Still more Schwintek slideout woes

[Mikeandyoly]

Originally Posted by mtnfan

So, we drove our 2015 Sightseer 30A to Forest City, Iowa to have the factory fix their slideout in our MH, after the dealer was getting nowhere. We were there for a week and learned a bit about the system and how it is supposed to work. Most importantly, we learned that if the opening in the box is out of spec by more than 3mm, the entire assembly will eventually fail. The techs put metal shims on BOTH slides to make them square. They told us to "toggle" the switches 5 times to synchronize the motors each time the slides are pushed out AND retracted.

Think about that: Move the slide out, until it stops, then toggle the switch, in, out, in and then out again till it stops. That tidbit from the Schwintek guru at Forest City. So, we complied, and well, you guessed it, got home and the passenger slide will not retract fully. So, next week, another 1200 mile trip BACK to Forest City.

Are there any attorneys on this board? I'm thinking a class-action lawsuit. We as consumers deserve a product that works! And although the service staff at Forest City are great, someone needs to get the attention of the CEO. His company is losing customers, and until it reflects on the balance sheet he won't care.

I have an Itasca 2015 Solei 34T andthe slide outs are a nightmare, from day one (I purchased new). It has been in service 6 times. Now the large passenger side slide do not close completely. The rear is open 10" and the front 4". It is ridiculous that a company like Winnebago installs such a crappy product in their Motorhome. I am very dissapointed.

[Mikeandyoly]

Originally Posted by -Grumpy-

After two weeks of nightmares, I finally got my Itasca Meridian 40U back. The slideout (Scwintek) on the passenger front went down when I was packing up to head home. As a result, Winnebago had to send two different mobile units out to me to get my slideout in (2 days total). The first mobile unit (first day) didn't know what he was doing. The second mobile unit (second day) at least got the slideout back in, although I had to find 3 volunteers to help push in the slideout after the motors were removed and the slideout was jacked up. Three days later I finally got an appointment at a warranty repair facility. Then it took 9 days for delivery of the necessary parts. Then two more days for an appointment, and then 2 days for them to do the repair. Since we were not allowed to stay in the MH during repairs, I had to spend 2 nights in a motel at my expense. This REALLY SUCKS. I will be more than happy to jump onboard a class action. I think if Winnebago is forced to pay for motels, delays, etc., this problem will quickly get resolved. Time to find a hungry attorney that is graduating from law school

I am very disappointed with our new Coach slide out which are constantly breaking Itasca Solei 2015 .
Let me know if you find a lawyer, ours have been fixed 5 times from day one at the dealer, and now are in service AGAIN. WINNEBAGO PRODUCTS sucks.

[Mikeandyoly]

Originally Posted by ChrisKW

Since my last entry in this post, we had the bedroom slide track system fail, of which required its first motor and track kit since new. The work was accomplished by Camping World of Raliegh a few months ago. Fortunately, the $3,200 repair was covered by the Extended Warranty except for $400 out of our pocket. The galley slide has had two repair kits, both having failed after about 14 deployments. Following last year's repair I had the Winnebago factory service center check it for operation, alignment and lubrication this last October after which she was stored through May of this year when we began our seasonal travel. There was an associated cost, but piece of mind was the goal, and they did install an additional lower roller under the aft end to better support the weight, of which was no charge. Cool!

Well, today after only 42 or so deployments it failed, again. The upper-aft gear (nearest the drive motor) ate the track, and it required two people to assist pushing it closed. Slide locks are now installed (those we use from the factory to prevent upward creep during driving) to continue our trip tomorrow, and we are looking for an authorized service center to order parts and make the third repair. Hope the extended warranty company agrees to cover this again. The frustrations are three-fold, one of the frustration and inconvenience in loosing use of that slide (especially when we have house guests), another is in incurring downtime while service is performed on a five month trip, and third is the fact that we follow all of the recommended procedures to deploy and stow these slides, and yet they fail.

The cost to owners, the manufacturer and the warranty companies must be huge across the spectrum of RV products and manufactures, and don't I wish there was a class-action lawsuit. Pulling my hair out in Northern California into Oregon.


Chris & Deb - North Venice, FL - 2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD - Toad: 2014 Jeep Rubicon

I will go along with a Class action lawsuit. I am tired of having it fixed.

