Visit our Popular Forums

judithd · 04-19-2005, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

We just returned from a 9 day trip with our 05 classic, this being the first trip of any length since our purchase in Feb. If this is any indication of the quality we are very pleased. Compared to the 04 16 ccd it is a BIG inprovement in quality. Have found very few things that need attention, most of which are very insignificant. Wife retires in June then the test really begins. ------ Pieman

Mike, We just returned from our first outing in our new 05 Classic s/o. We really do like our unit! There were just a few things we found that needed attention, but over all we are very pleased. It is truly a lovely unit and we are looking forward to more trips. The mattress needs t be replaced and will do that when we travel this fall.

Looking forward to attending some Rally Somewhere in the fall. Travel safe and happy to see that you and your wife have enjoyed your first outing as much as we did.

Peace to you both. Judith and Martin

DreamStream · 04-28-2005, 09:18 AM

Just finished replacing most all of the screws on the outside of our '05 Bambi Safari LS with stainless steel screws. The ones that needed replaced the most were all of the teardrop marker lights. The screw in everyone of the marker lights was completely rusted. Airstream said they were looking at buying lights with no screws on the outside. I feel much better now looking at clean stainless steel instead of rust. Very little expense at Home Depot. Love our new Bambi! Going out this weekend!!

ericinrb · 04-28-2005, 11:00 AM

After 30 years of tent camping and 9 years in a 16' Thor Aerolite, we took the plunge and bought the 16' Bambi. We loved the features this unit had and wanted as small (16-20') and lightweight as we could find. However, inspite of the great reputation we found quality in some aspects lacking, especially for the very high price Airsteam commands. None of these issues arose on my $10,000 Aerolite. Main "manufacturing"issues:
a. I continually find metal shavings and sawdust all over the floors every time we use it. Before you laugh, these are not the same ones as I do vacuum it out and clean it after every use !!!
b. I had to replace the rusted screws on all of the outside running lights. I also put a small rubber washed on each new screw as the majority of the lights had filled with water after every rain storm.
c. the license plate frame/light has rust all over it after a few months.
d. under dinette cabinet drawer will not stay latched on the road. It has a very poorly designed latch in the back which might work for a empty drawer on a showroom floor but surely cannot handle any loads on the road.
e. refrerator door came open on first two trips. I had a add a washer to the hinge so it would stay aligned.

"Dealer" issues
a. When we were to take delivery, the trailer had a broken latch on the awning; the solar system did not work; the refrigerator had a broken front panel; cabinet/door laminate coming loose in a few places; closet door off of the hinges and the unit was just not ready (plastic cover on refer door, floor dirty, shavings on the floor, etc).

Airstream Issues:
a. The 20# manual that comes with the trailer is impressive in size but does not include the 2005 features and the 16' Bambi. When I asked the dealer, all I got was this was a new model for 2005 and the manual and instructions from vendor supplied components needs to be updated.
b. Features listed on the specification/price sheet for my trailer were not on the trailer. It appears that since this is a new model for 2005, Airstream did a poor modification of the 19' "spec sheet" for our unit.
c. "Tech Support" is very poor. I have made numerous requests to the dealer for information on the solar system, status panel, light panel, etc which are supposedly passed on the Airstream but I never get a reply. I have called A/S directly and get passed from tech to tech, but not helped.

tomriley · 04-28-2005, 02:43 PM

I previously posted under "2005 Classic" category, but will also respond here since this thread's purpose is to track 2005 quality and problems.
We ordered our unit in Jan 2005 and took delivery on Feb 28. We took a "checkout trip" in March, which resulted in delivery back to the dealer on March 21 for correction of problems. After a month back at the dealer's service, we got it back on April 21.

