2015 Bambi Sport 16' question...

[D Greene]

Has Airstream changed brands or type of propane furnace recently. As part of our purchase decision research we have watched several walk through videos on YouTube and all these have the standard furnace exhaust that seems to be the industry standard like the Atwood model.

We recently looked at a 2015 on a dealer lot and it had a furnace exhaust I am not familiar with. The exhaust port was incorporated in a larger panel, maybe a foot high and 8-10 inches high with the exhaust port at the bottom. Any ideas?

[scamp]

I own a 2015 16 sport and it has a Atwood brand furnace in it not sure what previous years had for a furnace . With the big panel on the outside .

Don

[D Greene]

Thank you Don. We love the Bambi floor plan and will probably get one. Just trying to find out as much as we can before writing that big check. Has yours been all you expected? Any warranty issues so far? They sure are a well thought trailer.

[Ron A]

My wife and I purchased a 2015 Sport 16' in November. Have had 2 trips in it and a third planned for Christmas. So far we have really enjoyed it. It toes very nicely however for my additional comfort I added and equalizer hitch system.


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[D Greene]

Thanks for your reply. Does yours have the Atwood furnace as well? I reviewed the photo my wife took of the 2015 on a dealer lot and it does have a furnace vent I have never seen before. Very curious...

[Ron A]

Atwood Furnace


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[Ron A]

Atwood hydro flame furnace is with ducting options. Example duct for gray/black water tank to keep from freezing. If I understood correctly introduced for 2015 models.


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[D Greene]

Thanks! That is exactly what it is. You are a genious. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

[Combsl]

Greetings---

Our Bambi 16 Sport(2013) furnace is an Atwood.

Love our Bambi. Just drove from El Dorado, Arkansas to Culver City CA. Spent five days on the road and had a wonderful trip. Tow vehicle is a 1999 Honda Odyssey and hitch is a Hensley Cub. Towed beautifully and gas mileage was an average of 13.5 MPG.

Merry Christmas or your choice!

[scamp]

Originally Posted by D Greene

Thank you Don. We love the Bambi floor plan and will probably get one. Just trying to find out as much as we can before writing that big check. Has yours been all you expected? Any warranty issues so far? They sure are a well thought trailer.

Hi D Green
This is our second airstream the first (2012)had many warrantee issues and decided to sell it and buy a new one, the second trailer is our 2015 sport. The first thing we needed to get out of our head is airstream has a lot of quality issues , they leak, then have floor rot ,and have corrossion problems,( filiform ) and the quality is not there ,you figure you pay $54000.00 in canada to well over $ 100000.00. For a trailer depending on model ,that it would be the best in quality that isn't so , airstream to us does have the best quality interior ,cabinets, the appliances are the same as other manufactures,we do like the layout, we do like the look of airstream,we do like how nice it pulls down the road, airstream does hold its valu ( so far ), on the 16 sport there are a lot of down grades compared to our last 19 foot flying cloud after all it's the entry level into airstream and we knew it , the main problem with the 16 sport is the combo black and grey water tank, there should be two seperate tanks , but for us we bought this model because we wanted a smaller trailer with less money invested in it and it's a lot easier to get into more campgrounds in ontario because of its size more available campground sites , ( we never make reservations)I can also do a 3 point turn in some tight parking lots in some campground trail parking lots, my wife and I still do motorcycle camping in a tent with all gear packed into A total storage volume of 100 litres that's like two storage bins in the airstream so were used to roughing it , don't get me wrong when using the airstream is not roughing it . But you have to think of a few things when showering , flushing the toilet , running the taps as all water goes into one 23 gallon combo black and grey water tank,and can fill fast , but for us been conservative we can stay at campgrounds for 4- 6 days without emptying the tank if using the campground showers and toilets, but if using the trailer shower and toilet with two in the trailer you must empty the tanks daily,the main thing when buying airstream is you have to think it's not a best quality trailer out there and then you will accept it easier.

