2006 model year quality.....

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by OpenHigher

Jcanavera/Silver Ranger/ and Redeagle313:

Thank you all for your replies. We will inquire about an overnight stay prior to signing final delivery papers and acceptance. If they don't have overnight facilities, be assured we will stay there for hours, taking a shower etc.

Redeagle313: Yes, we did order the 600 watt inverter, it was 642.00 and just could not see why not. Get up, make coffee, plug in the computer, and watch for adverse weather.

Am making a list as I read through the forum: torque wrench, scissor style chocks for each wheel, and so on.

Thanks every one

Robert and Sherry

Is a 600 watt inverter enough to make coffee with an electric coffee maker? I don't know -- just thought I'd ask.

John

[OpenHigher]

Hi Flyfisher:

I am not sure, and think it will be close. If not that's fine. I will just use the propane perk method with my antique coffee pot.

Take care, Robert and Sherry

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by flyfisher

Is a 600 watt inverter enough to make coffee with an electric coffee maker? I don't know -- just thought I'd ask.

John

Our solution to this was to purchase a 5 cup electric pot. It draws 500watts . Our regular pot was 12 cup and needed 1100 watts. We were using a little 1000 watt gen. at the time which wasn't lage enough to run it but would the smaller one. The down side of the smaller pot of course is if you have many morning coffee drinkers it requires making several pots each morning.-----Pieman

[CanoeStream]

600W Inverter question for OpenHigher: Could you please monitor your battery with your MicroPulse system monitor and get us some estimate of battery levels before and after use of whatever appliances you are running on 110V? I'm assuming you are not at a plug-in site. Do you use a generator to recharge? Or why not just use the genset for perking? It'd be good to help everybody understand this better -- Thanks!

Pappy -- What model Titan do you have? XE? SE? LE? I have an LE King Cab and drive in 4th gear at just under 60mph in the Midwest's rolling countryside. (Eric 'the Titan maven' would know of course, but for everybody else I'll say Titans have 5-speeds -- so we are not driving in overdrive). I am seeing similar RPMs as you report. I do have the Navigation system and it tells me the best highway tank I've had while towing is 11.4mpg; it usually is at or just under 11mpg. This poses questions on method of calculation but I won't be able to answer that as no more trips are planned until next spring, by which time I probably won't have the Titan any more.

As far as power train the Titan feels immensely capable. My Titan's GVWR with the bed liner and weight of the 'Big Tow'* hitch receiver is only 1259# (see http://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/ModelSpecifications/0,,125642|125644|,00.html and click Capacities -- the numbers aren't that big for the lighter models either). My tow vehicle is very comfortable and works great for me -- but I don't trust reliability if I'm hugely overloading it by actually bringing my wife, canoe and toothbrush. Seven- to eight-hundred pounds of tongue weight leaves me with only 400 pounds -- and I just reach that with 2 people and 90# of dogs. Wish I could afford the weight of a topper, but then I couldn't keep anything inside it anyway...

*C'mon Eric -- I said 'Big Tow'! Almost sounds like a Beavis & Butthead prompt... But this is a 2006 Quality thread and not a Titan expose. (Eric and I have been around on this before and pretty much agree about the deficiencies of the Titan and claimed tow ratings!)

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Our solution to this was to purchase a 5 cup electric pot. It draws 500watts . Our regular pot was 12 cup and needed 1100 watts. We were using a little 1000 watt gen. at the time which wasn't lage enough to run it but would the smaller one. The down side of the smaller pot of course is if you have many morning coffee drinkers it requires making several pots each morning.-----Pieman

We used to use a percolator, but got fedup with the mess.
We now simply heat water in our tea kettle, and use a Bodum Coffee press.
It ended up being such great tasting coffee, that we bought another one and use it at home now. No sweat with converters or inverters or batteries, nor generators. Just really great coffee in less than 5 minutes.

[CanoeStream]

Mebbe I'll un-hijack this thread: What do people think of the finish of the linoleum edges? The Safari SE cabinets and counters are mostly finished with laminates. The edge finishing strip is the last piece added. This edge strip frequently seems to be just a bit more prominent than the flat surface. Airstream needs to pay attention and finish these better with a flush trim router.

I often catch and snag on various edges as I walk by, sometimes so hard that I worry if I will loosen them. I've actually pulled the end of one edge trim piece away and it is permanently distorted -- this is on my winter fix-it list. On the same list is a plan to hit all these edges with a sanding block.

[Silvertwinkie]

Our 2004 seems to have few edges that are like you describe. I was actually very pleased with how well ours were assembled, though I was a bit taken back by the slight out of square install of the kitchen sink, it was so slight that only someone with ACD like me would notice.

