Very Disappointed with Airstream

[MAJORJDB]

Originally Posted by mkcurtiss

Lordy....if folks think Airstream is crap, then go buy something else.! And in 10 years you can sell it for virtually nothing, but hey, at least you got to spend a ton of money on it and watch it fall apart before your very eyes !

It is what it is. They are not perfect. They require service. Its a house on wheels for pete's sake. But what's interesting is I see these folks complaining and complaining, yet they own 1, 2 or 3 Airstreams? So obviously you are not too disenchanted, or you would go buy an SOB!......It's like the guy that complains incessantly about his wife, and how terrible she is, but he stays with her! If she is so terrible GET RID OF HER!

IMHO, it's not that AS is crap, it's more that people expect some quality for the amount of money pay for them. Yes, folks get less depreciation year per year, but your paying for it up front. It's the follow-on owners that get the better deal, not so much for the original owner. As units get more technologically complicated, more problems could arise more often. Our 1989 Excella isn't nearly as fancy as a 2020 Classic, but I can fix almost everything myself (I'm not that bright either), it cost us 1/10th the price of a Classic and it's still an AS. We look at new models every year, but would hate to deal with the hassles some new owners do, just to say you own an AS. Just wish everyone good luck and safe travels!! Jim & Gretchen

[Wyo Silver]

Those of us with our 2019 International 27FBs seem to be happy with them. I had to fix some little issues, but that is part of owning a trailer. 5th wheels, horse trailers, etc. I had to work on all of them at some point.

Our 2004 will still have metal shavings and sawdust on the floor after a rough trip. We are the second owner and the refrigerator door fell off because the nut finally worked off the hinge bolt after 10 years. I put it back on and tightened the nut and it is still going strong.

Contrary to popular belief, there are very few things that are maintenance free.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

The worth of anything is what someone is willing to pay. So obviously...

Absolutely. Gladly paid cash for mine, and would do it again. Same with my Harley and my Dodge. I find I’m a lot happier with my stuff when I don’t owe on it.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by SYC2Vette

Guess we all paid big $$ for this too.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...ers-yet-again/

Perhaps our AS really are "built like aircraft" in some ways

In Boeing and AS's case, a problem that could be cheaply and easily mitigated by a minimum wage employee with a shop vac.

[Castaway]

Originally Posted by TorchLaker

I bought a 2019 Nest in APRIL and was stunned by how sloppily put together it was. Warped doors, broken screen door and screens with gaps so large that the interior was flooded with bugs when lights (when or IF they were working) were on, loose screws, broken interior frame on rear door, various rusted areas, loose water connection, electric awning kept jamming, dinette floor area was spongy, batteries weren't connected properly, inverter had a short/loose wire, rusted stabilizer jacks extremely hard to lower, interior panels kept ungluing from wall, screws pulling out of window curtain track etc., etc., etc.,. It really was a lemon but Airstream insisted that the dealership be allowed to fix the endless list. I NEVER to got use it even once until the third week in AUGUST. Most have been fixed but not all of it. One friend just nearly broke her arm this week when she stepped down on the rear step and the large hinge screw fell out of the step and threw her to the ground so hard we thought she broke her arm. It was very upsetting. Every day I expect something more to go wrong with but Airstream continues to ignore me. They've even insulted me by telling me that anyone who bought a 2019 Nest would get a free Weber grill as part of a promotion. They said I didn't qualify for it. This piece of crap was unusable from the moment I bought it FOUR MONTHS AGO. It either sat in my driveway or the dealership for almost SIXTEEN WEEKS waiting for parts (some of which STILL haven't arrived).Airstream's customer service is a nearly non-existent JOKE. At the campground, I met other NEW Airstream owners who say they NEVER ARE NOT repairing something - one guy got locked IN his 2019 International Serenity because of a fundamental door lock flaw. The Nest is brilliant but I got a lemon that has sucked the joy of life out of me. This week I'll take it in AGAIN to get the DEADLY step repair and various screws GLUED back in because they're stripped. Airstream - ARE YOU LISTENING and offering me ANYTHING other than thoughts and prayers?

