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Old 12-10-2014, 04:47 AM   #21
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I wonder if it i feasible to add the under hood generator after the fact - and if you would have a choice to keep or completely remove the Onan microlite?

Ideally one could sell the Onan to cover the cost of the retrofit. I'm always leery of to much customization due to impact to resale, but I think that is one major modification I would do in a heartbeat.

Regarding the second camera add to the Kenwood, $100 for the camera and $50 labor to add it at Best Buy. They do alot of those Kenwood installations so were very familiar with the unit and looked like they could have done the job blindfolded. I was going to do it myself over the weekend but for $50 it was a no brainer to outsource that project.

I'm not sure how useful it is to have the camera in the front though. I never have any issues parking forward, and a birds-eye view of the highway at bumper level isn't very useful. In hindsight, I wish I mounted it back on the Onan facing to the rear so I could see when a curb was about to take out the bleeping propane box by the rear wheel instead of having my wife be the spotter.

The Number One Modification Airstream should do that literally would not cost them a nickel is to throw that Pyle mirror screen in the trash and just run the camera inputs to the Kenwood. The Kenwood is designed for this, and allows you to split the navigation screen with the rear view at the same time. When you put it in reverse, the rear view camera fills the whole screen. It just works! If you touch the screen when showing rear camera angle it auto toggles to the 2nd camera and back when you touch it again. Boggles the mind why this isn't the default choice for the camera system. It was literally built to support 2 different camera angles and to integrate this with the nav system.

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Old 12-10-2014, 05:40 AM   #22
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I doubt the beds on any of the B-vans with folding lounge beds are any better. Going to a twin layout probably gives the best basic bed. ....

- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter
There's a separate bed thread specifically for the numerous lounge bed complaints and workarounds, but FWIW, both my husband and I find that the jack-knife couches that we have in our 2007 are quite good (and my husband has had two surgeries on his back, so bed quality is non-negotiable). No topper augmentation required.

Why did Airstream apparently discontinue jack-knife couches? No idea. Why would one want twin beds when instead one could have twin-ish-sized couches that pop down into a full queen?
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Old 12-10-2014, 05:56 AM   #23
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You need to look closer at the Grand Tour floor plan. It is optimized for two people doing extended RV travel. There are no seats behind cab area up front.
Floor Plan & Specifications - Airstream

Enjoy,


- - Mike
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I agree that the Grand Tour is the best of the available plans for what we need, but I wouldn't want to have to live with its rear end. Call me crazy, but pedestrian access (not to mention uninterrupted floor-to-ceiling vista) through the rear doors is so important to me that I prefer to give up that rear storage space. And the almost universal complaints about the lounge bed have convinced me that I never want to go there.

The Grand Tour is also not co-optimized for use as a potential work vehicle, which is one of my issues. We have a four-foot table to go with our longitudinal couches. We don't always use it, but it's there if I need to haul out my computer and other gear. I don't know of any Class B that currently retains that kind of feature.
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Old 12-10-2014, 06:51 AM   #24
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There only thing I would definitely change about my AI — if I could afford it — and would be a full air rear suspension to prevent launching lounge passengers into low earth orbit while underway.
...
If I win the lottery the airbag suspension would definitely be the first order of business.
You're lucky if low earth orbit has been your worst case scenario. A couple of times, I have been launched into geosynchronous, which I shared with my computer and bottle of Perrier.

