Airstream FLAWS

[Mr. B]

My Florida is better :

[Zybane]

I bought my Airstream knowing full well that the design was sound, but that I would have to go around fixing little things.

It's simply the American way to produce something as quick and inexpensively as possible.

IMO the USA has better designers/engineers than labour force comparatively.

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Bus. Most sprinters are either used as busses or cargo trucks throughout the world. Making an RV out of one is like making a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It's still a truck no matter what is done to it, it's not a Mercedes automobile.

I would rebut it.
Did you know this Brabus made by germans you may order at $450 thousand?

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

I would rebut it.
Did you know this Brabus made by germans you may order at $450 thousand?

I doubt that's a factory item, still started as a sprinter van?

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by Zybane

I bought my Airstream knowing full well that the design was sound, but that I would have to go around fixing little things.

It's simply the American way to produce something as quick and inexpensively as possible.

IMO the USA has better designers/engineers than labour force comparatively.

I am signing under every single word of this post, except "inexpensively" in this particular matter.

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by avionstream

I doubt that's a factory item, still started as a sprinter van?

Brabus and AMG are the only two official Mercedes tuning companies.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

I am signing under every single word of this post, except "inexpensively" in this particular matter.

As the saying goes, "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two." Compared to other RVs' production lines, Airstream has obviously picked "Fast" with their latest production line expansions. However, they seem to be undecided on "Good" vs. "Cheap" and so it can be argued that they missed the target on both.

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Wait a little longer until you begin to discover the full extent of where indoor rust-prone hardware was used in exterior applications where stainless steel should have been used instead. Boy oh boy, are we all gonna hear some Russian ranting at that point!!


As has been said before on many threads, here's the deal. There are only three options of which the off-the-lot Airstream Interstate, customized by you to suit your tolerances, is the first option. The other two are (a) high-end custom build by someone else, which I'm told takes about two years and costs about twice as much, or (b) build one yourself. Being gainfully employed people, we don't have time for (a) or (b) so we suck up the rusty screws and the self-customization and occasionally give moral support to those who are doing likewise. Pretty much end of story.

Prevent my ranting tell me which hardware to be prepare of rusting )))

Story of three options is logical.

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

As the saying goes, "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two." Compared to other RVs' production lines, Airstream has obviously picked "Fast" with their latest production line expansions. However, they seem to be undecided on "Good" vs. "Cheap" and so it can be argued that they missed the target on both.

Exactly

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

Prevent my ranting tell me which hardware to be prepare of rusting.

Fasteners.

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

Brabus and AMG are the only two official Mercedes tuning companies.

Still not a production line product. Good camping.

[Mr. B]

However, despite everybody's comments that I completely agree with, I am still every day eliminating those minor flaws, and for example there are no - literally NO - any rattling inside my bus already exist. Also, it looks much better and lighter without removed awning, and with painted in same black color all equipment covers on the star-side, and much drier ))) with a good layer of black silicone around the bezel of ventilation hood, etcetera...

I believe that finally I may reach the level of quality in my bus competitive with the Brabus. If I were in an Airstream management team, I would probably spend another couple cents to control the quality of their two-left-hand-workers in order to illuminate such threads like this one. I hope they will eventually read this thread.

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Fasteners.

They use everywhere only one type of fasteners with grey-pained heads, but all they are inside. Which one in the exterior you are talking about?

[Mr. B]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Still not a production line product. Good camping.

Okay, look at this my toy, this is a production line. Fully hand-made. Basically same quality as a Sprinter. And what?

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

Just for curiosity I'd like this weekend to go in Lakeland, FL to explore the quality of FreeSpirit SS made by Leasure Vans, and if I go there this weekend - I will give you my comments about it.

I think LeisureVans have stopped producing van conversions, and we can probably draw some interesting conclusions from that, such as them not being able to economically produce a van conversion to the same standard as their other models.
Lakeland may still have some for sale so it would make for an interesting trip.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[rostam]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

As the saying goes, "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two." Compared to other RVs' production lines, Airstream has obviously picked "Fast" with their latest production line expansions. However, they seem to be undecided on "Good" vs. "Cheap" and so it can be argued that they missed the target on both.

I've heard this a bit differently. Like, you can be competitive in 2 out of the following 3: price, quality, and customer support.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by rostam

I've heard this a bit differently. Like, you can be competitive in 2 out of the following 3: price, quality, and customer support.

I like my version better. More succinct.

There is a corollary that I learned while working at the Corps of Engineers— In private industry, the rule is "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two." But for the Government, it's "Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick ONE."

[85MH325]

After twenty years of Airstream ownership and five trailers and two mohos, this thread is exactly why I sold my last one ten years ago, and won't return.

They're beautiful, but I want to spend more time using my coach and less time working on it.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Mr. B

They use everywhere only one type of fasteners with grey-pained heads, but all they are inside. Which one in the exterior you are talking about?

Anything that connects anything to your roof, sides, and chassis, both above and below the floor level.

Originally I thought that this problem characterized T1Ns moreso than NCV3s. That was until I saw one of Jerry's photos that just happened to include the all-thread from which one of his tanks was suspended, which was already brilliant orange with rust, and I think his rig was 18 months old in that photo (it's on one of the threads but I can't remember which). Then I realized that perhaps nothing changed in terms of the hardware between the model years.

Every time we do any kind of work or upgrade, it is assumed that we will be replacing all accessible hardware in the process, because it will reliably be found to be rusted out.

Here's a pic I've posted previously, of one of the screws that was holding our Fantastic to the roof. Especially on the roof with its potential to pool water, IMO Airstream should have been using stainless.

[Mr. B]

Hello airstream management !
Read this thread !!!