24M Bed Problem (Again!)

[FLGypsie]

New to the Forum and recently purchased a 2012 Solera 24MS - Obviously, out of warranty. Bed worked fine for 6 times... Now, making grinding noise and notice fine aluminum slivers on the floor under the mounted slide rack. Last post here was December 2013 - any progress on getting Forest River to recall this rig and fix the Murphy bed problem? Not trying to regurgitate all that's been said already - just looking for a new solution to the old problem. Forest River appears to solve the problem by not making it any more. I M pretty frustrated, discouraged, disheartened, and concerned that this thing will not work one of these times and I'll be stuck in the horizontal position. We are currently traveling and I have an appointment at a local FR dealer, but from what I've seen, the possibilities of getting this fixed quickly is not in the cards. Any thoughts, advice, guidance would be appreciated.

[bclemens]

I'd see about scheduling a trip to the factory. The Forest River Rally next week would have been the perfect opportunity. There is another post on here somewhere, where they added some stops and seems to be working great for them. Don't recall the user name...but just reading through the thread you should find it.

[FLGypsie]

Thanks for the reply and I would love to know...

1. How to get in touch with Forest River about this problem. All I find on their main internet page is a statement to "Contact your local dealer for Parts and Service".

2. Where and When is the Rally?

3. Has the murphy bed rack & pinion hardware been upgraded? If I take my rig to a dealer and they order replacement parts/components, are the new parts the same as what I have already?... IOW, can I expect this problem to continue even with newer parts?

In closing, let me say we downsized from a Tiffin Allegro 36LA to this Solera. We love the concept of a smaller, more economical camper, and the layout is wonderful. But the problem with this murphy bed has left us very concerned about what additional problems will be experienced. Forest River should recognize the potential value of this model to the general public and take positive action to correct this problem, now. If not, people will not be willing to take the chance on an un-retractable bed and subsequently an un-retractable slide.

From the posts about this bed problem, it's apparent that end-users are perplexed & frustrated - this is not where you should leave them. If I had done better homework before purchasing, I probably would not have gone with this model because of the complaints which seem to have frustrated so many and gone on un-remedied.

Thanks for listening... I am looking forward to getting this problem fixed and ready to start enjoying the ride.

[bclemens]

1. email Russ Stull rstull@forestriverinc.com
2. Next week in Goshen, IN. Do a search for Forest River owners group rally. or FROG rally
3. Not sure, but as has been discussed on here before, most of the people who come here have issues, so you see a higher proportion of problems which makes them seem amplified. We have people out in the field using the M with no issues. Or if they had an issue it was resolved. I only bring that up as an FYI, since it does not solve your problem. #1 and #2 should give you a head start in doing that.

[MountainTrippers]

Originally Posted by bclemens

1. email Russ Stull rstull@forestriverinc.com
2. Next week in Goshen, IN. Do a search for Forest River owners group rally. or FROG rally
3. Not sure, but as has been discussed on here before, most of the people who come here have issues, so you see a higher proportion of problems which makes them seem amplified. We have people out in the field using the M with no issues. Or if they had an issue it was resolved. I only bring that up as an FYI, since it does not solve your problem. #1 and #2 should give you a head start in doing that.

I also had problems with my bed but was fortunately able to find someone that had dealt with the problem before. They replaced the whole lift system and added the stops. So far so good, thought you would like to hear something positive.. Mr. B, Could you find me the original spec sheet for the 2014 Solera 24M. It is no longer on the Forest River web site.

Thanks

[FLGypsie]

Thanks Mountain Trippers for the positive post - Here's an update...

Following BClemens’ recommendation, I contacted Russ Stull at Forest River via email and he passed me to Mike Jankowski – the East Coast Warranty Rep. Mike has had extensive experience with the 24M Murphy bed problem and assured me that the problem would be fixed. Mike also looked up the VIN and discovered that the bed had already been repaired once, but he didn’t say who did the repair.

I also contacted Lippert Components Inc. (LCI) who manufacturers the bed components and they gave me part numbers and even pictures of the components. LCI reps stated that the bed failure(s) are due to improper installation (?). They also stated that the components would have to be manufactured since they did not carry them in open stock. This would require one full week to produce the parts and another week to get them shipped to a local repair facility. Since this would be the third go-round on this bed (original install, then repair, and now another repair), I wanted to be sure it was done right. Also, we were camped for a month 1,000 miles from home and could not be assured that the problem could be fixed at a local facility before we had to leave.

At one point the bed was barely functional and we were afraid it would be stuck in the UP or DOWN position. If in the DOWN position, the slide could not be retracted unless we disassembled the bed components. We decided to leave the bed in the DOWN position until we were ready to leave, which reduced our 24 foot camper living space by about one-fourth.

Back to Mike Jankowski: He said if we were able to get the rig to the Elkhart factory, they could fix it properly, so we left Virginia on August 23, delivered the rig to Mike early August 25th, and took in the local sights for a day. Mike called later that day to report that the bed had been fixed and they even called in Lippert to be to be sure it was done correctly this time. They even fixed several other items for us while the rig was there. Mike Williams (the Plant Manager) was also involved personally and ensured that everything was done properly.

My Special thanks to all who helped on this problem: starting with BClemens, who monitors this forum and made good recommendation; Mike Jankowski, who “ramrodded” the operation; and Mike Williams at the plant. All these reps are capable and a credit to the company. We departed Elkhart on August 27, spent one night on the road with our repaired Murphy bed and returned to north Georgia on the 28th.

[Weezer]

And *that* is how problems with our treasured RVs should be handled!

KUDOS to you, especially BClemens and all the others involved!

[pinkstonj]

Originally Posted by FLGypsie

New to the Forum and recently purchased a 2012 Solera 24MS - Obviously, out of warranty. Bed worked fine for 6 times... Now, making grinding noise and notice fine aluminum slivers on the floor under the mounted slide rack. Last post here was December 2013 - any progress on getting Forest River to recall this rig and fix the Murphy bed problem? Not trying to regurgitate all that's been said already - just looking for a new solution to the old problem. Forest River appears to solve the problem by not making it any more. I M pretty frustrated, discouraged, disheartened, and concerned that this thing will not work one of these times and I'll be stuck in the horizontal position. We are currently traveling and I have an appointment at a local FR dealer, but from what I've seen, the possibilities of getting this fixed quickly is not in the cards. Any thoughts, advice, guidance would be appreciated.

I also have a used 2012 Solera 24m that had MB problems, but I fixed mine myself. I made a repair/fix procedure that I have sent to a few others that have used the information to either do the repair their self’s or as a guide for someone that they hire. It will let you see what has to be done so you can watch to make sure it’s fixed and not just repaired. If interested send me a message with an e-mail address and I will send it to you.

[pinkstonj]

Good to hear!

[bclemens]

thank you. Contrary (to what sometimes feels like popular belief)...we are not cold hearted, corporate profit mongers that want to milk you for your money and leave you high and dry.

Glad to hear it worked out and we appreciate the kind words, in a less than ideal situation.