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Old 09-29-2004, 06:50 AM   #421
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John[/QUOTE]
John, did you mention any of this to any AS folks on the floor, or at all?[/QUOTE]

No, I didn't. I'm sure they already know it - all the prior tours I went on, except one last summer when production was shut down, were similar.

Also, I doubt that the tour meets OSHA requirements. All the tour participants - children included - are permitted to wonder all around in the factory, weaving in and out of aisles, and dodging factory workers and various types of machinery and fork lifts along the way.

John
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Old 09-29-2004, 07:15 AM   #422
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Personally, I see no reason OSHA would need to get involved in a factory tour as I believe that it could only stop the tours or water them down to the point of them being just another trip to the museum or library. As adults (and I believe we signed some waiver), it's our responsibility to use common sense and good judgement. I also personally feel that young children should not be allowed in the factory for obvious reasons....similar to bringing young kids into a Home Depot. It's just a bad idea period, unless parents do the correct thing when bringing kids to these type places.

When we went on the tour, we did not weave, we followed Don Ambos and found that we were out of the way fully and never got into any type of potential problems. I think it's way great that the factory is open in this manner as you get a real sense of how it's built.

Having seen how some people watch/manage their children, it is no shock that some kids could get out of hand on this type of tour. I'd blame the parents, not the fact that it's not an OSHA certified tour.

To quote Forrest Gump... "Stupid is as stupid does."
Darwinism at it's finest!
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Old 09-29-2004, 10:58 AM   #423
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I thought I saw a sign requiring factory tour participants to be 18 years old.
We didn't have any children on our tour.

Also, I didn't see anyone go inside any of the Airstreams on the production line. Some of us just poked our heads in the door.

Hope they continue the tours. It was very interesting.
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Old 09-29-2004, 11:04 AM   #424
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazylev
What if Airstream built the entire trailer except for any interior work. Jonathan
I think you could probably do this. You know Airstream has a custom build facility that is across the street from the service center in JC. I thought that those folks handle the specialized vehicles.

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Old 09-29-2004, 12:55 PM   #425
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Jack.

I did not know that. When I was shopping for my CCD, Vicki at AS pretty much said that you had to stick with published options. I'll have to check into this facility.

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Old 09-30-2004, 03:52 PM   #426
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazylev
Jack.

I did not know that. When I was shopping for my CCD, Vicki at AS pretty much said that you had to stick with published options. I'll have to check into this facility.

Jonathan
It used to be on their old web site. They customize units for businesses and folks who aren't buying the motorhomes and trailers for use as recreational vehicles.

Jack
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Old 03-18-2005, 03:28 PM   #427
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Round two of repairs -- went well

All,

Just pulled our 2004 Safari 28 W back from JC. Had the following issues fixed:

1. Back hatch had a small leak -- found that on the way back from Hershey, PA.

2. Roof vent in Bathroom had a leak.

3. Overhead lights in Living room inoperative -- they found a loose wire under the fridge.

4. Had the recall done on the bearings.

5....AND THEY FOUND THE FLAKY BRAKE PROBLEM!!! YEAH!
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Old 03-18-2005, 03:57 PM   #428
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What was your flaky brake problem?

73/gus
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Old 03-18-2005, 03:57 PM   #429
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Good to hear it all went well. I'm headed out to JC in April for about a week....anyone want to make a quasi rally out of it, let me know.
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Old 03-18-2005, 04:07 PM   #430
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...see the thread entitled 'prodigy strangeness' for details on the flaky brakes...
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Old 03-18-2005, 05:01 PM   #431
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Our Classic 28' is now 15 months old, and we just last week had to get the converter replaced. Has that been a common problem, does anyone know?
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Old 04-30-2005, 10:50 PM   #432
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Just figured I'd share an update on our 2004's progress.

As you've read so far we had a few small issues with our Safari so I decided to take it to Jackson Center for the issues to be resolved.

First, let me say that everyone there really treated me and the other folks there very well. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Casper and Wayne worked on our unit and I would guess that Casper and Wayne have more exp on Airstreams than prob 5 dealer service departments combined.

Chris (service writer), Jim (customer serivce), the recp folks, Don (the tour guide) and I think his name was Rob (the security guard that help get me settled when I got there Sunday late afternoon and found Terra Port full) were all just plain great. They really treated me and the others I met there who were also getting service done like people, not numbers or like helping us was a chore. Overall a very positive exp.

All work done at Jackson Center was done very well and in all cases, exceeded my expectations.

