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lsbrodsky · 01-08-2016, 11:21 AM

I am going to take my 2012 to JC in June to have the roof sealant stripped and resealed. Nothing is leaking but the sealant is cracking in places and I am loathe to spend a week on my roof trying to remove the old stuff. I am going to try to talk them into using something longer lasting than the OEM.
I am also going to have them look at the brakes while I am there.
I am not having any other problems but, from you more experienced owners, is there something else I should have them look at as long as I am making the trip? Many thanks,
Larry

xrvr · 01-08-2016, 11:28 AM

Maybe a leak test?

lsbrodsky · 01-08-2016, 02:00 PM

Can they do that before the sealant has cured?

Larry

dkottum · 01-08-2016, 02:05 PM

Just before our warranty expired Fall of 2013 we had them look it over good; Seal-Tech pressure leak test, 27-point inspection, check wheel run-out for the Never-Lube bearings/rotate and balance tires.

It's all at an hourly rate as I recall so it's not cheap, but nice to have the guys who do this stuff every day take a look at it. And if they find something needing repair they have the parts at hand.

We're planning a trip passing through there again this year, I think we'll do the same routine. After 4 1/2 years and 1,000 nights camping, many cross-country trips, our Airstream's original equipment is working great, no corrosion anywhere, no water damage. Good preventive maintenance saves headaches down the road.

BassCan · 01-08-2016, 02:16 PM

Would replacing the sealants on the roof if cracked be covered in the two year warranty?

lsbrodsky · 01-08-2016, 02:25 PM

My warranty expired in 2014 and all was well. I do a fairly thorough inspection myself. JC's hourly rate is at $125 and they told me expect a day to a day and a half for the roof. Expensive, but it would take me a week on the roof to do the same thing and my body might not ever recover from the effort. I think the leak test is a good idea if they can do it after resealing the same day.
Larry

dkottum · 01-08-2016, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassCan

Would replacing the sealants on the roof if cracked be covered in the two year warranty?

I don't think they are. But if something of this type occurs during the warranty period contact Customer Service at Jackson Center. They tend to bend over backwards to help reasonable requests, and may authorize a repair as "Good will".

SeaLevel · 01-08-2016, 02:58 PM

How far ahead of time do you need to schedule service if you want to stop by JC to have some work done?

Mrjkq · 01-08-2016, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaLevel

How far ahead of time do you need to schedule service if you want to stop by JC to have some work done?

If you going in the summer they are usually jamed. I'll be passing there in June & as soon as I nail down the date I'm making an appointment. Their CG is on a first come basis, no reservations.

lsbrodsky · 01-08-2016, 03:31 PM

They said they are into March for availability right now. There are also later times that are already booked. I could not get June 6 but I did get June 7.
Larry

Mrjkq · 01-08-2016, 05:05 PM

SeaLevel, made mine just now for 6/1/16 @ 9:30AM, no problem. Thanks for bring it to mind.

Buzzr · 01-08-2016, 05:07 PM

I would be very cautious having JC do non-warranty work. Their hourly rate is now 125/hr. I had a substantial amount of work done this spring ($10,000) and the work was sub par. My theory is that they are breaking in new people who are not well trained and there is very little supervision. I could list the deficiencies but then I would just get irritated all over again. I did not have the good experience that many on this forum had. I am talking about work that a high school shop teacher would grade F. I had to do much of it over again.

Don't get me wrong. I love my airstream, but if I buy another one it will be through a dealer such as Colonial, so I never have have to visit JC again. (I do love the 26U)

lsbrodsky · 01-09-2016, 02:55 AM

Buzzr,

This is one of very few complaints I have heard about the Service Center at JC. What did they do wrong? I cannot drive 800 miles for shoddy work, but it seems almost everyone is pleased with service at JC.
Larry

Siegmann · 01-09-2016, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

I am going to take my 2012 to JC in June to have the roof sealant stripped and resealed. Nothing is leaking but the sealant is cracking in places and I am loathe to spend a week on my roof trying to remove the old stuff. I am going to try to talk them into using something longer lasting than the OEM.

I'm amazed that this is happening to a 3 year old rig. The sealant on all my roof penetrations lasted 10-15 years before I felt like I should replace it (but it wasn't leaking). And the rig was not stored under cover.

