Sheared Screws

[karenandcollins]

Not sure if this is the right forum for this problem. The last couple times I've put out our front curb slide on our 2006 Monaco Diplomat, I've found a sheared off flat philips screw head. I also found some silver shavings, I imagine they came from the screw. I've run my hand under the edge of the slide where it came, which is at the front. I looked outside, but couldn't see anything. Should we be worried about this, the slide doesn't make any weird noises when it opens or closes, but I sure would like to know where they came from. Thanks

[wolfe10]

Yes, anytime you have metal being removed/head of screws sheared off, you need to determine the cause. The cause may or may not be critical, but it does need to be diagnosed.

Brett

[tbutler]

That reminds me of an incident we had last year. I remember finding a screw on the kitchen floor one day. I couldn't see where it had come from so just dropped it in my mystery screw collection. Several months later, one of the doors fell off our Norcold 1200 refrigerator! Louise had opened it and as she started to close the door it dropped to the floor. We had a broken bottle of wine and several other items spilled. When I investigated the bottom door hinge, sure enough, there was a missing screw there. I just needed to get down on the floor and look up under that hinge. So yes, you need to find out where the screw head came from and the metal shavings would indicate that even though everything seems to be working fine now, that won't continue forever.

If you can't find the problem, see a dealer or get to a factory service center to have people who are familiar with your coach take a look at the problem. It most likely is simply a matter of adjusting the slide and replacing a screw at this point. If it goes longer, it could become a more serious problem and cost you more money to repair. Monaco customer service phone number is 877-466-6226. They can guide you to a nearby dealer if you don't have one or can schedule a factory center visit if you prefer to go that route.

[karenandcollins]

Thanks. I will follow up with someone about this. Always a trick, trying to find good repair people when you're traveling.

[tbutler]

If you will post your present location and where you are headed, perhaps someone can recommend a repair shop near where you are or will be. Again, you can call Monaco and get a recommendation from them for a dealer or factory service center.