We have owned several SOB's, both trailers and motorhomes, but decided on Airstream because or its structural intregrity reputation, lower depreciation rate, and perceived high quality. Overall, we are pleased with our unit, but somewhat disappointed in Airstream's quality control and attention to detail. The things we found were as follows:

The exterior surfaces show fine "brush marks" when the sun is reflecting on the surfaces, as though the trailer had been washed using a stiff brush. Fix: Airstream had the dealer Walbernize the trailer, which hid the marks somewhat, but they still are very visable in the sun.
The backwater tank contained numerous pieces of manufacturing "trash," which obstructed the knife valve operation. Fix: I repeatedly flushed the tank for about 2 hours, washing out pieces of tank cutout, plastic plumbing parts, shavings, etc.
The shower leaked all over the floor when used. Fix: The dealer calked the lower corner area of the door frame assembly. This problem appears to be common, in that I saw the same lack of calking on several units in the dealer's inventory.
The shower door latch was broken and the door frame had "bubbles" under the plating on one section. Fix: The door was replaced.
The ultra-leather sofa had a small tear under the drawer latch. Fix: The dealer had a leather specialty shop repair the defect.
The headliner vinyl was hanging loose over about a 12" section in one area. Fix: They were able to stretch the material over enough to secure it under the molding strip.
There was a small leak around the air-conditioner. Fix: They corrected an incorrectly-installed seal around the A/C.
The base molding next to the floor was hanging loose in one area. Fix: Secured molding with cement.
The carpet wall covering on one slideout wall was carelessly applied, having wrinkles and a non-smooth appearance. Fix: Took wall covering loose and reinstalled correctly.
Both the entry door and screen door required "slamming" to latch. Fix: Adjusted latches. Result: Although they close a little better, they still are harder to latch than they should be.
The window opening/closing mechanisms are difficult to operate, especially on the slideout. Fix: None. The interference of curtains makes the windows difficult to open and close, which is a design problem.
The entry step was difficult to latch in the "travel" position. Fix: Replaced step assembly.
Trailer brakes pulled to one side when applied. Fix: Adjujsted brakes.
Trailer tires not balanced properly. Fix: None. Dealer reports that Airstream will not pay for wheel balance.
Toilet did not seem to be attached securely. Fix: Replaced several "stripped" mounting screws.
Several drawers are difficult to open, even after lifting on handle before pulling to open. Fix: None. This appears to be a design deficiency in the way Airstream attempts to secure the drawers.
Decorative wallpaper strip in bath had "wrinkles" in it. Fix: Replaced with new strip applied correctly.
Level monitor for LP Tank #2 reads intermittently. Fix: None. Dealer could not duplicate.
ID plate on exterior of trailer showed incorrect GVWR (10,000 lb. instead of 10,300 lb.). Fix: Airstream provided corrected plate to dealer for installation.

The only significant unresoled issue is the exterior finish problem, which I intend to further pursue with Airstream. I am irritated regarding their refusal to correctly balance the tires, which I think reflects very negatively on Airstream, but I will likely just have it done at my normal tire shop at my own expense.

Now that we have most of the problems whipped, we are looking forward to getting busy with the reason we purchased the Airstream - putting it to enjoyable use!

Tom and Sherrie Riley
20005 30'SO Classic
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty Diesel
2 - Honda 2000i generators w/parallel kit

Boats13 · 04-28-2005, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamStream

Just finished replacing most all of the screws on the outside of our '05 Bambi Safari LS with stainless steel screws. The ones that needed replaced the most were all of the teardrop marker lights. The screw in everyone of the marker lights was completely rusted. Airstream said they were looking at buying lights with no screws on the outside. I feel much better now looking at clean stainless steel instead of rust.

Does AS have anything onboard to reduce dissimilar metals corrosion? KaPac system in a boat is an example. In my experience, after putting stainless into aluminum, there was a problem with the aluminum eating away due to an electrical reaction between the metals (usually called electrolysis sp?). If the zinc coating on the standard steel fasteners is thin (common problem with cheap fasteners) it will rust quickly due to the zinc being being eaten away quickly. I suppose you could look at it as a hierarchy of corrosion..... zinc(which allows the steel to rust)/aluminum/stainless....

