2016 Classic with shades of lemon

[xrvr]

Whatever your standards are, the info is there.

[AtomicNo13]

Yes....buyer beware!

[jcanavera]

And to add to the conversation, there is no perfect RV out there coming from any manufacturer. Even when I built a new home, it was a battle with the builder regarding mistakes, shoddy workmanship etc. The problem becomes our perception of dollars spent equating to quality. Unfortunately the more you spend will not always improve your chances of quality when human beings hand build products. The only thing you can really do is refuse to purchase a product if you feel that the quality doesn't justify the price. Obviously that will send the message to the manufacturer, but it doesn't look like the consumer is making that statement to Airstream as of now.

Jack

[AtomicNo13]

Simply put.... as American consumers, we like to satisfy our need it now appetite for things. We will buy despite its value or for most, the ability to fianance things we could never ever afford.
I personally seek the ultimate in quality not just the ultimate in price.
Its sad that my old 91 Classic is bomb proof where my newer unit which sits 99% unused is crap!

[AtomicNo13]

I have personally seen the new Bolus product.
They are flawless! Id buy one but I need the space afforded by AS

[lsbrodsky]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

I have personally seen the new Bolus product.
They are flawless! Id buy one but I need the space afforded by AS

Do you mean the Bowlus? $140,000 for a small trailer with wet bath, cassette toilet, and so on? It is outrageous that anyone should have to pay so much for so little...to get quality.

Larry

[Rocinante]

I'm now of the mind that if we buy any new RV, our initial walk-through / inspection will take most of the day and that we will find plenty of things wrong, some of which we will want fixed before we even take the unit off the lot.

That stinks, but aside from Bowlus most RVs aren't built any better than AS, and many are even worse. It seems to be a sickness across the industry. There's no legitimate excuse for it, but there it is, like a dead rat on the dining room table.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

Do you mean the Bowlus? $140,000 for a small trailer with wet bath, cassette toilet, and so on? It is outrageous that anyone should have to pay so much for so little...to get quality.

Larry

But you could tow a Bowlus with your Subaru Outback. No need to buy a $50k pickup, a $3k hitch, etc. Then the overall package becomes comparable with most Airstreams.

[dkottum]

Someone else can live in a Bowlus, we'll stick with our Airstream which was delivered with excellent quality and continues to provide trouble-free service traveling all over the country many times and over 1,000 nights camping.

We inspect and maintain it well, fix whatever it needs, change whatever we don't like, have towed it with very inexpensive half-ton trucks which give us and our Airstream a nice soft ride, and travel on.

[rostam]

They make different products for people with different requirements. Some don't want to spend money on buying/insuring a dedicated tow vehicle.

[m.hony]

I neglected to do any research beforehand.
I knew there would be problems. All RV's and boats have problems.
I perceived, just like the general public perceives, that Airstreams were the best travel trailers on the market bar none.
I set the bar too high.
I was disappointed.
Life goes on.
I will never buy another one, but I will never get rid of the one I have.
I always wanted one and enjoy having one, but will not pretend that is s n surly perfect trailer.
I don't think it is necessarily complaining to call it like I see it.
It is what it is.
When people at gas stations or campgrounds ask me about it, I give them the tour and complete honesty.
Yes, they are nice trailers, but have issues- some uncalled for, unnecessary, avoidable, preventable problems-
Jackson Center has the best service center in the world.
Why can't they have the best factory in the world?


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[Nelson428]

Michael, I agree.

I knew there would be problems. All RV's and boats have problems.

I will never get rid of the one I have.

I always wanted one and enjoy having one.

I don't think it is necessarily complaining to call it like I see it.

It is what it is.

When people at gas stations or campgrounds ask me about it, I give them the tour and complete honesty.

Yes, they are nice trailers, but have issues- some uncalled for, unnecessary, avoidable, preventable problems-

Jackson Center has the best service center in the world.

Why can't they have the best factory in the world?


J Nelson
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[BAB]

It was fun having conversations in Lewisburg with other folks who are as passionate about their Airstream as I am. Interestingly, there seemed to be much more interest in all the customization that goes on rather than quality defects. And, some of the mods I've made that people find most interesting (besides the Vesta dishwasher), are having put in LED strip lighting in every cabinet in the trailer. I've bought these at Lowe's, install a switch that turns on the 12V when you open the door and shuts off when you close it. The last light mod was to put a strip light under the cabinet over the countertop and one under the Baraldi (switches on either side of the front of the Baraldi). Perhaps it's the darker wood, but adding light just makes the trailer "pop". I spent a lot of time perusing the '17 Classic. I like some of the tech add-ons a lot, but wonder if these panels will interfere with easy "upgrades" from people like me!

[switz]

The $97,000 list price of our 2014 Classic was buying the opportunity to spend over 40% more to get it right. We fixed broken walls, replaced the wrinkled second floor (installed at the factory as the wrong was initially installed), replaced inferior electrical components, the always breaking plastic catches, all the lenses on the ceiling fixtures (had to be sanded to fit the fixture designed for a flat surface but screwed to the radius of the ceiling), etc.

