Does anyone have access to a free printer and free ink? I was thinking why couldn't someone print off all these discussion pages and send them to the decision makers at Jackson Center and a copy to the Chairman at of Thor and ask for a response.
They(Airstream company rep.) could actually become a member of the forum and answer the questions concerning these problems directly. I know that won't ever happen, just thought it might be a good way for them to address problems first hand.
To be frank, I was thinking about a new 27 footer in the near future, but this thread
had me put on the breaks on that idea. I'll just stay with my old trailer, who needs to spend all that money for a bunch of problems.
B.,
The factory is well aware of this thread. As a matter of fact I personally know a few factory employees in the know that have been on this thread. A fellow forum member was out at Jackson Center a bit ago and they told that forum member that they were well aware of this thread and what is in it. This is not the first time a forums member has told this either. It's fairly common when a forums member goes to Jackson Center I heard something about this problem and how they spoke with them about it. Sending them a paper copy will yield the same results as the thread itself.....a dial tone.
You could buy a pre-owned at up to half the price if you have aluminitus. That way if the nasty comes out, you wouldn't have paid top dollar. Odds are if you find a 2 year old trailer or older an it doesn't have it, it most likely won't, but that is not a promise......
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 11/91
m.a., I don't have any corrosion after 1 1/2 years. Since the owners with corrosion are more likely to post than those without, trying to figure out just how many have it is impossible (maybe someone wants to start a poll?). Will it go through the skin? Well, all metal corrodes or oxydizes (not exactly the same I think, but enough for an amateur), but the oxidation actually protects the surface to some extent because it forms a film over it. It doesn't look pretty though.
When you put some sort of surface coating on, and water or some other substance gets under the coating, I think it can speed the process because the substance is in constant contact with the metal, or wood, for that matter. A piece of unpainted wood can last hundreds of years while a painted one, once the surface of the paint is compromised, can rot. Paint looks good so long as it is uncompromised.
The filiform corrosion is under the clearcoat, but it doesn't seem to go very far into the metal. Mainly it makes the clearcoat look bad because you see a lot of seemingly random tracks. I think if the clearcoat was removed, the filiform could be polished off and the trailer would shine, not like the trailers of decades ago because it's a different aluminum, but it could be polished. It not coated with a wax or a paint sealer, it would then oxidize and look dull.
This much I have learned from this thread and some life experience. I don't know why the trailers are clear coated. Maybe it would be better if they weren't. Using a transparent sealant, a wax or similar substance, would protect the surface for a while, and we would then have to reapply that.
Airstream is well aware of this thread. I was just there and I know this to be true. I can say no more about that other than I made my thoughts known and was heard.
There are a lot of other metal parts, mainly steel, that rust. That's oxidation. Paint chips off from road damage. I have removed the rust in some places and repainted them. Somehow that seems normal to me, but the aluminum feels different when it gets filiform. Not sure how I reason that out.
It's possible that the clearcoat quality varies greatly and that's why some get filiform and others don't. Maybe more exposure to road salt when they are transported cross country or where they are bought. Maybe electrolysis. Maybe voodoo. Maybe all of the above. I try to make sure I work paint sealant into all the seams where the panels have been cut, but Bob Cross uses the same stuff and has corrosion, so what does that prove? Better to do it anyway.
Since they are aware of the problem, I just can't get it thru my thick head why they won't address the problem, and just fix it. If it takes money for the fix we all know that Airstream is not bashful about asking for extra, above what their product or services are worth. so it just leads me to believe they are not interested.
Hi, I'm not jumpng on the band wagon and I'm not complaining. As I mentioned before, my trailer sits outside all year round, I'm eight miles from the ocean, I have never waxed my trailer, I don't store it on shore power, I don't winterize it, and it gets washed before trips and hosed off in-between. What corrosion I have mostly was written off by me as assembly glue and was there from day one. I am going to post pictures and try to explain what you will see.
