Corrosion problems with new Airstreams

[dmac]

Originally Posted by rgodfrey

...snip...

Airstream is sending me some ACF50, which I should receive early next week. The instructions are to scrape away any raised areas with nothing more than a credit card like plastic scraper, then apply the ACF50 with a Q-tip to the affected areas. “This should darken it, and seal it up to prevent further corrosion.” I’ll post some before and after pictures here when I get this done.

...snip...

At the factory, Airstream is going to install the Classic beltline trim to cover over the damaged areas.

...snip

Randy

Sorry to bring bad news, but ACF-50 is a very temporary solution, if it helps at all. It's a spray-on oily substance, a bit more durable than WD-40. I have had marginal luck with it on aircraft (it's intended use), and have been using it on my trailer, where it does not work well on the filiform corrosion. To work it needs to get under the clear at the head-end (far reaches of the worm-tracks) of the filiform.

Finally, the belt-line trim will cover up the mess for a while, until the filiform grows out from underneath. Which will be some time after your warranty has expired.

[wasafari]

On top of the worms on the trailer skin, my wheels have a bad case of filiform. So after reading the wheel comments, I went out with a magnet and my F250 has non ferrous wheels, I assume they are AL. And they have three times the miles on them, exposed to all the winter nasties you can imagine while the trailer sat at home. And no, I'm not one of these fanatics who washes his truck every weekend, if it's lucky maybe 4 times a year. The AS gets much better treatment and is much worse for the wear. Will post a set of side by side photos tomorrow when the sun is out. Pardon the pun, but the difference is like night and day

[dufferin]

We own two vintages, they do have corrosion, but after 30 years don't bother me a bit.
We took a look at the new unit, mostly for room with wide body as we want to be full timer.
But every time I went to a dealer I noticed different corroded parts. And to me, spend at least 50 grand in such a poor quality make me mad. If you buy your unit with a mortgage the money you spend in it is about twice the price depending on the time you need to clear the payment.
So so far no new AS...

[LI Pets]

I spoke to a dealer he suggested that if the corrosian starts around a rivet or where a part was cut into the skin it may be due to overheating the surface with the drill bit or saw.

If he's correct and the precoated panels are failing this way it is AS error in production.

As far as a class action, a class action seeking cash often results in small awards. It isn't money you're looking for so much as getting this problem resolved. The legal fees would be paid by AS.

So it would not be a waste of time talking to a few firms about your problems.

Also as a public company your lawsuit would be made public on their SEC reports, not a good thing!

Also write letters to president and CEO of AS.

[wasafari]

the first picture is the aluminum wheel on my f250. The next one is of one of my trailer wheels. Three times the miles on the truck. Go figure.

[wheel interested]

Well what do you know what I found tonight, hidden by the awning arm almost? Good grief. Now what do I do? sand it? Or just slap nail polish over it all?

[lewster]

I just got off the phone today with the factory and one Jim Parrett in customer service. He was very nice, quite helpful and understanding of my situation. I had sent him 10 shots of the corrosion on my '06 19CCD. His response was that 'this is NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY' but he is sending me new tail light bezels, entry door handle and entry light housing. The wheels have it too (as shown above). He also said to use ACF-50 to stop the corrosion.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot kind of warranty policy is this? I have no dealer to complain to as I do my own warranty work, not that it would do any good. I really feel a class action suit coming on if Airstream continues to state that 'this is not covered under warranty'.......anyone tuned in to how to initiate this?

[crazylev]

Lew,

Is AS sending you info on how to remove and re-install the door handle (the grab thing to the right of the door). This is the piece that's in the worse shape on my coach followed by the tail light assemblies.

To me it looks like you'd have to remove interior skin to bolt it on, but maybe there's anotehr way.

Keep us posted.

Jonathan

[lewster]

Originally Posted by crazylev

Lew,

Is AS sending you info on how to remove and re-install the door handle (the grab thing to the right of the door). This is the piece that's in the worse shape on my coach followed by the tail light assemblies.

To me it looks like you'd have to remove interior skin to bolt it on, but maybe there's anotehr way.

Keep us posted.

Jonathan

Nope! the only way to get at it is to remove the interior skin behind it. I'll put that one on the 'when I feel like it' list. I'll be polishing the one I have and clear-coating it until I get ready for the major replacement. I'll keep you posted!