FWIW, this is on our long-term to-do list. My husband is convinced that he can DIY it for far less money than it would cost to have it done commercially. I'll post more about that if / when (I suspect it will be when) we get ready to move forward.
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Old 12-10-2014, 08:15 AM   #25
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And the almost universal complaints about the lounge bed have convinced me that I never want to go there.
Shouldn't take all the complaints as gospel and then ignore all the solutions.
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Old 12-10-2014, 09:35 AM   #26
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I doubt the beds on any of the B-vans with folding lounge beds are any better. Going to a twin layout probably gives the best basic bed. I added a 3" memory foam topper with another 2" pillow topper on that to give a nice comfy bed. I roll up the toppers during the day so I have more floor space to move around.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter
I can attest to the comfort of the beds in the twin. Although they are a bit narrow, they are memory foam quilt top and very comfortable. My last rv had opposing dinette benches that when lowered, met in the middle so you wound up sleeping across 4 cushions. I also did the memory foam topper fix which helps but not like a bed.
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Old 12-10-2014, 09:41 AM   #27
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I'd like to see Airstream revert to offering at least one floor plan that is optimized for use by two people doing extended travel in true RV fashion (including boondocking). IMHO, they've enhanced the vehicle's soccer Mom potential at the expense of its camper van ethic. That's fine for soccer Moms and I'm sure there's market demand for it, but one would think that, with about ten different floor plans between the AI and the AI-EXT, at least one of them could remain true to something closer to its original design.

My husband and I find frustrating the fact that this isn't offered. Our original plan was to buy an older pre-owned Interstate, use it for a few years, and then once we know exactly what we want, upgrade to a new model. Except Airstream no longer makes what we want, which happens to be exactly what we have, at least from a lay-out perspective (the Sprinter itself leaves plenty of room for refinement).

Seriously - how do you owners of newer models live with absolutely NO counter space in the galley?! It would drive me bonkers. I wonder if you know what you are missing. So much void space in the newer Interstates. Plenty of bling but the ergonomics suck.

Anyway, long term, this leaves us with two choices if we want to keep using this kind of vehicle: Either invest heavily in the 2007 that we have, or embark on our own custom Sprinter conversion. Right now we're leaning toward the first option, and there are 34 items on our long-term to-do list. Many of those are very small projects (several are storage improvements) but some are fairly major (e.g., add a back-up camera and a solar system).
Consider the twin. It comes with memory foam quilt top mattresses, a full height wardrobe and longer galley counter. My wife and I recently did a month long trip and the only thing we found inconvenient was one of us would have to step aside so the other could get past. We installed a 2nd folding mirror (like the one in the bath) on the sidewall of the wardrobe next to the sink and we use that area for a vanity. We found that opening the wardrobe door 90 degrees seperated the beds from the rest of the coach so we installed a magnetic door stop to hold it in that position. Helps when one person wants to sleep and it prevents tv remote control signals from changing both tv's.
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Old 12-10-2014, 10:26 AM   #28
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[QUOTE=c21bill;1552153]We installed a 2nd folding mirror (like the one in the bath) on the sidewall of the wardrobe next to the sink and we use that area for a vanity. /QUOTE]

You all must look good when you travel. After about a week on the road, I took it as a blessing that there wasn't a mirror. Ignorance is bliss.
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Old 12-10-2014, 03:09 PM   #29
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Shouldn't take all the complaints as gospel and then ignore all the solutions.
I don't really see them as solutions. I'm not interested in hauling around a topper or other queen-sized mattress device in a 22 foot Class B. I realize that some folks find it necessary and that's great if it works for them, but it seems absurd to me when I'm literally pinching cubic inches everywhere else. A bed should do the job of a bed, not serve as a platform for a customer-supplied real bed that the vehicle was never designed to store.

To the other commenter who attested to the comfort of the twin beds - they sound much like the jack-knife couches in our 2007. I didn't RTFM on what ours are reportedly constructed of, but it feels similar to memory foam. Even as we were driving it back to Texas on the day we bought it, I fell asleep as soon as I sprawled out on the thing. Very comfortable.
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Old 12-10-2014, 03:24 PM   #30
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The issue is having a seat / sofa convert to a bed. Needs to be firm enough to sit on and comfortable to sleep on. It is what it is. Take a memory foam topper or not.
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Old 12-11-2014, 05:39 AM   #31
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The issue is having a seat / sofa convert to a bed. Needs to be firm enough to sit on and comfortable to sleep on. It is what it is. Take a memory foam topper or not.
In this same thread, someone commented that the one thing they would want Airstream to improve about the Interstate is the rear suspension, to prevent passengers from being launched into low earth orbit on rough roads.

