The wheels are corroded, but no cracks. The black marks on the photo are from lines and text I had added to describe the problem to Airstream on a higher resolution version of the image. However, I suspect that stripping, polishing out the corrosion, and recoating of the wheels may be more effort and cost than just replacing them with new wheels. Does everyone have corroding aluminum wheels, is the clearcoat inherently bad on these? Any solution if replacement wheels start doing this?
Just so that I'm clear, you might want to ask Jim if the suggested process is any different that what used to be done to the older coaches that had clearcoat peeliing issues. The only reason I say this is because if it is the same process that was used in the past and you find later that it begins to peel as it did in the past, you could be out of warranty.
Either way, my suggestion would be to ask the question before work begins.
I agree with Silvertwinkie. When we had the '01 Bambi, I had some spidering/web problem starting at several places on the exterior front panels. We went to Jackson Center where they REPLACED the panels. Never had a final answer as to what caused this affect except that they and Alcoa felt it might have been in the manufacturing / treatment process of the panels before shipping to AS. I don't think you want AS to just try and spray over the problem. They cannot replicate the finish process Alcoa uses.
I hear what you guys are saying - but at the moment I'm having trouble believing that the Alcoa plasticoat process is much better! The plasticoat seems to peel off just like protective plastic over a new piece of plexiglass. I do appreciate all input though - so I can discuss with Airstream when I bring the unit to JC for repairs.
The plasticoat is a lot more robust than a type of plexiglass protector. It is not suppose to peel or do what yours is doing at all. That's why they went to the plasticoat.
I had an '03 and it sat outside....I walburnized it at least 3-4 times and washed it about a dozen times. It was in the freezing cold, sun, rain, snow, ice, made bug pizzas all over the front...... No plasticoat issues. Others have had the plasticoat since it was introduced in 1999. As far as I know few have had issues compared to the original clearcoat process of the 80's and up through the mid 90's. Of course, it's still a bit early in the game to say thumbs up or thumbs down on it, but outside of not being able to shine it up like the vintage units, it's always been my understanding that the plasticoat is far superior to the orig clearcoats of the past. Others please chime in here.
I know that if my '04 did that, I would want the panels replaced not clearcoated if the process uses similar techniques and products that were used on the old clearcoat peelers.
In the end Airstream will take great care of you, but I would start the conversation now so that when you arrive the stage is set and there is no misunderstandings later after a 400+ mile trip. The other worst case is that it is the same clearcoating process and if/when it does peel again, you'll be out of warranty.
I might have had a reservation about pulling the panels off until I saw the job the service center did for Jody from this forum when he rode a guardrail from the front curbside all the way down to the back. When Airstream was done, you could not tell the panels were replaced.
I would like to second what Silvertwinkie is saying regarding the New Alcoa finish. When I had the panels replaced on my '01 Bambi, AS briefly explanied the Alcoa process as they understood it. Alcoa does some sort of scrub process on the raw aluminum sheet and then puts their finish on it. It is done in a controlled environment that cannot be duplicated at AS. AS will make it right but I think you have to vocalize the issue in advance to insure what you would like accomplished. My two cents would be to have new sheets put on. Your picture of the emblem and the corrosion appears to be very much like what I experienced with my '01 Bambi.
My '01 Safari had no problems with its finish. My gut feeling is that if the panels are defective, they probably came from a particular production run. I wouldn't be surprised if Airstream already knows about the problem and may even know which trailers were build in that run. You might post your build date and if other '03 owners have the same problem, we might be figure out when this bad run occurred.
Jack
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Jack Canavera
STL Mo. AIR #56
'04 Classic 30' S.O.
'03 GMC Savana 2500
Here is another cabinate door delaminating. Also note the hold-open prop has pulled out of the door (the screws are set back in the holes to keep from losing them). The screws are necessarily short, but the threads seem too fine for the doors balsa-wood-like core material, they pulled right out.
Since it is evident that the casting is corroding (as well as the filliform on the wheels in a previous post), it does cast a shadow of doubt that the alcoa coating is the culprit.
Just throwing out possibilities -- since it seems that everything is being attacked, could it be that there are some stray electrical currents eddying around and causing the problem?
Not an expert here -- just seems strange that the problem is manifesting itself on multiple exposed surfaces on such new trailers.
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Dennis
"Suck it up, spend the bucks, do it right the first time."
Also Dan, I just noticed in the picture of your roof locker that the form seems to be older than a 2003. I have a 2002 sales brochure and those doors look like they did in the 2002 brochure. I had a 2003 and the interior panels did not look like that....was this unit bought pre-owned? Were there mods made or was this an early produced 2003. Can you share the build date on the street side label? If you take a look at www.silvertwinkie.org you'll see what I mean. The roof lockers on the '04 and at least models built from August of 03 on the '03 model year looked the way they do in the pictures-- curved looking where the ones you have have angles to them. The only difference is that in '04 they stopped using the "kickstand" door props.
Additionally on my '04 and my '03 I can't imagine the way the panels are made that the ones I've had would/could delaminate like that. Plus the colors are much darker than I have seen in an '03......so I am a bit puzzled.
My unit was purchased new. It may be an early 2003 - although I don't have access to it right now to provide the build date. I noticed the corrosion problems shortly after I picked it up in December 2002. I have been communicating with Jim at Airstream since last summer - but getting it to Ohio has been a problem for me with my work schedule. If it is an early 2003 model, then it could have sat on the lot in Dover, FL for 6-7 months before I bought it - so perhaps it got a dose of salt air? Dover is about 10 miles inland from Tampa Bay, and 40 miles from the Gulf itself.
2 days after I bought it I winterized it... I pulled the black water dump valve (which should have been empty, as we had never used the toilet) and guess what came out... sh*t all over the ground! So clearly the dealer used it for something, an outlot outhouse? Perhaps their staff used it on the weekends, parking it in the surf (therefore the corrosion)! Anyway, I was far from the dealer on my way home at the time - and with the check handed over I figured the deal was done anyway. My point is I don't know what happened to this trailer before I bought it "new" - but I know something happened to it, it has corrosion problems, and since it was in the "care" of an authorized Airstream dealer prior to my purchasing it new it really should be Airstream's problem and not mine!
It seems like Tinsel Loaf and rcaldwel have had similar problems - so maybe it is just related to bad batches of materials.
I have not left the trailer plugged-in to power for any length of time, and I turn off the battery master and/or remove the battery during storage periods - so I don't know how stray electrical currents could be involved.
Now I am storing it in a pole barn about 25 miles from home to keep it dry and out of the sun as my feeble effort to prevent it from getting worse.
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