Our Journey Begins - 2018 AI TB Lounge

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by wachuko

... A/C on of course...will be a good break-in for generator

WACHUKO - I really happy with how generator runs my A/C even at altitude. When I was at Grand Junction & Palisades, CO we used it a lot during day to keep A/C running and it ran all week before I needed to refill LPG.

[wachuko]

Alex, it has been working great. But I have to follow some of the recommendations in the “Beating the heat” thread. Got the reflective mats and magnets to make outside covers for the AI to help with the heat. I do not have the double shades so I get additional heat via the windows. Plus the heat radiating from the parking... I have the A/C in auto at 72 since we got here... I have not opened the doors and the temp is still at 85 in the front and 80 in the back of the AI...

On another topic... thanks to the other thread on the rear doors... I think that I found a solution for a lightweight roof rack to install in the back.

http://www.impact3d.com/sprinter_products.htm

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by wachuko

On another topic... thanks to the other thread on the rear doors... I think that I found a solution for a lightweight roof rack to install in the back.

WACHUKO - Yeah MIKE pointed me to HEIN. I thinking same thing for the small roof rack

[wachuko]

Ordered a free sample kit from 80/20 Inc. Wanted to see what the system looked like and how it works. Pretty cool stuff. Tested two of several of the clamping methods available...

Also sharing a couple of photos Mara took while in Kennedy Space Center... Not an Interstate.. but still pretty cool...

[Boxster1971]

Thanks for info on 80/20.
There is a similar display of the Airstream trailers used for Astronauts at the Udvar-Hazy Center of National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport in Virginia. Like Kennedy they also have a Space Shuttle on display. But the Kennedy Space Shuttle display is much more dramatic. The Shuttle at Udvar-Hazy is just sitting on the floor.

[wachuko]

Finally doing the oil change in the generator... I was not sure how much oil it took so I just bought a gallon of it... turns out it only requires. 0.63 qt... so this gallon is going to last me a long time

I could not find the filter quickly enough to change it in this round. Good thing the one in there is still in excellent condition. I will get a filter and spark plug to keep in the maintenance box. EDIT: Found air filter and spark plug at www.rvupgradestore.com

Spark Plug: 167-1652
Air Filter: A030Y328
Amount of oil: 0.63 qt / 20.16 oz

Photos for reference.

And a video I found on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKfZKWcrML4

[wachuko]

Oil changed at 10.7 hours of use... everything back in place. Ran it for a few minutes. Level is fine and no leaks. Also took the time to clean and spray all battery terminals again with CRC Battery Terminal Protector

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by wachuko

Oil changed at 10.7 hours of use... everything back in place. Ran it for a few minutes. Level is fine and no leaks. Also took the time to clean and spray all battery terminals again with CRC Battery Terminal Protector

What kind of oil? Is there a filter?

[wachuko]

On mine there is no fuel nor oil filter...only air filter. Check the exact model of what you have to confirm.

You can buy a quart of the Cummins Onan oil for 12.00 or a gallon of the one I got for 14.00

By the way... O'Reilly Auto Parts has a special on now and you can get the gallon of 15W40 (Mobil Delvac 15W-40 Conventional Motor Oil) for half... 6.99 for the gallon. I found out just now when I get there to get a frame for the tag... too late for me, but others here can take advantage of the offer.

Oil recommended is single grade 30 or 15W40

[wachuko]

Updating list:

• Updating Fusion head unit software to 3.7 - doing tonight.
• Screen room – ordered a Coleman Instant Screenhouse, 15' x 13' for now. Should be here tomorrow.
• Fix slow leak in rear tire, driver side, in the inner wheel. Yeah, I know...still have not fixed this.
• Rubber mat to replace the dirt magnet of a carpet that I have now...carpet looks great but I am a slave to it. Going with WeatherTech - need to confirm style and order tonight. Going with black color instead of gray.
• Rear shelve - intially I wanted to build it with matching TB laminate – link to what John did... - I ended up ordering everything to build it with 80/20 material.
• Redo the cover of the foldable bed. I need to round the corners that I forgot to do and are damaging the vinyl. Will recover each piece of wood panel separately in a different material (cloth and beige color). Got everything that I need for this task. Got lazy and did not get to this before our last trip.
• Buy and install a drain valve for the fresh water tank (suggestion from Protagonist) to replace the plug currently there. I have been looking at very compact ones and tight 90º elbows to keep it all as close to the tank as possible.
• Install the ShowerMi$er. Parts moved from the garage to inside the house… that is progress Just need to see when I tackle this one…
• RakAttach swing-away hitch - size large. This will allow opening the rear doors even if the Vespa or cargo tray are in place. Sweet setup that I saw on Mark's (Lotus54) AI
• I ordered few things that were discussed in the Spare parts to take on the road thread
• Self-leveling system
• Prime Design - Rear Door Access Ladder
• Quiet A/C from Advanced RV
• Fridge fans modification. Following this thread: Refrigerator ventilation and doing a similar mod to what SeeMore did - link - for now it is between 29.1º-44.7º - I want to do the penny test on the ice cube to make sure stuff in the fridge is not at risk. I also noticed an additional vent in the back of the fridge... but not sure where that vents to since the top is blocked by the TB bar insert.
• Light weight roof rack in the rear of the roof... using three set of these brackets - I know it will not be for anything heavy, but having the flexibility to carry something and when not in use, not blocking the solar panels, would be a nice to have.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by wachuko

