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Pepsi · 03-06-2009, 08:10 AM

Geese, Mrs. Pepsi was cleaning the trailer. I walked out bare foot and grabbed the screen door and got bit. Yeaooooch. Everybody else coming and going was wearing shoes. It was hooked up to the truck, so I was the only ground.

I quickly unplugged the land power line and it went away. I wasn't excited about testing the door again. Son, come over here and take your shoes off. (Just kidding) NOT quite the problem with Electrolysis I was expecting.

I think my trailer is actually fighting back now.

Please PM me if you know where I should look to begin fixing this problem...

ROBERT CROSS · 03-06-2009, 08:30 AM

Pepsi

Look into one of these....

50-Amp RV Box Adapter - Item - Camping World

TIMEMACHINE · 03-06-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I was just thinking about this corrosion problem and had a thought of another possible cause. Maybe it's not the clear coat, but maybe it's just a bad alloy. You know like cheap stainless steel that rusts. Maybe this aluminum has been recycled to the point of being far from pure, instead of high grade aluminum. Maybe this aluminum is saturated with acid from cola's or alcohol from beer.

Robert,

I suspected this about 300 posts ago, that the quality of the aluminum combined with the inferior cutting, drilling and or stamping of the sheets are creating a cumulative effect allowing the corrosion to take hold and then expand. Something changed beside the coating process.

Silvertwinkie · 03-06-2009, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pepsi

Silvertwinkie, you are a forum hero and we celebrate your wisdom. you are welcome at my fire any time, happy camping...

Nice of you all to say, but I learn everyday just like the next person as I put my pants on one leg at a time just like nearly everyone else. I clearly don't have all the answers to anything. These forums have been very valuable to me. Had this and other QC related threads been avail back in 2003 and 2004, I might have gone a whole different route.

In the end everyone's participation in a constructive manner is what makes the issues more real and not just a handful of folks disgruntled and venting. The issues (this and the QC threads) are very real and as Jack said in his very clear and reasonable post, the info here is basically posted at face value. It's a forum of sharing. Take the info at face value and make your own decisions, but at the very least the info is out there for whomever to do with it as they wish.

I would encourage anyone who has this issue to post the VIN number (if you feel comfortable) build date and any pictures and specific info you can. A picture is worth a thousand or more words. I'm gonna pull my Safari out in about a month and at that time we'll see if the issue has continued to grow, and you can be rest assured, I will post pics either here or on a different site and provide links.

I will take you up on that fire visit though as I am sure as travelers and Airstreamers we will inevitably meet at some place, at some time....we all do.

sherrylynne · 03-08-2009, 07:53 PM

Well, thanks everybody for all the information. I thought I was the only one with this problem. Bates RV in Tampa told me this is not a warranty item...I find that hard to believe. If my 2006 Tundra were doing this, I can assure you Toyota would fix it! Love the Airstream...don't like the corrosion.
All the Best,
Sherry

sherrylynne · 03-08-2009, 07:56 PM

A couple more photos...once more, thanks for everybody

who has posted on this problem.
Best,
Sherry

Silvertwinkie · 03-08-2009, 08:10 PM

Hi Sherry.

Thank you for sharing you exp and photos. I am sorry this is happening to your Airstream. Hopefully we all will find something to keep this at bay. The pictures you have shared are simply gut wrenching and annoying that the dealer and most likely Airstream themselves have walked away from something as blatant as what you have shared with all of us to see.

sherrylynne · 03-08-2009, 08:30 PM

Thanks for the reply. When I hunt-up the VIN number and date of manufacture, I will be happy to post it online. Hope you have a good evening!
Best,
Sherry

dmac · 03-08-2009, 08:40 PM

As I have posted before, my 2003 trailer is kept in a heated airplane hangar - right behind my old plane. It leads a pampered life.

My trailer has corrosion, which Airstream tried to "fix" under warranty several years ago. They replaced some segments and gave me new wheels, among other things. They put a plastic piece around the Safari emblem to hide some corrosion, but I just noticed that it has spread past it. I easily scratched the faulty clear off with my fingernail... now I must dab some clear paint on it. I was thinking about using ACF-50, which I have in my hangar, but that may make it difficult to get paint to stick later.

My worst corrosion remains below the tail lights. I suspect that the holes cut into the aluminum skin for the tail lights was the starting point. Again, I will have to remove the clear and underlying corrosion and apply some clear paint.

I hope the corrosion remains an aesthetic issue, and does not eat through the aluminum and become a structural problem!

To restate some prior discussion... the filiform appears to originate at a point where the clear was disturbed... by being cut, or drilled (ie: rivits), or hit by a stone while driving. I have NO problems anywhere on the trailer where there is no nick in the clear. I do not believe it is a problem with the aluminum. I do believe that the clear coating is not adhering well enough to the aluminum, allowing the corrosion to spread.

For those of you that were denied warranty coverage... believe me, it doesn't matter. The corrosion comes right back. Even when "pampered".

sherrylynne · 03-08-2009, 08:48 PM

Thanks, Dan. It is somehow comforting to know I am not in this alone. I am not that concerned about the looks of the corrosion (although all of my friends are horrified that I bought a new $$$ Airstream and this is what is happening so soon)...I AM concerned about the effects to the integrity of the skin and the underlying structures. Thanks so much for letting me know what the warranty road on corrosion is like. No reason to pursue that avenue, I am thinking.

Gene · 03-08-2009, 08:57 PM

Sherry, make a claim anyway. It may help you later if there's ever a resolution to this.

Sure looks ugly and I feel for you.

