Finally , we pick up our new 38A next Friday.....

[jpcamper]

a part was ordered for a malfunctioning slide , which delayed our pickup. I am following the good advice i received from the forum, which is to stay in a campground near the dealership for the weekend to try everything out . Are there any known or common defects I should look out for specifically for this model ? Or just in general ? This is not my first motorhome, but i have been reminded how much i dont know in the short time i have been a member of this forum ..

[uralman]

I own a 34qs and it maybe helpful to you to become familiar with the workings of the Schwintek slide equipment.

[oldkeywest91]

as I posted the other day,while we are on vacation in florida this week and the weather cool,we have to run the furnace.While doing so we found that the furnace was placed directly on top of the kitchen sink drain and the heat melted the drain causing a big spill from under the fireplace.Took almost all day to do a temp. repair till we can get it back to the dealer to be replaced.If you have the fireplace only 4 screws hold it inplace,check!

[uralman]

Speaking of drains when we picked ours up every drain and the ice maker line leaked. Also the toilet fill valve would not close which would have overflowed if we did not catch it. Moral of the story is inspect the plumbing carefully as the dealer as least for us did not.

[Dstol]

What specifically should we know about the Schwintek system? We did have a problem with the synchronization of the motors on our large slide. We found a video from Lippert Industries that helped us solve the problem

[uralman]

After the problems we had with our slides I would carry a spare slide motor and become familiar with how to change one. Become familiar with the controller and the error messages. The motors are easy to change if needed. A spare wire harness helps in diagnosing problems. But then I don't like relying on dealers for repairs and getting stuck with slide problems will spoil your day.

[jpcamper]

Originally Posted by uralman

After the problems we had with our slides I would carry a spare slide motor and become familiar with how to change one. Become familiar with the controller and the error messages. The motors are easy to change if needed. A spare wire harness helps in diagnosing problems. But then I don't like relying on dealers for repairs and getting stuck with slide problems will spoil your day.

do you have a berkshire 38A also ? is this a common problem with the berks ? my current motorhome is not the most well built in the world, but we never had any slide problems..

[uralman]

Can't speak for other Berkshire owners. And we like ours. Ours had a motor issue that was flakey and hard to diagnose. It now works fine. But my previous rv was made by another company and had hydrolic slides that also were problematic. The good part about the Schwintek is that once it is diagnosed it is relatively easy to repair. My initial plumbing issues I blame on a lazy dealer.

[uralman]

We have a 2015 34qs.

[Campin Cajun]

Jp, my take on things is just go out and enjoy you new Berk. There is no way possible to be able to carry all the spare parts you "may" need. Some of us have had our share of problems and some of us have had no problems at all. It's impossible to be able to tell what might break. If something does break contact your dealer or FR directly.

Or just post on here. Most of us have enough experience with these coaches to be able to walk you through just about anything.

Safe travels and enjoy the ride.

[Phil57]

Originally Posted by Campin Cajun

Jp, my take on things is just go out and enjoy you new Berk. There is no way possible to be able to carry all the spare parts you "may" need. Some of us have had our share of problems and some of us have had no problems at all. It's impossible to be able to tell what might break. If something does break contact your dealer or FR directly.

Or just post on here. Most of us have enough experience with these coaches to be able to walk you through just about anything.

Safe travels and enjoy the ride.

This is the best advice you will get here. I agree. Slide issues are not anymore common in a Berk than in any other brand. I have had issues with different items but never a slide. Things will break. Count on it.

[gordonsick]

Originally Posted by uralman

Speaking of drains when we picked ours up every drain and the ice maker line leaked. Also the toilet fill valve would not close which would have overflowed if we did not catch it. Moral of the story is inspect the plumbing carefully as the dealer as least for us did not.

We also have a 34QS (2015) and the ice maker line leaked. When the dealer fixed it, he patched it in 3 places.

One problem inherent in the ice maker line on the 34QS (and other Berks, I think) is that it gets water from the bathroom sink line. This makes the line longer than if it was connected to the kitchen sink. And, on the 34QS, the sink and fridge are on the same slide, but the bathroom isn't on a slide. This means that the line is flexing a lot and can get pinched if not installed properly.

Ours leaked while we were away from the RV, and some nice, intelligent neighbours shut off our water at the post when they saw water pouring out of our kitchen slide.

Moral of the story: turn off the water at the post when you leave your RV, even for a few hours.

[captnrick3]

Originally Posted by uralman

After the problems we had with our slides I would carry a spare slide motor and become familiar with how to change one. Become familiar with the controller and the error messages. The motors are easy to change if needed. A spare wire harness helps in diagnosing problems. But then I don't like relying on dealers for repairs and getting stuck with slide problems will spoil your day.

Amen to the Schwintek advice. We carry the spare parts for our Legacy full wall slide and have had to change one motor. If the slide is at least partially in, only a 10 minute job.

[uralman]

The other thing I would check is on our 34qs the slide rollers ran over the bolts that hold the seat belts. It damaged the rollers. It was the kitchen slide and living room slide. May not be the same on the 38a or other 34qs models.