My journey to Airstream 'Mothership'

[THEPILL]

Yes, airstream...Jim said they will fix it and Chris also under warranty. I emailed them pictures because my concern was driving 2,000 miles round trip and they deny ther repair.

Pano leaks were fixed but the opposite end of the trailer.....front street side.

All is good.

Shane

[CrawfordGene]

That's great Shane. But will they put a sealer on the plywood they expose?

Gene

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

That's great Shane. But will they put a sealer on the plywood they expose?

Gene

I really dont know. I'm just adamant about not having a seam if they want to replace just part of the laminate flooring. Full replacement,....but they are the professionals and will be open to what they have to say or suggest.

I love my airstream and truly understand that these trailers are HANDmand and appreciate the made in America and what they stand for. Makes me proud to be a owner of a great iconic item of American history.

I'm excited and a sponge when I get there to learn and have a rewarding experience.

Shane

[CrawfordGene]

Shane,

You can learn at the service center. They allow anyone to come back into the shop and talk to the techs who are working on your trailer. When you get tired of that, there's wifi in the waiting area so you can do stuff on your computer, or you can go into the shop and spend enormous amounts of money. There's free coffee or hot chocolate. I used some of the time to meet some of the executives. And you can take the factory tour. You can drive down to Dayton—we went to the Trader Joe's there. Someday we plan to go to the aircraft museum. But you may want to stick around in case the techs have questions and need guidance on what to do.

I'm assuming when you said laminate the floor is not a sheet, but individual planks. If there are planks, there should be no seam. If sheeting, they should remove it all to do it right. There are transition strips available to cover seams. They are used between different types of flooring or in a very, very large floor when the flooring can expand and needs to have some space between parts; then the strips cover that space.

Gene

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Shane,

You can learn at the service center. They allow anyone to come back into the shop and talk to the techs who are working on your trailer. When you get tired of that, there's wifi in the waiting area so you can do stuff on your computer, or you can go into the shop and spend enormous amounts of money. There's free coffee or hot chocolate. I used some of the time to meet some of the executives. And you can take the factory tour. You can drive down to Dayton—we went to the Trader Joe's there. Someday we plan to go to the aircraft museum. But you may want to stick around in case the techs have questions and need guidance on what to do.

I'm assuming when you said laminate the floor is not a sheet, but individual planks. If there are planks, there should be no seam. If sheeting, they should remove it all to do it right. There are transition strips available to cover seams. They are used between different types of flooring or in a very, very large floor when the flooring can expand and needs to have some space between parts; then the strips cover that space.

Gene

It's one sheet,....that's my worry. I don't want a transitional seam on the floor.

Thank you for the tips...now I'm even more excited I get to watch the repairs first hand...Cain take pictures while they are working?,,,if so..I'll bring a chair....



Shane

[CrawfordGene]

I did take some photos in the shop, but tried to stay out of people's way. I tried to limit my time in there so the techs didn't feel like I was playing cop over them. I wanted, like you, to learn about things and asked them how they did stuff, and then left for a while.

Since it is a sheet, I think they should replace the whole thing. The problem is the factory lays down the sheet before the partitions, cabinets and furniture are in. It is the cheapest way to do it, but if you are in a cold climate, eventually the sheeting will deform because of expansion and contraction. If you full time, you would keep it heated over the winter, but otherwise, there can be problems. Where you live, this may not be a problem because it doesn't usually get that cold. It takes a lot of time to cut a sheet to conform to the all the corners in a trailer and then install trim—usually quarter round—over the spaces that are supposed to be left for expansion/contraction at the partitions, etc. That's why they do it the sloppy way at the factory, but it eventually can lead to problems. When they repaired a hump in the vinyl in the bathroom while still on warranty, they cut a slice out in front of the bathroom cabinet to let the vinyl settle down and put a piece of quarter round over it. They understand how to fix these things at the service center.

If you want to upgrade, discuss putting in laminate planks. I don't know what it will cost. I just ordered some vinyl planks that lay loose if used inside a home. I will use pressure sensitive glue at the edges and seams because of the temperature extremes in a trailer. Otherwise you have to have interlocking planks or glue them down with exterior glue. There has to be a space around the edge of the floor covered with trim. There are a variety of laminates (cork, wood, fake wood, etc.), but they are heavy and that's why we choose vinyl planks. There are a gazillion websites about flooring and you can spend a lot of time looking at all the alternatives. You can see what they cost (anywhere up to $4 and more a square foot, but some are less than $2 especially if overstocked. Our trailer, excluding the bathroom, was less than 60 square feet; yours should be the same. We ordered higher quality flooring because we didn't need much and it was $230.

Gene

[THEPILL]

Like promised.....first picture...titled


"What's Missing"




Got her moved to the front.....starting to pack for tomorrow morning departure.

Shane

[SilverRanger]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

...
BTW when you do the tour make sure you grill Don about when they are going to restore wally's gold trailer. If enough people ask maybe just maybe they will finally do it.

I mentioned Wally's gold Airstream to Don on our last tour. He said there were plans, but didn't have any details of when, or what they were going to do with it. It was very clear that he was as disappointed as everyone else that they were not doing a better job of preserving it. We had an opportunity to go inside of it. The furnishings were rather subdued and practical, as one might expect, but will soon be in need of some TLC. I have some pictures of the interior, if I can find them.

[THEPILL]

Well here she is ..packed and ready to go " home"



Departure time will be around 6:00 a.m.


Shane

Shane

[Wabbiteer]

Y'all be careful now, you hear?

http://images.intellicast.com/WxImag..._None_anim.gif

Umnn - Jackson Center, Ohio..

Tonight
25 °F
Chance of Snow

Tomorrow
36 °F
Chance of Snow

Tomorrow Night
19 °F
Partly Cloudy

Sunday
43 | 32 °F
Clear

Monday
55 | 30 °F
Clear

Tuesday
55 | 32 °F
Partly Cloudy

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

Y'all be careful now, you hear?

http://images.intellicast.com/WxImag..._None_anim.gif

Umnn - Jackson Center, Ohio..

Tonight
25 °F
Chance of Snow

Tomorrow
36 °F
Chance of Snow

Tomorrow Night
19 °F
Partly Cloudy

Sunday
43 | 32 °F
Clear

Monday
55 | 30 °F
Clear

Tuesday
55 | 32 °F
Partly Cloudy

Thanks for the forecast. Looks like I have it planned right. Gonna arrive Sunday late. Just me. No. Children and the pups. Hope things go smooth. No hury either. Hopefully I will meet some nice people. I love airstream and all they stand for! Can't wait to get "home". I'm really hoping to meet wonderful employees who love their jobs and actually care about the customer. Airstream is a dying breed andkeep true to values in so many levels. Hard part is getting there.

See them soon,

Shane

San

[THEPILL]

I left at 5:30 am and Just stopped for the night....I'm at a rest area Northof Louisville,Ky.

Did a total of 850 miles at 60-65 mph.

With my water tank half full..I got 14 mpg.

Only have about 200 or so miles tomorrow and I will be at Airstream!!

I'm excited.
....and tired, now.
Shane

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I will be watching you from here.

[Mikethefixit]

Pill
I hope you have arrived safely. I'm sorry I forgot all about your trip up here and have comminted to take my wife to a big flea market in Vandailla. Hope you enjoy your stay. Weather forecast says NICE Mon and Tues and I think rain on Wednesday.
GOOD LUCK
ROGER