Vroom Slide System Review (Thor Magnitude SV34)

[Scubawise]

Originally Posted by Judge

Here is a great video about the Vroom Slide System going into a 5th Wheel that also shows how crappy the Schwintek motor is mounted and how much it can move around.

Thx very informative

[Steve Kaplan]

Unfortunately they won't install their product on anything older than 10 years. I have a 2012 25C and wanted to get this upgrade, but NO GO

[LDK]

Originally Posted by Steve Kaplan

Unfortunately they won't install their product on anything older than 10 years. I have a 2012 25C and wanted to get this upgrade, but NO GO

Check with Patriots RV Garage based in Aubrey TX just outside Dallas. New vroom authorized service center.

https://patriotsrvgarage.com/

[TripleGGG]

Originally Posted by LDK

Check with Patriots RV Garage based in Aubrey TX just outside Dallas. New vroom authorized service center.

https://patriotsrvgarage.com/

Scheduled an appointment today with them for Dec 12th.

[wrapped]

Just got some bad news from vroom. Evidently they will no longer install there vroom system on any thor challengers or slides longer than 24 feet. I thought I read someone got there challenger 37fh fullwall slide done, I wonder if they had a problem. Now what?

[LDK]

Originally Posted by wrapped

Just got some bad news from vroom. Evidently they will no longer install there vroom system on any thor challengers or slides longer than 24 feet. I thought I read someone got there challenger 37fh fullwall slide done, I wonder if they had a problem. Now what?

Seems like more and more conversations are happening recently related to Vroom Engineering position on installing their slide system. Here is a recent conversation within the "Thor Aria Owners" Facebook group. You will need to join the group to get access via the link:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/315011...8152942513797/

A fee statements from the post include:

* Vroom said that they are keeping all appointments that they had so they did confirm ours. But they have "paused" taking new ones. The issue appears to be that they have found that the rollers and plates also have to replaced and that raises the price (about 20% per slide). After hearing of roller failure on this forum this made sense so we agreed. But, I asked them for some sort of statement about how they will proceed with Thor RV's. They told me that they would ask Brian the owner to review. I will pass on anything that they send us. Our take is that they originally set their pricing model on rebuilding only the slide tracks and controllers but now find that the issue with the larger slides (and they specifically mentioned the Thor Aria) goes deeper and requires more components hence changing their pricing model.

* We did receive a reply from Vroom. They are "pausing" work on any slide on any rig that exceeds 24'. So it does not sound like this is an Aria only or Thor only thing. I would suggest that if you have been affected by this new development that you contact Vroom directly to discuss your situation. Should our trip go as planned and we get the work done we'll report back any more info we find.

* from Roland Shepard - Owner of Patriots RV Garage out of Aubrey TX:
-Hello everyone!! Bear with me as relay what I hope will be good news for everyone, and ask for forward forgiveness if this crosses the self promotion line. I PROMISE I’m only trying to help everyone in this thread!!!
-My wife and I have a 2017, 3901. We’ve had it for two years. Like everyone in this group, we have had issues with every one of our slides and it was unbearable. We found Vroom earlier this year and we have the Vroom slide assembly on our dinette slide and are very familiar with it and Brian Vroom, as well as the manufacturing quality of Thor.
-Brian and his shop are focused on clean swaps. As the inventor of the new slide systems he is very knowledgeable about installing them, however, he is not equipped to deal with every possible RV issue in Tucson. When an RV has too many issues, it creates a big problem that can quickly grow in scale and become unmanageable. I’m very happy to say he now has a solution, and we are part of it. We are Aria owners and we are partnering with Brian to assist in these type of swaps. We are the first authorized Vroom Dealer, installer and service center in Texas. Our name is Patriots RV Garage and WE WILL install Vroom slides on your Arias!!
-We LOVE our Aria, and we love Vroom. We will install out of Dallas Texas. We have Master Certified RV Techs with ~14 years worth of Schwintek experience AND the new Vroom system from every iteration as well as the standard and NEW Heavy Duty Quad roller setup for the large/full slide. So rest assured, there is still a path forward for all Aria.
-https://patriotsrvgarage.com/

[Judge]

