2000 Excella General Maintenance

[elolson]

I am going to start a thread on all the stuff I have had to fix for this particular model and year trailer. Might give folks an idea of what regular maintenance can be like on an older but not vintage airstream. Not saying that I am some kind of expert, in fact far from it as I have virtually all of it done down at Oasis RV but we try to keep our rig with all systems functioning and maintained.

[elolson]

Purchased July 2005 from Beaudry RV in Tucson, AZ.

Originated in California.

Beaudry repaired prior to delivery:
1) Rebuilt electronics in convection oven as it had been tampered with. I think they replaced the control board.
2) Replaced the front living room fan assembly.

[elolson]

4/3/06
Dealer Repair
1) 6 wheel brake job, replaced all magnets
2) 6 New marathon tires
3) Shower hose replaced, shower head replaced
4) Shower vacuum breaker replaced
5) Rebuilt door lock
6) AC condensation line had to be resealed
7) Replaced water filter cartridge


6/1/06
DIY
1) Replaced kitchen sink fixture with Home Depot Moehn model
2) Replaced bathroon sink fixture with Home Depot Moehn model

[elolson]

8/7/2007
Dealer Repair
1) Remount rear cabinetry as it had come lose over the years
2) Replaced front fan blade and switch. (I broke it trying to fix it because the swtich was bad)
3) Replaced medicine cabinet fastening HW.
4) Replaced center awning HW bracket

[elolson]

5/23/07
Installed new 15k BTU AC

[elolson]

7/7/08
LP Regulator replaced
New #58 jet for fridge
Fixed sliding rails on one of drawers
R&R shower door and re-fasten at attach points (Loose)
Attach oak trim in bedroom came off by side of bed
Replaced vent valve under sink (was stinky in bathroom)

[elolson]

6/26/08
20' triple wrap sewer hose
2 14watt florescent lights for living room

[elolson]

5/31/08
LEDs all the way around
Replace ball jack right rear
Clean and service H20 heater (flush and replace anode rod)
Clean and service fridge (resulted in warranty work on 7/7/08)

[elolson]

10/11/07
Two new zip-dee chairs to go with our rig. The original chairs were long gone by the time we bought our AS used.

[elolson]

9/19/07
New AC filters
New 30amp breaker but I can not find where it was installed, may have to call about this one. It was supposed to fix tripping problems with new 15K ac.

[elolson]

5/8/08
Replace all plastic molding and skylights (two sky lights, 3 moldings, 1 for bathroom fan)

Strip old sealant and reseal roof. This was PM, I did not want to suffer from leaks as the roof aged and then pay for the way more expensive damage due to water. This was a big job.

Fix some blinds inside that had come loose.
Recurve front door to seal properly.
Remount front ceiling light, had come loose.

Replace fresh tank plastic drain valve with a real nice brass valve and got rid of the factory el cheapo one that was just itching to break on me no doubt after just pulling into the perfect dry camping location 30 miles off the road.

Replaced RSR banana wrap (rivets had cracked plastic over time)

Dealer hand wash and wax with walbernize. Not sure if this was worth it so I gave it a try. The bill for this was simply breathtaking considering the class of labor skill set involved. I'll be doing it myself in the future.

[elolson]

7/14/08

Notes:
Total to date on repairs 10.3k.

Averages 3.4k per year.

Does not include ~8k in insurance work due to vandalism and, ahem, a little mis-hap coming back from Mexico.

Still less than some folks I work with will spend on a cruise and we have been averaging 5 trips a year.

[elolson]

7/18/08
Replaced range top and drawers and installed a full range/oven combo. We did not like using the convection oven for baking. It sort of works, but not like a real oven.

Replaced LHR BAL jack.

Replaced all chrome belt molding both in mid channel and down at the curb line. Looks good.

Replaced all rubber gaskets on external storage doors.


Purchased two old vintage AIRSTREAM emblem castings and dropped them off at the sandblasters to get cleaned up, will chrome and powder coat. The newer plastic vinyl emblems are just not the same.

[vlamica]

Hello!

Wow thats an exhaustive list. Im well on my way and on your heels with $$
We just bought our 2001 excella and didnt have it one week and the flooring had to come up. I am doing most everything myself so i will rely on the knowledge base here for ideas and guidance. Thanks for itemizing everything. It took you some time to do this but i know that mine needs all the same stuff.. especially because i am so fussy about the darn thing.. it gets in your blood

Keep posting.. Vinnie