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dkottum · 04-16-2012, 09:05 PM

Good job Rod'. Sometimes it works to make a scar look like it was designed that way. How about taping off a nice rectangle with round corners just like the latch, large enough to cover the repair. Then paint it with silver of gray paint, if its too rough use a textured paint, and call it good. Same with stove vent.

doug k

ROBERT CROSS · 04-17-2012, 06:44 AM

POI...been at it since 2004 and haven't found a "good match" yet.
The most important consequence of the effort.....stopping the progression.

Bob

Gene · 04-18-2012, 09:32 AM

Eventually you won't notice it. Some people say I've lost some hair; I never see that. Those people have bad eyesight; I have denial and a baseball cap on my side.

Gene

GettinAway · 04-19-2012, 11:09 AM

I started following this thread when we bought our Bambi 4 yrs ago. It had quite a bit of the white stuff on it, but we thought it was because the PO was from Florida..
Well, I've stayed subscribed.. Bought some stuff to protect our new 2011 23FB FC. Went out today to apply a little preventave coating of T-9 Bioshield.. Too Late..

This thread had me thinking.. How are these running lights attached? No gasket between the light base and the aluminum skin..

Wouldn't that help? Oh well. We do have a little more invested in the 2011 vs the Bambi. Not a good feeling..

I know the corrosion isn't covered under the warranty, but we haven't had it for 90 days yet! I will try and contact JC and see what they say..

Gene · 04-19-2012, 12:43 PM

Bob Wheeler, president of Airstream, said he would work with people who had corrosion, even if they were out of warranty, a couple of years ago on the Forum. Some Forum members reported they did get some help. All e-mails to Airstream employees seem to follow the same system so he should be bwheeler@airstream.com

The dealer should deal with this if you are within warranty, but it has been reported that some refuse to act on it. That's when you have to go over their head.

Gene

Motoman · 04-19-2012, 11:18 PM

Just picked up our 2012 yesterday in Corona, CA. All the running lights have a gasket of some kind between the metal light housing and the skin of the Airstream.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

I started following this thread when we bought our Bambi 4 yrs ago. It had quite a bit of the white stuff on it, but we thought it was because the PO was from Florida..
Well, I've stayed subscribed.. Bought some stuff to protect our new 2011 23FB FC. Went out today to apply a little preventave coating of T-9 Bioshield.. Too Late..

Wouldn't that help? Oh well. We do have a little more invested in the 2011 vs the Bambi. Not a good feeling..

I know the corrosion isn't covered under the warranty, but we haven't had it for 90 days yet! I will try and contact JC and see what they say..

GettinAway · 04-20-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Bob Wheeler, president of Airstream, said he would work with people who had corrosion, even if they were out of warranty, a couple of years ago on the Forum. Some Forum members reported they did get some help. All e-mails to Airstream employees seem to follow the same system so he should be bwheeler@airstream.com

The dealer should deal with this if you are within warranty, but it has been reported that some refuse to act on it. That's when you have to go over their head.

Gene

Email sent.. We'll see how he responds. I'd at least like to get some kind of gasket put in between the lights and the skin.
Thanks for the email address.

fltlevel510 · 04-20-2012, 12:51 PM

Decals may be a temporary way to hide the areas where the corrosion once was but I believe they will also attract more corrosion. I say this because some of the worst corrosion on my airstream was under the THOR sticker next to the door and under the clear tape Airstream installed under the awning mounting brackets.

funpilot · 04-23-2012, 10:47 AM

I was about to purchase one of the trailers years ago when I came upon this topic. I have treaded water and see that Airsteam appears to have chosen to ignore this problem. I say that because I am sure I read earlier that older models did not have this problem and it was introduced via a change in manufacturing. I'll bet that future owners would pay any premium going back to the old way would create. I wonder if anyone has discussed that with them or is it a governmental EPA impact that they cannot manage?

As for me, I will continue to wait as it is not a life necessity and I do not want to buy a migraine.

