Back in Buda. Will the slide finally be fixed? Is there a Santa Claus?

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Back in Buda.

We left Austin this morning for the RV repair place in Buda. We did a test run on the slide-out on Sunday and it hiccuped several times before before we could get it in. So we lived with the slide in for awhile until we could could get back down here. There is so little space that we bump asses a lot when it's in this position, so it does have it's upside. The conclusion is that this is a design/build problem. The slide would go in and out, but would strain on the one side because the cut out for it wasn't quite square, thus the slide would bind as it went in. This wasn't something they could fix (but maybe yes for a whole lot of money) , but they assured us that it would be OK. For awhile. Until the motor burned up. The only way to fix it is to deal with Monaco and maybe at the factory they could permanently fix what is basically their construction problem. Remember, this is RVs, not NASA.

So, the slide will work until it doesn't. In other words, hold your breath every time you operate the slide, just what I was hoping to avoid. They also put a new motor on the step, replacing the one that was replaced just this summer and had less than an hour's time on it. No great answers on why the prior motor failed, perhaps because a bolt was missing or had fallen out. They didn't have one long enough to replace it, so they directed me to a local store to buy one. I attempted to put the bolt in but found there was nothing for it to screw into. The mechanic came out for a look and agreed. Most likely it was a manufacturing issue; they never installed anything for that bold to screw into so they left it off.  It left only the 2 bolts to hold the motor on and as it vibrated loose, it failed.  The mechanic and I agreed that it would cost way too much to do a proper fix: removing and replacing the whole step unit. So I am left with checking the two bolts holding the motor on and making sure they don't come loose.

This is all very boring, I know. It is part and parcel of managing an RV and I'm getting almost blasé about it. I do want to give my appreciation to the folks at Crestview RV here in Buda. They have been gracious and helpful every step of the way. They even comped us a spot in their RV park for the night.

Tomorrow we will be off to LA (Louisiana, not God forbid the other LA). We'll probably stop off in Beaumont, TX for the night.