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Old 03-15-2016, 10:12 PM   #201
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Lets not forget that some of the source of our dissatisfaction is down to the cheap componentry Airstream uses. High-level upfitters claim "marine grade products" used in their build, and they use that to justify a higher cost. With Airstream, the high cost is there, but no marine grade products.
The switch to Magnum inverter/charger was a quality move made on the Interstate in 2013. Now they have also finally connected the temperature sensor, so it is a quality installation. Same with the batteries, Lifeline AGM are one of the best batteries on the market.

There are actually a couple of "marine grade components"; the Perko fresh water gravity filler, the MARINCO Stainless Steel 120V AC 30AMP external connector and the Shurflo Chrome Plated City Water Connector are all from the boating industry.
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Old 03-15-2016, 10:36 PM   #202
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Actually, the components used in Interstate are of a decent quality. For me personally, some "quick perks" and "cutting the corners" of assembling workers are annoying when I look closer to the construction details. They are not visible for everybody, because category of quality is different for people. Let's say, open your small side windows, go outside of the van and look under those windows - you will find a rubberish material cheaply glued just as quick as it is possible to make a fast task overlooking the quality result. Or, again for example, look what kind of glue they used on the rubber pads of the front doors steps? Yes!, double-sided 3M tape, which will be dissolved after car washes. I put there a good normal glue. Have you ever looked on to the nasty black silicon on the roof? - the same way was used on the roof of my motorcycle enclosed cargo trailer. Again, these are just few minor examples.

However, as I told before, I am happy with what I have and I love my bus, regardless. Although it is overpriced, because there are no many producers make such conversions of Sprinter, and those converted by RoadTreck or Winnebago are complete garbage, I know it for sure, because I looked all of those brands before I bought my AI.
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Old 03-15-2016, 10:47 PM   #203
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Frankly, I have owned both a Roadtrek and currently own an Interstate. The Roadtrek, while it may have had some lesser quality components, the build quality, fit, and finish were far superior than what I found in the Interstate. It takes more than a cursory look to make that determination.
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Old 03-15-2016, 10:50 PM   #204
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New RoadTreck and Winnebago are made of cheaper materials than Interstate. Workmanship is the same.
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Old 03-16-2016, 04:56 AM   #205
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A parody on Betty Furness in Westinghouse ads:

"The Quality goes out before the name goes on"

seems to unfortunately apply in many industries besides the RV industry.
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Old 03-16-2016, 01:25 PM   #206
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I'm not completely agree with this.
Mercedes-Benz high-priced models made in exceptional quality.
60% of the Bently building time goes to the details of the interior.
Their name is still a Name.
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Old 03-16-2016, 02:49 PM   #207
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Although it is overpriced, because there are no many producers make such conversions of Sprinter, and those converted by RoadTreck or Winnebago are complete garbage, I know it for sure, because I looked all of those brands before I bought my AI.
Worldwide, there are over seventy companies that do Sprinter-based RV conversions. At least there were four years ago when I was doing my research before buying mine. But in North America, there are only about fifteen authorized upfitters doing Sprinter-based B-vans.

In North America, the choices are (last time I checked): Advanced RV; Airstream; Coach House; Coachmen; Creative Mobile Interiors; Great West (now out of business but used ones may be available); Leisure Travel Vans; Midwest Automotive Designs; Outside Van; Pleasure-Way; RV Factory (factory-direct only, no dealers); Roadtrek; Sportsmobile; Van Specialties; and Winnebago.

Out of all of these, Airstream is not necessarily the most expensive— some of the custom-only shops can be more expensive depending on what you want in your one-of-a-kind van. Comparing an Airstream Interstate to a custom Sprinter conversion really isn't applicable because one-of-a-kind assembly can always be of better quality than anything produced cookie-cutter-style on an assembly line. The quality of an Interstate is always going to be assembly-line quality. And Airstream is among the most expensive of the assembly-line upfitters. But compared to other assembly-line shops only, Airstream quality is better than most of the competition.
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Old 03-16-2016, 04:06 PM   #208
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However, calling a Roadtrek garbage and lumping them with Winnebago is not accurate. At least Roadtrek stands behind what they sell with a 6 year warranty. That's twice what Airstream offers. And from what I've read, Roadtrek has dealt with customers fairly, even refunding or replacing units that had issues.