I had learned from prior experience with them that the local dealer was not qualified to change a light bulb without supervision. I was uninterested in driving the unit to Jackson Center to get the same replacement parts that already had failed. The independent shop fixed things so they stayed fixed.

In a prior post above I mentioned a person cancelling their order after watching their new unit construction at the factory and buying a much older unit with better quality.

I pointed out many QC issues personally to the QC supervisor in person with a follow up email and they were not addressed at the factory. Some of the issues were pointed out by members of the tour group.

The brief walk thru is after all the paperwork is signed and the dealer is paid.

If more folks insisted on being present for a pre-payment thorough inspection and refused a unit with too many issues, that would get the attention of the factory when the dealers started screaming as they own that unit the moment it comes out of the factory door and is released from production.

And if the dealers actually did the pre-delivery inspection looking at the unit and not over a cup of coffee in the lunch room with a qualified and trained person who knew what to look for, there would less squaks after delivery.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by switz

And if the dealers actually did the pre-delivery inspection looking at the unit and not over a cup of coffee in the lunch room with a qualified and trained person who knew what to look for, there would less squaks after delivery.

And that that's how my dealer operates. Upon arrival to pick up your trailer, you spend a lot of time with the person who did the pre-delivery inspection going over the operations of the trailer. Plus you you don't pay or sign anything till you spend a night in one of his full hookup sites just in case there is anything they miss. It's really the best way to do business.

Jack

[jeff4506]

There's a dealer in Ohio, right? Maybe that's the place to start.

Interesting thing about this is I live about 5 miles from said dealership and 65 miles from factory. I have a dozen or so items on my issues list. The dealerships usually call in issues to the factory to get authorization to fix them (for non-trivial issues). In my case, the factory instructed the dealership to send me to the factory for remedy for almost every issue. I don't think that's due to my proximity. I think it's more a matter of the factory wanting to address more invasive or complex repairs.

While the sales at the Haydocy dealership was simply excellent, my personal experience with my 2 service appointments were horrible - hit or miss at addressing minor things and horrible with managing expectations, communication and customer focus. My rig was tied up a total of 6 weeks and they couldn't even account for issues they claimed to fix. I'll never take my rig back there. I'll go to the factory for anything going forward. Glad it's nearby. Feel bad for folks far away that may have had similar experiences with dealerships.

[xrvr]

Is Haydocy the closest dealer to the factory? Is Arbogast closer?

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by switz

The $97,000 list price of our 2014 Classic was buying the opportunity to spend over 40% more to get it right. We fixed broken walls, replaced the wrinkled second floor (installed at the factory as the wrong was initially installed), replaced inferior electrical components, the always breaking plastic catches, all the lenses on the ceiling fixtures (had to be sanded to fit the fixture designed for a flat surface but screwed to the radius of the ceiling), etc.

I had learned from prior experience with them that the local dealer was not qualified to change a light bulb without supervision. I was uninterested in driving the unit to Jackson Center to get the same replacement parts that already had failed. The independent shop fixed things so they stayed fixed.

In a prior post above I mentioned a person cancelling their order after watching their new unit construction at the factory and buying a much older unit with better quality.

I pointed out many QC issues personally to the QC supervisor in person with a follow up email and they were not addressed at the factory. Some of the issues were pointed out by members of the tour group.

The brief walk thru is after all the paperwork is signed and the dealer is paid.

If more folks insisted on being present for a pre-payment thorough inspection and refused a unit with too many issues, that would get the attention of the factory when the dealers started screaming as they own that unit the moment it comes out of the factory door and is released from production.

And if the dealers actually did the pre-delivery inspection looking at the unit and not over a cup of coffee in the lunch room with a qualified and trained person who knew what to look for, there would less squaks after delivery.

I still get email notifications that Chris Birch and Randy McNeeley deleted my emails without reading them...
The emails were sent 2 years ago...


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[SteveSueMac]

Personally, I wish the rhetoric would tone down here. Let's put things in perspective. If there were ever a case of first world problems, this is it.

First - Let me suggest that those of us - myself included - who are fortunate enough to be able to afford a RECREATIONAL vehicle ought to be grateful we're in that position to begin with. 90% of the population would love to have the chance to do what we get to do and experience the joy of camping. Do you whine when the campground fails to clear the environment of mosquitos for you too?

Second, human beings build and service these toys we have. Expecting perfection from humans - each of us included - is sheer stupidity. Failing to respect them is unkind at best.

Third, this constant moaning about quality problems in light of domestic and international matters of far more importance is about as tone deaf as it gets.

No whining on the yacht.

You got problems? Welcome to the real world. Now pick up a wrench or open your checkbook - treat people trying to help you out with respect and be grateful you can do that.

Your mileage may vary.

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by RareStream

There aren't enough vans in production to satisfy THAT need.