Hail damage help.

[HeikeET]

I have an 03 19 foot Bambi and it got hail damage on one side and just like was said the piece in the center has almost completely repaired itself. The rounded end caps however look awful and now I know there is nothing I can do but replace them.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by HeikeET

I have an 03 19 foot Bambi and it got hail damage on one side and just like was said the piece in the center has almost completely repaired itself. The rounded end caps however look awful and now I know there is nothing I can do but replace them.

The side and roof sheet hail damage, will slowly disappear, especially when the sun shines on them.

The end segments are a softer metal and most of those dents will never disappear.

Your insurance company should replace all the end shell segments that are hail damaged, or give you a very good loss of value settlement.

I have personally taken care of over 1000 hail damage cliams to Airstreams.

Andy

[dmac]

My 2003 Safari suffered serious hail damage in Denver several years ago. As expected the flat panels are okay, but the end caps look pretty bad. I have a friend who used to repair aircraft skins and has the tools and talent to help me DIY. Do I need to order the skins directly from Airstream? Through a dealer? One shop said they also sell the end cap as an assembly, is this a good idea, or is it very difficult to get it in place?

Also, my trailer developed some corrosion soon after purchase new. The factory replaced (or partially overlaid?) some of the skins that now must be replaced. They used Olympic rivets. Is there anything special about drilling out Olympics?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by dmac

My 2003 Safari suffered serious hail damage in Denver several years ago. As expected the flat panels are okay, but the end caps look pretty bad. I have a friend who used to repair aircraft skins and has the tools and talent to help me DIY. Do I need to order the skins directly from Airstream? Through a dealer? One shop said they also sell the end cap as an assembly, is this a good idea, or is it very difficult to get it in place?

Also, my trailer developed some corrosion soon after purchase new. The factory replaced (or partially overlaid?) some of the skins that now must be replaced. They used Olympic rivets. Is there anything special about drilling out Olympics?

Olympics are drilled with a # 21 drill bit.

You cannot order those segments from Airstream, unless your in Jackson Center.

You can purchase a complete front or rear end shell if you wish, or you can simply order the individual segments.

You can use any dealer you want, but make sure they have been around for a while and completely understand the task your going to encounter.

There are a couple of on line dealers that offer good prices for sheet metal as well as segments.

Andy

[pappy19]

Has anyone investigated the "paintless" dent removal folks? I had over 2,000 hail dents in my new pickup a few years ago and the paintless bunch made it look just like new in 10 hours, got every dent popped out except for 2 that were right on the edge of the wheel well. they use a long lever and roller system with a little heat.

[dmac]

Originally Posted by pappy19

Has anyone investigated the "paintless" dent removal folks? I had over 2,000 hail dents in my new pickup a few years ago and the paintless bunch made it look just like new in 10 hours, got every dent popped out except for 2 that were right on the edge of the wheel well. they use a long lever and roller system with a little heat.

Paintless dent repair generally does not work on aluminum - unfortunately.

[polarlyse]

Paintless repair usually requires access to the inside. On cars they do it using a variety of tools to reach the inside of the dent and work it out carefully. Some say the have had limited success using a suction cup device on a bigger dent. Now, as mentioned above, perhaps none of these techniques will work on aluminum. I've only seen it done on cars with steel panels.

[dmac]

The onlu online ordering I have found for Airstream end cap skins is Out-of-Doors Mart MORE Airstream Parts on-line than anyone!!! And we accept PayPal. Are they showing list prices? Are parts discounted anywhere? It looks like replacement segments, front and rear, will cost over $6,000.

[jbroedlow]

I'm using this older post to ask my question because the search function isn't that user friendly. I was in the dreaded hail storm last nite and received a number of dings and two larger dents on the end caps of the Airstream. Do you recommend filing a claim? If I file a claim is it more for the "diminished future value" and I just leave the dings alone? The Airstream is a 2014.

[perryg114]

I would file a claim otherwise you will get nothing for the damage. The end cap dents won't come out but they might be able to be minimized. Most dents on the flat sections will fade in time. You might be able to get an estimate of the repair costs from Jackson Center and go from there. They would need photos.

Perry

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by pappy19

Has anyone investigated the "paintless" dent removal folks? I had over 2,000 hail dents in my new pickup a few years ago and the paintless bunch made it look just like new in 10 hours, got every dent popped out except for 2 that were right on the edge of the wheel well. they use a long lever and roller system with a little heat.

They can work on aluminum and from the outside. They use hot glue to place a small puller tab in the middle of the dent. Then a puller to bring the dent back out. Alcohol removes the hot glue. But, the charge is per dent, hail damage is going to add up to a lot of work. How bad is it. Have you tried sitting the trailer in hot sun? You might do the worse of the end caps and wait to see if the smaller ones cure themselves.


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