2016 Flying Cloud quality issues

[interstateflyer]

We've had zero issues with our 2014 International 23D.

Oh I take that back....the little blue indicator light on the exterior electrical port went out after 6 months. Same thing happened on our 2013 19.

Airstream expanded it's assembly force in 2015 and 2015 to meet increased domestic and international demand. So lots of new people on the assembly line. They are most likely in a learn-by-doing mode.

[switz]

The posts above have reinforced my decision to use a third party for modifications, repairs and service. They have a vested interest in doing it correctly the first time.

I have had my trailer returned so dirty it took several days for me to scrub the grease off the floor that was clean when the unit was brought to the dealer.

I suggest taking the trailer for an immediate check to see if there is actually the proper amount grease in the wheel bearings. Our 23D was trucked to Colonial. I towed it to CanAm and then onto Paradise, TX or just under 2,000 miles. I had them check the wheel bearings while we were doing the modifications.

We had to repack three of the wheel bearing sets and REPLACE the fourth set scored from lack of grease. Even Dexter could not do their assembly job correctly.

Makes one wonder about all those gas appliance assembly processes. Would be a smart thing to verify the tightness of all the propane fittings early on or at least use a sensitive leak detector.

[ccolladay]

We are on the road for several months from the West Coast to the East Coast.

A number of things actually do work on our '15 FC. It's our third Airstream. Warranty issues can be challenging.

We have tank meters that don't work. We know it's time to dump when the grey water backs up into the shower pan. It's time to get more fresh water when the tank runs dry. You don't want to know what happens when the black tank fills up. Maybe they can design a dip stick?

The dealer in Dallas told us to come back in 4 weeks. Not likely. We arranged to come back to the dealer in Alachua after a 2 1/2 week wait. They did fix the propane leak, and some other stuff but the tank meter problem was beyond them. They put some water in the tank and pushed the button a bunch of times. Could not reproduce the problem and sent us on our way. 30 miles later the meter is not working again.

They also told us they could not fix the pantry door (it fell off) because they did not have a router. I offered to buy them one but by then it was closing time.

Last night we found rain water dripping in through a rivit hole.

Jackson is just not on our way home. Struggling to figure out how to get these things fixed before the 2 year warranty is up.

[Castaway]

After reading this thread and others like it I am convinced that the dealers are not doing a good enough prep before delivery to customer. If they are going through the checklist that I am sure Airstream provides, all of the little things like leaky faucets, loose door hinges and such should have been repaired before the owner ever sees the trailer. Why should we as buyers ever know about things that are so obvious? I am not saying that the unit never should have left the factory with such defects but part of the markup on new trailers is to cover any dealer time needed to go over the unit so we are satisfied on delivery.It is between the dealer and Airstream if the factory continually ships trailers with defects. An interesting poll would be what dealers seem to have the trailers with problems. I know the two that we purchased from Woodland in Grand Rapids Michigan have had no problems on delivery, there were some things that needed fixed after the first month or so but they were only discovered after many nights of use.

Gary

[Medjrd]

It has been interesting reading all your responses. My husband spent many years working on yachts in the PNW, so he has extremely high standard for quality, which has only added to his frustration. He did talk to our dealer today, and we are taking the trailer back up there and they will do the repairs and checks we are asking for. I am happy with their response so far.
We are planning to attend the spring rally at Table Rock, SC. Hoping to meet some of you there.

[Medjrd]

My husband completely redid our pantry cabinet after our second trip out. The latch would not hold, and the entire unit got torqued while driving. He redid the rails and sides, and then drilled a hole on the upper cabinet into the pantry door, and we place a metal keeper pin in when we travel to hold the unit in.

[Siegmann]

In November, Motorhome magazine asked their readers about quality of construction. They got lots of letters. They re-printed some of them in their February issue. If you can find a copy, check it out, you'll feel a little better about your Airstream.