2015 323BHS Dining Room Slide

DR

droidguru

Guest
Took the brand new 2015 GD 323BHS (the one I picked up from the dealership last week) out on her maiden voyage this weekend. Had a great weekend in her and she performed well until we were packing up today and the main slide on the passenger side (has sofa and table) wouldn't retract. The motor made a sound like it was turning but nothing was happening. Manual crank wasn't working either. Finally after hours or trying I got five rather large gentlemen to force it back in with brute force.

So you can guess how (insert word here) I was....

In the shop now will report back with cause once I hear back. Honestly my last two RV's never needed to be brought into the shop, so I have been lucky. I really can not at this time recommend a Grand Design to anyone. This is just ridiculous. Maybe once I calm down and have at least one successful trip in it I will feel better. Maybe.
 
I understand your frustration completely but I strongly feel that Grand Design will take care of the problem. I have had issues with mine and I knew I would. what is important to remember is how fast the Mfg. support is not necessarily dealer support. I had better luck getting things resolved just by calling GD customer service and talking to either JD Adams or Dean Brovant, they are very quick to authorize repairs. They let me take my unit to my local dealer instead of dragging to the dealer that sold it to me which was 85 miles one way. I was not happy at all with the selling dealer. Good luck and keep us posted on the repair.
 
Thanks Eaglehead, while nothing you said is false (at least to my knowledge) the breakdown is not the dealers fault. I will call Grand Design tomorrow about the issue. They should at the very least know about it. The dealer is scheduling a month and a half out right now, they have the rig and know I'm not happy so they are going to try and work it in. None of this is the point though, it is great the company stands behind their product but that shouldn't have to be tested on day seven. How does that bode for day 30, 60, 120? I truly hope three years from now I can look back and laugh talking about that one problem I had way back when. For now I'm only questioning QC prior to leaving the factory, I have no doubt from reading this forum damage control after it leaves the factory will be excellent.

A little more on the problem. The slide in question extends fine and the extend function still works. When I try to retract it makes a spinning sound but the slide doesn't move. The same spin without movement when I try to manually retract.

The only way to get it to shut way hold "slide 2 in" down and physically shove the slide. This was not easy (I have a nasty bruise on my shoulder to show for it. I may ask GD for a new lower panel (metal panel at the bottom) as it got pretty damaged from our efforts. It will be interesting to see if they come through. I will update this thread as more details become available as long as my member status allows me to do so. This way at least those who encounter this in the future will have some basic information.
 
I would definitely call tech support, month and a half out is crap. I picked mine up in June and there was a major water leak that the dealer didn't find during the pdi I discovered it and they claimed it was fixed, today I figured out what the real problem was and it had to do with the mfg process. I got it resolved myself but I still have faith in their tech support dept.
 
I have dealt with Dean and he has been super great for helping me out. Did you take out a couple of self taping screws underneath to see if you can see anything. Just a thought. I always try to check things out before I need to take mine to the dealer. GD will send you the parts to your house if you can fix it. I realize some things you can't fix but I will do everything I can so I don't have to make that trip to the dealer. Good Luck.
 
We did remove two of the self tapping screws on the side without the gas line and pulled down the underbelly to see if we could diagnose the problem. Everything with the motor appeared to be working it simply wasn't moving the slide. Could be a stripping issue (definitely not a power issue). It worries me however that the extend worked but the manual cranking wouldn't bring it back in. It also worries me that we had to spin the motor in retract in order to force the slide in. I don't have high hopes for a quick repair. Our final trip of the season is next weekend and I think I'm SOL. Like I said you can look at it two ways, one (insert word) happens everyday or the way I am currently looking at it, with complete and utter disgust. Didn't hear back from the dealer yesterday, hopefully I will hear something today.
 
droidguru said:
Thanks Eaglehead, while nothing you said is false (at least to my knowledge) the breakdown is not the dealers fault. I will call Grand Design tomorrow about the issue. They should at the very least know about it. The dealer is scheduling a month and a half out right now, they have the rig and know I'm not happy so they are going to try and work it in. None of this is the point though, it is great the company stands behind their product but that shouldn't have to be tested on day seven. How does that bode for day 30, 60, 120? I truly hope three years from now I can look back and laugh talking about that one problem I had way back when. For now I'm only questioning QC prior to leaving the factory, I have no doubt from reading this forum damage control after it leaves the factory will be excellent.