[JStanley]

Fit & Finish?
In August we bought a new 2006 25’SS Safari trailer (w/ SE, LS upgrades) that was manufacture in July ’05. We completed the deal, after spending a night and a day inspecting and testing the trailer on the dealer’s lot. The people at Caldwell Airstream in Columbus, Ohio whom we dealt with are a credit to the company.
In June we toured the factory and were impressed by amount of hand labor required to assemble each unit. One should not expect Jackson Center to function as our highly competitive and automated auto assembly plants are designed to operate.

I have no major complaints with the trailer. Airstream uses decent quality off-the-shelf components and fixtures. We expect a higher quality product than SOB. And at a premium price, AS delivers a higher quality product backed with a two-year warranty.

However, there are a number of small issues concerning the final “fit and finish.” Those issues reflect on the factory’s QA, and perhaps training or best practices. A few weeks after we took delivery, and put on about 1500 miles, AS sent us a questionnaire asking about quality or changes we would like to see. Good to learn the marketing department cares enough to ask. It should be noted that AS is building new production facility next to the main plant.

Minor complaints:
The dinette table had very sharp edges that cut into your arms as you sat around it. Someone forgot to use a router with a chamfer bit to knock down the edges. My wife scraped the skin off her finger on a sharp cabinet edge. Nothing serious, just a bloody cut. I sanded down all the edges- -a fast and simple fixes.
The folding room divider and the shower slide needed adjustment and readjustment to close properly. A simple latch would do better.
We can’t understand why one has to turn on the bedroom lights before being able to switch on the bathroom lights. Was it wired wrong? I sure would like to get a complete wiring diagram for the trailer.
The interior Aluminum panel installation could be neater.
There is barely enough fabric on the curtains to completely cover the windows.
The screws on the running lights are already rusty, and when I got home I noticed a tire picked up hex head machine screw.

As far as quality vs. price- -I’m told AS is the Cadillac of trailers. I recall the poor fit and finish of American cars of the ‘70s when Japanese cars were introduced. Price, quality and attention detail gave them a foothold here and throughout the world. Today’s, American cars & trucks are considerably better now. But Jackson Center needs to tweak its product line with attention to fit & finish. People will pay for quality no matter who makes the better product. Questions: Will some other foreign manufacturer try to elbow in? Would that be good for the consumer? Will Airstream outsource some production to China or elsewhere?

Let me finish by saying that after 75 years and thousands of trailers, it’s the best of all possible production trailers in the world. ………But the world doesn’t stand still.

[Silvertwinkie]

Well put. I'd like to also add that two weeks ago, I got a letter in the mail from Airstream thanking me for purchasing my 22' trailer. Mind you I bought a 25' unit well over a year ago. The VINs were not correct on the document and the printer smeared most of the document. I considered it a snafu and recycled the document since I thought it was just a mistake. Then a current copy of the Blue Beret arrived from my local WBCCI unit, and I got a few letters from my local unit about joining WBCCI with the purchase of my new trailer, around the same time this Airstream survey came thanking me for buying a trailer (with VIN) that I have never seen. I also recycled the Blue Beret and all the rest of the documents that came from WBCCI like letters, solicitations, discounts on, well, you know where I'm going with it...... .

[Pappy]

Canoe Stream , We have a 12/03 LE Titan. I agree on watching the weight.

Sorry for my part in diverting the thread.

We are pretty happy with the quality of our 2006 classic 25.

Brakes were not properly bled but we took care of that.
Had a couple of warped flourescent lights but Jackson center sent us some new ones.
We had a couple of extra openings on the shroud that goes around the front holding tank but again we drew a picture and Jackson center sent us cover plates.
Shower door leaked at the bottom but by reading the thread we knew to check for that and to caulk it.
Some areas on the outside of cargo doors needed a little more sealent in my opinion so I took care of that.
Water pump is a little noisier than I am use to so I am going to see if the rattling hoses can be secured.
When we first got it the new smell was about to kill us but eventually it went away.
The electronic fluid levels works if the trailer is perfectly level other wise its just a ball park.
I don't like the small opening for the fresh water inlet I would like it to be bigger.
No leaks that I am aware of.
We have tested the AC in 114 degree weather in Moab worked very well.
Furnace works great in 40 degree weather haven't had it long enough to check for lower performance.
I wish Airstream would use feed through connectors on their wiring instead of feeding it through holes and grommets would make a nicer installation.
Did find a lose ground connection on the converter wiring but it was only because I was checking.
I had 7 clearance lights burn out right off the bat kind of strange.

Never had a trailer before we have been RVing in a GMC motorhome for 12 years. If the first 4 months and 6K miles are an indication of reliability we are sold.

Pappy

[CanoeStream]

JStanley & Pappy -- nice posts!

Yes, the water pump is noisy, especially the Aquatec in the LS upgrade package. Those rubber feet aren't much. I wonder if it is using the floor in guitar box style to amplify the sound. I'm still thinking of an experiment to isolate it better ...

Ours was an early August production and I thought the smells were quite mild. I particularly did not notice much of the obnoxious formaldehyde type odors.