Originally Posted by LDK

Seems like more and more conversations are happening recently related to Vroom Engineering position on installing their slide system. Here is a recent conversation within the "Thor Aria Owners" Facebook group. You will need to join the group to get access via the link:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/315011...8152942513797/

A fee statements from the post include:

* Vroom said that they are keeping all appointments that they had so they did confirm ours. But they have "paused" taking new ones. The issue appears to be that they have found that the rollers and plates also have to replaced and that raises the price (about 20% per slide). After hearing of roller failure on this forum this made sense so we agreed. But, I asked them for some sort of statement about how they will proceed with Thor RV's. They told me that they would ask Brian the owner to review. I will pass on anything that they send us. Our take is that they originally set their pricing model on rebuilding only the slide tracks and controllers but now find that the issue with the larger slides (and they specifically mentioned the Thor Aria) goes deeper and requires more components hence changing their pricing model.

* We did receive a reply from Vroom. They are "pausing" work on any slide on any rig that exceeds 24'. So it does not sound like this is an Aria only or Thor only thing. I would suggest that if you have been affected by this new development that you contact Vroom directly to discuss your situation. Should our trip go as planned and we get the work done we'll report back any more info we find.

* from Roland Shepard - Owner of Patriots RV Garage out of Aubrey TX:
-Hello everyone!! Bear with me as relay what I hope will be good news for everyone, and ask for forward forgiveness if this crosses the self promotion line. I PROMISE I’m only trying to help everyone in this thread!!!
-My wife and I have a 2017, 3901. We’ve had it for two years. Like everyone in this group, we have had issues with every one of our slides and it was unbearable. We found Vroom earlier this year and we have the Vroom slide assembly on our dinette slide and are very familiar with it and Brian Vroom, as well as the manufacturing quality of Thor.
-Brian and his shop are focused on clean swaps. As the inventor of the new slide systems he is very knowledgeable about installing them, however, he is not equipped to deal with every possible RV issue in Tucson. When an RV has too many issues, it creates a big problem that can quickly grow in scale and become unmanageable. I’m very happy to say he now has a solution, and we are part of it. We are Aria owners and we are partnering with Brian to assist in these type of swaps. We are the first authorized Vroom Dealer, installer and service center in Texas. Our name is Patriots RV Garage and WE WILL install Vroom slides on your Arias!!
-We LOVE our Aria, and we love Vroom. We will install out of Dallas Texas. We have Master Certified RV Techs with ~14 years worth of Schwintek experience AND the new Vroom system from every iteration as well as the standard and NEW Heavy Duty Quad roller setup for the large/full slide. So rest assured, there is still a path forward for all Aria.
-https://patriotsrvgarage.com/

Thanks for posting LDK!

I can understand Brian and his team not wanting to open up a can of worms..... which is highly probably with Thor. Vroom is a design, engineering and manufacturing outfit... not a full scale RV repair shop.

My slide is 23' feet so I guess I'm lucky.... but I know that Brian's team went over my rollers. Fortunately they didn't find any major problems.

The problem is Thor... and I assume others.... don't have a good design and quality components to deal with these mega slides.

Hopefully Brian will get more shops like Patriot onboard around the US over time.

The demand for this system is blatantly obvious given the high probability the Schwintek Mechanism will eventually fail with a large slide.

[Judge]

I am very impressed with the Vroom organization and their commitment to delivering a quality system and providing quality workmanship.

I had my Vroom Slide System installed October ‘21. My original plan was to return this month on our way to the Balloon Fiesta to have them install the motors and controller they were developing for the system to improve upon LCI’s design.

The slide has been working so well, I contacted them to cancel my appointment. Brian asked me to come in anyway if ai was in the area because they have learned alot about Thor’s slides in the past year. He wanted to have his team check the slide and do a tune-up based on what they have seen and learned.

Upon inspecting their slide mechanism, they saw no signs of wear or any abnormal issues. However, they found what they have been seeing with many of the larger Thor slides… rollers that are failing / collapsing causing the slide to drag.

The original plan was to do a 2-hour check-up / tune-up as necessary but it has turned into a 5-hour job now to replace all of the rollers.

