Possible cause to all Airstream Quailty Control Issues

[ROBERT CROSS]

I learned in 1988 just how competent the repair side of JC is. They did an outstanding job on an emergency repair on our '63 Safari.
I'm not aware of any complaints about work done there.

It's the building side that provokes the QC issue.
Maybe the 'builders' should apprentice on the repair side before they 'build' so they know what they are causing. 👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

I acknowledge your 2cents...thats all.
You hired VN Vet's, good on 'ya, we never smoked 'pot'.

Bob
🇺🇸

Friend, you may find it hard to believe but I never even had one between my fingers much less smoke one. I quit smoking when they began putting warnings on the packages.
And I was in my twenties when my sixties generation introduced itself at Woodstock.
I had too much fun raising my family and starting my own business to get sidetracked with pot smoking and drugs.
My brother on the other hand started smoking pot at age 14 and at 65 he is on methadone, wasted his entire life.

[Ray Eklund]

Post #48. 1971 should read as 1981.

My 1956 VW had NO Rust. My 1964 VW had NO Rust. My 1978 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pickup in three years had RUST. My 1981 Toyota had RUST. My Toyotas from 1985 to today... NO RUST.

Airstreams... depending on where in the USA. SALT and HUMIDITY States have more corrosion problems than the Interior higher elevation States. We do not tow in the winter months where the roads and highways are treated with salt or mag chloride.

At junk yards you can actually see the aluminum being 'digested' from the edges on various aluminum trailers. Moisture and wet soil seem to work together to corrode your Airstream or any metals. Storage is important. This is more of an owner's issue and not the Airstream's. Dry storage will preserve your Airstream. Wet environment will not...

Just a 'morning observation'... This would not be an Airstream Quality issue. It becomes an Owner's Quality of Storage Issue. When owners complain of filiform/corrosion... it is a storage issue.

My 12 years of Airstream ownership has always been the cabinets and appliances from OUTSIDE AIRSTREAM sourcing suppliers having integrity to their cabinets.

Next is the fit of the interior curved cabinets to the interior curve of each trailer. The misfit is filled with a trim, that sometimes is too short on the top by an inch to three inches. The curves apparently are not the same for a firm contact, causing cabinets to move on the floor. As seen by wear on the linoleum. A better secure fit would improve the integrity of the cabinets. Also better hinges and slides to prevent hardware coming apart from road vibrations.

Wurlitzer jukebox company in Tonawanda, New York would REJECT the entire load of outside produced cabinets if they had a flaw. The supplier(s) quickly understood that you can make mistakes, but it will cost you. This may be time for Airstream to review suppliers not by price, but by quality.

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Post #48. 1971 should read as 1981.

My 1956 VW had NO Rust. My 1964 VW had NO Rust. My 1978 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pickup in three years had RUST. My 1981 Toyota had RUST. My Toyotas from 1985 to today... NO RUST.

Airstreams... depending on where in the USA. SALT and HUMIDITY States have more corrosion problems than the Interior higher elevation States. We do not tow in the winter months where the roads and highways are treated with salt or mag chloride.

At junk yards you can actually see the aluminum being 'digested' from the edges on various aluminum trailers. Moisture and wet soil seem to work together to corrode your Airstream or any metals. Storage is important. This is more of an owner's issue and not the Airstream's. Dry storage will preserve your Airstream. Wet environment will not...

Just a 'morning observation'... This would not be an Airstream Quality issue. It becomes an Owner's Quality of Storage Issue. When owners complain of filiform/corrosion... it is a storage issue.

My 12 years of Airstream ownership has always been the cabinets and appliances from OUTSIDE AIRSTREAM sourcing suppliers having integrity to their cabinets.

Next is the fit of the interior curved cabinets to the interior curve of each trailer. The misfit is filled with a trim, that sometimes is too short on the top by an inch to three inches. The curves apparently are not the same for a firm contact, causing cabinets to move on the floor. As seen by wear on the linoleum. A better secure fit would improve the integrity of the cabinets. Also better hinges and slides to prevent hardware coming apart from road vibrations.

Wurlitzer jukebox company in Tonawanda, New York would REJECT the entire load of outside produced cabinets if they had a flaw. The supplier(s) quickly understood that you can make mistakes, but it will cost you. This may be time for Airstream to review suppliers not by price, but by quality.

