Water on floor, wall, seat, outlet

[nesvt]

2008 Safari Sport 22 foot

Purchased new last year. It was on the lot of a dealer that is no longer selling any type of new trailers. They sell boats.
It did come with a two year warranty, so it should still be covered. The paperwork was filed after the purchase and we did get paperwork back from Airstream. However, the dealer is no longer listed on the Airstream site as an authorized dealer.

The weather has warmed up enough that it was time to de-winterized and sanitized the fresh water tank. When I walked inside, I instantly noticed one seat cushion on the fold down table was dark. It was saturated with water. Table was in the down position for travel. Removed it and see stains on the wall (mouse fur). Remove the cover on the seat storage area and see puddles of water. Vinyl floor is lifted. Pull it back and it is also saturated. The electrical outlet is stained. Felt along the wall for moisture. It is soaked below the front window and down the floor. It isn't damp directly under the window. It seems to start about ten inches or so lower.

I want to stop the leak before it gets worse. I don't see any gaps around the exterior window. Want to have it repaired correctly. It's under warranty. We also have some other issues (leaking faucet, water dripping outside under shower). Jackson Center is 14 hours away. I think the dealer where I purchased it is still servicing other trailers that were bought there, but I'm not sure of their level of experience or skills... or if they're even "authorized" any more.

There are other dealers listed on the Airstream site. I've heard great things about Colonial Airstream in NJ. That's only six hours away. Not sure if they would do warranty service on a trailer that was not one of their sales.

Suggestions on checking/finding/stopping the leak?
Suggestions on where to bring it for warranty service?
Does any one know if I can bring it closer that Ohio?

Thanks.

-Norm

[nesvt]

one more thing... one of the images shows a small "L" bracket. It's completely rusted. Not sure how long it would take to rust, but it makes me feel like the leak may have been happening for a long time. Would like to get it thoroughly checked out.

[Colin H]

Hi Norm,
I suspect you purchased your trailer from the Marine Collection in Burlington VT. From what I understand, they are no longer an Airstream dealer, nor an Authorized Service Center. I do leak detection with a "Sealtech 430R" machine that was designed for this purpose. I can't do warranty work but may be able to give you some suggestions.
Thanks,
Colin

[reinergirl]

Are leaks covered by warranty? It was my impression that they are maintenance issues and Airstream is likely to say you didn't perform routine sealing. Add into the hassle of getting to a dealer and the gas money and time involved...... Personally I'd just take it to Colin and get it fixed!

If you are a DIY kinda person, have him do the sealtech and seal everything yourself. I'm guessing it would be way less than the gas money to get to a dealer in NJ.

Or, even better seal everything you think might be an issue and then take it to Colin's to see what you missed!

[nesvt]

Colin, yes, you are correct. I'm still not happy when I realized they removed the black tank sensor, resulting in a leak at the campground. They gave me a used one when I returned home.

I had plans for the weekend that aren't looking too good.

[ROBERT CROSS]

"There are other dealers listed on the Airstream site. I've heard great things about Colonial Airstream in NJ. That's only six hours away. Not sure if they would do warranty service on a trailer that was not one of their sales.

Suggestions on checking/finding/stopping the leak?
Suggestions on where to bring it for warranty service?
Does any one know if I can bring it closer that Ohio?

Thanks.

-Norm"


Norm,

My first instinct would be to confirm the warrantee repair.
Call Patrick at Colonial, very competent Service Department, with a good reputation.
Explain your situation, I'm sure they will make every effort to help you out.
From the photo's a call to Airstream Customer Service is also in order.

POI....we also bought from a Dealer that went out of business 3mos later.
It sat on his lot for 9mos but the warrantee started at the date of purchase.


Bob

[danlehosky]

Nesvt, I would suspect leaks not covered under warranty would be plumbing leaks from not winterizing correctly. Thats the maintenance they make reference to. Leaks of your nature should be covered. Shake the cage. Call JC and have it on record that you have an exterior leak that has damaged your coach. Get a paper and e-mail trail started. To have a coach this damaged within two years is ridiculous. Don't be nice. I would be raising holy hell. Theres lots of damage there and I would suspect some mold intrusion as well.

Dan

[nesvt]

Thanks for the replies. For financial reasons, I need to get this fixed through the warranty. I contacted the closest authorized service center (Airstream of New England in MA), and contacted Airstream customer service. Waiting for replies.
Thanks again.
-Norm

[JFScheck]

NESVT - consider Colonial Airstream in New Jersey, as outside of the "MotherShip" I hear they are one of the best service centers.

My relationship with them has been great (I have purchased two Airstreams) and for service - these guys (in my opinion) are the best!!!

[nesvt]

Well, you were all correct about Colin Hyde and about Colonial Airstream.

Colin sent me some more information and an offer to help. I suspect he'll be my primary contact as soon as the warranty runs out.