As of right now, our coach is 110% tip top shape. Before this visit, it was about 95%. I know some folks have gone there and come back with fair or not good comments about the factory service center, but given my exp there last week, I would give the factory service center and the folks at Airstream in general two thumbs up (I'd give three if I had three hands).
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Old 05-01-2005, 10:40 AM   #433
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Your right they not only shouldn't these problems exist, you have to ask yourself what is the point of " quality control" at the factory. Your dealer should be preping the trailer for delivery, not repairing a newly delivered unit. There's a big difference between 16" and 21.5 that even a nearly blind person could see. Faults in construction as blatant as those described by Kimili are unbelievable. Hearing about defects like these really gives me pause when thinking about buying a new 34"LTd. Although the one I saw just fresh off the line at the factory looked great. I have to say I didn't look it over in great detail because there just wasn't the time. To spend 70 K + and have these ikind of issues would make me crazy.
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Old 05-01-2005, 11:19 AM   #434
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craftsman
To spend 70 K + and have these ikind of issues would make me crazy.
Try spending 350K + and having problems. While we were checking in at Wine Country RV in Paso Robles ... the lady in front of me was talking about how she had spent a week at "Camp Monaco" ... trying to straighten out all the problems with her new rig. She said some folks had been there for as long as 6 weeks.
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Old 05-01-2005, 11:23 AM   #435
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You know, I took the tour 3 days in a row the week before last while I waited for my work to be done. I looked at several units in detail and found several new QC checks that I didn't see when I took the tour in Dec 2003. Each check required 2 or 3 signatures. Additionally, a few of the coaches I got to see the daily progress each unit went through and I was even more impressed with the fit an finish. Keep in mind that doesn't say that mistakes wont happen, but I could clearly see a lot more attention to detail, or at least that was my perception.

Bottom line, myself, I would feel very comfortable getting another Airstream.
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Old 05-01-2005, 12:55 PM   #436
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The truth is, hearing about these things from owners of new Airstreams does make you scratch you head ( or pull your hair out)and wonder how they leave the factory with such obvious poor work. What, no one sees it or cares enough to correct it? It kind of reminds me of my early days in the trades, when you would call someone on poorly exacuted work and the response would be " you can't see it from my house". I like what I saw as far as quality in the 34 LTD at the factory and will order a 2006 within the next few months, but I will have my fingers and toes crossed.
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Old 05-17-2005, 04:13 PM   #437
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Well the latest report on quality still shows some areas of want on my Classic. First I still can't seem to keep the kitchen area drawers closed while traveling. Occasionaly I will also find a drawer slide open in the cabinet on the rear curbside next to the queen bed.

The dealer has had it twice and I do have to pull up to open the drawers, so the stop is there. Obviously our rough Missouri roads are causing the drawers to raise above the stops and slide out. I'm now considering using some of those child proof latches that attach out of sight that keep the drawer from opening more than a fingers width.

It looks like the water heater safety valve it starting to open when the electric element reaches the last minute or two of its heating cycle.

I have developed a small leak in the skylight above the center bath area. Thankfully it dripped straight down from the enclosure around the well and only was a drop or two after an all night rain. No other evidence of water going down the walls or exiting underneath. The dealer is fixing this tomorrow as an emergency repair.

Finally we are replacing the systems monitor panel tonight at home, due to a burnt out LED. The folks who built the monitor panel answered an email questioning the problem and overnighted a new panel to me. At this point I have half of the panel installation completed but needed to buy some butt connectors to finish this up.

I'm a little disappointed in regards to the skylight leak, obiously short of a failure of the skylight itself, I'm figuring that the original caulking was probably not quite up to par. The major disappointment is the drawers. I don't believe its a vibration problem since I keep a TV set on the vinal floor in the same area during travel. If the vibration was that bad, I would think the TV would have walked a mile. It seems to pretty much stay in its travel postion and probably doesn't move more than an inch. At this point the drawers are very lightly loaded which may have some bearing on the problem.

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Old 07-09-2005, 08:01 AM   #438
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More Problems with the 2004

I'm getting concerned about my 2004 22' CCD. I had it out last week and encountered the following problems:

The cabinet door to the storage under the bed came off. The screws were too small and stripped the particle board. I've since replaced them with 1 1/2" # 10 counter sunk wood screws.

I can't use the refrigerator on AC. It trips the #4 Circuit Breaker every time. When I turn the frig off, or to propane, the CB 4 resets. I'll have to take it back to the dealer for a checkout to determine if it's the frig, breaker or a short somewhere in between.

The water pump stopped working. In troubleshooting, I found that the pin connector to/from the monitor panel comes loose in transit. This breaks the DC circuit at the control panel that energizes the pump. I have to unscrew the panel after transit to tighten the connector in order to get the pump to work.

We had a severe T-storm last Saturday night. I had laid a book on the galley counter by the sink. When I picked it up, it was soaked (ruined). I noticed water dripping from the stove vent support bracket. Appearently water was coming in from a poorly caulked vent cover outside. I have since caulked it, but am concerned about water damage, wet insulation, etc. I have also had to caulk on a couple of exterior seams and unused rivet holes because I noticed no caulking and water streaks on the inside panels. I thought Airstream tests these trailers out in a special room with water jets. They should fire the jerk that inspected mine!

It looks like I have a maintenance nightmare. I thought Airstreams were quality built. I had less problems with my first trailer (Jayco Kiwi) which cost 1/3 as much as my AS. I think Airstream is riding on their good reputation of the past, but if they don't get their act together and improve their workmanship/QA they'll lose it.