[SafariSS]

My dealer stripped and sanded the entry handle in place and it looks great! It actually looks shinier than the factory job. No worries.

The rear bezels were removed though for better polishing.

The only bummer is the micro pitting of the plastic portions of the taillights. They all seem to do it in not much time, in a couple of years they will be trash.

[cosmotini]

A good number of the threads here refer to corrosion on the wheels, entry handle, and tail light bezels.

I'm pretty sure Airstream doesn't manufacture any of these items.

Are the suppliers using the wrong clearcoat or is there some logical reason these all have corrosion issues more extreme than the body panels seem to.

Maybe the type/grade of aluminum these items are made of? Electrolysis? Poor grounding?

I've ordered CorrosionX and plan to use it as a preventative measure, especially on the wheels, bezels, and entry handle.

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by lewster

I just got off the phone today with the factory and one Jim Parrett in customer service. He was very nice, quite helpful and understanding of my situation. I had sent him 10 shots of the corrosion on my '06 19CCD. His response was that 'this is NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY' but he is sending me new tail light bezels, entry door handle and entry light housing. The wheels have it too (as shown above). He also said to use ACF-50 to stop the corrosion.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot kind of warranty policy is this? I have no dealer to complain to as I do my own warranty work, not that it would do any good. I really feel a class action suit coming on if Airstream continues to state that 'this is not covered under warranty'.......anyone tuned in to how to initiate this?

So, if Airstream's contention is that this is not covered by warranty they must believe that it is not a result of defects in material or workmanship.

What's is their defense then, that these were as result of Airstream's design?

Give me a break!

John

[SilverCabin]

Originally Posted by dmac

Sorry to bring bad news, but ACF-50 is a very temporary solution, if it helps at all. It's a spray-on oily substance, a bit more durable than WD-40. I have had marginal luck with it on aircraft (it's intended use), and have been using it on my trailer, where it does not work well on the filiform corrosion. To work it needs to get under the clear at the head-end (far reaches of the worm-tracks) of the filiform.

Finally, the belt-line trim will cover up the mess for a while, until the filiform grows out from underneath. Which will be some time after your warranty has expired.

dmac (Dan),

I re-read this thread specifically looking for treatment recommendations, and ACF-50 seems to be the consensus opinion. It is also Airstream’s specific instruction to me, and since I have a trailer still under warranty, I’m going to do what they say for now. Others on this thread seem to be getting good results with the product, but “temporary” may be the operative word, as it seems to need to be re-applied every six months to keep the corrosion under control.

Airstream did recommend that I scrape the areas with a plastic scraper before applying the product. That makes sense, since a plastic scraper would remove any loose clear coat without damaging the good areas. I intend to wear a headset magnifier so I can make sure I’m exposing the ends of the worm tracks to the ACF-50.

Conspiracy theorists might say that Airstream is going to cover-up the problem with the trim until the trailer goes out of warranty. However in their communications with me, they did say that the area needs to be cleaned off and an acrylic sealer applied. I’ll check this out, but I’m assuming they intend to do that before applying the trim. I’m also assuming that Airstream has provided the ACF-50 to me at no charge to keep the problem from growing any larger so that the trim will be effective in covering the damaged areas.

Originally Posted by lewster

I just got off the phone today with the factory … response was that 'this is NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY'….

Lewster (Lew),

I don’t understand this statement from your post #187. Wheel interested seems to have gotten warranty service for this, and they are taking care of me under warranty.

Randy

PS: The ACF-50 arrived a few days ago while we were away. I’ll be getting started with it this weekend and will post some before/after photos.

[SilverRanger]

... for what it's worth.

This morning, I delivered the 2005 Bambi, and a fairly respectable list of known defects, to the dealership for some warranty work before it expires in ten days (I set up the appointment a couple of weeks ago). Along with the usual faulty tank sensors, there were two non-functioning light/fan switches, a leaking black tank flushing system, aluminum dust leeching through the interior fabric on the ceiling, etc., I reported some corroson that I had recently noticed (thanks to this forum!) on the grab handle and one of the tail lights.