Again, all this is with the caveat of "my limited experience"

C. T.

redeagle313 · 04-28-2005, 08:39 PM

Wouldn't the use of aluminum fasteners be the real answer to the rusty screw problem on the outer lights?

I will be inspecting the screw heads on our unit's lights tomorrow, and then the search for aluminim screws will probably begin.

DreamStream · 04-29-2005, 07:45 AM

In the case of the marker lights where the screw is inserted through the top of a plastic lens and is about an inch above the aluminum skin, wouldn't the stainless steel screw do just fine? I can see how screws that touch the aluminum skin would develop corrosion in a saltwater environment. I would think the marker lights replacement would be O.K. Any more opinions on the marker light screws?

Sonia · 04-29-2005, 10:10 AM

To TOMRILEY

Sorry to read about all your problems. We bought a 2005 30 Classic in August of last year and the dealer made sure that we did a good walkthrough and signed off on everything, inlcuding the information/documentation provided, before we left. We took it for a 2 week trip to the Smoky Mountains in September and then to PA, without any problems. This January, after a very snowy winter, we noted a wet spot on one side of the bedroom floor. So we took the trailer back to the dealer and they found a problem with a rivet not done right. The problem was fixed and we just got back from a one week trip to Florida. Getting ready for another trip to the Smokies in May.
Before the Classic, we had a 2004 19 Bambi and it was in a very good shape too. The dealer prep work was excellent and there was nothing that had to be fixed.

tomriley · 04-29-2005, 11:46 AM

Sonia,
It's encouraging to hear of your positive, trouble-free experience with your 2005 Classic. I'm sure that we will feel the same way once we have the little "new unit" problems cleaned up.
Thanks for your response, and may you continue to enjoy your Airstream travels.
Best Regards,
Tom

Silvertwinkie · 04-30-2005, 10:31 PM

ericnrb. The shavings issue is one that you'll prob deal with for a few trips until the stuff works its way out. Annoying, yes, but a small issue.

Tom, I too have those brush lines you speak of...they only appear when the sun hits it a certain way. As for balance, Airstream does not balance the tires on any new trailer as far as I know. Not sure why, but that would explain why they won't pay for a balance.

lynn · 05-01-2005, 06:49 AM

All Airstream trailer wheels are balanced before they are installed.

Silvertwinkie · 05-01-2005, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynn

All Airstream trailer wheels are balanced before they are installed.

If that's the case, why are there never any weights on the rims? I've looked at literally hundreds of tires/rims on new Airstreams, and I've never seen any weights on the rims. Do they use some other method to balance?

Mike Lewis · 05-03-2005, 07:48 AM

Silvertwinkie--- Likewise I haven't seen any weights on Airstream wheels. It is possable they're useing "stick on" or "tape a weights" on the inside instead of the regular knock on rim weights. Think I'll crawl under my classic today and look. Will let you know this PM.
Pieman

Silvertwinkie · 05-03-2005, 08:34 AM

I thought that too, and on our Bambi I actually looked back there and found nothing....I haven't done that with the Safari yet, but I seem to recall several folks around here talking about how the wheels are not balanced, how true or false that is, I don't know, but next time I'm around the Safari, I'll be taking a peek on the other side of the rims to see if there are any of the "other" kind of weights there. If there are also no weights there I guess I can assume one of two things:

1) The tires/rims are perfect and needed no additional weights (which I'd find hard to believe).

2) The tires/rims are NOT balanced.

I'll let you all know what I find when I get out to the Safari next time.

flyfisher · 05-03-2005, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynn

All Airstream trailer wheels are balanced before they are installed.

Lynn -

Since you are speaking with such authority, can you tell us when this balancing began, and if it was only recently begun, then perhaps everyone should be told exactly WHY this balancing is now being done.

About this time last year, I had the balancing on my brand new 2004 Classic checked by a local garage that specializes in doing this, and not only wasn't mine balanced, it was SEVERELY out of balance. I then went to Jackson Center where I had a meeting with 4 factory managers who told me that Airstream did not balance, or check the balancing of wheels, tires, et al. (even though my owners manual states that tires are balanced before leaving the factory).