Could this be the new sealants they shifted to? A less thick application?

lsbrodsky · 01-09-2016, 10:13 AM

Don't know except that it is now a silicone based sealant and you cannot get anything to stick to it so any repair involves removal and reapplication. I was going to do the vents and one seam this year, but decided to just go to the mothership and get it all done at once.
Larry

Buzzr · 01-09-2016, 12:26 PM

In April 2015 I received and authorized an estimate from Airstream to do a number of things. I asked for new vinyl flooring which included gutting the trailer and replacing any bad plywood. I also requested a conversion of the stationary bed base to a lift up bed top.

Other items included:

Install a SeeLevel II tank monitor (to replace the worthless one that came with my trailer);
Install a TriMetric monitor;
Rebuild the dump valves which was purely a preventive maintenance matter;
Seal tech the trailer and fix 2 leaky windows that I couldn't fix.

First the the things they apparantly did right. As far as I can tell so far the SeeLevel installation was a success. It has worked well and I am happy with the result. The dump valve rebuild also appears successful.

Now the bad:
1. The conversion of the bed to lift up failed the day we got it home from the factory. The piano hinge was installed using screws fastened to the luan bed base with no additional structural support below. The hinge failed almost immediately. The pressure from the gas shocks yanked the luan from the hinge the second time we opened it. I replaced the piano hinge with strong hinges fastened to the bed board with reinforcement blocks below. The gas struts also pulled loose. Again I had to use new reinforcement blocks and reattach the struts. I will try and send pictures of the bed failure and my repair shortly. This was a $700+ job, most of it labor. Before we left JC we questioned whether the bed would hold up. They said don't worry.

2. The trimetric was not installed properly. I was going to install the trimetric myself but since JC was going to gut the trailer I thought I would have them install it since the fridge would be out making running the wires a snap. When I did my solar install with a kit I obtained from AM Solar I found the Trimetric would not communicate with the Bogart Solar controller. Turns our that JC had mis-wired the phone cable. A feat that takes some creative errors. The shunt install was very sloppy.

I had to remove the fridge to redo the wiring. As I discovered removing the fridge was no big deal except for the wear and tear on my wife and my not so young backs.

3. When I dropped the trailer off I made it clear that leak repair was a priority. We just encountered a rain storm where we we are camped and discovered that the back window still leaks. The driver side front side window still leaks as well. The leaks were caused, I think, by UV damage to the seals on the HEHR windows. Over time the gaskets shrank leaving gaps where water could intrude. JC's remedy was to cut out portions of the old gaskets at the top of the windows and install a replacement section. JC did not however close the remaining gaps allowing continuing leaks. I have remedied most of the problems using black sikaflex caulking in the gaps. In other words, JC's remedy was worthless.

4. Installation of the new vinyl seems ok except for sloppy workmanship. In the process of the install they cut a gash in the mouse fur in the bedroom.

There were other items of poor quality but I wanted to illustrate my warning to you with examples of shoddy workmanship.

The overall problem with JC is that no one seems to care. Maybe I am old fashioned, but when I pay for hourly work at the rate of $125/hr I expect more than marginal or worse quality. I am somewhat handy and find that my work is better than what I received at JC.

If I had warranty work to be done I would probably use JC, but I would monitor the work very carefully. I would try other sources for non warranty work.

I called the factory recently to ask for some redress. The service manager called me back and told me he would refund me 2 hours time and would look at the windows and see whether their work was defective. He was condescending at best. Rather than cause my blood pressure to rise I rejected the proposal and will put this episode behind me as another expensive learning expreience. By the way, at my age I can't take many more expensive learning experiences.

Buzzr · 01-09-2016, 12:30 PM

It looks like I am going to have to do some reading to learn how to post pictures.

AWCHIEF · 01-09-2016, 05:44 PM

Best service experience I have ever had was at Jackson Center. Every facet was impressive. It is the only place I would take my trailer for serious service. As far as hourly rate goes they charge the same hourly rate as at least two other dealerships that I am aware of.

Mrjkq · 01-09-2016, 05:52 PM

Buzzr, could you be more specific as to what JC did to get your scorn? I'm planning a trip there in mid year & your post causes me some pause.

Mrjkq · 01-09-2016, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Best service experience I have ever had was at Jackson Center. Every facet was impressive. It is the only place I would take my trailer for serious service. As far as hourly rate goes they charge the same hourly rate as at least two other dealerships that I am aware of.

Totally agree on the hourly rate!