If it truly was that bad I would never had signed the papers.

[Castaway]

CBWELL:

If I was buying a new trailer, it would be picked up by me at the factory.

Good luck with that, we live 30 miles from the factory and they would not release to us, it needed to go through prep first

[Fair_Enough]

It seems to me... it would be up to THE dealer to accept or refuse a trailer, if they can or not, I have no idea. Sounds like they know and accept that this kind of dirt and debris is normal and that cleaning is to be expected. When it needs to be nice and neat is when someone takes delivery.
WW

[J. Morgan]

I wonder if Airstreams competitors post on this forum posing as disgruntles?

Beyond the realm?

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

I wonder if Airstreams competitors post on this forum posing as disgruntles?

Beyond the realm?

Sorry, but that's pure baseless speculation.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Sorry, but that's pure baseless speculation.

Nope, it's just something to think about, and it's no more speculative than presuming that every post is legit.

Just sayin.....

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Sorry, but that's pure baseless speculation.

Is It ?
The internet is used for far more sinister things than this. I believe it's entirely possible and goes on 24/7/365.
Matter of fact right here on this site.

[rowiebowie]

And in a recently closed thread, there is speculation that some new member's posts are not legit due to the fact they post about their problems, then go away. Does this prove their posts were fakes, or is it a natural reaction to the skeptical reception they get, their thread gets closed, etc.?

The above is just speculation of course. But we need to encourage new members and refrain from stifling negative posts. I've received a ton of help here in response to problems I posted about. Positive outcome every time. But I'd never have stuck around if I'd gotten the kind of reception that some recent new posters have received.

[Ray Eklund]

One good example of trailer owners speaking out were the 14 inch Marathon Goodyear tires. Total inappropriate for any travel trailer.

Later came complaints by those experiencing fewer, but still, poor performance of 'some' 15" Goodyear Marathons. Not all... SOME. Don't make a big issue out of this believing ALL... some. But some is bad enough.

The bad press had to have affected sales for these tires. There no doubt was a big increase in sales of Michelin 15 inch and the great success I found with 16 inch LTX Michelins on my 25 and to be swapped onto our new 2019 International.

I would suspect chronic negative posts from a Forum Member with 150 posts. This would be suspect. Also not indicating what Trailer or Interstate they own and have experience.

I have had nice things said about me. I thank my wife. Others may suspect some other motives.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by TorchLaker

I bought a 2019 Nest in APRIL and was stunned by how sloppily put together it was. Warped doors, broken screen door and screens with gaps so large that the interior was flooded with bugs when lights (when or IF they were working) were on, loose screws, broken interior frame on rear door, various rusted areas, loose water connection, electric awning kept jamming, dinette floor area was spongy, batteries weren't connected properly, inverter had a short/loose wire, rusted stabilizer jacks extremely hard to lower, interior panels kept ungluing from wall, screws pulling out of window curtain track etc., etc., etc.,. It really was a lemon but Airstream insisted that the dealership be allowed to fix the endless list. I NEVER to got use it even once until the third week in AUGUST. Most have been fixed but not all of it. One friend just nearly broke her arm this week when she stepped down on the rear step and the large hinge screw fell out of the step and threw her to the ground so hard we thought she broke her arm. It was very upsetting. Every day I expect something more to go wrong with but Airstream continues to ignore me. They've even insulted me by telling me that anyone who bought a 2019 Nest would get a free Weber grill as part of a promotion. They said I didn't qualify for it. This piece of crap was unusable from the moment I bought it FOUR MONTHS AGO. It either sat in my driveway or the dealership for almost SIXTEEN WEEKS waiting for parts (some of which STILL haven't arrived).Airstream's customer service is a nearly non-existent JOKE. At the campground, I met other NEW Airstream owners who say they NEVER ARE NOT repairing something - one guy got locked IN his 2019 International Serenity because of a fundamental door lock flaw. The Nest is brilliant but I got a lemon that has sucked the joy of life out of me. This week I'll take it in AGAIN to get the DEADLY step repair and various screws GLUED back in because they're stripped. Airstream - ARE YOU LISTENING and offering me ANYTHING other than thoughts and prayers?

