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Old 05-14-2016, 12:39 PM   #1
Rivet Master
 
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue , Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
Pre-check for New Airstream Interstate

Hello everyone.

First, thanks for a super nice forum. It was actually part of the reason I decided to buy an Airstream! Calm forum with lots of good information/posters .

We have put a deposit on a new Airstream Interstate that will be arriving mid next week. I will be inspecting it prior to finalizing the purchase. It will have about 1,000 miles on it due to it being driven from another location to here.

I have told the salesman I will be going over everything to be fixed prior to purchase. I have owned boats and cars and have done a lot of such inspections. I am also an electrical engineer.

My question is, for those of you who have bought these, what were the items you checked for or wish you had checked for prior to purchase?

Like to take advantage of the leverage I have now to get things fixed.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 05-14-2016, 12:55 PM   #2
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2006 22' Interstate
League City , Texas
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If you've read our dozens of battery and solar threads, you already know that we could use a sparky around here. Welcome aboard.

Here is the unofficial airforums checklist (motor home bits at the end):
http://www.airforums.com/forums/atta...8&d=1215128295

Some folks have had leaky window issues upon delivery and rust around some of the body cuts. Assembly is done on a tight timetable so check every switch and device. It's not unheard of to have something installed without being fully connected.
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Old 05-14-2016, 02:48 PM   #3
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2024 Interstate 19
Fulton , Maryland
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Check every power outlet, 120VAC and 12VDC, to make sure it is wired correctly. A friend of mine on his first trip in a Roadtrek Sprinter B-van,similar to an Interstate, discovered a 12VDC outlet wired backwards after smoking two phone chargers.

The only issue I had with my Interstate was a loose connector on the Battery Isolation relay. It manifested itself as intermittent operation of the tank monitor panel. A telephone call with one of the techs at Colonial Airstream lead me to the right spot for a quick DIY fix.

As an engineer and former boat owner you should be well suited to deal with any of the Interstate's idiosyncrasies.

Welcome to Airfourms!


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter
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Old 05-14-2016, 03:56 PM   #4
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2007 Interstate
Normal , Illinois
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Welcome

Spend a night in it at the dealer and go thru everything before leaving with it.


Maggie
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Old 05-14-2016, 04:41 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxster1971 View Post
Check every power outlet, 120VAC and 12VDC, to make sure it is wired correctly. A friend of mine on his first trip in a Roadtrek Sprinter B-van,similar to an Interstate, discovered a 12VDC outlet wired backwards after smoking two phone chargers.
Ouch! Thanks for that. I would have never thought to be this thorough on checking the systems!

Quote:
The only issue I had with my Interstate was a loose connector on the Battery Isolation relay. It manifested itself as intermittent operation of the tank monitor panel. A telephone call with one of the techs at Colonial Airstream lead me to the right spot for a quick DIY fix.
Oh boy. I think my inspection went from a few minutes to a few hours .

Quote:
As an engineer and former boat owner you should be well suited to deal with any of the Interstate's idiosyncrasies.

Welcome to Airfourms!


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter
Thanks Mike. Boating sure prepares one for nasties. Nothing like getting stranded on the water without steering because of a single screw fell out of the rudder control!
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Old 05-14-2016, 04:42 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Lily&Me View Post
Welcome

Spend a night in it at the dealer and go thru everything before leaving with it.

Maggie
This is a great suggestion. Do they let you do that???
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Old 05-14-2016, 04:44 PM   #7
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2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue , Washington
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LB_3 View Post
If you've read our dozens of battery and solar threads, you already know that we could use a sparky around here. Welcome aboard.

Here is the unofficial airforums checklist (motor home bits at the end):
http://www.airforums.com/forums/atta...8&d=1215128295

Some folks have had leaky window issues upon delivery and rust around some of the body cuts. Assembly is done on a tight timetable so check every switch and device. It's not unheard of to have something installed without being fully connected.
Thanks for the checklist. The first thing that went wrong with our first boat purchase was leaky window! It took weeks to get it resolved and at the end had to send the boat to the manufacturer to fix it. So hope we don't have to deal with that.
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Old 05-14-2016, 05:46 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amirm View Post
This is a great suggestion. Do they let you do that???
I've never heard of a dealer refusing, tho we have heard of folks getting theirs home and finding the battery is dead or some other such serious issue.

We didn't do it, but we knew nothing at the time.

We had a pipe to the toilet that was leaking and returned three times to the dealer....now extinct...to get it fixed.

The third time was because the pipe had exploded on a weekend trip, spewing water everywhere.

Yes, spend the night in it, get some water in the tank, flush the toilet, run the faucet, try everything out to be sure it is working properly.