Of course with all the problems Airstream has beleatedly acknowledged in this area subsequent to June last year perhaps they're now balancing tires...?

John

silver suz · 05-03-2005, 11:38 AM

I'm glad to know that having to slam the door shut, is some sort of problem. I couldn't imagine how other campers could tolerate the noise. Will check lights and wheels- or pass that along to hubby! silver suz

**jcanavera** · 05-03-2005, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silver suz

I'm glad to know that having to slam the door shut, is some sort of problem. I couldn't imagine how other campers could tolerate the noise. Will check lights and wheels- or pass that along to hubby! silver suz

Just be sure that you aren't using your stabilizer jacks as a means to level your trailer. That can cause a torquing of the frame that in turn may affect the closing of the door.

Jack

dms4911 · 05-03-2005, 08:53 PM

Purchased an '05 Safari FB last week and just returned from a 3 day "shake down". All went fine with no problems. Towing with an '04 Toyota Sequoia SUV with Reese dual cam wt distribution system and climbed the I-40 mountains to Asheville, NC with no problem.

Quality issues are minor ones thus far. Our FB has the audio/vidio upgrade with the Sharp Aquos LCD TV. This TV operates on 12vdc, and is furnished with a 110vac transformer in order to operate it in a home. The upgrade package was installed by hardwiring the transformer in the wall, with the 110v plug sticking through the wall and into a 110v receptacle. No provision was made to operate the TV on straight 12vdc as it is designed. I called the dealer with no luck about why it was wired this way, with "I dunno" on the dealers end.

I then emailed Airstream tech support and got a reply the next day. A short 2 sentence reply stated the TV was 110vac and I'd have to use an inverter.

I emailed back and told Richard he may want to look at the back of the TV where it says "Power - 12vdc" (and not 110vac), as well as look on page 52 of the owners manual on the TV. It plainly says 12 volts dc, @ 37 watts. I'm still waiting for his 2nd reply. Meanwhile, I'm rewiring the set to use either the transformer or straight 12vdc in order to dry camp and have the news. This is obviously a case where the AS design guys went the extra mile to use a 12 volt dc set yet the installers were never informed how to install it.

Our AS is the new FB (rear door) model and we love the layout, since it has a queen bed up front and a settee with a long sofa. She likes the "L" galley counter as well. Storage is well thought out and abundant. The shower and head can be split to the bedroom or the living area (via curtains) which give some options, depending on guests, etc. The fact that the door only opens 90 degrees is fine for us, since we feel we got as much AS as we could tow with our present vehicle and we like the interior layout better than the other 25's.

The only negative we have is that no microwave was designed into the cabinets. If the rear overheads were 2 inches deeper, several models of micro's would fit. We had to place a small unit on the stovetop or the settee depending on what were cooking. No major thing, but it could have been designed into the overheads.

Overall we're delighted with our first AS, and hopefully future contact with the factory will be better than the TV question.

Silvertwinkie · 05-03-2005, 09:22 PM

Just curious if your 25' FB has the entry door opening from right to left (as all new Airstreams do) or if you got one with the redesigned door that opens left to right (non suicide door).

Camp-Dog · 05-04-2005, 05:22 AM

dms, please do share your findings about your 12v TV. I've been trying to
find a 12v cable for the Aquos as well -- no luck. I've checked everywhere I know to check and have had -0- success in locating a cable with the proprietary 12v connector on it. A phone call to the manufacturer(sharp) didn't help much either, according to sharp there is no accessory/cable available to be able to use the Aquos off of a straight 12v power source.

I've considered getting a spare AC/DC power cord from Sharp and cutting the end off but even then they want over 100$ for the replacement cable.

Please do share you findings/solution on this one. Otherwise it looks like an inverter may be the only solution. Like you my only purpose is to be able to watch the news for about 30 mins/day.