They told me they have seen this roller failure issue on many of the Thor’s with big slides and that Thor is not using the best parts and the workmanship is sloppy. These heavy slides are just destroying the rollers in very short order. My rollers looked ok and just needed adjusted last year. But they havr now failed like many of the slides they’ve seen.

They are just wrapping up the roller replacement and installing new wipe seals. What is truly amazing is the slide has still been extending and retracting without any issues. I’m convinced that if the Schwintek mechanism was still installed, I would have been having serious issues.

The other really amazing thing with Vroom is they are going above and beyond the slide mechanism to make sure the slide is as bulletproof as possible. These guys aren’t an RV Repair Shop. They are an engineering and manufacturing outfit that happened to take matters into their own hands and designed a far superior rack and pinion slide mechanism that blows Schwintek out of the water. They don’t have a huge supply of RV parts to deal with the myriad of issues an RV brings to the table. But these guys go the extra mile to deliver an exceptional solution with the highest standards in quality, workmanship and customer service I have seen in the RV industry.

I’ll report back as to how different the slide behaves after they complete the work.

[Judge]

Just got to Holbrook, AZ so I thought I’d post a quick update.

The roller replacement went well and without any issues. The slide is quieter now and it even seems to move a little faster than it did before.

I am really glad that I decided to stop by and let them check it out and apply what they have been learning after replacing dozens of the Schwintek mechanism in Thor coaches the past year.

Anyone remotely considering replacing their Schwintek mechanism with the Vroom Slide System should do so without any doubts or hesitation. This is simply the best investment anyone could do for their coach if they intend to keep it for a few years and use it a lot. Vroom is also one of the most professional and quality companies I have dealy with over the years. Their customer service is outstanding.

[paulwadley]

Glad to hear that about a new company and their service.


Paul

[Zenith]

Judge, thanks for the reply and info on Vroom sticking behind their product. It helps make this decision easier, because this isn't exactly a cheap mod.



Our slider is fully dead now though - it doesn't even move after the last trip. Again though - our rig has it tough - we have a lot of miles and lived in it for a while.



I've been working with Patriot Garage (Roland and Lynn) out in Texas because they have availability to install the Vroom system sooner than the Vroom folks in AZ. Their service has been great talking back and forth to get me scheduled and they've been very helpful to answer all my questions.


I'll follow up with how well their installation goes when we get it done late Oct / early Nov to give everyone another datapoint to consider.


On a related note, when I called Thor to get the specs on my Schwintek, the lady I talked to said "Gosh, another call about failed sliders!?" The specs she gave me for the Magnitude RB34 are:

• Thor part number: 0370638
• Lippert part number: V000392917
• Arm: 25 1/4"
• Column: 77 1/4"
• 500:1 motor triple drive

[Trophy1200]

Originally Posted by Judge

Just got to Holbrook, AZ so I thought I’d post a quick update.

The roller replacement went well and without any issues. The slide is quieter now and it even seems to move a little faster than it did before.

I am really glad that I decided to stop by and let them check it out and apply what they have been learning after replacing dozens of the Schwintek mechanism in Thor coaches the past year.

What was the cost for the further work?

[Judge]

It was $500…. which was very fair for what they did.

- Inspect Vroom Slide Mechanism
- Inspect Rollers
- Replace and adjust two adjustable rollers
- Install new wipe seals and reseal

They had over 4 hours labor in it total plus the rollers… and they didn’t charge for the new wipe seals.

[Greybear]

I just got my DS slide on Maggie Vroomed yesterday. All I can say is WOW!

I was having what is a common problem with these big slides - hesitation on retraction. Along with that I've already had one motor failure in the field on a 2020 unit, and all sorts of timing issues.

Joey and the Vroom gang replaced the Schwintek system with their system, and in the course they discovered the reason for the hesitation. The Thor installed rollers on either end were collapsing, and the front roller was sliding off the bottom roller plate on extension. Then when retracting, the collapsing roller was colliding with the end of the plate. This caused more damage to the roller, and deformation of the plate.That's why keeping the slide in time was almost impossible, the front motor was physically obstructed until the roller could climb over the plate edge.