(1.) This is the top/back side of my entrance handle. On the very top, it actually is glue or sealer above the corrosion.
(2.) This is the bottom/front side on my entrance handle with corrosion showing.
(3.) This is the bottom door hinge. It has a few spots on the leading edge of the door part and on the front flat spots on the body part of the hinge.
(4.) This is the upper door hinge and it only has spots on the front flat spots on the body part of the door hinge.
Hi, this will be my last corrosion picture and the only one actually on the body/skin.
(1.) This is the vertical seam where the front curved segment on the street side is attached to the side in front of the first window. There are about five little spots and on the highest one I scraped it off and put clear nail polish on it.
(2.) I ordered my trailer with the Classic belt moulding on it because we like the way it looks, not to cover up anything. The American flag decal does cover up something, but that's another story.
2006 19 foot Safari, noted corrosion for the first time now--I may have missed it previously but it's now obvious on wheel, light molding, and several areas on the lower body seams. The fact that there are a number of approaches indicates that a solution that is not expensive and/or labor intensive involving removal of clear coat has yet to be found.
I presume this will continue and worsen. From what I read Airstream has no acceptable suggestions?
What a disappointment, I and to think I thought Airstream was a quality, lower maintenance unit--for which we pay a premium price.
I am in the market for a 23' or 25' safari/flying cloud. I was going to wait till the 2010 models came out hoping for a drop in price in the leftover 2008/2009 models at the dealerships. I wanted to buy new so I wouldn't have to deal with any issues for a while but it sounds like QC is not what I expected at all. The worst part of this corrosion part to me is not that it happens but that the company isn't acknowledging it. A simple "we are sorry" would go a long way for me. Now that I know about the issue, at least I won't feel blindsided if I do go ahead with the purchase. This leads me to my 2 questions:
1. If P&S can recoat a 27' trailer for around $2k to resolve the issue (as indicated in post #872) I would feel extremely comfortable asking a dealer to knock off $2k from the sale price (I understand they usually go for less than MSRP - I am talking about an additional discount). This way, if the problem does occur, I have the hassle of getting it fixed but at least I won't feel ripped off. This doesn't help all of you out there that currently own (and I feel terrible for those of you with this issue - I am disgusted with the whole thing) but it may give us newbies more of an incentive to buy.
2. This may be blasphemy and if so I don't want to start a flame war, but what other trailers are comparable to AS that you would consider if AS was no longer an option? My understanding is that AS is the last aluminum trailer out there (still in production). Are there companies that build them completely custom (this would probably be out of my price range but I am curious).
The forums and this thread in particular have been immensly helpful. Despite the QC and corrosion issues, it's clear that AS owners love their trailers and have quite a vibrant community.
For some time I was looking at a company called Millennium, they can build both 5th wheel and traditional trailers and all metal construction. Very durable and well built. I wish now after all the corrosion issues I would have done so.
You need to get into the companies web site, but remember it does not show all the custom work they can do. For example, cherry interiors can be ordered, and complete trailers not just garage models can be built. If I sell the a/s, and decide to stay with a trailer vs motor-home this is how I would go. I may have 2004 28 up for sale if interested, and it has corrosion.
I don't have an answer to the question of where to go if not Airstream. I know that Bigfoot closed it's doors, but was a very well made trailer if you can find one out there.
As for the P&S posting in 872. That price was an approx price. I would call P&S and talk it over with them. My thought is that once stripped and re-coated, you will most likely solve the fillform corrosion issue, but as with the vintage units, depending on exposure and care, the clear will eventually fail as well. This I can accept as a maint issue since a cared for unit that has been cleared can last far longer than most of the new(er) trailers that see this issue.
