Community Forums

Alan24601 · 10-10-2011, 10:25 PM

Had an Air Force one and a Blue Ox setup installed on our MH and CRV. Something happened and the jacks did not work after we got it back. Off for repair and needed to replace a burned out motor on one jack. Split the cost and off we go this weekend and now the full wall slide does not work. Did not think to check everything in the coach when I got it back, now back to find out if it just lost it's memory or something more serious. Power Gear controllers and hardware seem to be a weak link and the amount of info available is poor, need a school so one can live with their products.

Mr_D · 10-10-2011, 10:33 PM

You need to check everything when you pick up your rig. We took ours to the selling dealer for some work, when we got it back I found some masking tape on one bay door. Later I found they had run the rig into the building and damaged the aluminum cover on the awning and bent the arms. Luckily Newmar had them fixed at another dealer later. Now I fix stuff myself and save the hassle! Replaced the refer cooling unit a few months ago, now finishing up the new LED TV in the front. New wheels and tires last year, all fluids and filters etc earlier this year.

BoogieMan · 10-10-2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan24601

Had an Air Force one and a Blue Ox setup installed on our MH and CRV. Something happened and the jacks did not work after we got it back. Off for repair and needed to replace a burned out motor on one jack. Split the cost and off we go this weekend and now the full wall slide does not work. Did not think to check everything in the coach when I got it back, now back to find out if it just lost it's memory or something more serious. Power Gear controllers and hardware seem to be a weak link and the amount of info available is poor, need a school so one can live with their products.

Seems almost like we need a checklist before and after a visit.

gripper · 10-11-2011, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoogieMan

Seems almost like we need a checklist before and after a visit.

Absolutely! I took my MH, into the dealer for service and was met with the service rep. She had a checklist and vehicle diagram, to identify any existing scratches, dents, etc., on the exterior. I walked aroung with her and agreed with any marks she made. However, when the work was finished, it was late in the day and there was a rush, to pay the bill and get me out, so they could go home for the day. No after-service checks.

When I got home, I parked it and didn't look it over until the next day. Actually, I wasn't really "inspecting" it, but just happen to see a new scratch. (I say new, because I pretty much know where all the scratches & dents are). I happened to be looking at the rear area, under the ladder and noticed a scratch. It wasn't just a scratch, it was a tear/crack in the fiberglass that had to be from someone climbing the ladder and placing their foot on the thin fiberglas to make the first or last step. Either that, or they backed the MH into something, while in the shop. I was furious!

However, I had to "suck it up", because I didn't do a search of the exterior, after the work was done. I had no way of proving that the crack was made at the shop! The reason I think someone was climbing the ladder is that the service dept called me and said that they were on the roof and it looked like I needed an $800+ roof re-sealing job (which I declined). So from now on, I will do a complete walk-around, when service is done at a shop.

Alan24601 · 10-11-2011, 09:51 PM

The info available on the power Gear slides and jacks is pretty slim so fixing them requires a learning curve. I think I know quite a bit now but if the slide failure is really a lose of memory in the controller, as the dealer said, then I do not have the tool to reset. I agree about doing it yourself. I am a good mechanic and technician but not as agile as I once was so it just takes a bit more time. I believe Jack Daniels was invented to deal with the aches afterward.

Daytripper63 · 10-11-2011, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan24601

The info available on the power Gear slides and jacks is pretty slim so fixing them requires a learning curve. I think I know quite a bit now but if the slide failure is really a lose of memory in the controller, as the dealer said, then I do not have the tool to reset. I agree about doing it yourself. I am a good mechanic and technician but not as agile as I once was so it just takes a bit more time. I believe Jack Daniels was invented to deal with the aches afterward.

Try here Technical Documents - Power Gear I have taken my jacks and slide motor assembly apart and they are amazingly simple, if you browse here and search key info you should be able to find everything you need it is just time consuming the first time but all I did was saved the documents to my computer once I found what I wanted so I have it in the future.

ctpres · 10-12-2011, 06:48 AM

100% agree. Just finished major wash detail and wax. Found deep scratches on ladder at top - looks like some hit overhead door that wasn't opened far enough and Numerous deep scratches in top rear fiberglass shell - can only guess put there by retractable air hose fittings. Been to four different shops so no way to know which one guilty. So now my post servive walkaround will include a lot of looking up.

