We're at Camp Foretravel and yesterday we had the slide serviced. We have had our 2003 U295 for just over a year and the slide has always been noisy.... squeaks when it goes in or out. Initially I thought the slide was not centered properly, but it took Bob (one of the FT techs that worked on our coach) about 5 minutes to spot the problem. The double stick tape that holds the bladder in place had failed in the upper front corner of the slide. Because of this, when the bladder deflated, it did not pull away from the slide. Since it was against the slide when it moved, it squeaked. I was not so worried about the noise.... but the wear on that expensive (and hard to obtain) bladder was another thing. So yesterday, they moved the slide in about 6 inches and removed the double stick tape and replaced it. Total time for two techs was from about 7:30am until about 1:30pm, with a lunch break.
Below are some photos of the process. Inside the coach they had to remove the couch and all the trim around the slide. Then they disconnected the mechanical arms on either end of the slide. Once that was done, the techs could push in the slide and service the bladder. When the bladder was exposed they used steam heat to remove the old tape. The photos are fairly self explanatory, but if anyone has any questions, let me know.
One final note.... I was impressed with the bladder. It is much more substantial than I imagined. It is more like a "tire" than an "inner tube."
George
Thanks for the post George,
I dont have a slide but it is interesting to see how they can push the slide in to get access to that seal.
Mark
That is great but on the first generation slide they can not push it in and have to totally remove the slide.
George, how long will you be at Camp Foretravel. Jeff, Carol, Peggy and I will be there Saturday or Sunday. I hope we can get together before you leave.
Kent... If all goes according to plan we will leave on Friday. We would stick around a bit longer, but our granddaughter is due this coming Sunday and we need to get to North Carolina. Hope all goes well for you in Nac. Our stay has been productive, but expensive. Such is motor homing!
George