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Post by navylcdr on May 29, 2021 22:23:17 GMT -5
2021 231VRL purchased March 23. Slideout (containing dinette and refrigerator) allways made popping and groaning noises going in and out which dealer assured me was normal. Last camping trip a week ago I was testing things on batteries in prep for dry camping. Slideout moved really slow and left (rear) side seemed to really bog down. I gave up trying to get slideout to go out on battery and hooked up shore power. Did not help much, left (rear) side still really did not want to move out. After getting it out, finally, I did the programming feature - move slide in a couple inches, back out all the way, repeat 3 or 4 times. End of camping trip, pulling slideout in, it seemed again like the left (rear) side just did not want to cooperate. The motor kept stalling. I had to stop and run it out for a second. Then run it in again, about three times before it came in all the way.
At home, same issue. Slideout, especially left (rear) just did not want to work. Had to stop several times, pull in for a second, push back out. Did some unpacking. Decided to see if I could figure the slideout out, so I pulled it in. On the final pull inwards there were a couple of loud pops from the left (rear) side. Tried to move slideout out and noticed the left side top, and right side seemed to move, but the left side bottom did not. Uh-oh. Tried in direction again, a couple more bangs/pops from the left side but everything seemed to engage. Tried out direction and everything moved, although the left side was dragging on the floor now. So, on inspection, I find that the left side bottom track is misaligned by about 5 of the splines on the rack from the rest of the slide. When slide is in, and there is no gaps on the other three racks, the left (rear) rack still has about 5 splines showing.
So, I call Venture customer support. I purchased this trailer at a dealer 450 miles away because they were the one that had it in stock. Venture RV tells me warranty service in my area is provided by Camping World. Well, that's just great, yuk! So I call the second closest Camping World to me, because they are larger, they will have a scheduler call me back. Call the smaller, but closer CW, they will call me back. Really ?!?. So the second CW did call me back 45 minutes later only to inform me that they don't warranty work for Venture RVs. So I call Venture RV and Dan tells me he will call them and they will call me back. OK, so the first CW does call me back to tell me they don't do warranty work for Venture RVs! I told them that Venture RV seems to think differently, but they assured me they don't do warranty work for Venture. UGH! So I call an actual venture dealer in Portland, OR, about 70 miles away, and they tell me since I did not buy the trailer from them they won't work on it, even though they are a real Venture dealership!
So, I call Venture RV back. Dan tells me they have a contract with Camping World to do warranty repairs and I will get a call back from CW, again. So the closest CW calls me and they tell me they have no technicians that work on slideouts, they can't help me. The second, larger CW calls me back and says there was a misunderstanding, they do warranty work for Venture, and I can bring the trailer to them in two weeks, but it will only be an assessment for me to show them what is wrong, but they won't take the trailer for actual repair until September! UGHHH! Banging head on wall......
So, I bite the bullet and call the closest branch of the dealer I bought the trailer from, which is 300 miles away. They said bring the trailer to us June 14th. We should be able to fix your problem the day you bring it in. So looks like I am going to making a 600 mile round trip to be able to get the darn thing fixed before camping season is effectively over this year.
Lessons learned:
1. Schwintek slides suck. Have you seen what you have to do if the darn thing fails in the out position in order to push it in manually? It's going to take a 6 foot ladder and tools to disconnect the motors to be able to push the slide in manually - and there is no guarantee you are going to be able to push it in after you disconnect the motors!
2. Most dealers these days are booked out until August or September for repairs and they likely won't even look at your RV if you didn't buy it from them. So.....
3. Your local dealer may not have what you want immediately available. And what you want is likely going to be a three to five month wait time to get. But, if you don't buy local, you probably are not going to get service local this season.
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rue
Newbie RV’er
Retired and living large!
Posts: 33
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Post by rue on Jun 7, 2021 23:50:47 GMT -5
Rats. I didn't buy mine from the Portland, OR dealer because they didn't have any to show me, nor would they call me back like they said they would so I ended up buying mine in Florence. Not horrible if I have to go there for warranty work, but Portland would have been closer and Camping World isn't high on my list of trusted places after hearing some horror stories.
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Post by navylcdr on Jun 8, 2021 22:05:11 GMT -5
Rats. I didn't buy mine from the Portland, OR dealer because they didn't have any to show me, nor would they call me back like they said they would so I ended up buying mine in Florence. Not horrible if I have to go there for warranty work, but Portland would have been closer and Camping World isn't high on my list of trusted places after hearing some horror stories. I live in Lebanon, OR. |
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rue
Newbie RV’er
Retired and living large!
Posts: 33
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Post by rue on Jun 9, 2021 12:03:15 GMT -5
Where did you end up having to take it? I live in Woodburn.
