2005 model year quality tracking.....

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by cammur

I've posted before to this thread, but I thought I'd add one more:

-->The wood-grain linoleum-like material that acts as a floor under the toilet and wraps down vertically to the trailer floor. It came unglued (if it was ever glued) and wouldn't stay glued when I glued it. (Too much heat during the summer when stored outside, I believe.)

Current solution: I bought 2' of half-inch quarter-round and some brass screws, to "pin" the material in place. Untested, but I believe it will work. (Be careful you don't screw into the blackwater tank!)

My 2005 had the same problem. I had some glue from another job, I reglued the material and caulked the seams. So far so good. I don't think it was glued from the factory. Used bricks to weight down until glue cured.

I had a leaking surflow pump, surflow sent new pump head.

Various loose trim, blue tape and wood glue fixed. Keep a small bottle in trailer and repair as I find.

Small leak in shower, traced and caulked.

Wife pulled off one of the sides of the upper cabinets thinking it was a door. Reattached and glued. Told wife it was my fault.

I have no dealer support due to location and I am not going to hook up trailer to return for minor work.

I tend do all my own work so have tools and materials at hand and most minor repairs do not even give my blood pressure a blip.

CD Skip, ran cleaning disc apx. 10 to 15 times, fixed. Suspect dust from build.

Jim

[wheel interested]

I had a problem with that too and they put trim pieces to anchor it. Factory tech told me they don't glue it down (caulk around the edges though?) so that it can be pulled back up if toilet work was needed.

[Roscinante]

I have had a few minor fit and finish issues. My dealer caught a light switch that would not stay on. Has a replacement ordered. The other things are a couple of wall cloth seams that are loose and "stretched" showing gaps. There are a couple of the plastic white trim strips that go between the seams on the wall cloth that look like they just ran out of material and used scrap to complete. Several large, noticiable gaps between the pieces. And, as noted by others, have a couple of scratches. Caught a couple of loose trim pieces before leaving the dealer and they fixed.

Still have to go back to get these minor repairs completed.

JERRY

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by wheel interested

Factory tech told me they don't glue it down (caulk around the edges though?) so that it can be pulled back up if toilet work was needed.

well that is my understanding too carol...

in fact most of the flooring (carpet or vinyl) is only attached at the perimeter...many folks think it should be glued down and this was skipped.

i understand why they don't glue flooring, but when the flooring is used on vertical surfaces like the little step in the loo on the safairis...

it needs better edging or a more secure design...

it's a real turn off for shoppers to open the door to the john and see things peeling up like the 'lable maker-regifter' episode from seinfeld...

cheers

2air'

[SilverRanger]

I came home today to find ths message from Airstream on my e-mail:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear ...
I will be sending you a replacement vent. It will be arriving to your
address UPS. I am sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Randy
Airstream Customer Relations

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Great service! Now I have a spare.

[tpi]

25' SS has settled into the mature stage. I'll try to recap what I've fixed over the last two years.

1. Parallax power converter cooling fan failed. When converter was under heavy load, it would overheat and throttle power output.

2. Various adjustments to Attwood water heater for smooth combustion. Aligning burner tube was a big help.

3. New style Jensen roof vents rotted out and cracked in the first year.

4. Dometic fridge "electrode" (spark plug like device) failed.

5. Very minor reglue of laminate edges which were pulling up. Mostly in bathroom, recaulked around sink and bathroom floor around shower and toilet.

6. Sony CD stereo skipped- replaced stereo.

7. This is the big one-hope it helps others: I thought the shower was leaking because I would see drips of water under shower at times. Tried recaulking with no help. It turned out to be the Shurflo fresh water inlet fitting leaking due to extreme high pressure due to lack of hot water expansion space. Multiple purging of hot water tank to "establish air space" did no good. The solution was an expansion tank in the water system. If you're seeing water drip from under the shower, pull off the access panel under the sink cabinet and feel for wetness near inlet fitting. In my case the water would run backward and drip from under the shower or toilet.

So far I'm seeing no corrosion to the plasticoated aluminum panels, wheels, etc. The trailer still looks great. One of the Safari emblems has chipped a little black paint in places and the paint on the tongue frame needs a couple dabs of touchup. The interior fabric looks new and is easy to clean. The floor still looks new, but the grain of the laminate needs a heavy brush scrubbing from time to time to get dirt out of the pores. The cabinets and doors are working perfectly and look new. The vinyl padded ceiling material has not deteriorated. I have not had problems with the Ozite fuzzy wall covering. Some of the running lights fog up, and the license plate light fixture needs frequent waxing or it will rust.

[classic67]

I ended up posting my follow-up elsewhere, but it belongs here so I'll summarize.