IMO, the last thing that is needed in the back of that vehicle is a firm couch. Under ordinary circumstances, yes, firmness would be my personal preference (it is in my home-without-wheels). But I have found that, in situ, a somewhat softer memory foam-ish couch has been a Godsend. It does help to cushion the blows. On long sections of rough road when I find myself getting too fatigued by the turbulence, I will lay down just to have a larger section of body surface area in direct contact with the shock-absorbing material (it makes for a surprising improvement over sitting up).
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Old 12-11-2014, 05:53 AM   #32
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We have always found the bed very comfortable to sleep on, and use just a nice, quilted, mattress pad between us and it.

We bought ours to travel and camp in, have loved it, and I still do....153,000+ miles later.

We never expected it to be, or ride like, a limousine.


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Old 12-11-2014, 05:59 AM   #33
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Interstates are trucks converted into motorhomes. Heavy duty trucks at that. Never will ride like a class a. What you sacrifice in ride and comfort, you gain in mobility, economy and ease of driving. Jim
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Old 12-11-2014, 06:24 AM   #34
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You'll never completely eliminate the tendency of rear-seat passengers to go airborne, since the rear seat is behind the rear axle, and therefore it will always bounce like a diving board when you hit a bump and for the same reason, a phenomenon called "moment arm." Air bag suspension should help if you can afford it and the generator isn't in the way of installing one, but it will not eliminate bouncing entirely. Rear-seat passengers should always be belted in while the vehicle is in motion, and padding for the lap belts would not be amiss, either, to minimize bruising around the hips when the seat belts dig on on a bump.
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Old 12-11-2014, 07:21 AM   #35
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And, you know, some of this is about the driver going too fast, hitting bumps, turning hard, etc. One has to be cautious and aware of exactly what you are driving.

I have ridden in the back for long periods on a couple of occasions, when injured, and have never once become airborne or close to it.

It does lurch and bounce some back there, but those things are greatly mitigated by careful and conscious driving.

This is not a car or a limo, it is a delivery van, folks.


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Old 12-11-2014, 07:32 PM   #36
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I was told by a local upfitter that the 2500 chassis rides a lot smoother than the 3500. I don't know when Airstream made the switch.
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Old 12-11-2014, 08:20 PM   #37
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See if they fixed the Dometic kitchen faucet lever so in the hot water position it isn't turned on by putting the cover down. Love the new Interstate!! Built for two!!!!

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Old 12-12-2014, 05:34 AM   #38
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I was told by a local upfitter that the 2500 chassis rides a lot smoother than the 3500. I don't know when Airstream made the switch.
When or why - those would be interesting things to know.

There are a number of other replies in here detailing why we cannot or should not expect or want this or that to change on the Interstate. But the title of the thread is "What would you change on the Interstate?" Not unexpectedly, people are using it to enumerate what they would change on the Interstate. I find that to be a very useful thought experiment because it gives me new ideas and perspectives... new ways of looking at the vehicle through the eyes of other people. Whether or not those types of changes would be feasible or even reasonable things to desire - that's a different thread. For present purposes, I'd encourage folks to keep listing them.
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Old 12-12-2014, 06:21 AM   #39
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When or why - those would be interesting things to know.
Why is pretty easy; higher GVWR and GCWR. Some of that increase is taken up by the extra weight of the dual rear wheels, but there was still a net gain in usable load capacity. Some of that added load capacity is taken up by increased weight of interior furnishings and installed equipment, but you also got increased tank capacities and a second house battery, and still had enough reserve load capacity to load up more portable gear— if only you had toom to put it!
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Old 12-12-2014, 07:12 AM   #40
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I would like to see fellow Interstate owners generally pleased and content with their purchases, viewing assets and limitations thru a realistic lens.

Not being one to shy away from expressing an opinion , I still consciously waited awhile before jumping into this thread. I hate to see dissatisfaction mounting over some things which are inherent in these rigs.

QC issues notwithstanding, accepting what they are and are not is an important part of satisfaction and quality of life/travel, which is what we all want.

Be realistic in your expectations, do what you can with your own selves to mitigate things you don't like.....is all I'm sayin'.

I'm sure JC is following this thread and will do what they can to make modifications.


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