Roadtrek has it's strength and weaknesses, just like the Interstate.

Winnebago, on the other hand....well, a 12 month warranty speaks volumes as to what Winnebago thinks about the quality of their product. If they have so little faith in their product, why should anyone else?
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Old 03-16-2016, 04:31 PM   #209
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Having had my 2016 AS since late July I'm impressed. Being a veteran RV owner over the years (3 motor homes, 3 trailers) this is the very first that has been trouble free, so far! Not a single issue. We are just 8 weeks away from a 3 month venture across the US & that will be the real test.
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Old 03-16-2016, 05:13 PM   #210
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Joe, our 25 RB has been trouble-free as well in 4 1/2 years, many cross-country trips. We head out again next week for about 3,000 miles and some touring with our new Ram Ecodiesel and Airstream. Looking forward to it.
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Old 10-15-2017, 07:47 AM   #211
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On this forum and on others, we all do a lot of arm-waving about quality control issues. This subject is necessarily a black box for us as consumers, because we don't have access to behind-the-scenes information about what Airstream or any other manufacturer is doing, or why. So, what happens is that thread after thread after thread gets spawned in which incredulity is expressed as the obvious question is asked: How could Airstream allow [this particular build atrocity] to happen?!

A recent piece by bloggers RV Love allows a bit of 30,000-foot view into that speculative process. The authors spent 9 days touring 14 RV manufacturing facilities as anonymous tour-goers (not revealing their identity as one of the higher-rated RV blogging sites on the web). Obviously they are going to hold a lot of what they learned close to the chest, as they figure out how to leverage their time investment and the resulting content in their social media niche. Nevertheless, what they do reveal is instructive. Their account is essentially a longread, so I’ve excerpted these points below. It’s good to keep this perspective in mind as the next wave of Interstate owners emerges, suitably incredulous that their brand new hyper-expensive rigs are showing one build defect or quality control lapse or another.

***
Over 80% of all RVs in USA are manufactured in Elkhart County [Indiana] and surrounding areas [Airstream is about 150 miles to its southeast],

Elkhart County’s unemployment is the lowest in the nation at under 2%. There are currently more than 20,000 open positions and you don’t even need to have previous experience.

RV manufacturers (and other RV-related businesses) are stretched to – and even beyond – capacity, so they are hiring just about anybody they can get their hands on, in an effort to try to keep up with production. So be aware that this new, less skilled labor force combined with the hurried pace of production will, of course, likely open up more opportunity for errors and shortcuts.

It is more common to spot check 20-40% of RV units for accuracy before they leave the factory [rather than quality-control-checking each unit].

There are some RV brands that had legendary reputations in the past but quite simply are not building the same product today that they were years ago.

We always find it interesting how few RV salespeople we meet at dealerships actually own RVs themselves. ... most of the leadership, sales staff and production staff we have spoken with don’t own RVs either...

...may surprise you to learn is that the RV industry is mostly self-regulated, ...The looser industry regulations also allow for more ‘creativity and flexibility’ in marketing claims.”
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Old 10-15-2017, 10:49 AM   #212
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...There are some RV brands that had legendary reputations in the past but quite simply are not building the same product today that they were years ago....

...may surprise you to learn is that the RV industry is mostly self-regulated, ...The looser industry regulations also allow for more ‘creativity and flexibility’ in marketing claims.”
Good info IB, thanks. The clip above sure seems to fit Airstream. Also much has been written about RVIA - the self regulating organization that pretty much forces builders to join in order to sell their products.
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Old 10-15-2017, 11:03 AM   #213
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It is more common to spot check 20-40% of RV units for accuracy before they leave the factory [rather than quality-control-checking each unit].
I subscribe to their channel and watched that episode, and I think the above fact was the one that most surprised me and provided that "AHA!!!!" moment that explained the all-too-common comment that we see on various RV forums of "how could the manufacturer let a mistake like this leave their factory?". Now we know not only the "how" (some only inspect 2 out of every 10 units that come off the line), but the "why" (unskilled labor working at a breakneck pace - quantity over quality).

