Smith Center trip

[chief02]

I have an appointment at PI Smith Center in late March. I have a few things that need attention and I wanted to tour the plant. The rig will be with 3 months from warrenty expiration so I really want them to give it a good inspection. Are there any particualr issues that need to be looked at for warrenty issues or to prevent issues down the road after the warrenty expires? I have a few things on my list but would love to see what would be on your list for the factory to inspect.

[rockintom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chief02 I have an appointment at PI Smith Center in late March. I have a few things that need attention and I wanted to tour the plant. The rig will be with 3 months from warrenty expiration so I really want them to give it a good inspection. Are there any particualr issues that need to be looked at for warrenty issues or to prevent issues down the road after the warrenty expires? I have a few things on my list but would love to see what would be on your list for the factory to inspect.

Chief, the fine folks know what issues to look for on your model based on service experience. To try to list them all out is way over the top. A few things to check for sure is to make sure all the underside side of the slide floors are solid especially on the ends, lags bolts are intact, and if you haven't done a thourough job of checking all the chalking.....have them do that (that's periodical maintenance and will cost you).


Here's a few things to consider in SC....check it out if you haven't been there before. Things I Wish I Had Known Before Arriving in SC

Let us know how it all comes out.

[janieD]

Hey Chief,
When we were at SC last fall, we got our slides adjusted by the experts. The two larger slides had metal to metal contact that the dealer wasn't able to resolve, but SC did a great job. I know you had some issues with the bedroom slide, so this would be the time to have them check all that. The eternabond tape on the outside roof seam of both of the larger slides had bubbled up and I was afraid it would allow water to collect under the tape. The tape seam on the bedroom slide was perfect, so it wasn't a maintenance issue. SC agreed and replaced the eternabond seams on both of the larger slides. They look great; just like the bedroom slide. Of all the repairs they did, this one took the longest. Apparently eternabond bonds eternally to the slide's rubber roof. The repair I was most nervous about was the crack in the upper corner of the fiberglass front cap, but they cut out the affected area and repaired it. I just checked it again when I waxed the rig (not much happening here in Port O'Connor TX) and there's no sign of the crack. Not sure what happened, but I've never heard of anyone else who had this problem. Lastly, check the lower hinge of your refrigerator door for cracks. The door should open and close easily. If the door is binding, it's probably this hinge starting to degrade. Norcold's warranty is only a year, but SC will cover it for an additional year as part of your two year warranty. Hope to see you and Char when you get back from SC. Enjoy the burgers at the diner across the street and remember Kansas doesn't sell beer on Sunday. -John

[chief02]

Thanks Janie,
Still planning on comimg to the Four Corners this spring? Kepp us posted we will make some plans. Tell Johnny boy hi for us.

[Loralie]

Hi..we have an older unit, 2006, and went by SC to have some maintenance done. We wanted the outside caulking replaced, we had a leak in the shower, we wanted the slides adjusted, and new brakes put on. Just before we arrived, the hitch collapsed into the bedroom closet (you can read about it on our blog...really scary). We enjoyed our stay in SC and found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Our main suggestion would be that you CAREFULLY check over every area that has had work. WE found several new problem areas that resulted from the work they did. Mind you, they had to do some extensive repairs because of the hitch failure and I do think they did an excellent job overall. WE just should have checked a few areas more carefully. (EX: the closet doors no longer slid smoothly, and some drawers wouldn't close completely. Also there was still some shower leaking that you couldn't find unless you looked carefully in the basement)

[RET FF]

We are in Mesa,Az. We also have an older Excel. 2005. 30 SKW. I read you post to Chief about the SC repair inspections, especially the shower leak, since this morning I noticed water at the front edge of the shower pan. So, I am immediately on a quest! Outside, empty the basement, crawl inside, no water on the shower pan, the water lines or the drain lines. Nothing wet. Back inside, pull the drawers out of the vanity, shine the flashlight into the void under the vanity and the shower pan. Dry! I reach my hand into the space where I can't see ( behind the front of the shower pan). Water! Not a lot and it's on linoleum! ( whew!) After more investigation, I think ( hope) I have water getting around the shower door. It is old after all. So, tomorrow I will remove the door, clean, re- install and re-caulk. Will keep you posted. BTW did you resolve your leak and what was leaking?

[Loralie]

Hi Donald!
We spent a long (Lee says..long, long, long) time trying to fix the shower! We recaulked many, many times and it would still leak. We had paper towels stuffed between the shower base and the linen closet and when we would check them they would be damp. Also the wood floor on the roof of the basement had water leak stains.
We finally cut an access door in the linen closet so we could see more of the shower pan. Then we put food dye into a spray bottle and spent hours trying to track the exact location of the leak. Ultimatley we THINK it was a stripped screw on the inside frame.
So besides recaulking all of the edges, Lee put in a new screw with silicon first and again after inserting the screw.
So far, so good, but we still check every day!
For more of the story you can check our blog.
Let us know what happens with your leak...good luck!

[rockintom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loralie Ultimatley we THINK it was a stripped screw on the inside frame.

Hi Loralie,

I'm trying to picture which screw you are talking about. Did you take pix? Or could you give a little more detail of which area you are talking about? Thanks, rockybaby

[RET FF]

Loralie
Thanks for the additional information. A stripped screw or improperly sealed screw can make all the difference and drive you crazy! Once I got into it, I decided not to remove the door. Turns out the caulk at the bottom corners of the door was really in bad condition. So I spent a couple hours removing, cleaning and drying. Now to give the caulk the 48 hours it recommended.

Donald

[Loralie]

Pictures, Pictures...Tom you can be so demanding
Anyhow, I haven't figured out how to do pictures here, so I'll put them on the blog...will that work ok?

[rockintom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loralie Pictures, Pictures...Tom you can be so demanding Anyhow, I haven't figured out how to do pictures here, so I'll put them on the blog...will that work ok?

Why don't you just send to me....

To post on here, simply go to advanced and scroll down to manage attactments and follow the prompts, by browsing to the pic and upload....it's that easy.....even Lee could do it!!!!

[Loralie]

Ok...but I think I'll do a new post. If the pic thing works, I have some other pics to post!!!

[rockintom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loralie Ok...but I think I'll do a new post. If the pic thing works, I have some other pics to post!!!

OH-OH...I may have opened a can of worms here.....

[Lindaxtwo]

We had a leak from our shower for the first two years we had our Excel. Would show up as water stains on the luan in basement under the shower. The fix came when we had SC put a rubber boot on the drain to provide some flex when someone is standing in the shower. Someone had suggested this to us on this forum and by golly it worked. For some reason all the piping is too rigid that when someone is showering, something leaks. We didn't have any more problems after the boot was installed.