They replaced the Thor rollers with larger 10" wide rollers, new plates, and the Vroom slide system. They had forecast that they could do it in a day, but it ended up taking 1 1/2 days. Despite the extra labor, and the replacement of all the rollers, it still ended up costing only $3359.

They had 5 units in for the process when we were there, and the operation has eaten half of one of their fab buildings. Joey said they were prepping to move to a dedicated RV facility as soon as possible.

The slide now functions flawlessly. Extends and retracts faster, with no hesitation, and feels solid as a rock. I heartily recommend them. The service and communication are top notch, and the quality far exceeds the OEM system.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Greybear

I just got my DS slide on Maggie Vroomed yesterday. All I can say is WOW!

I was having what is a common problem with these big slides - hesitation on retraction. Along with that I've already had one motor failure in the field on a 2020 unit, and all sorts of timing issues.

Joey and the Vroom gang replaced the Schwintek system with their system, and in the course they discovered the reason for the hesitation. The Thor installed rollers on either end were collapsing, and the front roller was sliding off the bottom roller plate on extension. Then when retracting, the collapsing roller was colliding with the end of the plate. This caused more damage to the roller, and deformation of the plate.That's why keeping the slide in time was almost impossible, the front motor was physically obstructed until the roller could climb over the plate edge.

They replaced the Thor rollers with larger 10" wide rollers, new plates, and the Vroom slide system. They had forecast that they could do it in a day, but it ended up taking 1 1/2 days. Despite the extra labor, and the replacement of all the rollers, it still ended up costing only $3359.

They had 5 units in for the process when we were there, and the operation has eaten half of one of their fab buildings. Joey said they were prepping to move to a dedicated RV facility as soon as possible.

The slide now functions flawlessly. Extends and retracts faster, with no hesitation, and feels solid as a rock. I heartily recommend them. The service and communication are top notch, and the quality far exceeds the OEM system.

That is great news…. I’m happy you are so satisfied!

And this is why I have been such a huge advocate for Vroom… and so outspoken about Schwintek’s horrible slide mechanism and Thor’s equally horrible quality and workmanship.

[Tire]

Where all the schwinntek slide systems are thrown away at Vroom.

[ador]

My 2021 THOR ACE 33.1 Front Slide out mechanism has already been replaced once by the warranty. Developed a gap in the FRONT, BOTTOM part of the bigger slide out (Front). There were also visible gouges and some metal shavings. It was replaced about 6-8 months ago. Now, the same slide out started developing a gap on the REAR, BOTTOM part. Some visible gouges on the rails, and minimal shavings. I purchased an Extended Warranty for our RV. If this develops into a bigger problem, I will try to see if the Warranty Company will be willing to pay for a repair using the VROOM system, even if I have to eat HALF of the cost.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Tire

Where all the schwinntek slide systems are thrown away at Vroom.

The Schwintek abyss!

As it should be for that junk!

[LarryA_767]

Judge:

I've had my Magnitude for about 2 years and the slideout problem has been more or less constant. I only wish I had seen these postings before I paid $7000 to replace both front and rear slide out mechanisms.

Now the guys are saying the problem is that my Magnitude is twisting when I lower the jacks. Recommendation is to extend the slide BEFORE putting the jacks down, then lifting them before retracting the slide. This sounds so counterintuitive to me, especially if not on perfectly level ground.

Any thoughts?

Thank you for the postings and the great information.

Larry A in Texas

[mdntblu]

Originally Posted by LarryA_767

Judge:

I've had my Magnitude for about 2 years and the slideout problem has been more or less constant. I only wish I had seen these postings before I paid $7000 to replace both front and rear slide out mechanisms.

Now the guys are saying the problem is that my Magnitude is twisting when I lower the jacks. Recommendation is to extend the slide BEFORE putting the jacks down, then lifting them before retracting the slide. This sounds so counterintuitive to me, especially if not on perfectly level ground.

Any thoughts?

Thank you for the postings and the great information.

Larry A in Texas

I owned a Winnebago which the service center told me to do the slide first and then level. This was after they replaced both motors. They showed me with a square how bad it was when it was level. Now I have a Thor and it seems harder to go in and out after leveling. Maybe I should do some tests.