Slide Facel Seal Failure?

[JohnEileen]

Yes, Dave they didn't even put the drain pans in our Redwood. There was a new one there and we were able to feel those drains. This essentially allowed water to come into the slide, but not out. Redwood failed, but we will have to pay! They said 16 hours labor to take the slide off and put it back on! That doesn't count fixing it! We are sick!

[JohnEileen]

Snider, Have someone check that slide for a missing drain! That's what happened to ours and the screws were sheared off due to swelling from that drain not even being on our unit. It is to allow water to drain out of the side. They are at the corners. This allowed water to come into the slide and not drain out. A little bubbling occurred at the corner which I guess pushed the wall out enough that it sheared the screws. This bubbling was like 1/8 inch.

[piper guy]

Think I need to go check my slide - anyone know exactly where these drain pans are and what they look like ?

[JohnEileen]

They are in the corners, you can't see them only feel them. I wish I could upload photos taken yesterday so you all can see what I'm talking about.

[homeguy]

I was told by one dealer that I needed a new floor because of water. The water was getting behind the front bottom track and making the outside of the floor wet and soft. When I went to another repair facility, they checked it the old fashioned way to see how extensive the damage was. They took a pocket knife and inserted it into the wood in several places and it only went in about 1/8". The solution was the one Redwood has used in many cases. Heavy steel plates over the rollers.$500 repair vs. $6000.

[JohnEileen]

Heavy steel plates is a good idea mainly because our floor appears to only be bad in a small area. I can feel indentations where rollers track and steel plates may support floor better than just rolling on 3/4 inch plywood. I find only an area about 3 square inches that is soft but doesn't appear to be totally rotten. Who did the steel plate repair and who gave you this info?

[homeguy]

It has been mention on the forum in several threads. It is a fix that Redwood has done on many bedroom slides because the rollers were scraping off the black stuff underneath on the wood. The place where I had some repair work done. because of a blowout, did it for me. They went to a metal shop and spent about $100 on the plates and charged me $400 labor to do it. Unfortunately for you it was M&R RV Repair in Hickory, NC.

[JohnEileen]

I guess we missed that thread. I will look for it. Thanks!! Certainly wish we had seen it to know about Redwood having issues with these in the first place!

[Shane Wood]

Personally I would drop it at Redwood service center and tell them you will be back when it's fixed. If you can prove that the drip pan was left out in the manufacturing process causing the damage

[travelin' texans]

Sounds like legal action time to me!!! Take lots of photos especially of the missing pans submit to Crossroads & if no help go to your friendly neighborhood lawyer, lemon law may apply in your area, if not a civil case.

[Rick and Mindy]

I would definitely be contacting a lawyer and questioning why this is not a warranty issue, regardless if they left the pans (still wonder what those are) out or not. Your Redwood came with a 5 year structural warranty. I was always told that structure was anything Redwood put together. They build the slides and install them. If that is not structural then they need to say that in writing so you can then pursue legal action. Eileen, do you remember when we took the Redwood factory tour and we were told that once they (employees) completed 3 or 5 (I can't remember which) units then they could go home for the day with a full days wage? I think that practice has caused many QC issues. The employee mentality would be "the faster we get them done, the quicker we go home, don't fret the quality control, just get it done!" You need to squeak, squeak, squeak and document everything on this problem.

[JohnEileen]

We will call Redwood Monday and discuss the issues with them. Any company that manufactures anything should not go by pieces produced and there should always be someone checked by work. Quality should always come first. Thanks so much for everyone's help and information.

[Blenhardt]

Originally Posted by piper guy

Think I need to go check my slide - anyone know exactly where these drain pans are and what they look like ?

I would also like to check mine but have no idea where they are and what they look like. Didn't know there were drains for the slides. Why are drains needed? Thought the water was sealed out when slides were in or out!!

[travelin' texans]

I would go straight to the top at RW, don't mess with some rude jerk, to the top of Crossroads then onto Thor then to a lawyer, document, document, document everything.

[JohnEileen]

We could not see it only feel it at the bottom corner of the slide out. I would take it to a dealer and have them check. Also look at the side of the slide out. That is where we saw the the very slight bubbling under the skin on the left side of de of the bedroom slide as you are facing it from the outside. On the 36 RL. We felt no moisture on the inside what so ever. The screws were also stripped off the left side.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by JohnEileen

We could not see it only feel it at the bottom corner of the slide out. I would take it to a dealer and have them check. Also look at the side of the slide out. That is where we saw the the very slight bubbling under the skin on the left side of de of the bedroom slide as you are facing it from the outside. On the 36 RL. We felt no moisture on the inside what so ever. The screws were also stripped off the left side.

A little more detail please. Are the trays at the bottom on both sides or just the left side? Do you just pull out the slide seal and stick your hand in at the bottom to feel the tray? How big is the tray? Was the bubbling along the bottom schwintek track, on the top track? can you be more specific? Pictures would be fantastic. I think at this point everyone would just like to go outside and feel for this tray without taking it to a dealer. Just curious, were you always lubing the schwintek tracks and motors? Did the dealer notice the stripped screws or did you notice them? Sorry to ask so many questions but I appreciate your responses. I'm just trying to ward off any potential problem.

[Retired educators]

The trays are in the bottom corners. I was able to see mine by running the slide in a little and then used a mirror under corner and could see the trays. The trays are suppose to catch any water that gets inside the seals and defer it back outside. I had a problem with one of mine on my 2012 RL and it had to be replaced. So far no problems with the 2016 RL.

[sinder]

What a bummer. I would go after Redwood for warranty coverage. I will be checking our drains.

I will be giving the new Redwood President a piece of mind in a few days regarding the inferior suspension system being delivered from the factory on these units. I believe there is a need to keep the heat on Redwood. I think we all would like to see Redwood succeed in the long haul, but I'm no longer convinced they are on the right trajectory for long term success.

[JohnEileen]

What concerns me is the constant rotation of people within the company. You are going to have some that is only natural, but it seems like every time we start working with someone on an issue a month later they are gone!

[Dave&Ginny]

When talking with Redwood, there is a difference between the "drip pans" and the bubbling that you're described on the end caps of your slides. The drip pans were intended to protect the floors of the slides.

I think it was around the 2014 model years they changed the sheeting material used in all the end caps of the slides. Mine as well as several others had issues with the end caps of the slides bubbling. Most of these were the larger slides in the kitchens and living rooms. They were originally a thinly filmed fiber board that didn't resist water very well and it allowed the water to be wicked up from the bottom. They then went to a better material. This was more of an issue with the slides closest to the wheels but my bedroom slide walls were replaced in 2014 due to this (back when Redwood still cared).

This wicking issue was one of the major reasons Redwood resisted the painted end caps. At the 2013 rally several of the coaches had suffered from this