Rocky Start

[Protagonist]

Just bought a 2012 Airstream Interstate on 23 December. Merry Christmas to me! My first Airstream; heck, my first RV, period. Previous camping experience was all in rental RVs.

Then, less than 24 hours later, the morning of Christmas Eve, some vile miscreant broke out the passenger-side front window, and pried the Kenwood navigation/entertainment center out of the dashboard with a crowbar. Never knew I could be both heartsick and outraged at the same time. Oddly enough, I found it somewhat comforting to know that my Airstream was not the only target that night; a fellow tenant's SUV was also hit, and the target in both cases was just a radio; they apparently didn't even look to see what else they could get.

Local Sheriff's Department responded in a reasonable amount of time. The insurance company, not so much. Wasn't able to get an insurance agent on the phone until Tuesday, 27 December. Couldn't get the broken glass replaced until the following day, four days after the break-in. Naturally, the weather was semi-nasty the whole time the window was unrepaired.

When I became an Airstreamer, I had no idea that my first camping experience in my own RV would be in the parking lot at my apartment complex, guarding against the thieves returning to take something else, such as the televisions, since the still-broken window would have allowed them such easy access.

The bad experience was not enough to turn me off of Airstreaming, but I guarantee my next major purchase, once the rest of the damage is repaired, will be a top-of-the-line Viper alarm system! Such is life in the big city.

[clancy_boy]

Metairie for those that are un-informed is another word for New Orleans. I personally would look for another place to live.


Sad you had this experience, that will be a big repair bill, glad you had insurance but they will be shocked at the cost of the repair. I wonder if the thief knows that the unit is really useless unless he has another Airstream in need for that particular item....

[Airslide]

Welcome to the Airforums Protagonist!

I am so sorry to hear about your first airstreaming experience. Hopefully your airstream dealer and insurance can make it right. We are happy you found us and promise better times ahead! We love pictures so post away.

Cheers..

Vinnie

[zlee]

What a bummer. I'm so sorry! Know that you can look forward to much better times than that in your Airstream! See you on the road!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by clancy_boy

Metairie for those that are un-informed is another word for New Orleans. I personally would look for another place to live.

Metairie is indeed the biggest suburb of New Orleans; post Hurricane Katrina, it may be more accurate to say that New Orleans is the biggest suburb of Metairie, given the relative populations. The crime rate actually isn't all that bad compared to other metropolitan areas, though. In fact, for vehicle-related crime, New Orleans metro area ranks 25th in the nation, behind such supposedly "safe" cities as Albuquerque (8th) and Phoenix (19th). New Orleans has a (much deserved) reputation as a bad place to live, but that's actually more due to the corruption of our politicians, who won't stay bought but can be rented; the low academic standards of our school system; and the murder rate in the Lower Ninth Ward, clear across town from where I live.

I had planned to install an alarm system in my Interstate anyway, and just didn't have time before the break-in happened; the only differences the break-in makes are that (1) now I'll gladly pay more money for a better alarm system than I had originally intended; and (2) my first road trip will be postponed until after the repairs are done.

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We're sorry that you had to have such a bad first day of Airstream ownership. Hopefully, it will all be uphill from here.

[Airslide]

Originally Posted by moosetags

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We're sorry that you had to have such a bad first day of Airstream ownership. Hopefully, it will all be uphill from here.

Or downhill... whichever has the most favorable outcome

[woodja]

With the best alarm system, you'd still have a broken window.

[Don.44]

I'm sorry you had a bad expirence when someone did the damage to your AS ....May I suggest to carry a small roll of heavy clear plastic and a roll of duck tape with you for such occurances . It may just re seal it up until you can get it repaired properaly and temporally keep the water out. Duck tape is great as we all know .
Don

[easplund]

That really sucks.

[HiHoAgRV]

If you can get it repaired in the next week, come on over to TopSail in Destin, a bunch of us are getting together on the 6th -8th of Jan. We would LOVE to see a new Interstate!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...8-a-79732.html

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by woodja

With the best alarm system, you'd still have a broken window.

Not necessarily. A key component of any alarm system is advertising its existence, including alarm company stickers on the windows most likely to be broken, and in the case of the Viper alarm system I'm planning to install, an electro-luminescent "system armed" indicator for the dashboard (an upgrade from the more typical flashing LED light).

And even if I still ended up with a broken window, that's a lot easier and faster to repair than the additional damage from the electronics being forcibly removed. Usually.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

If you can get it repaired in the next week, come on over to TopSail in Destin, a bunch of us are getting together on the 6th -8th of Jan. We would LOVE to see a new Interstate!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...8-a-79732.html

Appreciate the invitation, but I'm not sanguine about how quickly the work can be performed. Once the electronics are replaced and the dashboard repaired, the next stop is the alarm company, even before I bring the RV back home. Next time, perhaps?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by easplund

That really sucks.

Actually, no. It only slightly sucks. Anyone who has ever watched an action/adventure movie knows, the only real difference between a disaster and an adventure lies is whether you get a good story out of it in the end. Even if it just turns out to be a cautionary tale, I still got a good story out of it. One must be philosophical about these things.

[urnmor]

Great attitude however it still sucks. We work hard for our toys and to have others destroy them is disheartening.

[Landshark]

Well, the only good thing in this is that at least you had a very comfortable bed when you stayed in it to guard against further theft. Pity the poor guy who had to sleep in his SUV to guard it!

Sorry, shouldn't joke about such an awful intro to A/S camping.

