Dear Dave,
What do you know about the Vroom slideout system that replaces the less-than-reliable Lippert Schwintek system currently in a lot of RVs? We have a 2022 Alliance Avenue 32RLS with about a year-and-a-half of camping in the rig, which includes three months in an RV resort in Tucson, AZ. Our bedroom slide is broken and the culprit is a flimsy plastic slide piece that holds the gear into the gear track. I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks from Colorado. —Richard, 2022 Alliance Avenue 32RLS
Dear Richard,
The Vroom slide system has been getting some traction (pun intended) due to the overwhelming popularity of the Schwintek system and the explosion in the number of RVs being sold over the past three to four years. Unfortunately, with that popularity, the Schwintek system has also gotten a bad rap, in my opinion. I have talked with several engineers that were with Schwintek originally, and some that are now with Lippert. The Schwintek system has been used for years in Europe and other markets. Like most products that come over the pond, as they say, RV engineers and designers have created issues, not to mention owners not understanding the system as well.
What the Schwintek system is designed to do
I have also talked with several RV manufacturer technical support specialists who have stated the same thing anonymously. Schwintek is not designed to push out full wall slides, and is not designed to carry heavy weight, in fact, no weight at all. The rollers underneath are supposed to support the room and the motors simply move it back and forth. Rollers are supposed to be 6” from each side of the opening and every 24″-30”. There are several issues with designs that “stretch” the limitations of the system and even cheapen the original design.
I agree that the mechanism is not the most robust and is vulnerable to issues with low voltage, wiring getting pinched or not sufficient gauge, weight, and synchronization. Also, as you stated, there are flimsy parts that can break. I have also encountered several failures due to the “H” track installation on each side not being strong enough to stay in place. I believe that to be caused by taking $$ out of the design and poor workmanship. The piece you are referring to is most likely the V roller, which guides the motor assembly. It is made of plastic so if it binds or breaks, it doesn’t ruin the rest of the gear assembly and is a fairly minor replacement. But, again, with more than 620,000 units sold in 2021 alone, the numbers are high. The service availability at service centers is less than desirable, as well.
About the Vroom slideout system
OK, enough defending the system that we all know has been an issue with owners. The Vroom system was invented by an RV owner down in Arizona that had several Schwintek malfunctions on his trip to Alaska with his Tiffin motorhome. The owner is a professional mechanical engineer. He designed the Vroom mechanism and tested the room with more than 1500 pounds of additional weight extending and retracting over 6,000 times. So yes, in my opinion it is a more robust system that has been very successful.
I have talked to the technical support at Vroom and it is quite impressive. As they stated, it is designed to withstand the issues with installation, design, and owner operation.
I posted back in April (see below) with much more detail on the design and owner, and have been following several forums that have provided updates and information. The Vroom system does utilize several of the LCI components, such as motors and control modules. The cost has gone from a reasonable $2,500 to well over $4,500.
If you just have a plastic roller that needs to be replaced on a small bedroom slide, I think the Vroom slideout system is more expensive than it is worth. However, if you are getting a quote to fix your Schwintek issue that is more than $2,000, I would consider the Vroom.
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Should Schwintek slide mechanism be replaced with the Vroom?
Dear Dave,
Good day. I just read your article on Schwintek slides. We just had ours replaced with the Vroom product. Tiffin tried 8 times to get the Schwintek to work. When placing the manufacturer parts side by side, the quality of the material leaves no doubts. Real bearings instead of flat nylon bushing. Real metal drive shaft instead of cheap (was it pot metal?) drive shaft. Gears with some meat to them. …
Continue reading Brad’s question and Dave’s answer.
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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Vroom is the best. With a 2021 Tiffin, we had multiple failures and problems with our bedroom slide. Vroom saved the day with no issues and was a great upgrade!
Anything with the “L” brand on it is highly questionable. Especially trailer frames. You get what you pay for.
The situation reported above is a good reason to do lots of online research and read reviews by owners. Even a reasonably designed system can be a problem when used out of spec by an unscrupulous RV manufacturer. RV purchasers would benefit if the RV industry had meaningful building codes or an ABYC type of standard such as used in the boating industry. Since this will never happen, we use online owner reviews to look for problems and stay away from RVs with bad reports.
Thank you, Dave! Your answers are always logically presented in, typically, well-known words. Thus, they are easy to follow and understand. You are well-cast in this role. Thank you for filling it so well! 🙂 Have a great 2024! 🙂