Vroom Slide Systems Update

[Judge]

I wanted to provide those interested in the Vroom Slide System with an update on their progress as they continue to refine their slide solution and grow their business.

As we work our way across the country to Alaska I stopped at the new Vroom Slide System Headquarters in Marana, AZ. I had a motor with a bad encoder so I was having to use the LCI Controller Override to extend and retract the slide. I wanted to have Vroom replace the motor when we were in the area during out trip. I think the Vroom Slide System is an outstanding solution for the long-time problems heavy and/or full-wall slides have with the Schwintek mechanism. If there is one weakness, replacing a motor is more difficult than with the Schwintek Slide Mechanism. But that is because the motor in the Schwintek Mechanism is only secured with a small single screw, which is one of the failure points.

The new Vroom location opened about 3 months ago and is dedicated to the Vroom Slide System installations and is about 20 minutes north of Vroom Engineering's HQ, where they still manufacture the hardware for the system. When you pull up to the new facility it is very impressive and located in a growing northern suburb of Tucson. In the front of the building are offices and a waiting room and the back of the building are where the service bays are located.

They have four large bays to accommodate any size RV. Three of the bays are currently being used to install the Vroom system. While I was there they had two other Thor's in the shop.... both Class A's having the system installed.... a Palazzo and an Outlaw.

The fourth bay is being used for component assembly and shipping of parts. Vroom now has ~10 RV Repair Shops around the country trained or being trained on installing the Vroom Slide System. This will greatly help make the system more accessible for RV owners around the country. I could tell they have really ramped up that part of their business based on the amount of parts and a couple of workers dedicated to that part of the operation.

The people at Vroom are some of the nicest and politest people I have seen in all my years of being in business or using a service-related business... and it all starts with the owner and founder of Vroom Slide Systems. Brian is one of the best people out there.... personally and professional speaking.

Brian's team greeted me and got the process started of getting me pulled in and completing some paperwork. Then Brian came out to say hello and give me an update on his system and the business.

He began designing and developing his system back in 2020 and I was one of the early adopters having the system installed in September 2021. Brian told me they have learned a lot about the weaknesses of RV slides and also learned a lot about their design for solving some of the problems. Over the past 18 months since I had my system installed they have refined their design to make further improvements. They are also now better equipped at the new facility to deal with other aspects such as floor roller adjustment and replacement and even fabricating components to deal with design and manufacturing weaknesses.

Brian told me that while I was there, they were going to upgrade my system with the latest hardware design. I have not had any issues with the Vroom slide mechanism since it was installed. I did have a collapsed roller due to Thor using very substandard rollers for a heavy, full-wall slide and I did have the current motor encoder failure but those are the same motors used by Schwintek. But the Vroom H-Column, Gears, Bearings and Tracks all still looked and operated like new.

The one thing I learned is the Vroom Mechanism floats. As a result they have learned that in some RV installations there is not enough clearance at the top of the column the motor encoder could get bumped or dislodged if you hit a large enough bump while moving. This is likely what happened in my case. They were going to install shafts that were slightly shorter to allow for more clearance in my SV34.

I told Brian we were on our way to Alaska so I wanted them to make sure everything was going to be good to go for a long trip and rough roads. He told me to leave it for the day and I could pick it up around noon the next day, which was fine for us since I booked the Hampton Inn in Marana for two nights (about 7 miles from their location) to make sure I gave myself enough time.

We checked out of the hotel at 11:00AM and went back to the shop and they were just finishing up from all their work. They do a great job of cleaning up inside and outside the coach when they are done with their work. They even asked me if their work met my expectations when I looked everything over!

They ended up installing their latest hardware (gears, bearings, shafts) and also two new motors plus they made shorter shafts to allow for more clearance. They checked all of the floor rollers and made sure they were all adjusted properly. All of the rollers looked good since my visit last September when they replaced a couple of bad rollers. They also installed all new wipe seals and resealed everything on the outside.

Brian only charged me for labor, which was about 10 hours total. I thought that was very fair given everything they did and getting their latest hardware. They really stand behind their system and have excellent customer service! Something you don't see at many RV shops these days.... or anywhere else for that matter.

The slide moved in and out smoothly and quietly.... just as it had prior to their service.... but no more Manual Override. I'm very confident we'll be good to go as we start working our way up to Alaska.

They are a victim of their own success. Given how many RV's have Schwintek Slide Mechanism failures.... or multiple failures.... a lot of people are lining up to get the Vroom System installed. Even the OEM's are now getting more interested in the system than they were two years ago given all of the traction Vroom is now gaining in the industry.

