2003 International AS

Pahaska · 06-02-2002, 10:07 PM

I have a new baby! I brought her home for the first time on 5/31/02.

Sadly, because of our covenants, she sleeps in the storage yard tonight. This is the perfect size trailer for sort of travel the wife and myself do. IMHO, the Bambi is too small and the others too wide and too heavy.

So far, quality has been just about perfect with the exception of the water heater switch and the Fantastic fan control which were installed very crooked. I fixed this quickly, but why does Airstream pass such shoddy workmanship that makes the interior look tacky?

I disassembled the dressing table and cut offf a big chunk as it was far too close to the head of the bed and I cracked an elbow on it the first time I took a nap. My modification made the table a much better place to use my laptop computer.

83Excella · 06-03-2002, 09:51 AM

Pahaska,
Congratulations on your new International and Welcome to AirstreamForums. I looked at one at an RV show and really liked the new look, there is a thread on the forum about the new international with pictures be sure to look at it. As far as a forum for your trailer I am the moderator and will ask the webmaster guru to add you to the list pronto.

John

Pahaska · 06-05-2002, 06:36 PM

I have looked all over the place and I can't find the International thread and photos you mentioned. Can you give me a URL or tell me ewhere to look, please?

83Excella · 06-05-2002, 11:53 PM

Look in the "Our Community" forum.
Also, the forum for Internationals has been ordered it should be here shortly.

John

betteleal · 06-20-2002, 08:03 PM

Hi Guys, I send an e-mail to Prahaska, I just bought a 2003 International CCD.. How can I be a part of the International Forum.?..Please advise. betteleal@aol.com

Bette Leal

83Excella · 06-20-2002, 10:27 PM

By popular demand a 2003 International forum has been added to the Trailer forums, post to your hearts content.

John

Pahaska · 06-20-2002, 11:29 PM

Thanks, 83Excella. We (Bette and I) seem to be the first in here with unique Airstream products.

Mine is so vintage looking from the outside that I have been asked twice now whether it is a restored vintage model The CCD, with big windows on the curb side, looks a bit less vintage. When they look inside either model, there is no question.

Both models share a lot of interior structural components, especially the bath, dinette, bed, and wardrobe, Curved edges abound in both models, making the confined space very user friendly. The feeling one gets inside the trailers is totally different though, due to the surface materials and colors used.

I never liked the "European" look and I dislike Volvos and Scandinavian furniture, so my obvious choice was the AS. That choice was reinforced by the terrific galley space in the AS. Someone who likes the "European" look, Volvos, and Scandinadian furniture will obviously like the CCD better.

What both models share is an unaplolgetic departure from the traditional, square-cornered, wood interior. I applaud Airstream for taking a step into the future with this model. I hope that the basic design features migrate to the larger trailers as well.

Pahaska · 06-21-2002, 08:23 AM

Anyone who has an International AS or who is buying one should contact me regarding my fix for items bouncing off the Lazy-Susan pantry and possibly jamming the pantry in the closed position.

If this happens with a hard item, there is absolutely no way to get your hand in there to free it. I was lucky that the items that came adrift on my first trip were soft pastries and could not jam the rotation.

Even if nothing jams the rotation, it is extrememly difficult to get a hand in under the Lazy-Susan to retrieve anything that falls off. There is a solid wall between the adjacent drawers and the Lazy-Susan, so that there is nowhere one can reach in except to jam a hand in under the trays. The only alternative, IF you can get it open far enough to get to the hinges, is to unload and remove the entire pantry.

Fixing mine took about an hour and a half of design and implementation. Now that I have a proven design, one can be done in about a half-hour. E-mail me and I can provide a photo and instructions.

83Excella · 06-21-2002, 02:06 PM

John,
Have you contacted the factory about this problem? they would probably want to know.

John

Pahaska · 06-21-2002, 02:21 PM

I would like the factory to be aware of this. If it happened to me on the first trip, it will happen to someone else in the future and if the article is hard and of the wrong shape, it would be a real problem to get in there and free the Lazy-Susan. All it takes is hard braking, a steep incline, or a good bump to cause the problem. In my case I assume that it was hard braking because a lady ahead of me couldn't make up her mind, but my driveway is a pretty steep downhill incline and it could have happened then..

If someone can tell me who to email or a number to call, I surely will do so.

Pahaska · 06-21-2002, 10:39 PM

I had occasion to use the stove hood fan on my last trip. Just like every other trailer I've ever owned, it is a screaming banshee. There is one speed and that speed is far too loud and far too fast to do the job properly.

I'll use the present light switch on the vent hood to switch in and out a resistor to slow the fan to a more reasonable speed. On my last trailer, I used two 5-ohm resistors in series with the fan motor with a switch to short around one of the resistors. Depending on the switch setting, the fan then had either 5 or 10 ohms in series to slow the speed. That should work fine with this trailer.

You ask what I'll do for a vent hood light switch? I'll simply run a wire from the vent hood light through the bottom of the cabinet to the light fixture about a foot away. That light has 2 bulbs so that you can select one or both bulbs to come on. I'll simply wire the vent hood light to the bulb that first comes on. I almost always end up turning both that light and the vent hood light on together anyway.

Pahaska · 06-22-2002, 10:22 AM

I wish the outside access door to the under-bed storage on the AS was a bit larger so that a regular folding chair could be carried under there. There is a lot of space and not very much access to it. I had to buy a new pair of chairs that fold up into narrow bags.

I suspect that the reason for the smallish door is that it is a common build item with the CCD which has the bed rotated across the trailer. This way both trailers have the same hardware.

OTOH, the AS does have two nice big under-bed drawers that really add to the interior storage.

Pahaska · 06-24-2002, 05:47 PM

I e-mailed Airstream today describing my Lazy-Susan pantry fix and attached photos of my fix. We'll see what their response is.

I also e-mailed Airstream concerning my inability to get International door keys duplicated in Austin. Even our largest lock shop with many square yards of key blanks couldn't duplicate keys for me. This is good in a way since no one is likely to have a key that fits my door. OTOH, I shudder to think about a lost key out in the boonies somewhere.

Pahaska · 06-26-2002, 09:45 AM

In the wet bath of the AS, there is a bracket intended to hold the pull-out faucet spray in position to serve as a shower head. I say intended! This morning, I was taking some photos so I pulled out the faucet head to hang it in the bracket.

It didn't fit. The bracket is located on the curve of the ceiling and there is absolutely no way to insert the spray head in the bracket.

I unscrewed the bracket to see if there was a better location. Underneath was an extra set of screw holes. The bracket had been installed and then moved about 3/8" (why, I don't know). Neither set of holes woild allow the spray head to be inserted in the bracket.

I finally turned the bracket upside down. The spray head now fits in the bracket (kinda), but the spray angle is all wrong.

Someone at Airstream just isn't paying attention.