RV slide out wall repair | TheRVAddict

[@ethelromero292]

WOW i have the same issue with our new Gulf Stream 23 right out of the lot. We went to Canada from Denver and by the time we came back the screws of the right corner of the slide were out, same scenario. Luckily it happened within the 1st year so it was under warranty. We took it to Camping world so they fixed it. They stated the slide was not properly built etc. Right after the fixing we went to Vegas from Denver and by the time we came back it was happening again. We took it back to Camping world and now they are stating the wall that holds that side of the RV frame was broken. Because is the wall it falls under the 3 year infrastructure warranty. Now they are contacting Gulf Stream for the warranty and i guess to replace the wall. Kind of weird as i do think the wall was broken when we bought it, and i guess Camping world missed it when they repaired it the first time. You invest that much in this units to just find out that they are just poorly built. It is so sad!! and i guess the places who suppose to repair them, they just don't care but the money they can get for the service. Very disappointing!! Anyways, Your repair looks fabulous!!!!

[@RVKevin]

Sad to hear about your experience, the time, the effort, and the stress involved. Just not good. I hope they make it right for you.

[@texasrotaryexperts4012]

I didn’t need this but very much enjoyed seeing it. I’m new to the RV world.

[@RVKevin]

Thanks

[@texasrotaryexperts4012]

I now know what I need to do if I ever have to fix it. Even though about doing it now for preventative.

[@ZmaxLife]

Same issue on brand new motorhome straight out the dealer lot . I am going to do same like you did regardless of the warranty . Thank you Sir.

[@RVKevin]

You are very welcome

[@chrishayes4785]

This same problem has happened on our 2023 FR Surveyor slide out. Your fix will save a couple of weeks at the RV store thats 50 Miles away. One question if the bottom 3 screws come loose whats to think the remainder won't?. Did you consider replacing them all?. Thanks for a great video.

[@RVKevin]

Great question, however that could lead you to want to replace every screw you find, seeing how well our campers are built. I just replaced the key ones having trouble and then hand tightened the others to give me some confidence that the rest will stay in place.

[@chrishayes4785]

Thats my plan too. Again thanks for the great video.

[@RVKevin]

💪welcome

[@robertpapps3618]

Great information, thanks much!

[@LetsCelebrateTV]

Great job. Last time I played with a slide I had to replace a hydraulic piston.

[@RVKevin]

Hydraulics can be a mess, and certainly provide more weight hauling capacity. Thank you for watching P&P 😍😍

[@LetsCelebrateTV]

@@RVKevin Between both of our trailers, we have both systems. Hydraulic ram and like yours, the schwintech. Only had to do a schwintech motor resync once but had to tear apart the trailer to get to the controller.

[@jasonnye4972]

Thanks so much! I have the same issue on my Forest River. Now I have a fix that I can try.

[@RVKevin]

I hope that works for you Jason. I am glad that I did it to my Trailer.

[@randallgoetz2655]

My wife and I have a 2015 Forest River that has the exact same issue and you confirmed the fix I had in mind. Thanks!

[@RVKevin]

Randall, iam glad this video helped you. This fix has been solid for us. I am working on another video about slide binding and how to fix, which will answer some more questions for others. Good luck on your fix and thank you for watching.

[@GrandAdventure]

EXCELLENT solution Kevin! That is precisely how our situation started, the same screws at the bottom of the slide pulling out. Hopefully you'll avoid our situation where it eventually caused the supporting wall structure to break down, resulting in a prohibitively costly repair. Your solution looks good to us! And thanks so much for the shout-out! ♥️

[@RVKevin]

Thank you Marc, i do hope we caught it in time for sure. the quality FR build will let us know. thanks for watching and the support😎👍

[@mikeg8175]

Just a thought here, when I had the failure of the wall supporting structure on the base of the frame, (this was with a cable slide) I use a steel L bar attached into the floor and through the wall to the outside. This did a great job of stabilizing the wall and really was not noticeable on the inside of the RV. It was not bad but noticeable if you looked hard on the outside of the RV. But it was an inexpensive fix that worked.

[@RVKevin]

That is a really good idea, I hope this is helpful to the next person having to do this repair.

[@RVKevin]

This was a real easy fix and I hope this keeps the slide working a long time. Thanks for watching

[@ashleedominguez3748]

Nice!! Good to know!

[@RVKevin]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@markstench4470]

I have the same issue going on with my Winnebago, how long did this repair last for you. It really freaked me out , also seen the slide moving around because of this . So I guess I was wondering how long this repair lasted , and thank you so much made it less scary

[@RVKevin]

Mark, this fix has been going strong for a year and a half now. Highly recommend it.

[@blckshp55]

Have the exact same problem but appears that the wall had a leak and rotted......causing the screws to pull out in the same manner. Can't find anyone that wants to fix it. May end up opening wall and replacing stud and then doing similar to you for support

[@RVKevin]

blckshp55, i have been surprised by how many others have had the same problem. I hope this video has helped you.👍

[@mikeg8175]

I have a 2021 Grand Design Solitude 380 FL with the same issue, and a friend with same RV having the same issue. I like your fix idea, and was wondering if the wall stud was actually detaching from the base frame on the bottom? I had something like this on my Montana with cable slides where the wall had actually detached from the frame. Operating the slide caused the wall to move. Different fix. Anyway I like your fix and plan to do that on my RV.