Not knowing the full extent of the damage, I need to go the warranty route. Called Colonial. Super friendly. They'll willing to take it in immediately. Hope to get it down there next week.

Thanks again for the advice and comments. Have a great weekend everyone.

Norm

[ROBERT CROSS]

Norm,

Just remembered....when you do take in in for the leak repair have them test the batteries, ours were bad after sitting on the dealer lot for 9mos.

Bob

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Are leaks covered by warranty? It was my impression that they are maintenance issues and Airstream is likely to say you didn't perform routine sealing. Add into the hassle of getting to a dealer and the gas money and time involved...... Personally I'd just take it to Colin and get it fixed!

If you are a DIY kinda person, have him do the sealtech and seal everything yourself. I'm guessing it would be way less than the gas money to get to a dealer in NJ.

Or, even better seal everything you think might be an issue and then take it to Colin's to see what you missed!

I just went through this. I thought leaks were covered by warranty for the two-year period, but not through the extended-warranty option.

Leaks will be warrantized for the first six months. I am 15 months into my warranty; there was a small leak coming through one of the Halogens above the dinette. The dealership - bless their heart - fixed it gratis. It was not a big repair though - they resealed a small crack in the sealant around the radio antennae.

nesvt, that is one 'ell of a "leak." Looks like something related to an assembly oversight. I really hope they have mercy on you.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by JFScheck

NESVT - consider Colonial Airstream in New Jersey, as outside of the "MotherShip" I hear they are one of the best service centers.

My relationship with them has been great (I have purchased two Airstreams) and for service - these guys (in my opinion) are the best!!!

I often view Colonial's inventory on YouTube. I like the music....the way they present their Airstreams.

[nesvt]

That's funny Bob. I've charged the battery twice. It won't hold a charge.

Airstream got back to me fast. They are working with me to get it all resolved.

Could not see any gaps around the window. Only noticed two things. Thought there was a missing rivet because of an empty hole, but it's only in the outer layer. No hole drilled in the bottom overlapped layer.

The only aluminum seams that are sealed are vertical and diagonal (caps). None of the horizontal seams have any sealant. Is this normal? Seems be a gap in one of the overlapped layers that is near the water damage on the inside.

-Norm

[blkmagikca]

While it is a long 1-day drive from Vermont to Jackson Center, you may want to consider it. The service there is excellent and AS factory may consider this under warranty. Call ahead to book an appointment and plan to stay a few days while the repair is being done - they do move your trailer onto the terraport at the end of each day for you to sleep in. A dealer may not necessarily have the interior parts if they are in need of replacement due to water damage, but they are on hand at the factory, so no delays.

[nesvt]

Can't get that much time off right now. Drove to NJ last night. Stayed at a campground. Used their wi-fi so I could work over the internet. Slept an hour. Dropped the trailer off at Colonial. Was a little stressed, but after talking with them a bit, my blood pressure dropped back to near normal. It's in good hands. Heading back home so I can get back to work.
-Norm

[nesvt]

Wanted to provide an update. The trailer is back home. Colonial Airstream did an outstanding job. It was there for five weeks. They were still waiting for one more part, but I had to pick it up before my family killed me for several cancelled camping trips.

I gave Colonial a long list. A very long list. It had over two dozen items. It included the leak inside the front of the trailer, but also listed things like a leaking bathroom faucet, water inside the exterior side lights, filiform. The final invoice from them was nine pages.

The leak was at the front window. They sealed it. They also went around the trailer and on top, sealing and re-caulking anything that looked suspicious. Replaced exterior handle near door, installed the missing exterior shower, gave me a new lift because the gears were stripped on the original, installed a new 7 way cable, and the list goes on. The technician noticed things not on my list, like some pitted bezels on the rear lights... replaced. I complained about some rust spots near the windows and the front frame. They repainted. They even offered to give me a new-buyer walk-thru when I mentioned how quick mine was from the original dealer.

The only things that were not covered were the battery and filiform. I left the filiform as-is, and I purchased a battery through Colonial. The part that was still in transit from Airstream was the track on one of the tambour doors. It is cracked and separated into two pieces. It works, but I was concerned it may eventually split further.

Have used it three times since and all is... or was well. Dealing with two new issues now. The gray tank no longer appears on the system status monitor. It is only checking fresh, black, and battery. The microwave/convection oven is possessed. It started randomly beeping last week. I searched on Google for "sylvania microwave convection oven sc-11100 beep" and it appears to be a common problem. Looks like I need a new one, and the one year warranty through Sylvania is way past. The manual shows it is on a separate circuit. Book shows circuit #3. When I threw it to stop the beeps, I found out my #3 is #4 and #4 is #3. No idea why my trailer is wired differently than the manual shows. I assume they just mixed the positions of the two switches.

-Norm