[V3600]

My Voltage has two Schwintek slides. The main slide has been rebuilt. Since then we do not operate our slides unless the trailer is perfectly level and have had no problems. Voltages are no longer made with Schwintek slides having been replaced by a cable system.

[ChrisKW]

We are currently scheduled the end of August at the Winnebago Service Center in Junction City, Oregon near Eugene. They will be installing this coach's third slide kit on the galley, which failed two weeks ago after 42 deployments over slightly more than a year since the last kit. Also slated for repair/replacement are the bed controller, the TRC Transfer Switch, and Windshield Wiper Pump. I'll post our experience with this relatively new service center, but if the folks on the phone are any indication, I can say they are really great. Anyone been there yet?


Chris & Deb - North Venice, FL - 2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD - Toad: 2014 Jeep Rubicon

[Mike In NY]

Schwintek ut just the worst.
One repair after another.
Considering trading in my coach on something that does not use this system.

[1badhemi]

Well I know what to look forward to after my main slide on my 2016 vista lx27n almost fell of the coach because Winnebago did not install it centered in the hole the whole back end was coming off the coach motors and all .a brand new coach man was I pissed but what can I do my dealer fixed it but now the slides won't stay sealed they keep creeping out I thought Winnebago was a well built coach that's why we bought it and the bathroom shower is crooked getting that fixed this winter they have to tear the whole thing out and that's after trading back a new Thor Vegas we had for two months that was a total pos got screwed twice in a row what a nightmare this has been now I can look forward to getting the slides repaired left and right lawsuit you bet I'm in.

[ChrisKW]

Originally Posted by 1badhemi

Well I know what to look forward to after my main slide on my 2016 vista lx27n almost fell of the coach because Winnebago did not install it centered in the hole the whole back end was coming off the coach motors and all .a brand new coach man was I pissed but what can I do my dealer fixed it but now the slides won't stay sealed they keep creeping out I thought Winnebago was a well built coach that's why we bought it and the bathroom shower is crooked getting that fixed this winter they have to tear the whole thing out and that's after trading back a new Thor Vegas we had for two months that was a total pos got screwed twice in a row what a nightmare this has been now I can look forward to getting the slides repaired left and right lawsuit you bet I'm in.

Sorry Bad Hemi. Regarding travel creep, we had the same issue. A Winnebago Rep in Forest City sent us two 'travel locks' and that has gave me great sense of relief using those. We are now in Junction City, Oregon and they are checking to see which parts will be required (full kit, realignment, etc), should know later today. Apparently the upper, aft roller has downward pressure on it, which caused it to bend at an angle and thereby opened up a gap between the gear and track. There should be no pressure on that roller as the weight of the slide is suppose to be on the lower rollers. Always something..!


Chris & Deb - North Venice, FL - 2014 Itasca Ellipse 42QD - Toad: 2014 Jeep Rubicon

[Yellowboat]

Originally Posted by Yellowboat

I have a 2016 Sightseer 33C on order. I was curious about the slides on the Sightseer line. I looked at the operator's manual for the 2014, 2015, & the 2016 models. All of the manuals show a Power Gear control head.

Can I assume that the Sightseer line has the Power Gear slides?

I have delt with Power Gear when the control head to my Kwikee jacks failed. No control heads were available as Power Gear was redesigning the part. My contact at Power Gear kept me informed on progress and let my know when they shipped to WinnebagoParts.com.

While at the GNR our rear bedroom Power Gear slide failed. Winnebago said that a motor had backed out of the housing. I asked if the fasteners came loose but I never got a satisfactory answer.

On our way home from the GNR I noticed that the rubber seal on the large Kitchen Power Gear slide was coming loose. I took our RV to our dealer to fix the rubber. Yesterday I picked up our RV. We have been scheduled to host a WIT rally for six months. It isn't fixed yet as the dealer is waiting for parts. The mechanic said that the motor housings on both ends of the slide are cracked and needs to be replaced.

I'm assuming that this is why the bedroom slide motor came loose as well.

I will email Winnebago and ask if the Power Gear slide mechanism has been strengthened to prevent future cracking.