We have what I think is a very simple system for our '86 34' Ltd: the PO put in a system that sets off a truly banshee alarm on the hitch when a window is broken and the door is locked. Seems like that would have worked in your situation unless the thief was deaf? And of course there is a notice stuck on the window by the door.

Anyone caught yet for the dirty trick? So sorry for this to have happened...

Vivian

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Landshark

We have what I think is a very simple system for our '86 34' Ltd: the PO put in a system that sets off a truly banshee alarm on the hitch when a window is broken and the door is locked. Seems like that would have worked in your situation unless the thief was deaf? And of course there is a notice stuck on the window by the door.

Anyone caught yet for the dirty trick? So sorry for this to have happened…

No one caught. For a while I wanted the perpetrator's head on a platter, still dripping, but I'm over that. Now that I've got everything fixed, I'll be happy if he just leaves the Airstream alone in the future.

Between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, an insurance company that was in no hurry to resolve the claim and make a $3500 payout, and trouble obtaining some of the Mercedes parts required for the dashboard, it took about three weeks to get everything back to original condition.

I had already planned to get an alarm system for the Airstream anyway, but the thieves were too quick for me, breaking in less than sixteen hours after the purchase. The break-in merely convinced me to get a better alarm than I would have otherwise, and ensured that I wouldn't quibble over the price of the alarm.

Fortunately, the subcontractor that replaced the Kenwood head unit for the dealer is also an authorized Viper alarm systems installer. I was able to get the alarm system installed at the same time as the repair work was done.

[pattonsr]

Protagonist,

Can you relate more information on the Viper model you used. I remember last year the discussions over what alarm systems worked with the newest Sprinters.

Barry

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

Can you relate more information on the Viper model you used. I remember last year the discussions over what alarm systems worked with the newest Sprinters.

Viper 5901 with lithium-ion backup battery. Doesn't shut off even if someone disconnects the main vehicle battery.
Vibration Sensor. A person putting his weight onto the running boards or bumpers will set it off, but a loud peal of thunder will not, so I don't have false alarms in a thunderstorm. Already tested in a thunderstorm.
Tilt Sensor. Alerts me to unauthorized towing, jacking up the vehicle to steal a tire, or even slashing a tire.
Glass Break Sensor. Sensitive enough to be set off if someone just taps on the glass with a piece of metal without actually breaking the glass.
Five-Tone Siren with Lithium-ion backup battery. LOUD! Also doesn't shut off even if you disconnect the main engine battery, but can be locked off with a key if you ever want to use valet parking and keep the remote with you. Even with the siren turned off with its key, the rmeote still alerts you to any alarm being tripped.
Two-way LCD remote, with a nominal 1-mile range. I've only tested it to 500 feet, but was indoors at the time, and it worked fine. Not only will tell me the alarm has gone off, but also which sensor was tripped.
Electroluminescent "Armed" display (with the Viper logo) on the windshield. Bright green, flashes on and off, visible from a LONG way off. This supplements, but does not replace, the standard blue flashing light inside the vehicle.
No remote start, though I can add that later if I want; don't trust an automotive remote start to handle a diesel engine that needs preheating in cold weather. NOTE: Without the remote start, the Viper 5901 is identical to a Viper 3303, except that the two-way remote has more than double the range, 1 mile vs. 2000 ft.
No door lock interface. At the present time, Viper does not have an interface module for 2010 or later Sprinter vans. When Mercedes took over the imprint from Dodge, they changed some of the electrical systems so a Dodge Sprinter interface module won't work. When the door lock module comes available (estimated 3-4 months from now), I will add it. Until then, I still have to use the Sprinter key remote to lock and unlock the doors, and the Viper alarm will not detect someone opening the doors if he manages to get a door open without breaking any glass. Once the Viper door interface module is (eventually) installed, I don't know if the Sprinter door remote will work anymore; stay tuned for that one.
No Proximity Sensor. I get irritated enough when I'm parked alongside a car with a proximity sensor, and while I'm getting into or out of my own vehicle the car next to me says, "Step away from the vehicle." I won't do that to others. Proximity sensor is overkill unless you have a convertible anyway, plus I don't know if it will work on a vehicle that large. I'll only see about adding one if the present system fails to act as a deterrent and I suffer another break-in, and then only to serve as additional advertisement that there IS an alarm system installed.

Total cost, parts and labor, tax included, $1155. About the same as a year's RV insurance for me.

There may be better alarm systems out there than Viper. I went on the recommendation of a coworker who has a Viper alarm on his sports car. No one else I knew was using a better competing system. And no, the dealer didn't influence my decision, even though the installer I chose turned out to be the same company the dealer chose to install the new Kenwood head unit. Either way, the alarm was installed at the same time the damage was repaired, which was convenient for me (and allowed the installer to put some alarm system components inside the dashboard that otherwise would have been under the dashboard).

And while it doesn't offset the cost of the alarm, just the fact that I installed it saves me an extra $80 per year on my RV insurance. Of course, all it has to do is stop one thief and it has paid for itself, but how will I ever know? You can't really prove that some event was prevented.

Down side to the Viper system, not including the present lack of a door lock interface, are that the electroluminescent display AND the antenna for communicating with the remote are both glued to the inside of the windshield. If the windshield is ever broken and needs replacement, I might need to replace those components as well.

The most important thing, since I had the alarm installed, no one has messed with the vehicle, and that's what it's all about.

[KL's 77]

Many of those New Orleans punks moved to the Dallas area after Katrina and spiked the petty crime rate substantially. Several friends have had their houses , vehicles, ect., ramsacked.