They do have a phone number now dedicated to the slide business so you don't have to call Vroom Engineering HQ. The number is (520) 209-2788. Even though I prefer to deal with Vroom directly, they can refer you to the other RV shops that are located closer. Those shops may have shorter wait-times than Vroom HQ. I'm guessing that Vroom has a ~6-month wait-list because of demand... even with the newly expanded operation.... given what I have heard from people I have talked to recently trying to get scheduled.

I had also heard from some people that the early RV shops were complaining about parts availability from Vroom but now that they have a dedicated HQ for the slide business and have finished a new revision of their hardware, I think the third-party shops will have a better access to parts given what I saw when I was at their HQ this week.

If you are having issues with the Schwintek Mechanism and you are being quoted repairs north of $1500 - $2000, I would seriously consider contacting Vroom. The price has increased over the past 18 months between component and labor inflation along with the demand. They also now get involved with roller issues as part of the upgrade process since rollers are key to smooth operation so that is additional expense for installing the system. But it would be well worth the cost to consider upgrading to Vroom in the long run. I know many people who have spent $1500 - $2000+ multiple times to fix the same slide. That is just throwing away good money after bad.

From my experience, the Vroom Slide System is well worth the money... and the peace of mind. I would not hesitate to do it again if I had another coach with the Schwintek mechanism.

Here are some pics of the new operation.....

[halfprice]

A 29m owner on Facebook wanted to replace his slide with vroom. Vroom told him they are no longer doing super slides, slides over 22', the 29m has a 24' slide. Have you heard or told about this. He posted the email from vroom stating this

I never had a problem with my 29m slide but if I did I'd go to vroom for the upgrade

Thankfully my Renegade only has a small schwintek slide in the bedroom. The larger livingroom slide is different

Jerry

[Judge]

I had heard that before. My slide is slightly over 22.5’ long. I didn’t get a close look at the Outlaw but the Palazzo full-wall slide looked as big or bigger than mine.

I don’t know when they talked to Vroom but it may be worth another discussion after they have more installs under their belt and a dedicated facility.

I suspect they were holding back on very large slides because the floor rollers are a major issue on many of the full-wall slides and they were not equipped to deal with that 12+ months ago.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by Judge

I had heard that before. My slide is slightly over 22.5’ long. I didn’t get a close look at the Outlaw but the Palazzo full-wall slide looked as big or bigger than mine.

I don’t know when they talked to Vroom but it may be worth another discussion after they have more installs under their belt and a dedicated facility.

I suspect they were holding back on very large slides because the floor rollers are a major issue on many of the full-wall slides and they were not equipped to deal with that 12+ months ago.

He posted it yesterday. So its as recent as it could be

[Judge]

Originally Posted by halfprice

He posted it yesterday. So its as recent as it could be

If he talked to Vroom directly (and not a third-party installed) in the last 3 months, then that must be the case.

I did not talk to Brian about any restrictions since he did my coach and other Omni / Magnitude’s with slides in the 22 - 23’ range.

I can see them limiting the length because of weight and flexing of a slide box shell at those lengths without much structural support could be problematic with this type of slide mechanism.

As far as I’m concerned any slide over 15 - 20’ should be a hydraulic slide given the size and weight.o

[halfprice]

I screen shot his post and emails from vroom. I hope for 24+ slide owner vroom figures something out. They sound like a great company

Jerry

[Zenith]

Judge, thanks for the update. Glad to hear things are still going well.



We had been working on getting in to the shop out at Patriots RV Garage in Texas last year and they were having parts availability issues and kept pushing us back, so I gave up. I couldn't keep moving leave like that - my work is demanding and I have a lot of meetings I have to be in person for. That said, their customer service was good and they're veteran owned, so I was sad to not be able to give them my business. I'm hoping someone will chime in and say the new shop means parts are available.


Before I started working with Patriots RV garage, I had just asked for the next available appointment with Vroom at their home base in Arizona. Well, it's more than a year later and my appointment is finally this month. I'm expecting $4500 per an email from Vroom Tuesday, so the price has gone up a good bit.


All that said, I still can't believe we don't have hydraulic systems as a factory default on these. My slider has a washer / dryer with cabinets all around it, my boys' two bunk beds, the kitchen, and dinette all on it. No wonder it failed.



I'm hopeful the Vroom system lives up to your praise for my application. Either way, I'll share my experience here too as another point of consideration for other owners.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Zenith

Judge, thanks for the update. Glad to hear things are still going well.



We had been working on getting in to the shop out at Patriots RV Garage in Texas last year and they were having parts availability issues and kept pushing us back, so I gave up. I couldn't keep moving leave like that - my work is demanding and I have a lot of meetings I have to be in person for. That said, their customer service was good and they're veteran owned, so I was sad to not be able to give them my business. I'm hoping someone will chime in and say the new shop means parts are available.