My one year warranty expired on August 6th. To Winnebago's credit they are fixing the slide as a good will gesture.

We traded our rock solid 2005 Sightseer 29R for this 2016 Sightseer 33C. The first year of ownership has been a never ending series of problems. Each time it is fixed I think we are now finished with problems only to have more things go wrong.

At the GNR the new Winnebago CEO apologized and said that they are working hard to correct quality issues.

Safe travels. JD

[bitubo]

My old voltage slides would bind a bit. I started lubing them a la the videos and the binding disappeared.

[rjsupersonic]

I don't get it? I do not have a Winnebago but I do have Powergear slides on my 07 National Sea Breeze and it has been perfect with hundreds of cycles. They should go back to the old hardware.

[bobmac]

I really do not get it either. The real problem is Winnebago's endless quest to reduce cost and make more profit without doing their homework. I have no problem and support that motivation BUT you cannot install new unproven technology on thousands of motorhomes before you are 110% confident that the technology is robust and will meet the rigorous demands of a motorhome.
If you adapt that strategy, you must be prepared to stand up and make good for your errors. Winnebago did this when they abandoned older electric ram slides in favor of the Schwintec design slide. That new design has not been proven to be robust enough for a motorhome - regardless of its size.
The RV component market seems largely controlled by Lippert products. Winnebago recently changed their slide mechanisms to "Power Gear" - a brand synonymous with quality and reliability for those of us with earlier Winnebago motorhomes. The current Power Gear slides however are just another iteration of earlier Lippert ones as Power Gear was bought by Lippert in 2014. At the GNR, it was clear that the latest slide was better than - but has not solved the reliability issues.
I find it difficult to believe that a publicly traded company like Winnebago would risk its brand equity with unproven and likely inadequately tested technology but it appears they are unwilling to revert to the more costly but proven and reliable designs.
My personal experience with Winnebago is they are generally unwilling to acknowledge problems of their own making leaving the customer on the hook. Their dealer network is obviously either uncapable or unwilling to undertake the volume of work to properly repair current slide issues forcing the Customer - in may cases- to have the repairs done properly in Forest City as evidenced by many posts here. Fortunately, they are unable to get away with that denial strategy on the new slides so far but who knows how long "good will" repairs will last.
All said, Winnebago generally builds a quality product and deploys new technologies in their coaches and has hopefully learned from their costly experience with the latest slide technology that they must do their homework and due diligence on new technologies before they use it widely. Winn must realize that purchasers are "Customers" and not their "field testers" and their current experiences will weigh heavily in future purchases.

[ed rzepka]

Originally Posted by bobmac

I really do not get it either. The real problem is Winnebago's endless quest to reduce cost and make more profit without doing their homework. I have no problem and support that motivation BUT you cannot install new unproven technology on thousands of motorhomes before you are 110% confident that the technology is robust and will meet the rigorous demands of a motorhome.
If you adapt that strategy, you must be prepared to stand up and make good for your errors. Winnebago did this when they abandoned older electric ram slides in favor of the Schwintec design slide. That new design has not been proven to be robust enough for a motorhome - regardless of its size.
The RV component market seems largely controlled by Lippert products. Winnebago recently changed their slide mechanisms to "Power Gear" - a brand synonymous with quality and reliability for those of us with earlier Winnebago motorhomes. The current Power Gear slides however are just another iteration of earlier Lippert ones as Power Gear was bought by Lippert in 2014. At the GNR, it was clear that the latest slide was better than - but has not solved the reliability issues.
I find it difficult to believe that a publicly traded company like Winnebago would risk its brand equity with unproven and likely inadequately tested technology but it appears they are unwilling to revert to the more costly but proven and reliable designs.
My personal experience with Winnebago is they are generally unwilling to acknowledge problems of their own making leaving the customer on the hook. Their dealer network is obviously either uncapable or unwilling to undertake the volume of work to properly repair current slide issues forcing the Customer - in may cases- to have the repairs done properly in Forest City as evidenced by many posts here. Fortunately, they are unable to get away with that denial strategy on the new slides so far but who knows how long "good will" repairs will last.
All said, Winnebago generally builds a quality product and deploys new technologies in their coaches and has hopefully learned from their costly experience with the latest slide technology that they must do their homework and due diligence on new technologies before they use it widely. Winn must realize that purchasers are "Customers" and not their "field testers" and their current experiences will weigh heavily in future purchases.