Our list of 20 items (nearly every signle one from major to minor were previously posted by other '05 AS owners so the problems were not isolated apparently). While I had full confidence in our dealer, I did feel it necessary to at least bring the problems to the attention of Airstream. I was contacted by Alan Wuebbenhorst in customer relations who did communicate with my dealer to ensure all the repairs were done. They did tell me that squeak in the floor which apparently needed a warranty approval was approved for repair and the dealer properly repaired it no more sqeak by the Dinette. The rest of the problems were addressed as well, including cutting out a place for the TV jack plate and 12V connections that were apparently forgotten by the factory (the coax cable was left coiled behind the wall so I guess they almost finished the job at the factory but just stopped short).

The only real outside issue was a seam on the skin at the rear above the bedroom window that had not been properly sealed and turned to a green color. It was repaired and I have to say the dealer did a great job. The only thing I have noticed is that the door still is difficult to close, especially from the inside. I'll have the dealer look at it again in the future

In the end, Airstream did a stand-up job communicating with me and the dealer, and I am very happy with the treatment and care my dealer (Valenti Motors - RV legends) provided. I would recommend them to everyone without any hesistation. Anyone who has already dealt with them probably knows already that Andrea and George handle things very well !

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

I came home today to find ths message from Airstream on my e-mail:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear ...
I will be sending you a replacement vent. It will be arriving to your
address UPS. I am sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

Randy
Airstream Customer Relations

I've spoken to Randy and found him, as well as the rest of the folks there, helpful and friendly. I'm not suprised.

[rvham]

Our 28 International was manufactured 11/04. We took delivery in 3/05. Problems on delivery:
1. Water leak from A/C - due to improper installation of condensate drain line.
2. Water leak at toilet supply line - washer offset at installation
3. Toilet would not hold water - faulty gasket

Items 1 and 2 repaired by dealer; failed to repair 3

During first week of travel:
4. AC supply line from streetside recepticle to converter shorted - replaced three days later by non-dealer at no cost to me. This was a MAJOR problem as it occurred in July in Ft. Myers while we were trying to get dressed for our godchild's wedding. No AC!!!

About a month out, when dumping could not close black valve. Extracted softball size mass of aluminum cuttings. Thought I would sterilize them and return to JC to give to person who "lost" them, but thought better :-).

During first few months:
5. minor leaks rear curbside window, upper eyebrow over sink and forward skylight.
6. rear streetside window shade faulty.
7. black and grey sensors not recording.
8. virtually inpossible to keep oven pilot lit
9. frig pilot blows out while traveling.
10 GFI problem - very sensitive to something. cuts off power with no apparent reason usually during rain or nearby lightning. AS has EMS power monitor installed which is state of the art and doesn't detect any fault.

Items 3 and 5 repaired by authorized service center but have had one very minor leak during heavy rain from the eyebrow window and once from the skylight. Not enough to address but will mention on final service visit before warranty expires. Item 6 replaced. Item 7 repaired but quickly failed again and has remained so. Item 8 corrected with new oven. Item 9 corrected with baffle; have experienced this in previous RVs. Will mention item 10 on final visit.

Besides 10, unresolved or partially resolved issue:
11. common shower door leak at lower hinge pin. I have caulked this with good results.

In addition, I offer the following comments:

a. We have the common problem of pump cycling. This only occurs at night after we have turned off the hwh. We do not usually heat water until evening and do not hear the cycling during the day so decided like others that it is due to pressure decreasing as water temp decreases and is a non-problem. We have had this issue with previous RVs and boats.
b. Have to slam door more forcefully than would hope when stabilizers down unless take great care to barely tighten and to tighten all equally. As temps change or ground shifts have to keep readjusting stabilizers to keep from slamming door. I feel this is an inherent problem in the AS structure which is designed to flex.
c. plug won't stay in blackwater tank flush fitting. I guess this is a problem but not much of one since it is attached to the fitting.

We were live aboards on a 40' motorsailer before beginning to land cruise. Perhaps this makes us more tolerant of minor problems; I have read every post in this thread and none comes close to the problems I and all my sailing friends experienced with boats and their costs started over 100K. We have owned a 27' Sunnybrook which had only minor problems. We then had a 32' New Horizon custom built. NH builds a top of the line RV and we had an early roof leak from lousy caulking but that was about all. We still own it ten years later; have made some mods, and expected maintenance repairs like the control board for the frig and toilet replacement, neither NH problems. The year before we purchased the AS, we bought a 19' Sunline Lite which we took over much of Mexico and the eastern US. It had NO problems. All that being said, I think that I expected more QC from AS than I experienced but I have been very pleased with the service support I have received. We have about 15K miles on her at this point. The tires were not balanced on delivery. I had this done when I installed pressure transducers and metal valve stems. Oh, yes I just remembered that the hand sprayer for the toilet began leaking and Dometic sent me a new one. Final thought, we are very pleased with the coach. Have always wanted an AS and glad we found the CCD as we do not like carpet or fuzzy headliners. My wife says she can clean the whole inside with a bottle of windex!! And after the NH which is 12.5 feet tall, waxing the AS is almost fun.