[@RVKevin]

Hi Mike, I am glad this idea might help you and your friend. When I removed the screws I pushed on the wall frame both inside and outside the rig. In my case the walls were still solid. This fix has held since that repair. Make sure you look around for any wires that might be in the wall where you are going to drill. Good luck on the fix if you do it.

[@tonyf5642]

Same thing happened on my RV, except issue with mine is wall of RV is bowed inward on bottom of left side of slide, so I am going to drill thru and bolt as done here but will shim side frame with rubber weather strip so I don't deform the slide frame and or damage it. To all, check to see if your wall is straight before you drill and start tightening screws.

[@brentsharp8234]

Is it a schwintek slide? If so move bottom plate down towards the bottom it sounds like its twisting and pulling the wall. Does one corner stick out when other 3 are flush?

[@tonyf5642]

@@brentsharp8234 Hi Brent, The slide is a Schwintek. The slide functions normal and is straight to RV. The flaw is in the wall of the RV on one side of the slide. The last 12" or so on the lower left bows inward a 1/4" or so; I think the AL stud just wasn't installed perpendicular to the floor and or parallel to the slide. I didn't have room for rubber weather strip, so I filled gap with silicone, let cure for a few days and then through bolted the slide frame without pulling it out of square. Slide now contacts all sides on closing and the frame remains fixed. The slide frame is very rigid, as you might imagine, so the sheetmetal screws could not hold the fram against the RV as originally installed. I finished the job by masking and using black outdoor caulk on slide frame to wall seam. Looks and functions great. I used SST hardware and fender washers on inside behind the molding. If it loosens in future, I will run a full length AL bar as this channel author did._Tony

[@RVKevin]

That sounds like a great fix that you came up with. It is a shame that we must do this type of repair to the RV ourselves. Thanks for leaving a follow up like you have. This should help others with a similar problem.

[@tonyf5642]

@@RVKevin Ditto, if you own an RV, you either need to learn how to diagnose and repair things or have a deep wallet... Not sure what type roof you have bit mine has a Dicor membrane. Dicor Co is close to releasing a sun radiant heat reflective coating compatible with that type roof. Currently, there are no products that will adhere to this type roof. It should be out this fall. These coatings reduce inside RV temps greatly. I used a coating on my last RV which had an AL roof, huge difference. 😳

[@RVKevin]

Tony, Your right, this RV stuff is more work than a stick and bricks home. I suppose the trade off would be the view changes regularly . That sounds like a cool product from dicor. Cant wait to check it out

[@tannerweston2170]

Just purchased a used 2018 forest River and discovered this issue just a couple weeks after getting it home. Thanks for the video. Curious how things have held up for you since the repair ?

[@RVKevin]

Tanner, yes that fix has been solid so far. I am glad it was easy because so many others wait too long and ruined the slides by not fixing it . Congrats on the Trailer.

[@chrisl3550]

I have the exact same problem at the same corner of my Forest River. I’m sensing a pattern here. Looks like you drilled right through the existing holes of the metal portion of the frame, correct? How did you make sure you didn’t go through the existing holes in the wood frame? Also where did you get the aluminum piece? Thanks.

[@RVKevin]

Chris, yes same holes keeping the drill level as you drill. Metal can be found at home depot or Lowes, same goes for the stainless screws and nuts. Measure well on the inside to make sure the screws are not too long. Stainless screws are hard to cut through if you do not have something good to cut with.

[@chrisl3550]

@@RVKevin thanks for the info. I did call FR and they sent me screws with what I believe are star or t-nuts. I like your option better. Did you think about using a washer behind the nut instead of the aluminum strip? Wonder if it could work the same?

[@RVKevin]

@@chrisl3550 , should be no problem just using a larger "fender washer" to give it something to hang on to.👍i Hope your repair goes great . Thanks for wastching

[@johnpurdum8126]

Been subbed to GA for a while. Probably how how I found your channel. My personal experience with Forest River TT is they are built really poorly. My slide has leaked since before I bought it new and have had at least 3 different places try to resolve the issue. The last place I just had them patch the rotten floor from underneath and do their best with the seals that no one can get to stop leaking.

[@RVKevin]

We are learning the same thing about Forest River. There are many on the road so it looks like i will have allot of things to make videos about 🤩. Thank you for watching, i appreciate it 👍

[@johnpurdum8126]

@@RVKevin yes you should have plenty of repair content. Sad thing is other manufacturers aren't much better. There may be one or two but not many. Also I don't think I'd want a rig made in 2019 and later. They're building them way too fast for good quality, regardless of manufacturer.

[@RVKevin]

Ha, sadly i think you are right and needing to fix allot of stuff. I am excited to make more videos though and i will do it ! I love the suggestion. Thank you for watching 😎