I sit here awaiting repair at the factory on my Winnie. The repairs owners are bringing their coaches in for is unbelieveabe. You just can' t make this stuff up. I have also encountered this this in rv parks I have camped at -- almost unbelieveabe complaints. Even owners of the more expensive coaches do not appear exempt. Owners of older coaches are surprised at the issues newer owners are having. They tell of having pretty solid coaches with minimal issues from the time the coach was new and over the years they have owned them. Even the more expensive pushers do not seem to be exempt from this. To me, it all boils down to careless shotty workmanship.

I realize the forum may not be an accurate statistical representation of the quality of a Winnie product, but my Quality Assurance in experience in my other life tells me it is a strong indicator of a larger problem.

I hate to be cruel, but I see similarities in poor quality between Winnie and Thor.

[Rossi6998]

Originally Posted by ed rzepka

I sit here awaiting repair at the factory on my Winnie. The repairs owners are bringing their coaches in for is unbelieveabe. You just can' t make this stuff up. I have also encountered this this in rv parks I have camped at -- almost unbelieveabe complaints. Even owners of the more expensive coaches do not appear exempt. Owners of older coaches are surprised at the issues newer owners are having. They tell of having pretty solid coaches with minimal issues from the time the coach was new and over the years they have owned them. Even the more expensive pushers do not seem to be exempt from this. To me, it all boils down to careless shotty workmanship.

I realize the forum may not be an accurate statistical representation of the quality of a Winnie product, but my Quality Assurance in experience in my other life tells me it is a strong indicator of a larger problem.

I hate to be cruel, but I see similarities in poor quality between Winnie and Thor.

I agree... My 2007 Itasca Cambria was definitely better built than my current 2013 Itasca Sunstar. Don't get me wrong, I love my Sunstar, but there are definitely differences in workmanship.

[Gordon Dewald]

It boils down to if you are willing to pay a fair price. But folks want to get 30% off of MSRP.

Then I wonder about operator abuse that is returned for warranty? Does the client always follow the user guidelines when operating the systems?

I wonder about the memory of the older coaches and the problems they did not have or have forgotten about. We hear the stories about hydraulic slides on previous models that have been discontinued because of issues. Those issues seem to have passed into memory never to be recounted.

I simply think that in a few years from now we will hear the same stories about coaches built in 2015/16 were so much better than the junk being built in 2025. "They had much better quality in those days."

[ed rzepka]

Buyers' fault?

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by ed rzepka

Buyers' fault?

Nope - just wondering how many of the break downs are caused by our own lack of knowledge or misuse.

There seems to be two methods of deploying and retracting slides depending upon manufacturer. Deploy slides and then level or level and deploy slides. If you look at Wally docking you will see many coaches with slides deployed without jacks down. Some will only have one or two out but not many will remain totally closed. Most do not look level.

Were the slides deployed properly or not? How many will eventually have an issue which is blamed on poor product?

[ed rzepka]

This may be anecdotal , but I know or have only briefly met to many people hat know the drill and still had failures for this to be lack of knowled issue. Many have had their coaches fixed multiple times. If both Winnie and Thor are offering fixes and have added new versions to of the slide system, I would day that the issue appears to be with the design and installation.

[ed rzepka]

Sorry about the spelling, just got a smart phone an have a "fat fingure" issue. I accidentally sent the post before I could proofread. Please bare with me.

[bobmac]

While it is obvious that many owners do not take the time or make efforts to understand their RV, I highly doubt that owners are responsible for little more than a small portion of the slide issues. If you go to the 4th fiscal quarter Winnebago Financials reported last October(2015), Winnebago cite " a margin decline due to unfavorable trends in warranty expenses" as having an impact on profitability. Likewise they note "the establishment of a warranty recall reserve" but do not specify the amount or what that reserve is for but most of us can likely guess. The fact that it was declared with their results would indicate that it is "material" or significant financially, so you can bet "good will" repairs are being undertaken against this financial provision. I would be interesting to understand whom they consider ultimately responsible for these issues and what actions they are taking there.