ROBERT CROSS · 04-23-2012, 02:18 PM

AS does get the pre-coated panels from Alcoa but that is not the root cause of the filiform problem.
JC refuses to apply the proper assembly procedures to seal all the cut edges during assembly, a daunting, (would require actual training), but not un-doable undertaking.

The other option would be to go back to coating the trailers in house, which would require the proper OSHA approved procedures, equipment and trained personal.

Obviously management feels the status-quo is the most cost effective.

Bob

fmr.capt.evi · 04-23-2012, 05:19 PM

As for me, I will continue to wait as it is not a life necessity and I do not want to buy a migraine.[/QUOTE]

REAL men buy Airstreams...and CorrosionX.

GregU · 04-26-2012, 12:35 PM

I have a 23' 2008 CCD International that is starting to get filiform corrosion in numerous places. It started on the door handle and on the tail lights. I now have hundreds of small spots along the seem lines and around many rivets. Even under warranty, Airstream said they do not warranty corrosion. This rig was purchased new and is stored in a locked storage shed on a gravel floor. I wax it twice a year and wash it before and after each outing. To coat each spot in clear fingernail polish would take a gallon of polish and look terrible. I considered the extra chrome rub rail but that would only be a temporary fix.

Airstream knows they have a problem and is trying to duck the issue. This is not acceptable for a $60k RV to start to corrode in year 10 much less year one. If there are those who want to initiate a class action, I would be willing to join in. In the meantime, if you have a fix for this problem, please let me know,
One upset Airstreamer!!

ROBERT CROSS · 04-26-2012, 01:34 PM

Greg,

No "fix"....just cosmetic cover-up's and the punitive preventive maintenance recommended by Airstream, resulting in any number of various possible outcomes.....nail polish, corrosionX, bioshield, wd40, stainless paint, wax, paint sealers along with 1193 posts all contributing to the frustration.

Bob

fmr.capt.evi · 04-26-2012, 02:15 PM

I have an appointment at the factory service center in a few weeks, and my corrosion issues are on the list...(hope it turns into a frickin' love fest, like we've seen here recently, but I'm not holding my breath). I'll weigh in on the class action idea then.

silverbacksurfer · 04-26-2012, 02:17 PM

It bugs me , I don't like it but in the grand scheme of things Ive tried not too let it bother me. To many other things to worry about in life. I go to the beach a lot I have it in all the same spots you all have, seams no stopping it , but I still love my trailer. Right now I am more worried about my cholesterol, inside corrosion.

wheel interested · 04-26-2012, 03:14 PM

Would the corrosion still persist if the aluminum were polished or if it were painted and then clear coated as a auto would be painted? Is it Big Al that sports a prime example of a unit that is barely distinguishable from aluminum sided Airstreams, after Airstream fixed his unit after its exterior was noted to be adversely breeched in some way? And I think Inland Andy had said all Airstreams could be polished. My interest is in the later model Airstreams that are thinner aluminum and precoated by Alcoa. Can the newer models be likewise recoated as the older Airstreams can be when they experience peeling? Who does these kinds of things and what would the cost of these alternatives run? If any of these are viable then it would be great if it were researched and data compiled and centralized to offer to Airstream owners for their convenience and accessibility. Just knowing the facts and being able to investigate the services would be beneficial to those seeking alternatives.

It also wouldn't hurt if the services were discounted to some extent, being partially subsidized by Thor for its customers, who weren't expecting any problems with the "new fix" from the older peeling Airstreams. That's what the salesman told us, "No problem" with the new Airstreams and their exteriors.

fltlevel510 · 04-30-2012, 07:10 AM

I would be interested in a Class Action Suit since nothing else seems to work.

Gene · 04-30-2012, 09:05 AM

A long, long time ago a Forum member (Silvertwinkie) investigated a class action suit and came to the conclusion it would not work. I believe it is several years back on this thread and may be discussed on another.

