Interstate Owner's recommendations to Airstream

[Oldforester]

Another note regarding the curtain issue. My wife came up with a simple solution for our 2015 GT ext configured with only 2 front seats. Buy a simple , strong extendable curtain rod made for vehicles in that they have the end configured to hang from the side wall coat hanger. She used her old sewing skills to make a custom length curtain with 2 sides so you can separate easily to get into drivers seat area. Hang the curtain from the hangers and you are set. While driving we open the curtains and use a simple tie to keep the curtain out of the way. Easy, simple, provides perfect blind without side panels & windscreen.

[InterBlog]

The best curtain I've seen to date is the one fashioned by James and Stefany (Fit RV) for their Travato. Both of their cab seats swivel, and so the curtain is dual use - it can hang conventionally or it can actually be "worn" up against the windshield, behind the seats when they are facing backwards, which really helps to maximize the Class B living area. Plus it looks cozy.

You can see that curtain in this video beginning at the 7:40 minute mark. (The whole video is arguably a lesson in how to engineer a Class B correctly).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMDQOOnpAg

[Haasman]

I am in contact with the Airstream Interstate Product VP. We exchanged emails and he is very interested in our experieinces, product suggestions and improvements.

I will be forwarding a link to this thread and a written summary.

I take this as good news.

Haasman

[73shark]

The biggest improvement they can make first is to improve the quality of the current product.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

The best curtain I've seen to date is the one fashioned by James and Stefany (Fit RV) for their Travato. ...

I wonder if James picked up on that re-post of their vid, because yesterday he back-filled with this post on how exactly he fabricated those curtains. It's a thorough explanation for anyone who might want to tackle a similar project. And it contains a clearer pic of how the curtain functions when the front seats are swiveled.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I wonder if James picked up on that re-post of their vid, because yesterday he back-filled with this post on how exactly he fabricated those curtains. It's a thorough explanation for anyone who might want to tackle a similar project. And it contains a clearer pic of how the curtain functions when the front seats are swiveled.

Thanks for posting the update from FitRV. James is definitely worth following - he does great work and is very talented. I had the pleasure of meeting James and Stef at an Advanced RV Fest a few years ago. They are a great team!


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[73shark]

Those two are great! But not only would I not get one, not sure it would work at all w/ kids. The flush toilet was one thing that worked very well on our Interstate. Only training req'd was to restrict the amount of flushing which based on my five years of experience must require a post graduate course.

[SWH]

We are new Interstate owners - have purchased our 2017 Lounge 2 weeks ago and love it! If I could pick one improvement it would be a power sliding door (like on every mini-van I've ever been in). That door is big and heavy and my kids - and even my wife - have trouble closing and opening it from the inside.


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[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by SWH

We are new Interstate owners - have purchased our 2017 Lounge 2 weeks ago and love it! If I could pick one improvement it would be a power sliding door (like on every mini-van I've ever been in). That door is big and heavy and my kids - and even my wife - have trouble closing and opening it from the inside.


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Normally I'm opposed to power anything - it's just more stuff to break. But the automotive industry seems to have the van power door thing worked out. I drove my gen 1 (1999) Toyota Sienna for 12 years and its single power door never failed. I'm now more than 5 years into my gen 2 (2011) Sienna and neither of its power doors has failed. So yeah, that could be a valuable addition on an Interstate if the tech were as robust as it is for daily drivers.

[73shark]

Originally Posted by SWH

We are new Interstate owners - have purchased our 2017 Lounge 2 weeks ago and love it! If I could pick one improvement it would be a power sliding door (like on every mini-van I've ever been in). That door is big and heavy and my kids - and even my wife - have trouble closing and opening it from the inside.


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Welcome to the Air Forums.

The ironic thing about no power slider is that it's available in Europe, just not the US models. While there are aftermarket options available, my investigation revealed that they wouldn't fit w/o serious mods to the curbside interior and reports stated that most aren't very durable.

Had planned on trying one on the Transit but after I got it, was surprised how light and easy to close the slider was. But still think a factory option would be nice.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Normally I'm opposed to power anything - it's just more stuff to break. But the automotive industry seems to have the van power door thing worked out. I drove my gen 1 (1999) Toyota Sienna for 12 years and its single power door never failed. I'm now more than 5 years into my gen 2 (2011) Sienna and neither of its power doors has failed. So yeah, that could be a valuable addition on an Interstate if the tech were as robust as it is for daily drivers.

I am hereby eating my words. This morning, I checked to see if my class of minivan (2011 Sienna) had made it into the queue yet for replacement of the Takata airbags, when I noticed that there's actually a second recall on the vehicle - that being for the power sliding doors.

According to the recall, under certain conditions the sliding door motor circuit can become overloaded, disabling the fuse, and allowing the door(s) to open spontaneously while driving (there go your dogs out onto the freeway at 70 mph). The instruction is that the power door function be disabled and not used at all until a fix is developed.

So, I hereby update my recommendation to - nix the power slider option on the Interstate. It's just one more thing to break.

[Amg]

I disagree. I wish there was a side door power option. I can't tell you how many times I had to stop and get out and reclose the side door because the open door alarm came on. It is a heavy hard door to close. I also have a Mercedes Metrix that does have a power side sliding door and it is a dream.

