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  1. #11
    Site Sponsor RetiredVagabond's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Canyonlight View Post
    Gary - good to hear from you again. It has been a while. Great to hear you have been happy with your 293 and with GDRV. As one of the early GDRV Reflection owners and posters on the forum, your 8 years of experiences are have some teeth to them.

    As Michael, shared, the apparent water intrusion gets my attention too. I would be curios as to what the inside of your BR slide closet/dresser design looks like particularly in the corners and lower back side. In addition to possible exterior water intrusion, I suppose you have camped in freezing conditions too where the inside of the slide has had frost buildup and thawing resulting in water on the wood and possible damage from the inside out.

    As Michael also shared, I too have seen videos/pictures of folks who have repaired the bottom of a slide by installing a SS plate(s) over the rollers mounted on the wall. I suppose they cleaned, removed the "fabric", resealed, and repaired as necessary too. Dealerships with more involved service areas do hyper-extend or remove slides to repair as needed. Hopefully your GDRV contact can steer you to one of these and get it repaired correctly. Maybe one of the factory service techs can be at one of these dealerships to help with the process.

    Keep us posted.

    Dan
    Hey Dan,
    The inside of my slide is a wardrobe with a few drawers. All of the ceiling and upper walls are visible. No water stains are present. I have checked over the years as I also saw the apparent water stains early on, but never any water or stains were visible inside. Also the bottom of the slide material never looked like it was wet.

    I have camped in the snow several times up to a week, but even though ice formed on the top of all my slides once, no water seemed to intrude the interior. I had a mobile tech inspect as I mentioned when I was out in the desert last month and while I never mentioned the water stains to him, he didn't warn me either.

    I happen to once again be in California so I will drop by my dealer of purchase to see what they have to say. Hoping the news isn't too bad as my retirement can't take a very big hit.

    Thanks for chiming in, Gary
    Gary
    Hamilton, Montana
    2014 Grand Designs Reflection 293RES #0477
    2013 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Diesel

  2. #12
    Long Hauler Canyonlight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RetiredVagabond View Post
    Hey Dan,
    The inside of my slide is a wardrobe with a few drawers. All of the ceiling and upper walls are visible. No water stains are present. I have checked over the years as I also saw the apparent water stains early on, but never any water or stains were visible inside. Also the bottom of the slide material never looked like it was wet.

    I have camped in the snow several times up to a week, but even though ice formed on the top of all my slides once, no water seemed to intrude the interior. I had a mobile tech inspect as I mentioned when I was out in the desert last month and while I never mentioned the water stains to him, he didn't warn me either.

    I happen to once again be in California so I will drop by my dealer of purchase to see what they have to say. Hoping the news isn't too bad as my retirement can't take a very big hit.

    Thanks for chiming in, Gary
    Gary - OK....appreciate the feedback.

    There were a couple versions of the BR slide on early 293 and 303s. We have a cabinet with one adjustable/removable shelve and cloths hanging rod with one drawer underneath on the left which can be accessed from the bathroom with the BR slide in (nice). In the middle of the slide forward of this, we have a "dresser" top with two drawers underneath that. Then to the front end of the slide we have a hanging wardrobe cabinet with two left and right swinging mirrored doors.

    I think the second version eliminated the "dresser" type of arrangement and added more hanging of cloths design. And, of course as many of shared with GDRV years ago, we suggested adding a window to the slide which was done in 2017 as I recall with once again, a new design to the slide cabinets/drawers/etc.

    Hope whatever you get done works well and not too costly.......would not think so. Keep us posted.

    Dan
    Dan & Carol
    2014 303RLS Reflection #185 (10/2013 build)
    2012 Silverado LTZ Crew Duramax 2500HD
    2700/16K Pullrite Superglide

  3. #13
    Seasoned Camper DECelt's Avatar
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    I will attest to the use of bondo with fiberglass as a solution to wood that has been damaged.
    The fiberglass resin bondo is superior to the regular product. But, if you have any fungus in the wood it will continue to rot...so use caution and keep an eye on the repair. Bondo is not load bearing, but should be fine in that area. I would second the use of thin steel or hard plastic runways, but have no experience with those.

  4. #14
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Gary,

    Since you are full-time in your rig and, if the GD Service Center is not an option, I would consider having a good certified mobile RV tech take a look at it and make the repairs. I have two favorite techs (depending on which end of the country we're in) who have done excellent work for me - including one structural issue on a slide floor. I found them both using this tool:

    http://rvservicereviews.com/

    To me, it would be worth the peace of mind.