Hi TorchLaker,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issues you have had/having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can learn more and escalate it to our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

Thank you.*

[Freelover]

I totally understand the feeling. Looking to get an upgrade, but realize its not that different from the old junk anyway. Why waste the money. Just fix the old one and polish it.

[mkcurtiss]

These days, there are organized strategic plans to pump fake info into everyone’s brain, to accomplish ulterior evil schemes....so much so that we now know that we cannot believe one word on the news, coming from the mainstream media.....so the speculation that some posts are fake is totally valid....

[Daquenzer]

Nothing is maintenance free. Any homeowner knows that. An those that don’t do maintenance will see their home slowly decay. And those homes don’t drive down the road at 60 to 70 mph on a regular basis.

I’ve also learned that when you buy something new expect problems as well:
1). At 700 miles I had an alternator go out on a new car.
2). My present Ford Pickup had the bottom hoses come off after only 500 miles and lost all the coolant stranded along side of the road.
3). I’ve had numerous recalls on various cars I’ve owned. Nothing huge, but nevertheless....

I bought my AS in 2017. I’ve had a few things wrong with it. In fact on just about every trip SOMETHING goes goofy and I have to fix it, tighten it, or in a few cases replace it. I’ve come to nearly expect it. That’s why every owner should have a tool kit, some replacement parts, and patience.

Having said that there will be lemons as the previous post describes. I’d think twice about buying in a state without lemon laws. And AS needs to get their act together. One of the problems I see is that it is often a long distance to the nearest AS dealer. Typically only one in each state. That makes it difficult to resolve issues, get parts, and schedule service.

[brad1]

Originally Posted by mkcurtiss

These days, there are organized strategic plans to pump fake info into everyone’s brain, to accomplish ulterior evil schemes....so much so that we now know that we cannot believe one word on the news, coming from the mainstream media..

It appears to be working in at least one case...

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by mkcurtiss

These days, there are organized strategic plans to pump fake info into everyone’s brain, to accomplish ulterior evil schemes....so much so that we now know that we cannot believe one word on the news, coming from the mainstream media....

Oh boy....

Anyway, as a counterpoint to the original topic of this thread, we've had our 2020 Globetrotter for three weeks. Aside from two minor issues, a misaligned switch in one of the overhead storage bins that allowed the light to stay on when the bin door was closed and a loose battery cable clamp (both easily fixed), the trailer is essentially perfect and everything in it works. Apparently quality control hasn't gone completely off the rails.

[Kalashnikov]

Picking up our FC 28RBT this weekend, expecting the following based on this thread, walking through the unit a few times and a conversation with an AS owner:
- Prep will be complete, should be no screws or sawdust anywhere
- If I were to peer behind any cabinets or panels, no doubt there would be some construction debris
- Cabinet hinge screws will come loose over time, I'll have a bottle of wood glue handy and don't plan on starting a warranty claim


We've owned an SOB of similar size and it was bought new, $20k. In terms of quality it was a piece of junk, my wife was shocked at what you get for the money. Fact is that RVs must have a huge profit margin, materials are the absolute cheapest and construction is shoddy. I'm 'handy' so I fixed issues as they came up and we still had a great time in that SOB. Ended up selling it after a few years for $14k, not too bad.



Our AS will be 3-4x the cost but is it 3-4 the quality?

- Exterior: Absolutely yes, likely 10x compared to the SOB
- Design: Somewhat subjective but yes, it's been thoughtfully laid out and the 'skeleton' of an AS is good. 2x better.
- Towing: Maybe 1.5x better, last one could only go 65max due to tires and the front of the camper would bow in (dent) even at that speed
- Interior: Advantage AS though not by a huge margin (we have an FC, I understand other trim levels will be nicer but at much higher cost)
- Hardware: All door/window hardware seems to be 2-3x 'better', AS is built like a tank
- Appearance: 2-3x 'better', wife is more impressed at least!
- Construction: Assume similar workers at the SOB and AS factories, this is a wash


We're paying a lot for the 'new car smell.' The used AS buyer gets very good value IMO.