Rubber mat to replace the dirt magnet of a carpet that I have now...carpet looks great but I am a slave to it. Going with WeatherTech - need to confirm style and order tonight. Going with black color instead of gray.

I have the black rubber mats. I installed them over the carpet, because the carpet serves an important sound-deadening purpose in reducing road noise.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

I have the black rubber mats. I installed them over the carpet, because the carpet serves an important sound-deadening purpose in reducing road noise.

Great idea. Will try that. I ordered the black WeatherTech 44249-1-2 DigitalFit Floorliner Set just now. Will not be here for our next trip, but will install once we get back.

Also did the update to the Fusion head unit.

[GETRIDAONE]

I see you have a boat from the picture thread. I used a live well / cooler drain plug with a PVC female fitting for the water tank drain. I tried a 90 valve but it hung down to low so this is what I ended up doing. You can attach it with a piece of string or wire so it won't get misplaced. It is not fancy but gets to job done.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by GETRIDAONE

I see you have a boat from the picture thread. I used a live well / cooler drain plug with a PVC female fitting for the water tank drain. I tried a 90 valve but it hung down to low so this is what I ended up doing. You can attach it with a piece of string or wire so it won't get misplaced. It is not fancy but gets to job done.

I will keep that in mind. I wanted the short/compact elbow to move the drain further back and be able to install a water hose spigot in case I wanted to install a hose to drain away from under the AI. I have not done anything with this... want to tackle a few other things first. I know that anything I screw into the outlet I need to make sure the threads do not stick past the thickness of the wall (or it needs to have holes in the threads) so it does not impact drain level.

To avoid hijacking eyechip's thread:

Originally Posted by coasttocoast

The speakers that were in the front of my 2016 were the cheapest crap I’ve ever seen. Used pawn shop speakers are probably superior to what Mercedes put in my 2016. Head to an audio dealer and replace them. An amp will fit under the passenger seat.

After 2 plus years with an Interstate, I will tell you to get rid of stuff in the van that just gets in the way such as:


the sliding plastic doors for the overhead above the driver’s seat.
the silver soap dispenser in the bath. It's easily removed by 4 screws.
the tables, the table mounts on the floor and the rubber stoppers.
the rear seat belts.
the little counter extender in the back.
the rear TV. Replace the front TV with a smaller one that doesn't stick out.
The rear doors and hardware underneath the bed.


other considerations:
mount a magnet on the sliding screen door so it doesn't slide back and forth on a slope.
get a Dyson V8 as you will vacuum daily. You can also suck bugs out of the van. The little $70 dollar starter vacuum is money wasted.
you will quickly learn to not have lights on in the van when parking, and you will enter and exit quickly so bugs don’t get in.
buy a stream light so you can point the light out of the van when looking for the numbers on your parking space.
put a light out at the back and center of your parking space when backing in at night. move the picnic table out of the way first.
bring a level so you can use the VB AIR to level out when parking.
parking at night without being plugged in is called battery suicide. I only have 2 batteries.
drive slow when pulling out and look look look look.
before leaving in the morning, walk around the van multiple times and do a visual inspection for anything that you need to check.
take a fan with you as the van heats up. my van is black too, but i doubt this is really that much of a consideration. when it’s hot, it’s hot.
I cut some reflectix to fit my front and side windows and use this in addition to the provided Airstream shades. I put the reflectix on the front window first and then follow with the Airstream shade. I do the reverse with the side windows. This helps cut heat in the day and light penetration at night. It’s also a lot easier to just pop up the reflectix when parking during the day for lunch, etc. Oh yea, don’t bother taking the bag for the shades.
You want to put 3M Crystalline on the van immediately. Repeating. Do this asap.
I run my generator and rear AC when it’s hot. Yes. it’s sucks propane, but it’s better to stay cool. At least run it about a half an hour before parking to cool the van down.
turn off the propane switch when not in use as this drains the batteries.
take a lot of quarters for the spray wash.
If you think you are taking too much stuff, then you definitely are. Boy Scouting is great, but you don’t want to take what you won’t use. It will just get in the way.