Alan24601 · 10-12-2011, 09:05 PM

I found the full wall slide document and it looks like I need the programming tool solve the problem. I hope this problem does not repeat in the future as the tool is about $500. Friday is scheduled for the repair.

outthere · 10-13-2011, 08:26 AM

Got my MH out yesterday for a brake inspection/ airbag replacement which i declined to pay $800 for that( picked up online for $92 a pair). After I paid he wanted to walk me out to the coach. While walking he informed me that the tec had backed into a car! Broke out the passenger tail light and scrached the paint. Told me he was looking for another one and would call as soon as he located one and I could PICK IT UP! I about lost it..... Now i'm thinking about a wash/ buff/ and wax of the whole coach. Am i asking for too much? 2000 allegro 30'...Garage kept.

SuperGewl · 10-14-2011, 12:02 AM

i know what you mean. They worked on my heater and didn't put it back together. I only found out when I was looking at the back of the MH to measure the bumper to ground distance for a mud flap. good thing I didn't use the heater becuase it was not sealed due to the door being off. Man that could have been UG and LY

That's the reason why i am installing the new Rear View Color camera system myself. I guess I'll be doing alot more of my own maitenance and repairs. i may be getting old but I still get around the MH if I reallly try. I just need some better weather to climb on top to install some roof vent covers and do a reseal of the vents and skylights.

Sequim Guy · 10-14-2011, 01:43 AM

Last time mine was in the shop, they burned out the heating element in my water heater when they fixed a leak, popped a fuse on my electric brake controller for my tag axle, and 'forgot' to do the lube job with my oil change. Cost me $1500 for repairs I had done, caught the lube job before I left on trip and took it back, they never figured out where the fuse on the controller was ( I finally did.) And was 300 miles away before I discovered the water heater was burned out. Used propane the whole trip. They of course said it wasn't their fault.
Obviously time for a different repair shop.

JOMARFL (FMCA 401058) · 10-14-2011, 03:11 AM

Wow these are scary stories and I hope their not prevelant throughout. I use a local RV mobile guy since I'm not mechanically inclined at all, he does great work and his prices are much better than the local RV agencies. Hope everyone gets their issues fixed/taken care of, it's not fun having an RV that doesn't work right.

Camping4fun · 10-14-2011, 06:17 AM

Took our unit back to Decatur, In. to Fleetwood factory service center for this very reason. I was hoping being the factory service center it would be done right, well I was wrong. I got unit back last Friday and before leaving I checked to make sure the main slide worked ok, since I was told it had to come out for the repairs to be done. Good thing I checked, they had the weather striping on wrong a 1.5 inch gap of daylight coming through at bottom. Well I made the 480 mile trip home and after getting home notice they did not install the guides at the bottom of the slide. Called my service advisor and was told she would go talk to tech, she return my call later Monday and said tech told her that my motorhome was missing the parts to start with, she then told me that she went to his work area when he was at lunch to check for them and they were laying on his beach so she got them and was going to mail them to me and still waiting on them to show up.

num1dgh · 10-14-2011, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outthere

Got my MH out yesterday for a brake inspection/ airbag replacement which i declined to pay $800 for that( picked up online for $92 a pair). After I paid he wanted to walk me out to the coach. While walking he informed me that the tec had backed into a car! Broke out the passenger tail light and scrached the paint. Told me he was looking for another one and would call as soon as he located one and I could PICK IT UP! I about lost it..... Now i'm thinking about a wash/ buff/ and wax of the whole coach. Am i asking for too much? 2000 allegro 30'...Garage kept.

You are NOT asking for too much! They are asking for a lawsuit! I can't believe they had the nerve to let you know that you could pick it up. They should buff out all the scratches. Having said that, I can understand wanting to get it out of there as soon as possible before they do something else to it!