When I called to check on the status, the service advisor said they had been communicating back and forth with Jackson Center about some of the issues, in particular the corrosion. He said AS had developed a "procedure" to fix the corrosion, and that they were going to try it. I'll report back when I find out what it is. I just hope it's a step above steel wool and clear fingernail polish.

[Al - K4GLU]

This thread has grown so much I can't remember if I've posted before or not. I have a 2007 20' Safari with corrosion problems on 4 panels - the 2 curved panels on both front and back. In addition I have corrosion problems with both tailight castings. Will be at Airstream next week and intend to camp there a couple of days. This will be taken up with them. If they claim it is not covered by the warranty we will take it from there. Whether Airstream manufactured the parts they used or not they sold them to me and as far as I'm concerned they are responsible. They take care of the problem for the buyer and then get reimbursed by their suppliers. Although I'm going to be on the road for about 4 weeks will let you know what the outcome is at the first opportunity.

[SilverRanger]

... on the corrosion issue. I spoke to the dealership a few minutes ago regarding the status of Bambi. The service advisor said that it wouldn't be ready today because they have been "doing battle" with Airstream over the remedy for the corrosion on the grab hande and tail light housing. He said they factory asked them to remove the parts and then remove the clearcoat, polish out the corroded areas, and then reinstall them. The dealership contends that this is not the proper way to fix it, and is trying to get AS to replace the parts with new ones.

Because he generously offered to reassemble the parts if I needed the trailer this weekend, I got the impression that they had already tried the recommended fix and found it to be "unacceptable". So far, I'm very impressed with the stance and performance of the dealership, and somewhat less than thrilled with the Airstream's position. The service advisor said he wanted everything to be done right before it left the shop, which I very much appreciate.

Pure speculation on my part, but I believe because the problem is so widespread, the factory could be reluctant to replace the parts because it may set a precedent, and the replacement parts may still be subject to the corrosion. In the meantime, I find myself Bambiless.

[5cats]

Some previous posters have already had parts replaced by Airstream, so I think the precedent has been established.

An aside:
Sure wish I could count on my local dealership to be (pick any: useful, helpful, quality-minded, attentive, service-oriented). That's my pickle: I must go find a dealership other than where I bought the coach. The owner's manual clearly states that any authorized Airstream repair facility can be used for warranty work, but we've all read plenty about how some places are not so willing for some reason (for warranty work)...

Cheers,
-jd.

[SilverRanger]

Fortunately, we get ours worked on where we bought it, and we may have lucked out with our situation. The person who actually sold us the Bambi is now working in the service department, and he is a top notch individual. But when we first bought the trailer, it had some issues, and we were working with other people and it was an uphill battle getting anything done well.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by 5cats

Some previous posters have already had parts replaced by Airstream, so I think the precedent has been established.

An aside:
Sure wish I could count on my local dealership to be (pick any: useful, helpful, quality-minded, attentive, service-oriented). That's my pickle: I must go find a dealership other than where I bought the coach. The owner's manual clearly states that any authorized Airstream repair facility can be used for warranty work, but we've all read plenty about how some places are not so willing for some reason (for warranty work)...

Cheers,
-jd.

Hi, 5cats. It will be a little drive, but have you tried C&G Trailer Service in Bellflower, Ca? Rod and Darlene are an authorized Airstream repair center and they do not sell new Airstreams; So their interests are in repairs. I don't think some of the dealers aren't willing as much as, maybe, not capable of doing these repairs. When you go to C&G Trailer Service and see 30 or 40 Airstreams of all ages, smashed, bashed, and broken being repaired, you will see some obvious experience in action that's impressive. I don't think you will find too many places like this in this whole country.

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

Fortunately, we get ours worked on where we bought it, and we may have lucked out with our situation. The person who actually sold us the Bambi is now working in the service department, and he is a top notch individual. But when we first bought the trailer, it had some issues, and we were working with other people and it was an uphill battle getting anything done well.

Do you mind telling where you're getting your service work done?

I'd like to know a reliable place to take my Airsteam for service. The 2 Airstream dealers I have dealt with in the past were horrible, and the management - Dave Schumann - at Jackson Center blackmailed me into taking my trailer all the way to the factory which is over a 1000 mile round trip from my home (at my expense) under the threat that they would not cover repairs to my trailer under warranty unless I brought it there. (And then he made me sign an agreement not to divulge this.)

John