Happy trails

Coasttocoast, that is a great list... and I know you and eyechip both have GTs and not a Lounge... but wanted to chime in here...

You comment on the light and bugs... hahahaha so true! We learned the hard way... now we turn off the house lights when stepping out, and the lights in the driver area are always off.

We got rid of most of the Tommy Bahama stuff in ours. Too bulky in a place where you need to maximize space. I might even remove bar in the side wall and the glass holders in the cabinet for additional space later on... but mugs, chairs, cooler, etc. are out of our AI. Some of this stuff was replaced with super compact stuff that does the same function.

We like and use the soap dispenser in the bathroom and has not been an issue for us.

Same goes for the table. We do not use it in the back... I want to remove the base there (well, we used it once for wine and cheese one night, but I do not see us using it again in the back)... but we use it a lot in the front.
Removing that rear mount will make it more comfortable when walking in that area. Not sure what marks it will leave behind and how to cover the bolt holes...will find out.

Funny, I actually added the counter top extension to ours since the TB edition does not include it. It gets used regularly. I can see this not needed in the Grand Tour, but in the Lounge, every bit of counter space is precious.

Vacuum... no kidding. I initially got a small one... not effective (30.00 wasted). I always end up pulling out the shop-vac from the garage and using that instead. I need a better vac for the AI to keep in there and use while we are on the road. Specially now that we will be doing a lot of beach trips. I will look into one of those Dyson units.

Stream light - checked!

I like the idea of lights in parking space when backing into it... need to add a few more flashlights in the bin to be able to do that... I have one that looks like an old lantern (LED), will add one more.

Level application in the iPhone checked! So far, with only one exception, we have been able to level the AI with just using the VB Air Ride.

Still need to get the reflectix and cut it to fit the window openings... need to add it back to my list.

3M checked

Roll of quarters! Got this feedback earlier as well, never thought about that. And forgot to get one... adding to list.

On other news, got the Coleman tent... not compact at all when in bag... I knew this when I bought it. Will see how it works out during our next trip...

Looks like all the 80/20 hardware for the shelf will be here on Monday. I might have a chance to put it in place before we head out Thursday.

WeatherTech should be here as well before our trip...tomorrow actually...

Finally took the time to go to the Tag Agency and ordered the vanity plate - WB26769.... should be here is a few weeks.

Also, silly I know, but we gave it a name and registered with Airstream

https://www.airstream.com/community/name-registry/

Pretty sure others have used the name, but it is what the wife wanted to call it... so it is done. I wanted Stardust, wife wanted Firefly (yeah, from the old TV series)... We will have a sticker made with the logo (logo is from another series/game but looked cool) and put it on just for fun... Yeah, we are geeks

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by wachuko

We got rid of most of the Tommy Bahama stuff in ours. Too bulky in a place where you need to maximize space. I might even remove bar in the side wall and the glass holders in the cabinet for additional space later on... but mugs, chairs, cooler, etc. are out of our AI. Some of this stuff was replaced with super compact stuff that does the same function.

If you remove the bar, use that space to install a raised refrigerator vent like mine. Close off the lower vent on the couch end of the cabinet. The higher vent will result in better adiabatic flow over the coils and you will not need any outside vent as you proposed.

[wachuko]

John,

Started searching on that... had not seen your threads on removing the fridge... I was afraid to tackle that, but you make it seem very easy to do...

Placing the links here so that it is easier for me to find them when I do this mod.

Initially I was looking at installing the fans without removing anything... your threads have given me the courage to remove both fridge and microwave and insulate as much as I can. Easier to do when someone else has documented the process and shared photos. Thank you!

Removing the refrigerator

Insulating galley cabinet

Refrigerator ventilation

.

[Tobbun]

I tried to do a similar vanity plate here in Texas with WB11097 or any combination 11097WB, W11097B but nothing available. Swapped out O for 0. Must be those 22m people in HOUSTON.

We also named our AI. Haven’t done the registry yet. We went with a simple “Clark”.

[wachuko]

WeatherTech arrived. Center piece was damaged and they are sending a new one... but placed them in the AI anyway to test...

At the recommendation of Protagonist, for better sound absorption, I will leave the factory carpet under it (took it out for the photo since I need to first vacuum the heck out of it), this was just to get the memory off the mat from being in the box...

Also, these are liners... for some reason I was expecting heavy rubber mats...

[rmkrum]

Have WeatherTech mats/liners in ALL our vehicles. They don't need to be very heavy to work effectively.

Solid performance, even resists doggie claws, sand, mud, ice, water, etc. Won't drive a vehicle without them...

Wish they made a set to line the aisle in an Airstream...

[wachuko]

Not complaining. Fits great.

Now with the rug mat under it