Gene

ROBERT CROSS · 03-08-2009, 09:05 PM

Sherry, the photo's you have shared with us are just horrible, I can't imagine how you must feel. Is it extensive all over the coach or restricted to several panels? Are you planning to do anything to control it? Yours seems very aggressive, I would clean with wet sandpaper and seal with a brush-on clearcoat. It's not the perfect solution but it's all we have at this time. You might consider consulting a maintenance facility at a general aviation airport, they may have personal who could help or point you in the right direction. Either way you need to do what you can to control it.
Several here have asked about interior filliform on the CCD, any evidence yet? How close are you from the Ocean?

Several people here are trying to come up with a method that works so stay tuned.

Thanks for sharing,

Bob

dmac · 03-08-2009, 09:11 PM

Sherry, my guess is that the humid salt air in coastal Florida aggrevates the problem. You should consider cleaning up the affected areas with aluminum wool, and brushing clear paint over it. At least that should slow it down.

safari 28 · 03-08-2009, 09:56 PM

These are pictures of an 07 A/S and they are doing nothing? Listen, I don't care if the thing was sitting under a constant waterfall, can you imagine, nothing! That type of attitude is in unheard of in the business world today. I have no expertise on consumer lemon laws, it would seem however this would qualify.

In the end a company allowing this type of quality to go unchecked and the most precious asset they have, a satisfied customer to be treated in such a manner speaks volumes. I hope that sales drop off to the point that the company will have to be sold/ reorganize and install new management. Thor should spin the brand off, find a private buyer with passion and install new leadership. I know many will think this is harsh, but I see it as tough love. Reinforcing this type of bad behavior by purchasing new units only enables the pain to last longer. I feel bad for those who purchased new recently, how I wish we could stopped them. In the end, the market will do this anyway, and it will again represent the very reason Americans have such confidence in our free enterprise system. Remember there are no secrets, as the values and most important trade values decline due to rv dealers throughout the industry not even wanting them for this problem, this will spell the end for A/S as we know it. Banks with industry knowledge and paranoid due to bad loan jitters may very well not even loan on new units due to the risk of significant upside down values within 1 year purchase dates. And they network with all their buddies. This can manifest into so many scenarios for failure in good times that during an RV depression it has to seal the fate of the brand, not Thor. What a shame, 2 big companies, Thor and Alcoa, arrogance and ignorance. Wow.....

TIMEMACHINE · 03-08-2009, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmac

To restate some prior discussion... the filiform appears to originate at a point where the clear was disturbed... by being cut, or drilled (ie: rivits), or hit by a stone while driving. I have NO problems anywhere on the trailer where there is no nick in the clear. I do not believe it is a problem with the aluminum. I do believe that the clear coating is not adhering well enough to the aluminum, allowing the corrosion to spread.

For those of you that were denied warranty coverage... believe me, it doesn't matter. The corrosion comes right back. Even when "pampered".

I agree completely that the filiform originates at the point where the clear coat is disturbed, but I still believe the aluminum alloy being used is suspect in the growth of the corrosion. I have linked another thread which describes the difference in the aluminum skins used in various model years, mostly vintage vs new. It may shed some light on the potential issue, of course it would take an expert to determine if a change in the aluminum alloy could help solve the problem for future product.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417...2-a-46153.html

cakey · 03-09-2009, 05:06 AM

As somebody who is seriously looking to buy a new 28ft Airstream 684 UK type . This has really started to concern me. Sherry`s corrosion is shocking on a 2007 model and airstreams stance is of a company that, either does not care or cannot afford too. If they think people do not wise up before they buy , time to smell the coffee . Thanks for the info may have saved me a lot of grief .

henw · 03-09-2009, 05:36 AM

I stayed just once right on the beach in Fla. Wind blowing right off the sea. Fella next to me said I was nuts to have an AS exposed to all that salt. Pulled right in to the car wash on the way home. Hosed off everything. Too afraid to camp that close to the ocean again.

Tom

ROBERT CROSS · 03-09-2009, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TIMEMACHINE

I agree completely that the filiform originates at the point where the clear coat is disturbed, but I still believe the aluminum alloy being used is suspect in the growth of the corrosion. I have linked another thread which describes the difference in the aluminum skins used in various model years, mostly vintage vs new. It may shed some light on the potential issue, of course it would take an expert to determine if a change in the aluminum alloy could help solve the problem for future product.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417...2-a-46153.html

I agree, I can't believe an an alloy formulation isn't available that would solve the problem. And if there isn't, then why can't AS go back to coating in house. Environmental concerns? How many OSHA spray booths would they need to handle their production output.

Maybe a news headline would help us feel better......"Thor sues Alcoa over alloy used on American Icon."..........dream-on

Cakey,
FWIW.... If I lived on a BIG island surrounded by salt water I'd think twice also, after all isn't the Coastline a favorite destination for ya'll?

RangerJay · 03-09-2009, 07:02 AM

Sherry,

It sounds and looks like your unit might be the Filiform Poster Trailer - a dubious honour - but you have the genuine support of many.

CrawforeGene's advise is good - make a formal claim - in writing - through your dealer. Presuming the outcome is not what you want then take your claim - in writing - to Airstream - include pictures. Airstreams contact information is found at:

Airstream, Inc :: Customer Service

The responses you get (or not) will be of great interest to everyone who has posted on this thread.

Good Luck.

Jay

dmac · 03-09-2009, 08:05 AM

5052 aluminum supposedly has "excellent corrosion resistance, particularly in marine atmospheres", see: Aluminum Alloy 5052. In our case however, a defect in the clear coating traps a little moisture and the worm track starts. It then keeps going 24 X 7.

The 2000 series aluminum alloys are not very corrosion resistant, and therefore are often clad to add this property.