Don

[xrvr]

Scamp, good comments, worth reading. Peace, jim

[D Greene]

Thanks for taking the time for such a thoughtful reply Scamp. I am not looking for perfection but it sure sounds like Airstream is a long way off from even the expectation of staying dry in the rain. Very sad, especially for a company in business for so long. Looked at a new 16 footer on a lot the other day and was disappointed with the fit of door and screen door. Very difficult to close. Oh well...a guy can hope.

[Burfield]

Have 2014 Bambi 16'
Problems in first 6 months include cheap microwave failed on first trip (door latch failed), fresh water tank sensor failed twice, water pump hose loose and leaked (dealer failed to test), had nail in tire when went to pick up at dealer (tire replaced in about 10 days) roof caulking was done in a very sloppy way and had to be corrected, screws in bath/shower surround fell out, rear cargo door latch's need constant adjustment, propane tank valve knob broke off. In addition, the lack of rock guards and no screen door guard may be a problem. The interior lights are not LED's. I bought Rock Tamers for my towing vehicle and made a screen door guard. My impression is that Airstream needs to improve their QC and not go so cheap on this $40,000 entry level camper.

[Peanut]

“It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand” applies to Airstreams too. Jeeps (the real ones, not Grand Cherokees and such) are notorious for quality control problems, but if you have every had one you know that there is just something special about them. I’m pretty sure that something special is a soul. Somehow Airstream, like Jeep, has managed to infuse a soul into an inanimate object. That my friend is what you are paying for and it’s worth every penny!

[slowmover]

You'll find examples of the same on this forum. And far worse with other brands on occasion. Stay on top with regular inspections and the problems become few to none and then one day are related to age. A long way off. This forum is a good place to read and reD some more. Some problems, for example, can have solutions which are a distinct improvement.


from the AIRphone

[renderit]

We bought a 2014 16' Bambi last February or March and have run it on some short weekend trips and a multi week pull in the mountains. Right off the bat I'll tell you the quality is not there for what you are paying. You will really scratch your head and pick your battles. Our dealership is not impressing the heck out of me either. Charging for stuff they are not doing, not getting around to doing it until I push etc. Items troubling us are most often small, but there is no excuse for the factory missing them. Things like a screen door which does not fit right. The dealership just sends out a burly guy with a 2x4 to try to bend it when it is obvious the latch post is too long for the design to work right. Sensor on the black/grey tank never worked, but they will cut a hole through the bottom rather than remove the panel to fix it, so we do without. Ours was the only one out of 4 they had at the time with a floor that didn't have ripples in the sheet vinyl. Somebody down there also thinks the torque on the wheel lugs is several hundred pounds instead of the 80 it is. They have had to replace lugs they TWISTED!

That said, we are keeping it. I will do most of the work because they can't be trusted to do it right. After we move I'll find another dealership who maybe gives a darn. We love the unit, the running gear works well, it tows well, we have 2 vehicles we can tow it with. Despite all the quirks the floor plan works very well for us (even though I can't sleep in the rear bed and use the table because the rear makes me claustrophobic). At least with the option I an really spread out and not wake the Princessa when I get up at night. Cooking facilities are cramped, but seem to work very well for us. We don't prepare 5 star meals, we want to be out enjoying the day. It has enough storage for us for extended trips. We could spend the whole summer out in it if we wanted. We are used to tent camping so we can pack better than some, but there really is a lot of space in one when you weed out the stuff you really don't need.

In short we love the unit, dislike the quality on some relatively minor things, don't care for the way the dealership works.

[D Greene]

Thanks for all the replies. Like cars and motorcycles, sounds like a basic foundation for a good experience with a new Airstream is a dealership and service department that has the motivation, the training, and the experience to do the job right and with attention to detail. Sadly that sounds rare in the RV business. Of course getting things correct before a unit leaves the factory always helps too. I guess we will do like everyone else. Pay our money and hope for the best.