Ray, what are you doing in Tonawanda?!? I grew up close by there. Not many know of it.

[KWN306]

I've owned 5 travel trailers, two of which have been Airstreams. Each manufacture uses basically the same appliances (refg., stove, heater, water heater, water pumps, A/C, etc.) Out of all of my Airstream trailers the problems have been with the appliances, not the unit itself.

With that being said I have owned brand "x" longer than my two Airstreams. Airstreams uses heat pumps and on my 23FB in two years I had it replaced twice. Brand "X" uses straight A/C's.

I guess my biggest complaint is the lack of support to the customer at the dealerships. To get truly satisfied you need to haul your rig to the Jackson Service Center or to a forum recommended dealer a half a dozen states away. To me that is unsatisfactory when you spend $100K on a unit.

Are the appliance manufactures creating the issue or is everyone having workmanship issues? I understand the OP has a refig. drain issue that sounds like a design flaw.

[TheCabin]

I don't agree with a statement like this:

....Just a 'morning observation'... This would not be an Airstream Quality issue. It becomes an Owner's Quality of Storage Issue. When owners complain of filiform/corrosion... it is a storage issue......

Filiform may occur when there is a break in the organic coating. In the case of a newly built AS, there may be breaks on all edges and holes punched for rivets. The new owner may then face a situation that nothing short of permanent storage can prevent the inevitable corrosion created by AS quality control. This is not good. Would be better if AS gave a 20 year or more corrosion warranty related to coating damage created during production.

[Albireo]

Our 27 GT just arrived today at Can-Am in London Ontario. We pick it up next week and are off across Canada and down the west coast to Arizona where we spend a lot of time there.

I specifically asked them to really go through the trailer as we are only staying in it overnight at the dealership and I will have a couple of nights at a local trailer park to do a shake down trip before we go. It seems to me Can Am is a good dealership. I don't believe I have even looked at reviews on line. Even if I do I take them with a grain of salt as complaining and the internet are like a burger and fries.

I am more of an eyeball to eyeball type of person and this is the only social media I have ever done. I met the owner at an RV show and at that time I was looking more towards a Class A. I walked into an Airstream and although the space seemed a smaller I liked it immediately. The owner (can't think of his name) gave me a brochure and at that point I wasn't ready to buy. A year later Airstream is for us and our salesman Matt is great and the whole vibe there is positive and they have a very large service area. Met the owner again as I signed the papers and all is good. I would be very surprised if they are not up to snuff. They do seem to like to set up tow vehicles that can just about pull the unit - buts that's a whole other matter. I myself am an F250 diesel type of guy who wants to enjoy the ride and be as safe as possible while doing so.

A trip to Ohio for service is OK with me. Although I have time on my hands and being where we live and spend our time a long drive is the norm. If Can Am can't do it (which I will be very surprised) then a trip to Ohio is what I will need to do. So be it. We will enjoy the trip.

We too are hoping to own a few Airstreams down the road having retired at 50 and are just really getting started with RVing. We love to travel and have been doing so especially with motorcycles all across the U.S. and
Europe.

And Troutboy you will have to come up here and fish. We have some of the best fishing in the world and we get a lot of people from the U.S. come and enjoy our wonderful country. It is funny you say many do not know Tonawanda. Growing up in Scarborough (suburb of Toronto - now part of the city). We grew up with all the local Buffalo stations. Eyewitness news with Irv Weinstein and Commander Tom and Dailing for dollars. One thing I remember is seems there were always a lot of fires there. There must have been a lot of old homes and such because it seemed it was on a regular basis. A lot of great memories other than the fires.


We all have different communication styles and mine is generally not to speak poorly about anything. It just isn't how I think or operate (it definitely is hard work at times) The only real complaining I do is to my wife and I keep that to a dull roar as well. The gentlemen who started the post said he was a victim. I certainly am not a victim and I would be heading straight for Ohio and let them know in no uncertain terms how unhappy I was hoping that they would fix the issues at hand. I once bought a new Austrian motorcycle and the engine basically blew up on the way home. I got the run around for a bit but I was ready to head to Austria and sort it. I wouldn't take no for an answer and I got the new bike. If you really want to fix something take control of the situation and fix it.


I am new to the whole Airstream thing and so far so good! Just like my experience with Can Am I will be surprised if I am not satisfied. There may be some frustration as Franklyfrank so aptly put it but that is part of life.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Ray, what are you doing in Tonawanda?!? I grew up close by there. Not many know of it.

