2015 30' Classic
2012 28' International
Greensboro
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,708
I read this thread carefully before I bought my new trailer. There is a lot of wisdom (along with frustration and disappointment) passing through these 4 years of posts. No matter how educated you try to be as a buyer, timing matters. (If you deal with the stock market you already have learned this lesson, many times.) In purchasing "new", I had the advantage of 4 years of this thread. And, I went to JC to "see for myself." What I saw impressed me. The guys who were building the trailers liked what they were doing (I asked). Does "corporate" listen? I think so. While you might not get an outright admission -- my water pump is quiet, it is directly behind a self releasing panel. At JC, I saw the PLYWOOD that went into the flooring (not OSB)...and it was coated with some kind of black preservative, I SAW the guy inside the trailer when the high pressure water garage opened....and he had a caulking gun in his hand, not a cup of coffee. Filiform is ugly, I'll be watching carefully -- because you folks on the Forum educated me about it. Everything I put on my trailer was as a result of lessons learned by all of you -- the TV, the 3P hitch, the Honda 2000's, and so if some of you are frustrated, be advised that you really helped me. Maybe that wasn't your intent, but there it is. I'll have to "pay it forward" by sharing my experience and observations as "Silver Leaf" takes to the road. Being passionate owners (and wow, so many of us are!), is the difference between having a "trailer" and something you are truly proud of.
Thanks BAB; I certainly have been frustrated and I'm glad frustrated owners have educated you. Others have educated me.
The guy in the trailer with a caulking gun should have been on the outside. Maybe he went outside after the "rain" stopped. Caulking on the inside only stops leaks from dripping down inside, but not between the inner and outer panels where the water will drip down and eventually come out somewhere after soaking the insulation and promoting mold growth.
OSB was used for a short time on certain cheaper trailers. Anybody who thought OSB would hold up should have been fired. OSB is designed only for completely dry applications. There are many grades of plywood and marine grade would be the best. I don't believe they use that. If coated, that may help, but it should be on all sides including the edges and wherever it is cut.
Corporate does listen sometimes. It depends on how you deal with them. Individuals may get something solved, but others may not. Airstream is very slow to change and while they think about it, many customers suffer from cheap parts, poor workmanship and bad designs. They appear to be better now and all the complaints on this and other threads may have worked, but a quicker and more open response would have been appreciated and would have helped them sell more trailers. A couple of years ago the complaints were so persistent and responses weak or nonexistent that many potential owners decided not to buy an Airstream. The company lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because of that. There is some evidence they finally heard us.
So, I am still frustrated. I have fixed many of the problems either through taking the trailer to JC for warranty work, or fixing it myself. We quickly learned the dealer was the worst place to take it.
We like the trailer. It is cool. The original design was brilliant. The company went through changes of ownership and present corporate policy seems to be focused on cost cutting and shows a lack of creativity. As I said, improvements seem to have been made as Thor seems to have realized cheapening their premium brand destroys value. Many companies (remember Packards?) have done the same thing and went bankrupt or were sold for a fraction of their former value.
I'm glad you like your brand new International and I hope things work out for you and Airstream.
2015 30' Classic
2012 28' International
Greensboro
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,708
Agree completely about destroying value. Remember the words of Oscar Wilde, "cynics know the price of everything and the value of nothing." And, once you get to the top the expectations most certainly do not slack off. Packard in its heyday was among the most prestigious cars you could own .... and there are plenty of case studies on how that brand came to an inglorious end. My Dad bought a used Packard Clipper around 1958. One year. Back to a Lincoln. Ending up as a Studebaker was not a way to go.
I went over my new Airstream very carefully before I towed it home. I'm pretty fanatical at maintenance and can keep up with most mechanical challenges. I hope not to have to use them on the new trailer, but once the warranty is up, I'm ready to have at it.
While I was doing the JC tour, I had a chance to talk with 3-4 owners who were availing themselves of the JC maintenance base operations. One thing in common -- they were all irrevocably in love with their trailer....and one guy had driven almost 1,000 miles to meet an appointment he'd made 5 months earlier. THAT is amazing brand loyalty -- and a sad commentary that the dealer network was obviously not what it ought to be.
I've known quite a number of Rolls Royce owners, and it seems to me it's the same sort of complaints I hear from AS owners. When you pay that much, you expect as close to perfection as human made things can get. And like RR owners, I've noted that the vast majority, despite the complaints, would never give up their cherished goods.
I'm certainly going to be looking for filiform when I pick up the Bambino at the end of the month!
__________________
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird
We have a 28'-2009 Flying cloud. The taillight bezels are corroded quite badly.JC customer service sent me one on warranty,(we had to instal , no big deal ) We also have noticed same on the door hinges.We are a long way from the ocean,our trailer is stored in a unheated building in the off season.
2015 30' Classic
2012 28' International
Greensboro
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,708
I've already ordered a can of the Corrosion X -- and plan on doing my tail light assemblies when it arrives. Guess the door hinges as well. Funny about the Rolls Royce owners. I bought a new Lambo three years ago and enjoy being part of the owners on-line community. You could just change the name from "Airstream" to "Lamborghini" and you'd hear many of the same comments about "quality", "perfection", and "modifications". You would also sense the unbridled passion for the product. (And NO, I do not use the Lambo as a TV! Not even CanAm could figure this one out.) I have been inside, outside, and all around my new Intl and am thoroughly delighted with what I've found in terms of attention to detail, cleanliness, etc. I've examined the wiring harnesses, the proper clamping of the PEX (yes, I have a gauge to do this as I've installed a bunch of it in my home). I have yet to find a defect. And I'll keep looking.