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  5. #15
    Long Hauler geotex1's Avatar
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    Let me suggest that before embarking on patch work, it may be best to properly survey for excess moisture. You can rent a moisture meter and even thermal cameras from tool rentals. If you find there is excess, it will save you bandaiding that will need rebuild anyway. When you start getting into moisture with Schwinteks, once the squareness of the box is lost you eat the sill and water enters the camper wall and you also begin to chew up the slide rails. Just gets more expensive.
    Rob & Nikki + Cloverfield
    2020 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 3350RL
    2015 RAM 3500 Longhorn Laramie Crew Cab, Long Bed, 4x4 Dually Cummins/AISIN

    Mountains of Pennsylvania

  6. #16
    Site Sponsor RetiredVagabond's Avatar
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    Thanks for the feedback everyone.

    I have contacted Grand Design by email and even after all these years they got back to me promptly.

    Their suggestion was to have a dealer evaluate the issue and make the repair which I have chosen to do. this is a quote for Peter at Grand Design:

    "Gary, it looks like you just need to patch. I asked one of my guys and there’s various materials at a dealership or accessories store that will work including some spray on material like the rhino lining you see in pick up truck beds. You should have the unit looked at by a repair facility. The roller may simply need lubing. Have you been lubricating your schwintek ? I have no guesses what the charge would be without an accurate diagnosis."

    Several of you suggested a similar repair.

    I just happen to be in Southern California where I bought my fifth wheel and I have an appointment to take it in on April 26th. I may be staying with friends or a hotel for a few days. I will update the thread when the issue is corrected along with details and cost.

    Regards...
    Gary
    Hamilton, Montana
    2014 Grand Designs Reflection 293RES #0477
    2013 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Diesel

  7. #17
    Fireside Member New Tamper's Avatar
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    I'm the one someone mentioned who put SS 16 gauge plates on the bottom of my slides. They were actually 8" plates and a little tricky to install because you have to take the weight off the rollers to install. I have seen people hammer them in but I chose to just take the weight off and slide them in. Boy they roll smooth now. You can see my write up under "Another Schwintek Slide Issue".

  8. #18
    Seasoned Camper
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    I recall reading a thread someone posted with the identical issue and he solved it by installing very thing gauge metal runners on the underside of the slide for the rollers to run on. He has pictures and explained the installation process. he said it made the slide run in and out better than when it was new since the metal plate had a smoother surface than the original wood coated panel.

    Hopefully, whomever it was will see this thread and respond.
    Jeff and Debbie
    2021 Imagine 2250RK
    2015 Ram2500 Laramie CC 6.7 Cummins Diesel w/air-ride auto leveling
    USMC Veteran

  9. #19
    Site Sponsor RetiredVagabond's Avatar
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    Well I finally took my rig into the RV Dealer where I purchased it here in Southern California. As I stated earlier I just happened to be near when all of this went down. Ironically it's the first time I've had my Reflection back to the dealer, since I moved to Montana a little over 7 years ago.

    They evaluated the issue on day one and fixed it on the same day. Since Grand Design sent me some decal replacements several years ago I asked them to replace them too. A little pricy but I understand the hours needed to do properly. They look great BTW.

    The bedroom slide was noted by the service manager when checking in, as several mentioned above, that I may have some water damage, but nothing serious enough to cause wood damage. The damage it turns out was caused from one of the steel rollers underneath the slide freezing up. They lifted the room, replaced the roller and it seems to be working fine now. Charge for the slide repair: $550, less than I was expecting. The Decals however were $620, a little more than I was expecting.

    So I am a happy camper and back on the road fairly quickly thanks to Mike Thompson RV in Colton.

    Also thanks to everyone who gave me support and suggestions and also to Grand Design who emailed me their thoughts.

    Gary
    Gary
    Hamilton, Montana
    2014 Grand Designs Reflection 293RES #0477
    2013 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Diesel

  10. #20
    Long Hauler Canyonlight's Avatar
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    Gary @RetiredVagabond - good to hear ! Thanks, for the update and hope all GTG going forward.

    Dan
    Dan & Carol
    2014 303RLS Reflection #185 (10/2013 build)
    2012 Silverado LTZ Crew Duramax 2500HD
    2700/16K Pullrite Superglide

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