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Post by navylcdr on Jun 9, 2021 19:05:50 GMT -5
Where did you end up having to take it? I live in Woodburn. My daughter lives in Woodburn, but she is moving to Washington. I am taking it to Pasco, WA to Click It RV this coming Monday. I bought the trailer at Click It RV in Spokane, WA. We are staying at Viento State Park along the Columbia River on Sunday night, and then Ainsworth State Park Monday night on the way back. They already told me that if any parts need replaced they won't be able to fix it. They will submit their findings to Venture RV who will then give them authorization to bet the parts to fix it and I will then have to make a second trip. So I will basically end up traveling a total of 1200 miles in order to avoid Camping World. Thank goodness I can still use the trailer, unless the slide-out completely dies. |
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rue
Newbie RV’er
Retired and living large!
Posts: 33
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Post by rue on Jun 10, 2021 21:23:14 GMT -5
Good luck! The camping on the way sounds fun though.
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Post by mattman555 on Jun 27, 2021 13:17:55 GMT -5
Great write up about Maker / Dealer issues.
RE: They said bring the trailer to us June 14th.
I'm hoping by now you got the slide out fixed, if so what did they find?
Also, yours sounds a lot like mine. Is it the 4 track design, where you have to disconnect the motors to manually move it?
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Post by kljeronymo on Dec 30, 2023 13:00:03 GMT -5
Navylcdr,
I have, twice, had your very same issue (same descriptions, same symptoms, sounds, equipment behaviors) since I purchased my 2021 SN231VRL 2.5 years ago. During the second instance (this past Summer of 2023), the difference was that our slide began its issues with the lower left (rear) corner sticking out several splines of the worm track. Closing it up on our last trip, a very loud "pop" occured, and now that corner is aligned with the rest of the slide's corners and not sticking out. I guess sometimes the issue causes the gear to "jump" a few splines of the worm track and the corner becomes mis-aligned; and, somethimes the issue causes the gear to "jump" a few splines of the worm track and the mis-alignment gets corrected (!?!). Which begs the question: "What is causing the "jumping" of the gears on the worm tracks in the first place?"
...I have also had the same frustrations with CW (I am "lucky?" to have three CW locations within a 45 minute ride from home), and my experiences have been akin to pulling my own teeth with pliers to get results. Frankly, I have all but given up with expecting quality service from the RV industry in general. And, in the end, I have decided to get one of those RV technician certifications to become educated/skilled enough to work on my SONIC for myslef. I just don't see any other option that is more cost effective to maintaining my camper enough to keep it for as long as I would like. (From my calculations, I'll be able to save the amount of the cost of the training course(s) when I avoid a single repair visit - to just about any RV dealership for any type of repair.)
I truly hope you find the resolution you're looking for, navylcdr. And when I learn the answer to "Why is the jumping happening in the first place?", I'll post it!
KJ
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Post by spiderbobr on Dec 31, 2023 11:21:39 GMT -5
Well his is a familiar story I have heard over the last few years. And still they are having problems to fix an issue. My last MH had a full wall slide, yep with the same issues it too was a "Schwintex" system by Lippert. The wall was 32' long. It worked but not without a whole lot of problems associated with the system. My MH was a 2014, I had it until 2022 when I finally sold it. I was tired of continually working with the wall slide. I had every problem you had and no one to fix it. I learned to do it myself. I even when I went to a campground would use the hydraulic jacks to lift one side to give the wall less work to get out, and when I would leave would raise the wall side higher to give it some gravity help to go back in. This went on for many years. I replaced motors myself, and I ALWAYS lubed the tracks every time I used it not once in a while. I can't believe I kept it that long. When I bought my new 2022 Venture trailer, I made sure I did not have a Schwintex system or even a cable system. I went simple and never looked back. I'm really sorry you had so many problems but you are not alone.
Dealing with a "dealer" was another problem I bought mine from Click-it also, but they do not have qualified technicians to work on it. I had a tech that spent six hours putting on my Curve 3 hitch and working on the power from the vehicle to the trailer. He had to change his wiring three times. I watched the whole time, as he ran a wire from the front of my vehicle to the rear and latter found out that it was hooked up wrong and tore the wire out just to put another in??? I told him finally to leave it I'll fix it. I also had to change angles on the hitch as he didn't even follow directions as to setting that up. So, I never went back. What I did do is found a dealer finally that would look and repair what even needed locally (I live in Tri-Cities Washington) that would work on it. However, they told me I would have to pay and turn in the receipt to Venture. I accepted that, and Venture has paid me within the same month. So you might want to check into that process. Venture will reimburse you. Of course I told Venture I was doing this up front and they were great with all the results. I had a 800.00 fix that no one tried to get out of. OH, I should say when I bought my latest trailer I specifically looked for a NON-Schwintex system. For 12 years Schwintex has had problems, in 2012 they used a single track, they change that to a duel track in 2013, but still have working problems.
I wonder what the original poster did and how it faired out.
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Post by rnmcguire on Jan 12, 2024 15:23:25 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about your issues. I just bought a leftover 2022 231VRK model a few months ago from my local dealer. They told me they don't work on campers that were purchased elsewhere unless it's a really slow time for them so that their customers come first. It seems like the dealer you purchase from is worth more than the factory warranty in some regards. Good luck with yours hopefully it's fixed soon.