A little more on the problem. The slide in question extends fine and the extend function still works. When I try to retract it makes a spinning sound but the slide doesn't move. The same spin without movement when I try to manually retract.

The only way to get it to shut way hold "slide 2 in" down and physically shove the slide. This was not easy (I have a nasty bruise on my shoulder to show for it. I may ask GD for a new lower panel (metal panel at the bottom) as it got pretty damaged from our efforts. It will be interesting to see if they come through. I will update this thread as more details become available as long as my member status allows me to do so. This way at least those who encounter this in the future will have some basic information.
Click to expand...

I understand it is not the dealers fault, they didn't build the camper but I'm sure they were all over you when you were in the market to buy a camper so when you had a problem like this they should have put you at the front of the pack for repairs. The slide mechanism are not exclusive to GD as they are used on many other brands so therefore any dealer has knowledge of how to work on them. I'm sure if you make tech support aware of how your dealer is handling this they will have a conversation with them and will be more than glad to pay any dealer of your choice to do the repairs. They sincerely want to keep you as a happy customer cause when I had my problems I got a personal phone call from the GM of the warranty dept and the next day I got a call from one of the owners of the company reassuring me that everything would be taken care of even if they had to send a driver to pick mine up and take it to the factory for repairs, which is a solid 2 days of driving. To me that says a lot about the company even though they have some issues that shouldn't happen but anything mechanical can fail at any time. Just be glad you didn't own a Forest River product or a Lance TT or Keystone or about any other brand, I have had all of them and trust me THEY are a nightmare to deal with in getting things resolved.
Did you dealer move the slide in and out for you on delivery?
 
During the walk through the slides were moved out while I watched, but I wasn't present when they were retracted. I highly doubt there was any trouble though as it would have still been opened when I brought my truck around. On that note I tested them all at home prior to departure. This was the third time (that I know of) that the slide was retracted when it failed. The dealer could have operated it many more times prior to me purchasing the unit however.

I am still hoping to get an initial analysis from the dealer service department today at some point, then I will at least have some information to work with.

I emailed the whole story to Grand Design, as they weren't open this morning and I wanted to get all of the facts straight and in writing. I will follow up with a phone call once I hear back from the service department (again hopefully today).
 
Sorry to hear of your slideout problem "droidguru". I feel your frustration with buying a beautiful GD 5th wheel and can't us it. After owning our 2015 293RES Reflection for 6 weeks, I found a our bedding wet and found that the sealant around the bedroom vent had failed or deterorated allowing water to leak in to the headboard area of the bedroom. Long story short the entire rubber roof had to be replaced. Missed a weekend we had scheduled and ended up staying in a motel for the weekend. GD approved repairs within 24 hours but it took over 2 weeks for the dealer to receive the new roof and week for the dealer to install it. I know things happen but it's a "new" trailer and the feeling I get from GD and the dealer is "we'll fix it and that's all we have to do", with no compensation to you. Since the repair of the new rubber roof we have traveled to NC, a 2600 mile trip with only a couple minor problems.
We love our GD RES293 Reflection but are not totally convinced we bought from the right company. Only time will tell, Good Luck with the repairs.


Terry and Cathy Johnson
2015 293RES Reflection #1051
2012 F250 S/D; w/ 6.2L gas
 
Ok I just got word the worm drive was completely stripped out. Still don't understand how it can open but not close? For those of you keeping score that was one week after delivery and about three times of opening and closing. The dealership ordered the part necessary for the repair from Grand Design. They were of course out of the part (which translates into building a new RV is more important then getting you on the road) so they called Lippert and requested the part be overnighted. Of course Lippert also is, yup you guessed it. So it will sit at the dealer and I will miss our end of the season bash this weekend. Only a $750 loss!

My RV experience while not typical from reading these forums has been anything but pleasant. I truly hope others have a much more pleasant overall experience.

All I can say is good luck, I will hold my breath for the other slide at least only one of the remaining three is a Lippert.
 
You of course know that the slide mechanisms come in to Grand Design all ready attached to the frame. I am not surprised that GD doesn't have one in the parts supply chain yet. That Lippert doesn't is surprising to me as they have used this style system for years. I am sure GD and Dean or Jd will have you fixed up in no time.
 
They are all Lippert.

Lippert bought the Schwintek system last year....
 
Until it is fixed we will just have to wait and see, you are correct the ball is in Lippert's court now. Hopefully they will deliver.

Two main things that irk me about this whole thing:

1. It seems that nobody really cares, could be my dealer could be GD. I have to call around to get info, when I leave messages nobody calls back, I really shouldn't be doing the leg work here.