[joe rv guy]

[QUOTE=Amg;1906650] . I can't tell you how many times I had to stop and get out and reclose the side door because the open door alarm came on.

just wish it (somewhere on dash) would tell you that it's open before you get underway!

[InterBlog]

So far the motorized sliding door recall appears to be for Toyota only - 850,000 vans. There seems to be very little additional information, such as, did any other manufacturer also use the same motors or with the same kind of electrical set-up that apparently led to the problem?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is involved, but none of the sound bites I've read give specifics on how and why this issue was discovered. This bit from Autoblog seems ominous:

Injuries/Deaths: In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Toyota said, "We would like to refrain from commenting on this matter."

[Haasman]

I forwarded as many items of recommendations I could find off this and other sites. I included links to this thread and of course to the Airforums.com

I received the following back from the VP of Sales at Airstream:

'Thank you so much for taking the time to send me this list. You can be assured it will be share with our GM and engineering team. I think there are some great suggestions on the list!

We appreciate your business and hope you see some of these changes in future!

Happy Airstreaming-

VP Sales- Airstream, Inc.

[73shark]

I got one of those notes several years ago when I sent a few items and suggested that they have someone follow this forum. Sales VP said the same thing in response. I'm suggesting awarding them 1st place Prevarication trophy.

[UKDUDE]

This is an email I received from the President and CEO in December 2012:

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond, but thank you for your kind words
about Tim and Randy. And for your thoughtful suggestions about the
Interstate layout. We used to offer a floorplan that had the bathroom
directly behind the driver, as you suggest, but it proved unpopular.
However, I do understand your point. Packaging in the tight Sprinter
envelope presents many challenges, but your input is well taken and will be
passed on to those responsible for Interstate design and sales. That said,
I can't promise that we will immediately start producing a unit as you
describe, but this kind of feedback is essential as we seek to improve our
offerings in the future. Until then, travel well.

Best regards,
Bob

Bob Wheeler
President & CEO
Airstream, Inc.

So you can all thank me for the Grand Tour - haha!

[73shark]

I sent a list in response to a query in 2013. Belief is at your option.

Here's query-

Thank you for the email. Yes, we do have a quality department that measures quality both on the production line as well as feedback from the field. We do monitor the forums from time to time to catch up on the information being shared. If there is a particular forum you feel we should follow, please let me know. The one we monitor the most Air Forums.

Our quality department also works closely with our National Service Managers weekly to get the market feedback from our products. We also have a managers audit twice a week where we randomly select an Airstream for the senior leadership team to audit. The team includes the VP of Operations, CFO, VP Sales, VP Engineering, VP Marketing, Service/ Parts Manager and the president & CEO. This is a required meeting and has led to some great improvements over the years.

When necessary, we also set up quality meetings with our vendors. We have recently made the decision to invest in iPad’s for the production line. Our quality auditors will enter information into the devices and it will provide real time information to our managers. This is being implemented first quarter of 2014.

How is your Interstate? Can you tell me what problems you have experienced and any suggestions you may have to improve the product?

We appreciate your business! Thanks again for the email!

Justin Humphreys
VP Sales- Airstream, Inc.


Here's response to my list-

Hi Marc-


Great feedback! Thank you for taking the time to send it to me. Much appreciated and great stuff.


I will be sure to share it with our team.


We appreciate your business!


Happy Airstreaming-


Justin

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

This is an email I received from the President and CEO in December 2012:

....We used to offer a floorplan that had the bathroom
directly behind the driver, as you suggest, but it proved unpopular....

What might have been unpopular before the invention of Instagram would not necessarily prove to be unpopular now that #vanlife has been used over one million times by the van-enthusiast subset of 600 million users.

I'm not kidding. We chose the rare Interstate RS model because I knew that I personally wanted to replicate a tent-like experience, a close-to-nature experience, a window-on-the-world experience. What I did NOT know at the time is how many others felt similarly. Many of the most compelling van-related images on Instagram are the proverbial back door million dollar views. Those photos capture an experience that smacks both the owner and the Insta viewers straight in the face, where it needs to be. Side views, perpendicular to the axis, lose energy and are nowhere near as compelling.

And in order to maximize the back-door view, the most efficient place to put the wet bath is up front, so that the rear living space is not fragmented or impeded. Whether we own an Interstate or build our own custom Class B in the future, the wet bath is going directly behind the driver's seat where it doesn't interfere with the overall experience.

Here's an image quilt (Tufte / Schwartz) that captures many breathtaking views from #vanlife. Most of these are from its child tag #sprintervanlife, and a few of them are mine. As one of those vanlifers explained in her post, "We think this is the best kind of cabin in the woods."

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Here's an image quilt (Tufte / Schwartz) that captures many breathtaking views from #vanlife. Most of these are from its child tag #sprintervanlife, and a few of them are mine. As one of those vanlifers explained in her post, "We think this is the best kind of cabin in the woods."

That is really pretty! I'd never heard of Tufte / Schwartz so on googling it, my mind is now set off on a tangent.


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