2003 International AS - Page 8

Pahaska · 10-22-2002, 01:44 PM

I wondered why the filler to the fresh water tank kept spitting back at me. Today, I found that the vent tube is kinked closed.

I have some 1/2" barbed fittings in the shop. next time I bring the trailer home, I'll put in an elbow and eliminate the kink.

Pahaska · 10-23-2002, 04:54 PM

I now have a light switch inside the bathroom that parallels the switch that is outside. Now I won't disturb the whole trailer when getting up at night and I can leave the windows and blinds open on balmy nights without giving the neighbors a show.

I bought a marine toggle switch that is internally all bress so that humidity and possible splash from the shower won't cause problems. I cut a hole below the medicine cabinet where the fiberglass is about 1/8" thick. The switch has integral catches on the ends, so it is just a matter of pushing the switch iinto a properly sized hole.

I simply used wire splices to tie the new switch into the wires to the old switch. The new switch is black and should show up against the white wall with very little light.

Pahaska · 10-23-2002, 05:06 PM

For AS owners:

This photo shows the access opening into the area under the bathroom sink. To expose the opening, use a tool to hook and pull out the fabric-covered trim piece behind the dinette cushion (I simply grab a fork out of the galley drawer).

The area under the sink holds a real mess of tangled wires, but is otherwise pretty empty.

The CCD has a similar opening underneath the galley sink that can be accessed by removing a cover. This area on a CCD would be a whole lot harder to access because of the cabinet and sink plumbing.

Pahaska · 11-13-2002, 03:03 PM

When I brought the trailer home today, the drawer under the sink came open enroute. When I removed the drawer, I found a little bit of terrible workmanship.

The wood bar that holds the drawer latch looked like it has been installed by a drunken sailer; it is high on one end and low on the other.

What was worse was that the wood bar was attached only by two metal angles from the top. The bar pivoted on the screws and just pushed back out of the way whenever the drawer was closed; there was no latching action at all. I don't know how long that drawer might have been banging open and closed.

It is a terrible place to try to reach in and try to work. I pre-drilled and toenailed the wood bar with two long screws as the best I could do from the front of the cabinet.

Pahaska · 11-13-2002, 03:50 PM

There were great big chunks of caulking in the cap over the bathroom fan. The cauling didn't adhere to the plastic very well. It had shrunk and wasn't doing anything but being an eyesore. It was actually wet from the rain last week underneath the wads of caulking when I removed them. I was able to simply pick the loose caulking out with my fingers.

The drain hole in the base of the cap was also clogged with caulking and there are smears of useless caulking everywhere on the roof, including on the Fantastic fan cover.

**jcanavera** · 11-13-2002, 04:17 PM

You know John, I didn't ask or remember what the build date was of your trailer but it brings to mind an experience that I had with my Hi-Lo.

My trailer was an early '82 which I bought in the November of '81. I got a great deal since the dealer didn't have to carry it over the winter. I took it home and parked it in the car port dreaming of the spring. This was my first travel trailer.

Spring comes and I start prowling around, opening doors and looking at cabinets. I got to the kitchen sink and I opened the cabinet door. The shelving was removable so I lifted them out to look at what was under them. At that point I discovered three water pipes all coming to one point to be joined by a "T" fitting. Only the "T" fitting was missing. One line was the direct feed for the city water hookup. You can guess what would have happend the first time I hooked up!

The dealer called Hi-Lo who did some investigation since every trailer was supposed to pass a pressure check. It ended up that my trailer was hurriedly pulled from the factory to be in a national RV show. The plumbing "T" was not yet installed and upon return of the trailer to the factory, someone screwed up and the trailer water lines were never pressure checked.

Thankfully that was the only issue I had with that trailer and it faithfully served me for over 14 years. You almost wonder if you got one of the first ones out of the gate where the folks didn't quite have it down yet.

Quite honestly I have always avoided purchasing year one model change trucks and autos and you wonder if that's also a good practice in the RV world.

Jack

rbyrnesanmateo · 12-27-2002, 12:13 PM

Hello All & Happy Holidays!

Well, our International AS was picked up the weekend after Thanksgiving and towed back to Ohio from California for fix-ups. I haven't heard anything back from Airstream as of yet, I will be calling customer service on Monday to discuss the status.

I am glad that Airstream is sticking by their product and has offered to fix the unit to our satisfaction. More to follow when we hear back from Airstream!

Happy New Year,

Pahaska · 12-27-2002, 01:06 PM

You have to wonder what the work ethic of the workers who actually assemble the traiers might be. It seems that in your case, and to a lesser degree in my case, it was "Just throw the parts together and smear on big wads of sealer when something doesn't fit."

I can forgive design errors if they are addressed when they come to light, but I can not forgive sloppy assembly and lack of inspection.

Crazy thing is that I love the trailer and I would buy another Airstream if something happened to this one. Call me a masochist, but there really is not another trailer on the market that I would want to buy.

I hope the word is getting high enough in the Airstream organization so that build quality will be improved upon. It may just spell the difference between future Airstreams and no future Airstreams.

John · 12-27-2002, 01:59 PM

I just got done reading the 3 pages of problems with the new Int'l and this doesn't sound like A/S quality control manager has his/her act together.

My thoughts go out to you folks, since you've spent some good cash for these units.

The vintage owners, after updating some applicances, seem to be sailing through life with little or no problems.

I bought my A/S used and the previous owners also had problems: ie ceiling material coming down. I'm glad they got all the bugs worked out of it prior to myself buying it.

John Irwin- the next person who receives your Int'l after you're done with it, will have a fine tuned trailer.

I hope you document ALL of these problems and see what type of compensation A/S may give you.

This is an excellent thread for any person thinking about buying an Int'l.

Best to you- John

John · 12-27-2002, 02:01 PM

If it wasn't for the internet, how would so many know of so many problems.

This forum is awesome!

Pahaska · 04-02-2003, 02:34 PM

The "phone stand" just inside the door is our "linen locker", but it was never really quite big enough and really needed an additional shelf.

I realized from the little magazine rack above it that there was about 3 3/4" of free space behind the cabinet. The refrigerator cabinet has a 3/4" outer shell and a 1/4" inner shell with empty space between.

A little sabre sawing, a little 1/4" clear poplar, some 3/8" plywood, ome matching laminate, and some plastic edge trim turned the cramped space into a very useful linen cabinet with space left over.

Pahaska · 04-02-2003, 02:52 PM

As I posted last summer, the fan behind the refrigerator blows against the opened trailer door and is not very effective when the trailer door is open.

Today, I relocated the fan away from the door and simultaneously replaced the original fan with a much quieter fan that I salvaged from my old IBM PS2. The new fan (Matshutsa) pulls only .2 Amps and has a different blade design which is very quiet while still moving a lot of air.

Silvertwinkie · 04-02-2003, 03:43 PM

John,

Mine has a similar issue, but I was thinking that on mine (not sure of yours) that it needed to be located over that coil as it cools the coil, not the compartment?

What are your thoughts?

Eric

Rickk48 · 04-02-2003, 03:47 PM

I was thinking the same thing, Eric. I believe the fan is for cooling the "fins" which dissipate the heat removed by the ammonia.