[Silvertwinkie]

Great post and thanks for all the details. Heck of a first post too I might add!

One side note I have would be to not clean the inside skin with an ammonia product. Not sure what I'd suggest for the masses, but on our Safari where we have the exposed alum wall by the kitchen area, I...well, I'll just say it, yea, I Walbernize it too just like the outside.

I know, I know, I have issues, but I can clean it with a damp cloth and dry it with another and it's shiney and protected.

[Silvertwinkie]

There have been some additional discussions about the outside aluminum which may be important. I would suggest that you visit this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ues-31743.html

[lsinclair]

We took delivery of a 2005 Classic 25 (production date 7/04). Our overall satisfaction and experience has been good. Needless to say, nothing is perfect. The QC isuues are as follows;
1. Ignitor failure on stove
2. Valve failure on oven
3. Water leak behind toliet (intermittent)
4. Faucet leak at sink
These problems occured over our first year of use. Due to our remote location, our dealer (Windish in Denver) worked with me furnishing the necessary parts to correct these issues.
Over this past Memorial weekend, another problem developed. There is a water leak when taking a shower. The water seapage is noticed at the hallway to bedroom entrance, soaking the carpet edge and floor. Today I contacted Secretarial ... to purchase a service manual and they have none. I will try contacting AS tomorrow, however I did not see any listing in the book section of their store. Our warranty has expired (delivery date 8/6/04). Due to our location and lack of pride many technicians exhibit, I prefer to diagnosis and make the proper repair of this leak myself. However I would appreciate any help/suggestions from anyone who has experienced a similar leak. Also, if anyone has a source or information on where I may purchase a service manual I would be very grateful.
Thanks, Larry

[tpi]

I posted this as a separate thread, but I'm afraid it may have been lost in shuffle.

Above the spare tire in the very front section of the frame, the floor has much less airspace than the rest of the trailer's floor (where the belly pan is attached to the bottom of the frame). I noticed some patchy discoloration of the vinyl flooring under the front couch. Under this front section the belly pan is attached to the top of the framing, and there appears to be no ventilation of this area, and no capability for any water leakage into this area to drain.

Under the small patches of floor discoloration, I slit an area open with a knife and the OSB felt damp. It is still structurally sound and not discolored. I then drilled 6 one-half inch holes in the belly pan under this area. In one of the holes the fiberglass insulation was damp.

My plan of attack with this is to monitor the holes and determine if any water drips out during rainstorms (or I apply water to various areas of front with the hose). I suspect any water entry is coming in from the exterior top of the A frame as it enters the enclosed area of trailer. I will be thoroughly sealing this area, and storing the trailer at a front-down angle.

Since I live in a dry climate, I'm probably going to leave the holes open, and may add a few more. This will increase ventilation and aid drainage. I will get some rubber firewall plugs to block the holes when underway during the possibility of rain or water crossings.

I strongly advise checking into this area for the start of moisture damage. After determining the belly pan is attached to the top of the frame in this area and the complete lack of ventilation, I see this as a potential trouble spot.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by lsinclair

We took delivery of a 2005 Classic 25 (production date 7/04). Our overall satisfaction and experience has been good. Needless to say, nothing is perfect. The QC isuues are as follows;
1. Ignitor failure on stove
2. Valve failure on oven
3. Water leak behind toliet (intermittent)
4. Faucet leak at sink

Thanks, Larry

I found items under my sink wet several times.

First, I found that I need to periodically hand tighten the sink traps. No matter how tight, they will loosen over a period of use. Apparently, thermal cycling of hot and cold water loosens them.

Second, I found that the spray head was not tightly screwed in to the hose. The casualties were two spare rolls of paper towels that I had tucked behind the partition against the outer walls.

Other than the above, things have remained quite dry.

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I found items under my sink wet several times.

First, I found that I need to periodically hand tighten the sink traps. No matter how tight, they will loosen over a period of use. Apparently, thermal cycling of hot and cold water loosens them.

Second, I found that the spray head was not tightly screwed in to the hose. The casualties were two spare rolls of paper towels that I had tucked behind the partition against the outer walls.

Other than the above, things have remained quite dry.

John, this is an item that should be check freq and most importanly after a long trip. I always tell folks to be sure to check the traps in both the bathroom and galley before turning on the water. Vibration from the trip will do it as well.
Nice to see that you're still around!~
ciao
53FC

[tpi]

Copper gas line into stove under cooktop was wearing into the steel punch out of the stove. There is supposed to be a plastic protective sleeve in this area, but on mine it was out of position. On mine the copper was slightly worn due to vibration and would have eventually worn through if I hadn't caught it.