Before and after pics. After...discussion with AS customer service = washed, cleaned area with rubbing alcohol, allowed to dry, scraped area with plastic putty knife, applied CorrosionX.
Looks to me like I am not "underneath" the clearcoat yet. Do you agree? Have I made any progress? Not sure what I am looking for at this point.
Start here and check the following posts, the described procedures have worked for me in controlling the filiform...as well as I have been able to come up with.
I do have a new clear that I will be trying this Spring, will post on the progress.
see post#1069
Bob
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
It seems to me a product such as CorrosionX that can penetrate and coat openings in the protective clear coat finish, would displace the water that leads to filiform. Most likely it would need regular treatments, but those treatments are rather easy. Just spray it on (lightly) and wipe off the excess. Fittings on the shell such as hinges, light futures, and trim are the important areas to ensure the product gets well into them.
There is talk about paint sealers or waxes but I don't think that gets into the areas where the corrosion starts. They would be for surface protection.
Our 2007 Airstream had some minor filiform and I decided to use CorrosionX to treat it, rather than removing it and opening up even more of the finish. It looked like the product was able to get into the filiform "trails" and displace any water that tried to enter. The filiform areas were very small, I don't know about larger areas.
We are moving to a 2011 23' FB Flying Cloud, from the 19' Bambi (04)
We had a pretty good dose of this white crud on the 04.
I'm curious, is it still showing up on 2011s? Etc..
If so, I guess we will try to just keep the coating on it..
We have a 2005 and it has filliform all over now too. We also had the tail lights replaced under warranty and it has come back again out-of-warranty and completely covers the lights! This is an unfortunate problem that Airstream seems to AVOID discussing at all costs! I have even left messages for the President of the company. It seems to me an easy fix that they aren't willing to deal with. The sheets of aluminum are coated prior to cut and wherever they are cut the corosion occurs, also the tail lights are not coated....so what we should all ask is why don't they spray the entire trailer after production is complete!? DO NOT sand down and coat with nail polish...it will look terrible! I've heard there are better options, but still have not found the correct solution which should come from the source...AIRSTREAM ITSELF!
We have a 2005 and it has filliform all over now too. We also had the tail lights replaced under warranty and it has come back again out-of-warranty and completely covers the lights! This is an unfortunate problem that Airstream seems to AVOID discussing at all costs! I have even left messages for the President of the company. It seems to me an easy fix that they aren't willing to deal with. The sheets of aluminum are coated prior to cut and wherever they are cut the corosion occurs, also the tail lights are not coated....so what we should all ask is why don't they spray the entire trailer after production is complete!? DO NOT sand down and coat with nail polish...it will look terrible! I've heard there are better options, but still have not found the correct solution which should come from the source...AIRSTREAM ITSELF!
Kirbys
Research this and other threads for control methods....
There are a few options that will dramatically slow the progression of the corrosion. You do not "sand" the clear to remove filiform. But nail polish, auto brush on or a water based clear,(Thomas's), will seal it very well.
There is no "correct" solution only a barely adequate repair.
Bob
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
I have this issue as I have shared. I had someone look at it and was told that this is a natural occurrance of raw aluminum exposed to the elements. The explanation was that the clearcoat works well for the Airstream panels but the cut exposed edges are target areas that sealers, paints, etc wear off most quickly and then exposure occurs. Sure enough, after his explanation every single place on my AS that has filiform is near a cut edge! Basically then the answer is to seal after cleaning it up as everyone knows already. I agree that a company working with aluminum should know the best ways of dealing with the "edges" to minimize the corrosion.
I saw a 2011 AS yesterday that had a significant amount of some sort of corrosion on the tail lights. It did not really look like filiform but it was definitely corrosion.
The filiform on my AS has really slowed with the use of Corrosion-X.
I saw a 2011 AS yesterday that had a significant amount of some sort of corrosion on the tail lights. It did not really look like filiform but it was definitely corrosion.
The filiform on my AS has really slowed with the use of Corrosion-X.
Thats the problem with the X.....not worth the effort IMO.
Bob
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
If CorrosionX works as advertised, it should penetrate into the filiform and displace water, and prevent water from entering. Where the filiform has not yet started it should bond and protect the bared metal edges (don't forget to treat the rivets as there are cut edges under them).
Our 2007 Safari had the usual areas of filiform when we bought it, but they were quite small. I was able to successfully stop its progress and prevent any new filiform by treating with CorrosionX. It is important to note that the trailer was not exposed to salt in the air such as on coastal areas and northern winter roadways, after we owned it. I never had large patches of filiform but would have taken the greater step of removing it carefully and painting the area.
Based on my experience I believe it is good to wash the trailer quarterly and spray CorrosionX on all exterior edges and fittings, let it soak, then wipe off the excess. Probably more often in salt air conditions.
Washing and waxing the exterior is not enough by itself because the wax does not penetrate and protect under the fittings and rivets where the corrosion starts. Nor does it penetrate existing corrosion.
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