Congratulations on your new 5er. We own a 2012 Open Range Residential and did a lot of research on the BAL slide system before we purchased our unit. Like anything else, things can and will break. The key is to do regular maintenance and spot the trouble before it fails. Some of the biggest complaints about the cable slide system is where the cable goes through the weather strip. If the cable isn't adjusted properly it can tear the seal. OR recognized the problem and added additional strips to beef up the seals, but it still can be an area of concern.
Now that Thor has purchased Jayco, it will be interesting to see how warranty work will be affected. The original company, Open Range, was very good with customer service. I've heard good things about Jayco (which built your rig) as well. Now that they are a division of Thor...we'll see.
If you are interested, the annual Coming Home Rally for all Open Range models is in August at Shipshewana. There are over 200 units, great food, fun, and factory tours.
You can get more information at
www.openrangeowners.com