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Post by nrgnxs on Jan 18, 2024 9:42:18 GMT -5
I just purchased (Dec 19th 2024) a 2022 Sonic SN211VRB from Princess Craft dealership out of Round Rock Texas. They sat on my payment for well over a month because during prep they found the slide was not operating. I do not know the issue as the dealership would not share the details. I have used the slide a half dozen times and so far it seems to be working fine. I thought I would share this as there seems to be issues with the slides on these models.
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Post by stephen on Jan 26, 2024 13:01:30 GMT -5
I just purchased (Dec 19th 2024) a 2022 Sonic SN211VRB from Princess Craft dealership out of Round Rock Texas. They sat on my payment for well over a month because during prep they found the slide was not operating. I do not know the issue as the dealership would not share the details. I have used the slide a half dozen times and so far it seems to be working fine. I thought I would share this as there seems to be issues with the slides on these models. |
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Post by tstockma on May 7, 2024 7:36:42 GMT -5
GET MOVING AGAIN - UPDATE JULY 2024 - Schwintek provides a "manual override" feature that will often let you get your slideout all the way out or all the way in. Common causes are controller issue, or wiring issue, or mechanical issue & often if one of the motors is weaker then first one side will stop while the other keeps moving until it "binds" & the whole thing is slightly cock-eyed while also only partly in or out.
Method: this will require hands & knees because of Venture's lame brain design (Schwintek tech support said unkind things about Venture, because of the controller location - controller should be accessible in a cabinet or on the back wall of a shelf or something like that). My 2022 231VRL has the controller just above floor level, under the slideout, behind the slideout trim panels. On hands & knees, maybe on the couch looking & reaching down, remove left-end trim panel (11" long on my 231VRL). Find the control panel - it might have some blinking lights, those are error codes - and on that panel is a smallish oval inset with a small flat button.
Push the button 6 times, push once more & hold; when lights flash like crazy, you are in "manual mode" for a limited amount of time. Manual Mode means the wall button will override the controller's limited amount of brain power, and sends full current to each of the motors; often this overcome your slideout's weak-ass movement & those motors will firmly apply full power.
Scramble to your feet & get to the wall button. Return the slideout to your "starting position" (in or out) - if it binds, try back & forth until it moves - go all the way out (or in), then reverse direction to get to your desired result (in or out). HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN AN EXTRA SECOND at each end of the travel path - this will help the unit "reset" & sync up the motor & controller, hopefully with the slideout fully in or out & in the correct position.
My problem usually happens when pulling slideout in; that procedure above has been the only way I got home a large number of times. Venture & Schwintek appear to be poor choices when buying an RV or trailer.
ORIGINAL POST:
I have a 2022 231VRL which was delivered to us with a wiring defect in the slide-out...the manufacturer & the dealer kept punting the issue back & forth, the dealer repeatedly totally ignored the error code which flashed on the controller, all they ever did was spray some oil on the Schwintek & run it and out a few times. It would also sporadically fail to pull the slide-out in, stranding us on road trips.
I won't go into the frustrating calls & all the steps, but we ended up paying a mobile technician who paid attention to the error code, found the wiring defect in 20 minutes & fixed it in within an hour total. Neither the dealer nor Venture would reimburse us for the bill. Schwintek tech support had some unkind things to say about Venture's design decisions on the Sonics.
I'll never buy a Venture or Thor product again & routinely tell the story when on the road. Lots of issues with under-the-hood design decisions & I regard our experience as a complete fail on customer support.
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andyinoregon
Newbie RV’er
Hmmm... Moving to Sonic group on FB. Will check back here periodically.
Posts: 6
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Post by andyinoregon on Jul 3, 2024 19:50:12 GMT -5
Navylcdr, ...I have also had the same frustrations with CW (I am "lucky?" to have three CW locations within a 45 minute ride from home), and my experiences have been akin to pulling my own teeth with pliers to get results. Frankly, I have all but given up with expecting quality service from the RV industry in general. And, in the end, I have decided to get one of those RV technician certifications to become educated/skilled enough to work on my SONIC for myslef. I just don't see any other option that is more cost effective to maintaining my camper enough to keep it for as long as I would like. (From my calculations, I'll be able to save the amount of the cost of the training course(s) when I avoid a single repair visit - to just about any RV dealership for any type of repair.) LOL, amen! I haven't had any trouble at all since we've only had our RV for a few months but I'm a DIYer at heart and having to send it to the dealer terrifies me (and my wallet). Were you serious about getting an RV Technician certification or just speculating?? Sounds like a great idea! |
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andyinoregon
Newbie RV’er
Hmmm... Moving to Sonic group on FB. Will check back here periodically.
Posts: 6
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Post by andyinoregon on Jul 3, 2024 19:54:02 GMT -5
Can anyone tell me how to determine what kind of slide we have (i.e., if it's a "Schwintex") system? Our slide seems to work find but I'm wondering if I need to be prepared to conduct some on-the-road surgery to get the slide back in if we're on a trip. A guy at the dealership where we bought it told us that this design all but prevented manually bringing the slide in. However, he did say it was possible, sounds like some of you here may have done it before!
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