I'm currently using Jonha's slider hacks (with a fully patched game) without any problems, so I suspect you have a conflict somewhere -- either with a rogue mod/hack, another core mod, or quite possibly a botched game/patch installation. What happens if you use
only the slider mods? No core mods, no other hacks, mods, or CC. May need to resort to the 50/50 method to solve your problem here.
For the longest time, my TS3 game refused to patch and update. I really have no idea why. Finally, I broke down and reinstalled EA Download Manager and now it's all up to date.
As a sidenote: that was your problem. You have to keep the EA Download Manager up to date in order to patch your game via the launcher, and it doesn't always tell you there's an update available for the EADM. I prefer to just patch mine manually, as I hate that bloated disaster that calls itself a game launcher.