Then....leave with it, and have a blast.


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Old 05-14-2016, 07:02 PM   #9
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Cottonwood , Arizona
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My wife and I spent two days (and nights) in the dealers prep lot when we bought ours in March. Of course I showed up with DVM's, current probes, and wall socket testers (yep, I'm an EE too). I had a pretty good idea how things should work and we found no problems. On the trip home from Orlando, we had two minor mechanical problems. First, one of the tank heaters started flapping loose and was corrected with Gorilla tape in a Home Depot parking lot. The second was a big surprise when the sink faucet blew right off the sink and sprayed me down with water. I just screwed it back on with my fingers and it's been fine since. If your van is anything like ours, you will love it.
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Old 05-14-2016, 07:05 PM   #10
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This is a great suggestion. Do they let you do that???
Yes they do. Ask. I'm spending the night at Colonial RV and I'm bringing my toolbox with me...
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Old 05-14-2016, 07:12 PM   #11
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Ok, ok, now hear this: The Interstate is a lousy RV. And to prove it, I'll gladly submit my name (see below) so that you can sign the ownership papers to me.

My name: Lynn Eubank

PS: Please arrange the paperwork so that I can transfer it to New Mexico immediately.

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Old 05-14-2016, 07:25 PM   #12
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Ok, ok, now hear this: The Interstate is a lousy RV. And to prove it, I'll gladly submit my name (see below) so that you can sign the ownership papers to me.

My name: Lynn Eubank

PS: Please arrange the paperwork so that I can transfer it to New Mexico immediately.

Whoa. You had me worried at first. Take it easy on the new guy until he gets the lay of the land.

So, speaking of sleeping there, do these things come with the linens for the beds or do I need to bring my own?
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Old 05-14-2016, 07:27 PM   #13
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Bring a pillow and a light sleeping bag...no linens provided.


Maggie
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Old 05-14-2016, 07:28 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amirm View Post
So, speaking of sleeping there, do these things come with the linens for the beds or do I need to bring my own?
If I were you I'd plan on bringing your own stuff. You never know where that stuff has been.

This is what my truck looks like headed to Colonial...
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Old 05-14-2016, 08:35 PM   #15
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For the twin bed model we got two bed pillows and all the sheets and pillow cases with it. It also came with four nice throw pillows and mattress covers. We just showed up with our sleeping bags, because they don't come with blankets. The sleeping bags, and pillows provided, were fine for getting us home.
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Old 05-14-2016, 08:41 PM   #16
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For the twin bed model we got two bed pillows and all the sheets and pillow cases with it. It also came with four nice throw pillows and mattress covers. We just showed up with our sleeping bags, because they don't come with blankets. The sleeping bags, and pillows provided, were fine for getting us home.
Excellent. That is the model we are getting.

Off-topic but where do you purchase additional linens for the beds? They seem odd sized at 24 inches or so.
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Old 05-14-2016, 08:55 PM   #17
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Batteries, Batteries, Batteries

Even with newer models, the batteries may have been abused while sitting around on a lot somewhere. If I was buying one again (new or used) , I would seriously consider negotiating new batteries as part of the deal.
Also, hook it up to city water to see if the plumbing holds up.
Congratulations on your purchase. You will love it, especially if you splurged for the air ride suspension.
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Old 05-14-2016, 09:32 PM   #18
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Excellent. That is the model we are getting.

Off-topic but where do you purchase additional linens for the beds? They seem odd sized at 24 inches or so.
I got mine from here.

http://www.ablifestyles.net/
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Old 05-15-2016, 05:15 AM   #19
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2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
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My wife and I got the Superbag and are extremely happy with the purchase.

https://www.rvsuperbag.com/

Check the bathroom vent fan. Airstream fabricates a spacer between the fan and the bezel attached to the bathroom ceiling. If this is not centered properly, the fan can be difficult to open/close and eventually the plastic handle will break (as did mine).
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Old 05-15-2016, 06:25 AM   #20
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LoveToWander, I had the faucet come off also, I had just got out of the shower and put clean clothes on. I got another unexpected shower and had to change again. I tightened the faucet with a wrench to make sure there were no more surprises.

amirm, I got a three page predelivery inspection sheet from the dealer. It covered all the systems to make sure everything was working. It is like overload of the sense's trying to take in operation of all the stuff at one time. You being an electrical guy makes you want to check all power outlets. I pulled the ceiling grille off the A/C unit to see if it had a filter being a retired HVAC guy. I had one issue with the sliding door not closing all the way everytime at the top. I figured out there was a plastic spacer at the top rear that was adjusted out to far. It would seem that for the price of the Airstream everything should be perfect. NOT

Happy Camping !!
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