I hear you on the cuts from the linoleum edges! And totally agree on the curtains; they do slide nicely but don't compare with my recent positive experience with Ambruso replacement curtains -- latter being much more substantial. That light switching issue belongs back at the dealer!

Having a Titan did not stop me from putting 1600 mile on the new trailer this fall. Yes, Pappy, I felt totally confident after watching my weight. Be careful out there!

Silvertwinkie -- ACD? Hmm... probably not 'abscessive compulsive disorder'... I think I have it too -- AIRSTREAM COMPULSIVE DISORDER!!!

[OpenHigher]

[quote=Canoe stream]600W Inverter question for OpenHigher: Could you please monitor your battery with your MicroPulse system monitor and get us some estimate of battery levels before and after use of whatever appliances you are running on 110V? I'm assuming you are not at a plug-in site. Do you use a generator to recharge? Or why not just use the genset for perking? It'd be good to help everybody understand this better -- Thanks!

Canoe Stream:

We just called the dealer, and delivery is scheduled for November 28, 2005. So, after taking delivery (spending time overnight if possible, but it looks like a day inspection instead) we will chart the battery use when using the converter. We generally dry camp, so this process should be easy to chart. We do use a generator to recharge when dry camping, and it is a Honda 2000. Can't use the generator for making coffee (although I think the Honda 2000 is exempt from before 10:00 generator rules), but for us the less noise the better.

On the Safari SE 28 footer where is the micro pulse system monitor located? Is that just the same monitor panel which tells you water level, battery charge level, etc?

Sure sounds like it might be a very long day at AS on the day of delivery. Unfortuantely, I am obsessive when it comes to perfection, and am very hard to please. It's just that I know my work product, and I expect the same.

Robert

[CanoeStream]

I have been satisfied with much I've seen in my 2006 25' FB SE. We've already written on how the laminate edges could be dressed down better. The Safaris have a nice clean look but there sure are a lot of edges. I'd think for the price of the cap & jacket or the price of the Wanderlust book I received they could have attended to this issue -- in spite of how easy it will be for me to spruce things up.

The laminate needs that extra attention! Airstream uses a very thin laminate, I would guess, in the interest of weight saving (don't say profit margin!). The attached photo gives an indication of another issue on this matter. I could show you a few other types of laminate issues -- all minor and easy to remedy in my hands. But at this price? Whether a customer can or can't fix minor deficits isn't the issue. 'Voters' change ever so slowly but change they will if a broad perception of SOB quality or automotive Big 3 quality is creeping in to our lovely liners of luxury...

Now -- just what the h*** they were thinking when they let some flunky drop the rangetop in like that?

[uwe]

In my ever so humble opinion, none of the issues I read about in this thread are acceptable for a product in this price range. You guys should raise hell with Airstream. I know I would , had I dropped the kind of cash you guys did.

[OpenHigher]

Hi all:

We have our A/S home now, almost safely stored on a new RV pad. We are in the process of widening the gate, so we are extending and widening the pad as well.

Anyway, after a very thorough inspection, it appears all is perfect. Rivets are clean, complete, all the cabinets are well finished, and the laminate siding on the table and counter appear satsifactory, excepting a very small end.

Upgraded audio/video is awesome with the Sony and the sound with the aluminum interior is akin to being in a dome music hall.

We are heading out on the maiden voyage between Christmas and New Years.

Best, Robert and Sherry

[wheel interested]

Canoe stream we had that problem with our 2003 Safari. I took a regular emery board and gave them a fine sand. Where the strip was pulling off on the fold-down table, I reglued and "clamped" down with strapping tape until it dried.

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

I have been satisfied with much I've seen in my 2006 25' FB SE. We've already written on how the laminate edges could be dressed down better. The Safaris have a nice clean look but there sure are a lot of edges. I'd think for the price of the cap & jacket or the price of the Wanderlust book I received they could have attended to this issue -- in spite of how easy it will be for me to spruce things up.

Airstream should just make a note on the invoice saying " some assembly required"

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Craftsman

Airstream should just make a note on the invoice saying " some assembly required"

That one put a smile on my face.....

[OpenHigher]

Hi all: I have some questions about the frames upon which the A/S is built. I am not knowledgeable about iron, etc. so please bear with me. The frame of the A/S is not galvanized, is this correct? If not, certainly why not? I just had a very heavy galvanized gate installed, powdercoated white enamel, and the iron man said his custom gate would never rust. So, I take him back to the rear of the new 2006 Safari SE and show him the section just under the storage area located in the rear. The specific area RUSTING is the joint section between the frame and the "bottom out guard" (the lowest point on the trailer). He said the frame is not galvanized.

Now I am thinking I need to go back to A/S and order the grey tone paint which is on the underbelly below the aluminum. Even so, I am concerned the unit will continue to rust.

We live in a dry area, So. Calif, so it is not like we are on salty roads or high humidity, but still!!!

Anyone enlighten me, and thanks in advance.

Galvanizing the frame would probably be one of the best improvements Airstream could make.