I've said this before and I'm still convinced that what's missing in the supply chain is competent, ethical dealers. A good dealer will know exactly the kind of quality that's coming from any given manufacturer and could provide a key element to dramatically improving the customer experience by performing their own THOROUGH PDI of EVERY unit that hits their lot. The trouble is, most run their business just like the manufacturers do. Their sales people are often unskilled (most buyers who have done any research at all will typically know more about the unit they're looking to purchase than the salesperson) and they have the same "quantity over quality" mindset. Units are flying off their lots (hence why the manufacturers are so busy making them) so they don't need to "do better". Plus, they get paid by the manufacturer on the eventual warranty repairs, so why do for free what they can get paid for? They don't care one bit that the customer is the one caught in the middle of this little game. It's just about the dollars, and the more they get, the better.

This whole topic makes me appreciate my dealer that much more (Bay Area Airstream Adventures in Fairfield, CA). My salesperson was very knowledgeable, and they tested every aspect of my coach before I took possession (all tanks filled and tested, test drive, all systems tested like the A/C, genset, cooktop, microwave, stereo....the PDI sheet is around here somewhere and if I remember right it had 2-3 columns of items that were each 20-30 items long). Of course I also had read all the horror stories about new coaches having all sorts of issues so I spent 2 hours going over everything before I signed the final papers, but that turned up ZERO problems. I've still had some minor issues over the year I've owned the coach, but of those only one was the result of a manufacturing QC issue (poorly installed light dimmer for the overhead cabin lights so a wire rubbed through...I fixed it myself by ordering the replacement part on Amazon for $35). This is a stark contrast to what I read from so many other active forum members (here and on boards for SOB), so either I got very "lucky" with my particular coach, or the due diligence of myself and my dealer (and possible the factory) paid off and gave me a very good, solid RV.
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Old 10-15-2017, 11:04 AM   #214
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Having had my 2016 AS since late July I'm impressed. Being a veteran RV owner over the years (3 motor homes, 3 trailers) this is the very first that has been trouble free, so far! Not a single issue. We are just 8 weeks away from a 3 month venture across the US & that will be the real test.


Wow sounds awesome we just finished a 2 month trip coast to coast and Canada as well, we loved it, mixing state parks with street boondocks in big cities, the MB chassis was flawless and the RV only a few blown fuses (hint: macerator pump stuck if unused more than a week, just pop out the rear rubber cap and exercise the rotor with a short flat head screwdriver).
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Old 10-15-2017, 11:30 AM   #215
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This whole topic makes me appreciate my dealer that much more (Bay Area Airstream Adventures in Fairfield, CA). My salesperson was very knowledgeable, and they tested every aspect of my coach before I took possession (all tanks filled and tested, test drive, all systems tested like the A/C, genset, cooktop, microwave, stereo....the PDI sheet is around here somewhere and if I remember right it had 2-3 columns of items that were each 20-30 items long). Of course I also had read all the horror stories about new coaches having all sorts of issues so I spent 2 hours going over everything before I signed the final papers, but that turned up ZERO problems.
This makes me VERY happy, as I'm driving all the way up there from San Diego to buy/pick up my trailer next week! Thank you for sharing this!
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Old 10-15-2017, 04:27 PM   #216
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Even living in Denver I picked up both my new Airstreams from Airstream Adventures. First one in Portland and the second in Boise because they had the best price and I was very pleased with delivery. Just wish I could service them there. Denver dealer is just not worth bothering with.
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Old 10-15-2017, 09:01 PM   #217
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Bought a 2016 Interstate Grand Tour from a private individual a few months ago. Flew to Florida from South Carolina. Seller was knowledgeable and did a thorough exterior and interior walk thru. From my prior research, I was able to make an informed decision to purchase. Knowing the date of our arrival, We made an appointment to have a mobile RV Service Tech meet us at the sellers home. We not not notify the seller of this until we arrived. Needless to say, our gut feeling was that the seller was an honest person. In fact, we felt so comfortable with him and his wife's hospitality that we almost forgot that we came to make a deal. Decided to cancel the mobile RV Service Tech, took care of business with the bank, went by DMV, spent the night at a hotel, and drove the 8 hours back home. No problem whatsoever with that deal!
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Old 10-15-2017, 09:06 PM   #218
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Another thing I failed to mention. We had mailed him a deposit to hold the coach until we could make arraignments to fly out to check it out. He agreed that if we did not purchase, he would refund our deposit. True to his word, he had not cashed the check and showed it to us when we decided to purchase. Hope everyone out there buying from an individual will have as good an experience.
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