Before I started working with Patriots RV garage, I had just asked for the next available appointment with Vroom at their home base in Arizona. Well, it's more than a year later and my appointment is finally this month. I'm expecting $4500 per an email from Vroom Tuesday, so the price has gone up a good bit.


All that said, I still can't believe we don't have hydraulic systems as a factory default on these. My slider has a washer / dryer with cabinets all around it, my boys' two bunk beds, the kitchen, and dinette all on it. No wonder it failed.



I'm hopeful the Vroom system lives up to your praise for my application. Either way, I'll share my experience here too as another point of consideration for other owners.

Zenith… I’m glad you’re finally getting into Vroom.

I can tell you that in 19 months I never had an issue with the Vroom hardware. Whereas in the first 22 months of owning my coach I had multiple failures with the Schwintek system.

My slide has the recliners, kitchen, cabinets, residential fridge, TV and wardrobe on it. We are loaded down for a 3-month trip to Alaska. The fridge, kitchen and wardrobe are packed to the max so it is currently very heavy. My slide still moves in and out smoothly and the motors don’t sound like they are straining to move the slide at all.

Everytime I was going to extend or retract the slide with the Schwintek mechanism, I had to say a few prayers and cross my fingers. Now I never think about the slide possibly failing when I extend or retract it.

You’ll be getting their latest and greatest hardware plus you will have people working on it that do nothing but install Vroom slides every day! Experience matters when it comes to slides so you’ll be in good hands.

I hope things go smoothly for you and based on my experience, I think you will be very pleased and able to use the slide worry-free once they are done with it.

I know the cost has gotten more expensive but to me it is worth the investment….. and also a selling feature. If I had a choice between the same coach and one had Schwintek and one had Vroom, I’d walk away from the coach with the Scwintek and gladly pay a few more bucks for the coach with the Vroom slide.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

[Lt Keefer]

Interesting that a motor went bad on your new system. It is also interesting that the 'perfect' solution for a slide wont work on a full wall slide. For the record, 5 years of use and the slide on my Hurricane has never failed.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

Interesting that a motor went bad on your new system. It is also interesting that the 'perfect' solution for a slide wont work on a full wall slide. For the record, 5 years of use and the slide on my Hurricane has never failed.

I’m glad you’re one of the lucky ones.

In my case it wasn’t a new motor. Vroom retrofitted my existing LCI motors to mount to their systems. So my motors were almost 4 years old.

Also, the motor didn’t fail but the encoder on top of the motor for keeping the motors in sync failed. Many people have had encoder failures with the LCI motors. You can at least override the Controller to extend and retract the slide when the Encoder fails.

Yes… there are some lucky people who have gotten by without any slide issues in a full-wall slide. The Schwintek mechanism requires an 1/8” tolerance all the way around to work perfectly. That’s a bit like playing russian roulette when it comes to RV quality and workmanship.

The Vroom system can compensate for the lack of quality and workmanship with the slide from the factory. The difference in the sound when extending and retracting the slide is night and day.

And I know several people who have spent thousands fixing their Schwintek slide multiple times…. and not something as simple as replacing a motor. Just read any if the RV forums and you can read dozens and dozens of people who have had Schwintek slide issues.

But one of the best features of the Vroom system is you can easily disengage the drive system and retract the slide if there is a complete motor failure. You don’t even need multiple people to push it in. You can use a wrench and manually retract the slide.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Sounds like wonderful folks! I always like to see good people be successful! There's a lot of jerks out there...

I completed the Judge Eternabond Challenge! No more annual doses of Dicor!

Keep us updated on your cab-over repair and how it holds up on the Alcan. If it makes it through that punishment it's probably a keeper!

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

Sounds like wonderful folks! I always like to see good people be successful! There's a lot of jerks out there...

I completed the Judge Eternabond Challenge! No more annual doses of Dicor!

Keep us updated on your cab-over repair and how it holds up on the Alcan. If it makes it through that punishment it's probably a keeper!

Good for you going the Eternabond route! You won't regret it!

I'm feeling pretty good about my front cap fix so far. In the first 2600 miles we hit some pretty rough roads at times. Watching that front cap bounce up and down the way it can is nerve-racking!

So far the molding looks good and the bolts that I can see behind the trim inside the coach still all look solid and tight. I think the cap will now handle the Alcan.... just worried it may shake something else loose!!! I have to thank kwplot34 for the roadmap for properly repairing the front cap. The post of the work he did was super helpful.

One of the other guys on here with an Omni / Magnitude was going to go the shorter route that I took on the front cap. He sent me pictures the other night..... half his screws were broken or loose. What a shame!

The front cap and slide were my two major issues.... I'm feeling good where things stand today.