My local dealer has been good at fixing the problems in the past, but as my warranty period will be expiring in the next few months and the problems escalating, I'm uncertain whether I want to keep this "White Elephant".
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Old 07-09-2005, 11:09 AM   #439
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Recommend that you do what we have done with our repairs - call or email Dave Schumann [dschumann@airstream.com] first. Then have Dave get in touch with the repair locations to follow the reapirs. That is what we did prior to repairing our long repair lists in this thread.

We purchased the extended warranty (6 yr) from the A/C and frig manufacturer. There is something wrong, and ensure they fully ID the repair details to you. We had the "control board" replaced early on with our frig.

Good luck. Out warranty is done next week. Our last trip was trailer event free. We didn't notice new problems.

Yes - the 2004 AS QC was terrible. AS did not do what they advertise. I can only hope the newer versions are better. Otherwise, we're going to loose the dealer support network when people stop buying them. We won't consider or recommend another AS/Thor product until we hear of several years of good reports via this forum.

73/gus
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Old 07-09-2005, 11:38 AM   #440
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We stopped at Jackson Center the week before last en route from Pennsylvania to Montana to get several more items on our trailer worked on.

We purchased a Sharp flat screen TV, and had Airstream's service department install a wall mount just above the credenza, which I am quite pleased with. They put a slender wood box against the wall, that is tapered to fit the wall and hide some of the TV cables, and mounted the Omni cantilever bracket and their custom made metal backplate to it.

(We also subscribed to the Dish Network, and bought the Accu-Dish stand, portable satellite dish and carrying cases, so together with the free Wi-Fi internet access at the Yellowstone's Edge RV Park we're now staying at, we are really "wired"!)

Some of the fastener clips on our outside storage compartments (such as those used on the water and electric service compartment doors) had been falling apart, so the service guy readjusted and replaced them, and he also replaced the thick black foam seals that the factory had originally installed around the compartment doors with a thinner rubber gasket material, similar to that which is around the outside entrance door. I think that was a great idea because now the compartment doors not only close easier, but they fit more closely against the trailer, and put less pressure on the clips that had been coming apart.

The caulking around one of my Fantistic Fans on the roof had not been smoothly applied, and there was crater in the middle of the caulking that was bound to cause a leak sooner or later, so they fixed that as well.

On our way to Jackson Center, the wall mirror behind the dinette and the clock above the mirror both fell off the wall (actually the mirror only came partially off, so we took it off completely so it didn't fall off entirely and cause a much bigger problem). Both of them were attached with velcro, stuck to the wall - not a very good way to install a heavy mirror - but obviously cheap and easy. I'm not sure how the service guy has the mirror installed now, but he said the entire wall would have to fall for the mirror to come down.

We are finally getting this trailer about as good as we are able, considering its many original factory defects. And, as much as I may seem to complain here, I actually like this trailer (guess I'm a glutton for punishment).

There are a couple other items that we're going to undertake fixing now ourselves:

Our drawers still keep coming open after several repair attempts by our dealer and the factory service. We are going to buy better drawer hardware, and fasten the drawers with removable velcro when we travel. We can put velcro strips on both sides of the bedroom vanity drawer between our rear twin beds, where it will not be seen, and then run a piece of velcro across the front of the drawer to hold it closed when we travel. I think a piece of velcro around the handles of the 4 drawers beneath our kitchen stove should keep them shut - a bungee cord could serve the same purpose.

The bottoms of some outside compartments are rusting significantly, as are the electric corner jacks. Some Rustoleum should provide some temporary relief. (Our trailer has only been outside in mostly dry hot weather for about 4 months of it's life, and stored inside the rest of the time.) I wonder what these'd look like by now if we spent time along the sea coast?

I also bought one of those pump caulking cans (that look like an oil can) from the factory store, had them fill it with caulking for a couple dollars, and have caulked every conceivable place where it looked like water might get in - there were many areas that needed better caulking when we originally bought the trailer, and even after the factory service recaulked last year, there were some more areas that I recaulked. That refillable caulking can is a neat, and inexpensive way to apply caulking.

One final item of note: Before leaving on our trip for the summer, and our trailer was in storage so I couldn't easily get to it, I read the owners manual to find out what model water filter I needed to buy for our Moen Pure Touch filtering faucet in the kitchen sink, which I intend to replace every year. Since the owner's manual was less than clear (as is typical with our Airstream owner's manual in many areas) I telephoned both the Airstream and Moen factory customer service representatives to make sure I got the right filter. Both assured me I needed to buy the Microtech 600 replacement filter (this filter is also called Model #601). WRONG!! After buying 3 Model #600 replacement filters, I got my trailer out of storage and saw the filter in my faucet is a Microtech 5000 filter which is completely different from the 600 filter. In hindsight, I believe that our Limited series trailer has a different faucet than the standard Classic models do. It sure would be nice if the factory gave the correct information to you, instead of 14 pages of irrelevant information in the owner's manual. (Some of us newbies actually try to read, understand, and follow the manual. I'd rate the owner's manual in the same class as our trailer's quality - shoddy at best in many areas.)

John
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