2. If the drive is stripped, why? No one can say for sure what caused it. So if you replace the part isn't it just going to happen again?

Oh well it certainly has been an adventure, fingers crossed I don't have to go through it again. There are certainly worse things in life.

One very interesting thing however that came up on the phone yesterday was the dealer told me not to believe anything Grand Design tells me when it comes to repairs. He said several occasions GD has sent people to them for repairs and made promises. Only to find because they are backed up over a month, the dealer service shop couldn't get them in. An awful lot of finger pointing has been going on over the past few days and honestly it scares me. The dealer said this is a relatively nee arrangement they have with GD and it has been a horrible experience. I honestly can't wait until the warranty period is up so I can start just handling things without a middleman.

This whole process has been eye opening.
 
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So I called around and finally found (http://www.venturemfgco.com/) it appears as though they have the part (that the dealer told me they needed) and the authorization has been given for overnight shipping.

Key to the sentence above is the second word "I". You can't spell customer serv"I"ce without I, no really you can't!!!!
 
droidguru said:
So I called around and finally found (http://www.venturemfgco.com/) it appears as though they have the part (that the dealer told me they needed) and the authorization has been given for overnight shipping.

Key to the sentence above is the second word "I". You can't spell customer serv"I"ce without I, no really you can't!!!!
Click to expand...

Here are a couple of phone numbers you can call and let them know what is going on, Marc Hauser, Gm at Grand Design Office # 574-825-8000 ext.2010 or cell #951-970-4975. Micah Staley, GM for the Reflection division,#574-361-1299. Jerry McCartey is VP of service and Ryan is the mngr. of the service dept.
I got the run around from the selling dealer as well but at the end of the day it was easy for them to do the finger pointing because they just had too much on the books to admit they (the dealer) dropped the ball.
 
Eaglehead said:
Here are a couple of phone numbers you can call and let them know what is going on, Marc Hauser, Gm at Grand Design Office # 574-825-8000 ext.2010 or cell #951-970-4975. Micah Staley, GM for the Reflection division,#574-361-1299. Jerry McCartey is VP of service and Ryan is the mngr. of the service dept.
I got the run around from the selling dealer as well but at the end of the day it was easy for them to do the finger pointing because they just had too much on the books to admit they (the dealer) dropped the ball.
Click to expand...

Thanks again Eaglehead, I talked to Jerry (sp?) yesturday. Really nice guy although he sounds like he needs a vacation. Everything appears to be moving forward. Once the process is complete I may reach out to the higher up's to let them know what it going on. Honestly no one I talked to including Jerry said this was a strange occurrence which still has me on edge. I was expecting a "wow only one week, very very strange, never encountered that before" we will get you fixed up AND more importantly "sorry". When a customer of mine has a problem it is the very first thing I say followed by "whatever it takes we are going to make this right". Maybe everyone is just too busy.

I am assuming the real problem here is everyone makes an appointment at the end of the season to have work done. So the dealership is swamped. No excuse, but they all sound so pleasant when I talk to them on the phone (insert sarcasm) and they all keep telling me they are booked for two months (like we are doing you a huge favor here). Seriously makes me want to blow a gasket everytime I hear it. Plus it is like pulling teeth to get info out of them.

Again can't wait for this all be over. I just really really want to camp, with kids my tent days are over :)......
 
Eaglehead it is Beckley's camping center in MD.

The first good day...

Today I got a surprise call and the camper was fixed. The manager from the dealership called me and personally apologized for my trouble. To paraphrase he mentioned that they were in the first year of a service agreement with GD wherein anyone who has a GD can stop by without an appointment and receive a repair. They have had some problems with this agreement as some of their customers (people who buy RV's from them) are having longer wait times causing some frustration. He did say that most of the year it isn't a problem but 2 months in the spring and again in the fall they get really backed up and this was one of those times. As such they scheduled me again in Nov to walk me through and take care of any issues I may have that because of the rush they couldn't do this time.

They also put through a pre-authorization for the resulting exterior damage and we are just waiting on GD to approve it. I believe it went to Jerry.

All in all this is a complete 360, I was pleasantly surprised.... What a difference a day makes.

I asked for a detailed expkaination of exactly what was done. Once they mail it to me I will post it here so everyone had a better idea of the damage. I will also report back about my experience with the exterior damage.

My temperature has returned to normal. Ahhhhhhhh time to camp.
 
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