene, OR to the manufacturer?
-> Is there a repair shop ANYWHERE in the West that people would recommend instead?
-> Anyone have any other comments/thoughts on this?

Feeling rather depressed by the whole situation.....

Nina

[Steve Ownby]

Nina,

We are currently at Mastertech RV in Elkhart, In having some remodeling done. We have been here 3 weeks and have watched many coaches come and go with a great variety of problems. There guys have handled them all with great professionalism and skill. They install slides in non-slide coaches.

I would recommend them without hesitation or reservation. I know that's a long trip for you but the piece of mind from having in done right is priceless.

[rex]

You said you were willing to go anywhere to get it fixed. I would recommend you take it to Monaco in Coburg, OR. They should be able to fix it, and also have the parts needed. Give them a call - Service: 800-634-0855.

The adderss is:

Monaco RV LLC
91320 Coburg Industrial Way
Coburg, OR 97408
800-634-0855 or 541-686-8011
Monaco RV, LLC

[WheelingIt]

Rex - Yes, we're thinking the manufacturer in OR may be the best way to go. Waiting to hear back from Monaco at the moment, so probably will point that way.

[JFC]

Check our post here of 7/19/11 looking for inputs on problems with this slide on our 2007 Scepter. We've had problems since new. Had it to three different shops including the factory repair facility at Coburg in 2008. Still breaks bolts and drive axles on this slide. Goes into shop again next week. Hope you have better luck finding a solution that works. Let us know what happens.

[WheelingIt]

Originally Posted by JFC

Check our post here of 7/19/11 looking for inputs on problems with this slide on our 2007 Scepter. We've had problems since new. Had it to three different shops including the factory repair facility at Coburg in 2008. Still breaks bolts and drive axles on this slide. Goes into shop again next week. Hope you have better luck finding a solution that works. Let us know what happens.

Yikes! So sorry to hear that. How was your experience in Coburg? Any reason you would recommend going somewhere else?
Just trying to figure out our best options.

Sure hope you can get your slide fixed. What a long ordeal!

[nutensteve]

I read about this place on the Country Coach site: Oregon Motor Coach Center - They seem to have a great deal of experience and the reviews are great. You might want to give them a call. Good Luck.

[Paul T]

WheelingIt ---- Can you share with an outsider what kind of slide mechanism is used on your Monaco? I came across your problem by shear chance here on iRV2, then DW read your blog and also sent me that link describing your problems. Having had some problems with our slides I am curious if your mechanism uses the same components as ours which is a HWH hydraulic system for jacks and two very large slides.
And please let us all know what the final fix is. Slides are such a blessing but sure do present a stumbling block when they acting out. Best of luck and enjoy OR if that's your destination now.

[WheelingIt]

Sure I'm happy to share although I'm not sure I know the technical terms. We have 4 slides. The one in question is the large living room slide on the drivers side. The way that particular slide works is that it slides out at an angle and then slots into place at the end. So it's not flat except when fully extended or fully withdrawn.

Don't know if that narrows it down enough? I'll have to check the manual for more specifics and see if I can get back to you with that.

We've just finished planning our trip to OR. Will be there in ~2 weeks and then hope we can get it fixed. I'll definitely let you know how it goes.

[4Knights]

Originally Posted by nutensteve

I read about this place on the Country Coach site: Oregon Motor Coach Center - They seem to have a great deal of experience and the reviews are great. You might want to give them a call. Good Luck.

There is another thread on this(IRV2) site about a coach needing a complete slide rebuild due to water damage and they had the work done at OMC sounded like they got a total fix and were treated like family.
Thread title is Nightmare just about over on the country coach forum

[WheelingIt]

I've had a few other people tip me on Oregon Motor Coach Center so we're adding that one to the list. We'll start at the manufacturer and work from there. Good to know OMC do slide rebuilds. Great tips!

[itdave]

Make sure they do measurements of the slide and opening. We kept having problems with the rear bay door rubbing on the bottom of the slide. This was a flat floor slide so we thought that something had worn. Turns out that when we measured the vertical trim pieces each end of the slide the rear one was 3/4" longer than the front. Not sure why but it appeared that the slide or opening was not rectangular so the factory hid it by using different length trim pieces. In out case fixing the slide was way too costly so we moved the hinge on the bay door. Paint lines are a little off but things work OK now.

[WheelingIt]

It's been a while since I started this thread, but wanted to report back on how everything went for anyone who was wondering.

The good news is that it's fixed (we think), but it turned out to
be not what we expected.

For those not familiar with the original problem, we had a "popping" issue on
the top left-hand corner of our front large living room slide (by the fridge).
It turned out to be the edge of the slide catching when it was pulled in. We
spent 2 full days at a shop in Colorado who adjusted, fiddled and even put in a
shimmy. They improved it, but couldn't completely fix it and after 2 days gave
up. We then decided to drive to Eugene OR to try to get into the Monaco factory
in Coberg since we were worried we might need a complete slide rebuild. Despite
being told over the phone we could get into the service center on a
non-reservation basis within 3 days of arrival we waited over 3 weeks and were
never called in (apparently only ONE tech was working the entire time!). So, as
a last resort we got hold of a mobile tech (someone who worked at the Monaco
plant for 10 years) to look at it instead, not really expecting he could resolve
it.

And the fix? He just filed down the upper edge of the aluminum runner attached
to the motorhome (where the slide hits the edge) and put in an extra shim so it
didn't catch. The tech told us that he used to see this issue "all the time"
with these big Monaco slides while he was in the factory and the standard fix
was simply to file down that edge(plus possibly adjust the slide if needed). His
explanation was that the tolerances are tight on the slides and because this
particular slide is so heavy it's not unusual to see the support bars bow over
time and the slide drop, especially on the end where the fridge is located. We
called Monaco to check this info and they agreed "oh yeah, that's the standard
fix".

I'm very happy the slide is apparently fixed now, but I sorely wish we had known
told us this when we spent the 2 days in Colorado and then decided to drive all
the way to OR. The CO guys even called Monaco factory several times without
getting this super-simple hint.

Hoping that might help if anyone else runs into this problem.

Nina

[zman62]

I had the same problem on our Camelot. I did the exact same thing. I filed the corner down where it was catching. Then did some minor adjustments and it works great. Sounds like its a pretty common problem.