Cruise'n the Scajaquada Expressway. 😂👍😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Cruise'n the Scajaquada Expressway. [emoji23][emoji106][emoji23]



Bob

[emoji631]

You know it Bob!

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by Albireo

And Troutboy you will have to come up here and fish. We have some of the best fishing in the world and we get a lot of people from the U.S. come and enjoy our wonderful country. It is funny you say many do not know Tonawanda. Growing up in Scarborough (suburb of Toronto - now part of the city). We grew up with all the local Buffalo stations. Eyewitness news with Irv Weinstein and Commander Tom and Dailing for dollars. One thing I remember is seems there were always a lot of fires there. There must have been a lot of old homes and such because it seemed it was on a regular basis. A lot of great memories other than the fires.

I’ve fished a lot in Canada, and love it. Just brought back 60 pounds of salmon from British Columbia. Grew up in buffalo. Those are great memories, remember Irv and commander Tom, lol
We used to go up to Toronto often, pile in the car, tell boarded patrol we were going to get Chinese food. Drinking age was 18 and beer was 6.5%, and a dollar went further there..... great times for sure. Actually met my wife in Canada..... I don’t remember fires, but lots of old structures and tons of snow

[smithcreek]

I remember going to Buffalo Braves games. a friend of mine who is 44 years old was talking about basketball and I mentioned the Braves. He had never even heard of them. Ernie D!

[Albireo]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

I’ve fished a lot in Canada, and love it. Just brought back 60 pounds of salmon from British Columbia. Grew up in buffalo. Those are great memories, remember Irv and commander Tom, lol
We used to go up to Toronto often, pile in the car, tell boarded patrol we were going to get Chinese food. Drinking age was 18 and beer was 6.5%, and a dollar went further there..... great times for sure. Actually met my wife in Canada..... I don’t remember fires, but lots of old structures and tons of snow

60 pounds - you really are Troutboy. Funny - kids from Canada used to go to Buffalo because the bars were open later and I thought the drinks were cheaper even with the exchange. At that time I believe the bars in Canada were only open to 1 pm. I went once to a club called the Library. On the way back into Canada the customs agent said are you importing anything and the driver said "yeah... a good buzz". I remember it like yesterday. Wow have times changed. I also once went to a Buffalo Bills game. The U.S. customs officer just came on the bus and said everyone born in Canada? I was the only one who had to say no as I was born in England - moved here when I was two. And that was that - come on in boys. As well, I went once to a New Years party at some massive club. Great memories.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I hooked a 115 pounder at Mulligan's Brick Bar on Allen Street...married 'er. 😂👍😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[Troutboy]

Brick bar!!! O-V splits!!!! They give you a case, full of ice, We would chug those things and snatch the empties on the floor!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, The very last time that I went fishing with friends, the only thing that I caught was myself. Luckily the hook only caught the shoulder of my jacket.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

I’ve fished a lot in Canada, and love it. Just brought back 60 pounds of salmon from British Columbia. Grew up in buffalo. Those are great memories, remember Irv and commander Tom, lol
We used to go up to Toronto often, pile in the car, tell boarded patrol we were going to get Chinese food. Drinking age was 18 and beer was 6.5%, and a dollar went further there..... great times for sure. Actually met my wife in Canada..... I don’t remember fires, but lots of old structures and tons of snow

Troutboy; where did you go in BC? We are heading up that direction next spring on way to Alaska...Appreciate any tips/advise..

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Troutboy; where did you go in BC? We are heading up that direction next spring on way to Alaska...Appreciate any tips/advise..

I have a friend who is a member of a fishing club called Hakai Land and Sea. If you click below you can see the map of where this is.

There were other fishing camps up there as well, one was Joes, another was Hakai Lodge. They had deals for all types, self housed, gear only, full guided. I am hoping to go back again next year.



http://www.hakailandandsea.com/about/

[ROBERT CROSS]

Ahh...Mustang Gear, we use the same.😂👍😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[KWN306]

So we have come full circle..........the original poster commented on the problems he was having with the refrigeration drain and its flaws in his Basecamp, along with others and it morphs into a fishing thread in Canada

No wonder the search function on the Airforums is less than stellar.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by KWN306

. . .
. . . it morphs into a fishing thread in Canada
. . .