Quote:
Originally Posted by yakman  Anyone ever buy a new house or had one built? Is it perfect? Punch out list/crew? What? You spent $250,000 on a house and they have to come back and fix something in your house?
yakman |
I like that analogy. I was told that to get the perfect house you need to build what you think is the perfect house, live in it for a couple of years, keep a list of things you should have done differently, and finally have the new, perfect house built with the improvements.
The reason that is such a good analogy is because Airstream has been building trailers for 75 years. During that time they have evolved somewhat, but have not improved nearly as much as they should have. I’m sure most of us on these forums are old enough to remember the Volkswagen Beetle ads from the sixties. Remember how the Beetle changed slightly each year? The rear windows got larger, as did the taillights. They finally installed headlights that didn’t require a flashlight to tell whether they were on or off. By the time they quit selling that car, it was an extremely reliable, extremely capable vehicle, and it sold for a reasonable price.
Compare the Airstream. As far as I know, they still haven’t made any provision for a trailer-mounted generator. How long have Airstream owners been carrying one around in the back of a pickup? The bathroom fan on my 1997 model is a joke; it’s a noisemaker in a ceiling vent and looks like a design from the forties. The drawer slides are pieces of hardware that only the cheapest contractor would use, and the mounting brackets for them are often cracked when the factory installs them. I have replaced several of the spring-loaded cabinet door catches, and the overhead bin doors are beginning to sag because the spring lifts are no longer up to the job.
The comparison to a Mercedes-Benz also hits home with me. I owned a 280SL many years ago. It was a wonderful little car, but certainly wasn’t worth the cost. I had to replace the fuel pump on that car once. The pump was available only from a Mercedes dealer, and it cost just shy of $100. At that time, a fuel pump for my Ford pickup could be had at any auto parts store for under $30. I had the car tuned up, including a brake relining, and it cost about $300. A few years later I had to replace the engine in my Ford pickup. The rebuilt engine cost about $350, including the installation.
Yes the Mercedes was a wonderful car, but it didn’t live up to its reputation, and neither does Airstream.
I foolishly thought that if I bought an Airstream, I would no longer have any quality issues. How naive. In the five years I’ve owned this trailer I have had a recurring water leak that apparently was caused by a bent CPVC pipe. It was installed that way at the factory and repaired by the factory service center numerous times. I hope this last repair will be the end of it. A section was replaced with PEX tubing, and the repair wasn’t done by the factory.
The factory service center has also done the following: 1) Re-secured the bathroom cabinet to the bathroom wall. That cabinet moves as the trailer is towed and had split the caulking along the wall. This situation continues. 2) Rebuilt both black and grey water tank dump valves. The valves were so sticky that I was worried that I might bend the rod trying to close them. 3) Repaired loose sheet metal under the trailer where several rivets had failed and allowed the sheet metal to flap in the wind. 4) Installed a patch above the entry door to cover the crack in the skin that developed there. A CRACK IN THE SKIN!!! 5) Repaired the seam between the roof and the sidewall at the left-rear of the trailer. This seam opened up when many rivets along it failed. How many automobile manufacturers would have stayed in business if their cars literally came apart at the seams?
I have personally done the following: 1) Replaced the drawer slides on the sofa drawer. The original ones would allow the drawer to slide completely out while towing. I also replaced the single, weak latch with two stronger ones. 2) Repaired the wiring inside the 120 volt electrical panel. One of the original wires was clamped between a screw head and the panel where the panel was mounted. After the insulation wore through, this created an intermittent short to ground on the neutral wire, causing the GFI at the main power hookup to trip. It appeared that this wire was installed this way when the trailer was built. This was a situation that could have killed someone by energizing the frame of the trailer with 120 volts. 3) Repaired the shelf where the folding chairs are stowed. This shelf was merely stapled to a support on one side of the cabinet, with no support at all on the other side. It could not hold the weight of two folding chairs. 4) Replaced one of the side windows. The original window shattered when my son-in-law attempted to open it. He was doing it properly. 5) Replaced the pressurized water (city water) inlet fixture. I created a leak when I pressed sideways on the connector. I did not hit it with a hammer; I merely pushed on it as I was attaching a hose.
While attempting to re-caulk the battery compartment doors, I discovered that changing the converter/battery charger would require either removal of the kitchen sink and its cabinet or cutting of an interior shelf. Did Airstream think the converter would last forever?
I will be the first to admit that I got a good price when I bought this trailer used five years ago, but I never expected the degree of shoddy workmanship and cheap parts that I found on it.
To say I am disappointed would be the understatement of the century. I switched from a Holiday Rambler to this Airstream because I thought it would be a step up in quality. It was actually a step down. If I could find a quality used trailer, I’d buy it. The problem I have is that almost no one makes a quality trailer.
America’s RV manufacturers are in the same position now as America’s automobile manufacturers were in the sixties. They had better wake up, because if the Japanese ever decide to start building RV’s, America’s manufacturers will be petitioning the government for bail-outs.
You may certainly call this a rant if you like, because that’s exactly what it is.