My opinion, FWIW, is if you still want to buy Airstream, I would to buy a pre-owned unit about 2 years or so old. Why? To be honest, the issues are a crapshoot with a new one in terms of QC (not even taking into account the corrosion issuse). Take a look at the unrelated QC threads via this link:
If you bought pre-owned, you may have found a previous owner who has solved most of the QC issues. If not the QC threads will point you on where to be on the lookout. In addition, a unit around 2 years old will have depreciated far more than a few thousand dollars (beyond the average 19% off list on a new unit). If it is a 2 year old unit, I would think at least somewhere between $6k and $8k as new units depreciate hard the first 3-4 years. If you then came across a good pre-owned and it had signs of this corrosion, then you could negoit additionally off asking price, thereby saving you even more money than the route it sounds like you were considering. In all without any price increase between 09 and 10 model years, you could easily save between $9k and $12k (if corrosion is found) well beyond the $3k additional on an already price inflated new unit.
That's just my opinion. I am not an engineer, a financial guru, etc.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 11/91
Thanks Silvertwinkie. It's now my understanding that the refinishing would be a lot more than $2k so there goes my idea. Alternatively, I gather from the forums that a lot of people have the factory customize their AS. Is it possible to have them use aluminum sheets that don't come pre-coated with the clearcoat? My understanding is that you think the issue is that the sheets they use from Alcoa are pre-coated and that they are damaged during the manufacturing. If they could provide an option to use un-coated sheets (which would cost less $$$) that would give us flexibility to handle the finishing after the AS is manufactured as we see fit without being locked into the clearcoating. Depending on our preferences and resources, some people may still choose to apply the Alcoa clearcoating (either pre or post production) while others may choose the less expensive but less durable pasticoat. That would seem like a fair way to handle this issue that puts more control in our hands. On that note, clearcoat and plasticoat are the only 2 finishing options I know of. Are there others? Do some people simple polish and wax their AS? (And, no, paiting is not an option as far as I am concerned )
That kind of custom, for most would be cost prohibitive and I'm not even sure they'd do that. There is a custom department where they make them in a different place than on the line I believe, but expect to pay at least 1.5 to 2x what a normal Airstream would cost.
I "special" ordered my unit, but with upgrades that were easily installed on the line
My suggestion would be:
1) Buy a new one and roll the dice
2) Buy a used one that is a few years old and is already significantly depreciated and if it has corrosion, back out the cost of what re-coating would be at P & S.
3) Buy a different trailer
4) Buy a vintage that has either been fixed up or buy a vintage and fix her up the way you want.
I really think going the custom route is a neat idea, but it's the most expensive way to go as I recall. This doesn't even take into account that Airstream stopped coating the trailers years ago, and I'm not sure they'd clear a whole trailer even if they would build one with different non-coated alum. Best bet would be to call the factory directly. They will tell you first hand what they will or won't do.
If it were me doing it all over again, I'd seriously lean toward option #2.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 11/91
Quick Links
Hi, I'm not jumpng on the band wagon and I'm not complaining. As I mentioned before, my trailer sits outside all year round, I'm eight miles from the ocean, I have never waxed my trailer, I don't store it on shore power, I don't winterize it, and it gets washed before trips and hosed off in-between. What corrosion I have mostly was written off by me as assembly glue and was there from day one. I am going to post pictures and try to explain what you will see.
Alternatively, I gather from the forums that a lot of people have the factory customize their AS. Is it possible to have them use aluminum sheets that don't come pre-coated with the clearcoat? My understanding is that you think the issue is that the sheets they use from Alcoa are pre-coated and that they are damaged during the manufacturing. If they could provide an option to use un-coated sheets (which would cost less $$$) that would give us flexibility to handle the finishing after the AS is manufactured as we see fit without being locked into the clearcoating. Depending on our preferences and resources, some people may still choose to apply the Alcoa clearcoating (either pre or post production) while others may choose the less expensive but less durable pasticoat. That would seem like a fair way to handle this issue that puts more control in our hands. On that note, clearcoat and plasticoat are the only 2 finishing options I know of. Are there others? Do some people simple polish and wax their AS? (And, no, paiting is not an option as far as I am concerned 
Hybrid Mode