The problem with class action suits is that Congress made it much more difficult for consumers to use them back about 5 or 10 years ago, the corporate oriented Supreme Court has further limited class actions, the amount of the recovery may not come close to the cost of the work needed to pursue the suit (research time, scientific analysis, getting a class together) and not all that many Airstream owners seemed willing to join such a suit.

People with some knowledge of metals corrosion who have posted here do not agree on causes and lawyers may decide there is not enough good data to make a good lawsuit. Who is going to pay for research, scientific analysis and all the other costs of this? Unless it appears there is a good chance of winning, lawyers can't afford to advance much money for this and most consumers can't afford it either. An individual consumer's damage claim doesn't amount to much compared to the costs of pursuing this.

Gene

GregU · 05-01-2012, 07:15 AM

I agree that a class action lawsuit would most likely not solve any of our filiform problems. The best we could hope for is to finally wake up Thor/Airstream to this problem so that it can be solved in the future. Even while my 2008 CCD International was under warranty, Airstream said that corrosion issues were not covered because Airstream had no control over how we use and store our Airstreams. I explained that mine was only two months old from the dealer. They did send me a new door handle and one new tail light assembly but said they would not cover labor to install them. The dealer did install the tail light but would not remove the inside panel to install the door grab handle. I still have it in a box.

Yesterday I tried some of the fixes mentioned throughout this thread. I started by photographing the worst areas for later comparison. I next began with the belt line corrosion. What worked best was to lightly feather the powdery white filiform with 600 grit wet sandpaper, wipe it with a soft cloth to remove the powder residue and spray with Corrosion X HD. After a few minutes I wiped off the excess Corrosion X with paper towels. The areas I sanded turned black immediately. The areas I had not sanded stayed white and the Corrosion X had not penetrated. I plan to go back in a couple weeks to compare before and after treatment. I will need to seal the area with a clear coat or a good wax.

One thing I learned is that you should never store a car in a storage shed with a gravel floor. The moisture in the gravel acts as a reservoir for a hot house and keeps the moisture very high inside the shed. You can rust out a car from the inside in less than a year. My Airstream is stored on a gravel floor in just such a storage shed. One treatment is to place a heavy plastic vapor barrier over the entire floor. You can get 4 mil plastic at Home Depot. The moisture gets trapped under the sheet and the shed does seem to feel a lot dryer. I have only had the plastic down for a couple weeks so time will tell how well it slows filiform. The moisture is not as much of an issue on a concrete floor.

The moisture build up inside a gravel floor storage shed combined with the baking Texas sun may contribute to my Airstream filiform corrosion. Even during the Texas drought, the moisture never seemed to go away. If the use of plastic sheeting seems to slow the filiform corrosion of any of readers of this thread, please let the rest of us know.

This thread has been going on for several years and it is almost beyond belief that Thor/Airstream have not taken this problem seriously. Like most of you out there, I love my Airstream and would like to see the filiform issues go away for future Airstreamers. I hope Thors' quest for the quarterly bottom line has not blinded them to finding a permanent long term solution and that talk of class action suits is unnecessary.
Greg U

Gene · 05-01-2012, 12:52 PM

In 2009 Airstream started a thread to confront issues including corrosion. An offer was made about certain items by Bob Wheeler, Airstream president (post 47). One person later reported that he had taken up the offer (post 73).

If you read the thread through, you will see that many items were noted and some of it related to QC, some to cheap products used, some about poor workmanship and some was about corrosion. There were a number of posts that showed a lot of disappointment with a "premium" product. Wheeler appeared surprised by the number of complaints and eventually the company withdrew and the thread was closed.

Airstream and the Forum have had a rocky history. This brief period in 2009 was an attempt by the marketing person at the time to deal with the Forum, but that didn't last long. At that time Airstream had gone through numerous marketing directors. Airstream is aware and some employees monitor the Forum and occasionally respond.

Here it is: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f318...eam-53083.html

Gene