Thanks Nomad!!!

[Jimbo56]

4800 miles of US roads - only minor issues. Windshield cracked while driving I40 through Arizona. Left side 18 inches, doesn’t obstruct vision. Water connections in bathroom sink rattled loose and began leaking. Tightened, easy fix. Found what looks like an L bracket with a screw in the bathroom floor ( no Duck ). I have no idea where it came from. Had 2 separate leveler leaking down issues. LCI tech guy was very helpful. Tightened the 4 valve bodies and LF lines seem to have corrected the problem. Had to use PS fluid to fill the reservoir. Also found out that when the steering doesn’t lock, while using a tow dolly, front tires move. Strap comes off. Learned this in Holbrook. Got lucky! Otherwise we’re on the Oregon coast thoroughly enjoying great views and crisp cool weather. We’re 48 days in on our adventure.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

4800 miles of US roads - only minor issues. Windshield cracked while driving I40 through Arizona. Left side 18 inches, doesn’t obstruct vision. Water connections in bathroom sink rattled loose and began leaking. Tightened, easy fix. Found what looks like an L bracket with a screw in the bathroom floor ( no Duck ). I have no idea where it came from. Had 2 separate leveler leaking down issues. LCI tech guy was very helpful. Tightened the 4 valve bodies and LF lines seem to have corrected the problem. Had to use PS fluid to fill the reservoir. Also found out that when the steering doesn’t lock, while using a tow dolly, front tires move. Strap comes off. Learned this in Holbrook. Got lucky! Otherwise we’re on the Oregon coast thoroughly enjoying great views and crisp cool weather. We’re 48 days in on our adventure.

Sounds like a fun adventure!! Our summer 2024 tentative plan is Pacific Northwest with a venture into BC. We've heard a lot of great things about provincial parks, and chasing those cooler temps and that landscape/scenery is our happy place!

Enjoy... and safe travels!

[Ottosails]

Great informative update as always Judge - Nice to hear what Vroom is up to and to hear of their success. We have has no issues with our early version Vroom slide hardware.

Wishing you best of luck and safety for your adventure to Alaska, looking forward to hearing about is as you go.

[Tebo53AZ]

Thanks for the update, Judge. I will be there on July 6 to have my 12’ slide retrofitted. Glad I found out about the new location and phone number. Only had one problem with that slide on my 1st trip back in 2018. A seatbelt bolt backed out and kept the slide from coming in the last 6”. I corrected the problem by double nutting the bolts but that one was put thru the aluminum slide plate on the bottom and caught the roller. There is some wear and metal shavings on the tracks so I thought it was time. Will post my experience when we are finished

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Tebo53AZ

Thanks for the update, Judge. I will be there on July 6 to have my 12’ slide retrofitted. Glad I found out about the new location and phone number. Only had one problem with that slide on my 1st trip back in 2018. A seatbelt bolt backed out and kept the slide from coming in the last 6”. I corrected the problem by double nutting the bolts but that one was put thru the aluminum slide plate on the bottom and caught the roller. There is some wear and metal shavings on the tracks so I thought it was time. Will post my experience when we are finished

You will be very happy!

If Vroom can make my large 22.5’ slidr operate much better, your 12’ slide should be fantastic with their system!

Good luck and keep us posted!

[our20th]

I have tried unsuccessfully to reach Vroom via email and phone several times with no luck. Based on the info that I am reading it appears that they are not equipped to handle my Aria 3901 with a 25' super slide.
I would just like a response so that I can make an informed decision as to the choices for repair that I have.

I was also interested in shops that they could recommend closer to my location.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thank you

[Tebo53AZ]

I had my 12’ slide done on my Aria 3901 on 7/5. They did a very good job and it works great. New seals and adjustments look great. I did notice a roller off on my 25’ slide under the fridge and asked them to check it. They told me it was not causing any problems but they could not lift that slide and couldn’t replace the roller. They typically don’t answer the phone at the new shop but I did get an email answered after two days. That slide only goes out 16” and I have never had any problems with it. Good luck. I am thinking I can jack the floor up just in that area and may be able to get the roller back on the supports. Will keep everyone posted

[Doghouse2Go]

Originally Posted by our20th

I have tried unsuccessfully to reach Vroom via email and phone several times with no luck. Based on the info that I am reading it appears that they are not equipped to handle my Aria 3901 with a 25' super slide.
I would just like a response so that I can make an informed decision as to the choices for repair that I have.

I was also interested in shops that they could recommend closer to my location.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thank you

Call the guys at Patriots RV in Aubrey TX (North east part of TX). Just last week I scheduled a Vroom install (parts ordered deposit paid) and they are looking at November for scheduled install. Super nice people and certainly closer to FL than AZ.