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Steamy1 · 02-04-2016, 10:32 AM

We took delivery of our AS on a Friday, spent one night at an RV park near the dealership (Boise), then went in for a few items Saturday am. Hit the road about noon, stopping only once for fuel and to go through a highway weight station to get our axle weights. Then rented a hotel room in Brigham City. Came out the next morning, and there was a dent on the right rear upper panel. Very distressed. The hotel shared a parking lot with the police station, and I sked them to look at their surveillance cameras. good line of sight covering the trailer. no activity all night. So when did it happen? who knows. my mistake is I did not conduct a thorough second inspection on Saturday. It I had, it would have definitively established that it either did or did not occur at the dealership. For their part, they did offer to come to Colorado and pick up the AS and take it back for repairs, then bring it back. They were very sincere and wanted to solve the issue. However, I chose not to pursue the repair as I would rather have a dent than replace the panel using the Olympic rivets.

I called several AS repair places, sending pictures of the damage, asking if there was any way possible to pull it out. I was told that the only way to repair it was to replace the panel. I called various dent repair places and no one worked on aluminum. I even called an airplane fuselage repair company and they were restricted due to FAA certification issues.

I was stressed; I was at NAPA and they had a Sale table, and there was one of those suction dent pullers for $3.99. on impulse, I bought it and there it sat on the workbench while I pondered life and our metaphysical place in the universe.

Then one evening it had rained, so the AS was wet, and again, on thoughtful impulse, got a bucket of soapy water, sponged it on the dent, grabbed the puller, attached it and without hesitation gave it a pull. POP!

it snapped back in place. You can still see a slight ripple in the skin when the sun is shining on it, but it is now tolerable.

Below are before and after pictures.

Hope this helps in knowing you share company with those of us that have had to deal with this situation.

dannydimitt · 02-04-2016, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steamy1

We took delivery of our AS on a Friday, spent one night at an RV park near the dealership (Boise), then went in for a few items Saturday am. Hit the road about noon, stopping only once for fuel and to go through a highway weight station to get our axle weights. Then rented a hotel room in Brigham City. Came out the next morning, and there was a dent on the right rear upper panel. Very distressed. The hotel shared a parking lot with the police station, and I sked them to look at their surveillance cameras. good line of sight covering the trailer. no activity all night. So when did it happen? who knows. my mistake is I did not conduct a thorough second inspection on Saturday. It I had, it would have definitively established that it either did or did not occur at the dealership. For their part, they did offer to come to Colorado and pick up the AS and take it back for repairs, then bring it back. They were very sincere and wanted to solve the issue. However, I chose not to pursue the repair as I would rather have a dent than replace the panel using the Olympic rivets.

I called several AS repair places, sending pictures of the damage, asking if there was any way possible to pull it out. I was told that the only way to repair it was to replace the panel. I called various dent repair places and no one worked on aluminum. I even called an airplane fuselage repair company and they were restricted due to FAA certification issues.

I was stressed; I was at NAPA and they had a Sale table, and there was one of those suction dent pullers for $3.99. on impulse, I bought it and there it sat on the workbench while I pondered life and our metaphysical place in the universe.

Then one evening it had rained, so the AS was wet, and again, on thoughtful impulse, got a bucket of soapy water, sponged it on the dent, grabbed the puller, attached it and without hesitation gave it a pull. POP!

it snapped back in place. You can still see a slight ripple in the skin when the sun is shining on it, but it is now tolerable.

Below are before and after pictures.

Hope this helps in knowing you share company with those of us that have had to deal with this situation.

Looks pretty durn good

streaminwild · 02-04-2016, 05:57 PM

Welcome to the forum jcole. Relax and have a cold one...two...three...four. I would have never notice it unless you pointed it out. Like hail damage, after a couple of years it will be gone. Aluminum has a way of healing itself through expansion and contraction. What's that stuff on tv that makes scratches disappear?

Go camping near the ocean in Maine. As you ride your bike along the coast, or having lobster dinner at sunset and your still thinking about the dent...sell it. Enjoy the heck out of your Airstream

Mixter · 02-04-2016, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streaminwild

Welcome to the forum jcole. Relax and have a cold one...two...three...four. I would have never notice it unless you pointed it out. Like hail damage, after a couple of years it will be gone. Aluminum has a way of healing itself through expansion and contraction. What's that stuff on tv that makes scratches disappear?

Go camping near the ocean in Maine. As you ride your bike along the coast, or having lobster dinner at sunset and your still thinking about the dent...sell it. Enjoy the heck out of your Airstream

Yep- That hurts only because it was SO new. My last car was the same way. It was SO nice and new, that I couldnt stand to drive through dirt or a water puddle, or have someone get in it with dirty feet. Dents, scratches blemishes drove me nuts. I sold that car and got one that's got a few bumps and bruises and I'm now liberated of that pressure.

You got dented now, so you dont have to worry about keeping it perfect anymore. Live it up!

rmkrum · 02-05-2016, 10:14 PM

Had a friend showing off his brand new car. As we looked at it, he said he forgot something, pulled out his keys, and scratched the side of the car. He claimed that made him not get upset from minor dings. He said he did that to all his new cars.

Makes sense in a weird way.....

Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

NY24 · 02-06-2016, 01:39 PM

To get the best possible job done, I see a trip to Jackson Center, OH in your future. If I were you, I'd report this dealer and damage to the "mothership". Airstream corporate wants you to be a Happy Camper.

jcole · 02-10-2016, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcole

I recently took my 10 day old new 2016 Sport 22 FB back to the dealer for door adjustment & when I went to pick it up I found I had another problem. A 1/2" x 3" dent/scratch that was not there when I dropped it off. Its on the rear middle bottom panel just below the license plate. The dealer says he has to now replace the whole panel . My concerns are: Since the dealer has only been selling Airstreams less than 2 years, I do not have much faith in it looking like it originally did after they are done or that it will be sealed/riveted as good as originally new. Since there is no puncture of the aluminum skin, should I just live with it ?. My wife says they are professionals right ?, just let them fix it if you do not like looking at it. knowing its there really bugs me. Maybe I should just try & get the dealer to compensate me in another way, maybe a few upgrades. Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated.

7 days after the dealer originally claimed the dent/scratch was not caused while in their care, I received a phone call today saying they were willing to fix it or compensate me with having Rock guards installed or cut me a check for $1200. From advice here I have decided not to have the invasive procedure of removing the panel & risking more problems with them doing the work. Since I planed to take a trip to the Airstream factory anyway , I have decided to accept the check & use the funds to have the rock guards installed by the factory trained tech's & come up with some other creative way to make the dent less noticeable so I am not reminded of what happened. I thanked the dealer & will put this behind me. Thanks everyone for all the advice/support.

Lumatic · 02-10-2016, 09:41 AM

At $1200 the dealer would be getting off cheap compared to the price of replacing a panel. Not saying not to take it, just saying.

ghaynes755 · 02-10-2016, 01:57 PM

If you haven't gotten an estimate send the photos to the service folks at AS for an estimate. Similar situation for me. 40 day old AS FC 25, indoor storage ran it into a wall while moving it. Dented the road rear quarter panel and similar scratches in that panel and 4 inches into the long road lower side panel. Cost at JC for full repair, removal and Olympic Rivet install was about $7000. At the time I had GS insurance and they refused to pay as they said damage while in the care of a repair shop was not covered (and unlike the other subsequent half dozen policies I read while shopping they were the only ones with this type of exclusion). Repair shop denied liability but with help from my lawyer they paid including legal fees.

$1200 is a steal for the dealer. Sorry to hear of your issue. Hope you don't have Good Sam insurance.

Also for those type of scratches the factory suggested getting a tube of the clear acrylic touch up pen from the store to seal them. Really no way to get them out.

Urbanologist · 02-10-2016, 11:57 PM

REAL happy for YOU!! The dealership did a peaceful Goodwill gesture. Period. I'm 100% in agreement with getting on to enjoying your AS - unfortunately, dings will happen over the life of using it. It will never be easy on ones spirit, but, oh the fun you'll have using your AS!! $1,200.00 is going to pay for a load of fuel and refreshments!!!

SteveSueMac · 02-11-2016, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcole

7 days after the dealer originally claimed the dent/scratch was not caused while in their care, I received a phone call today saying they were willing to fix it or compensate me with having Rock guards installed or cut me a check for $1200. From advice here I have decided not to have the invasive procedure of removing the panel & risking more problems with them doing the work. Since I planed to take a trip to the Airstream factory anyway , I have decided to accept the check & use the funds to have the rock guards installed by the factory trained tech's & come up with some other creative way to make the dent less noticeable so I am not reminded of what happened. I thanked the dealer & will put this behind me. Thanks everyone for all the advice/support.

Everyone's mileage varies. I would do exactly what you're doing if I were in the same situation. Is the dealer low-balling the amount? Maybe. Is it worth going through an adversarial, stress-filled process for months, diminishing the joy of camping for another grand or two? Not in my calculus.

If you're happy - that's worth a lot. Go camping - have a blast!

paiceman · 02-11-2016, 04:31 AM

The $1,200 is probably the dealers cost of the repair so in their eyes it's a fair deal. My thought is if your satisfied and the dealer offered the $1,200 then it's a fair deal all around. I agree to have JC do the work. There are only two other places I'd think of having it done other than JC.

D Greene · 02-11-2016, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paiceman

The $1,200 is probably the dealers cost of the repair so in their eyes it's a fair deal. My thought is if your satisfied and the dealer offered the $1,200 then it's a fair deal all around. I agree to have JC do the work. There are only two other places I'd think of having it done other than JC.

Do tell...

StreamNTyme · 02-11-2016, 05:55 AM

If you are going to JC for a small dent, you will be running up there often, not enjoying your rig and make yourself crazy. Our first rig we watched it with pride until someone ran into the side. Yes that was fixed but there were stone dings and branch scratches later that we just ignored. Since you did get $$$ use it for a trip not to repair a ding. Way more fun and satisfaction. Go camping....enjoy your new toy.

jcole · 02-11-2016, 07:57 AM

I am going to the Airstream Plant to take a tour & while I am there have the rock guards installed, not fix the dent. I have decided to cover up the dent/scratch with a larger left side reflector. Since the dent/scratch happened just above one of those two under sized useless reflectors, I will solve both issues by replacing those with larger ones. Why Airstream would put those dinky stick on's there instead of something larger you can actually see ? Any thoughts on how you would attach larger reflectors ? Rivet..screw or combination of one or the other with an adhesive ?