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Acheron2010 · 12-14-2018, 10:00 AM

My AS is now 7 months old. When I picked it up from the dealer, I was advised to give the door a good slam in order to properly close it.
I see some wear points on the weld beads of the door frame, and along the top edges of the door, but after 7 months, still have to give it a good slam to get the door to properly close.
Is this forevermore? A little concerned for neighbors in close proximity camps if I have to walk the dog past 10PM or...

Should I be able to properly close the door by just pushing or pulling gently?

Al and Missy · 12-14-2018, 10:06 AM

Gently, no; firmly, yes. Think car door, not stick house front door.

Al

Martinod · 12-14-2018, 10:28 AM

We recently took our 2017 23D to Jackson Center for several small warranty items, plus my disatisfaction with the door alignment and the need to slam to close. The technician did an amazing repair - the door closes with almost no effort and very little effort during the last four inches of the close. The tech told me he had to drill and enlarge the the bolt holes on the main hinge assemblies to achieve the results and proper alginment. This is definitely not a do-it-yourself fix. I am very mechanically inclined have spent many years in an electrical and mechanical industry. You cannot remove both bolts on any door hinge without losing the back retaining plates for the bolts which will drop to the bottom of the interior wall. A dealer tech trained in this process should be able to repair your problem but i would make damn sure about is capabilities before he initiates any work.

PKI · 12-14-2018, 01:03 PM

Also, the latch needs to be lubricated to keep it clean and properly operational.

RVing is a full body sport, but you should not have to use a flying block to close the door.

**moosetags** · 12-14-2018, 02:14 PM

You don't have to slam it, but gentle doesn't cut either. Think of it like closing the trunk lid on an automobile. It needs enough pressure to compress the rubber molding. Remember that your Airstream door is out-opening and needs to be closed tightly to prevent water intrusion.

Brian

ROBERT CROSS · 12-14-2018, 02:42 PM

Our door doesn't leak and I don't have to slam it.
I usually just close it 'til the striker hits the pin... then push. 👍
It will also swing & latch closed with moderate momentum.

If you have to 'slam' it, the AS frame is twisting, the door frame is bent or the hinges are worn out.

Try adjusting the stabilizers a little at a time...start from zero.

Bob
🇺🇸

Adventure.AS · 12-14-2018, 02:55 PM

It was cold when our unit was delivered and the problem didn't show up until the summer. The door needs to be slammed - only in the summer time. When I took it in to the dealer for winter storage the door closes perfectly. It is going to be hard for them to replicate the problem to fix it.

GMFL · 12-14-2018, 03:46 PM

Yep close gently then push gently until you hear the “click” and that’s it.
Dealers like to slam doors so you get that “Bank Vault” sound, and they can tell you “it takes an entire 8hr shift to build a door, they are solid”.
Properly adjusted there is no need to slam.

**wulfraat** · 12-14-2018, 05:18 PM

I never slam the door. That just can’t be good for anything over time and not necessary at all.

Like GMFL states above, simple close it gently for the first “click”... then apply pressure with the palm of your hand to the right of the handle and press the door in for the second “click”. Done.

Cyclist · 12-14-2018, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMFL

Yep close gently then push gently until you hear the “click” and that’s it.
Dealers like to slam doors so you get that “Bank Vault” sound, and they can tell you “it takes an entire 8hr shift to build a door, they are solid”.
Properly adjusted there is no need to slam.

I agree completely. Our door was adjusted by our dealer under warranty and now closes just as described above.

VaTravelers · 12-15-2018, 09:21 AM

We had a similar issue with our 2017 28' International. It took too much force to close it. I did get some improvement with ensuring the stabilizers were not twisting the frame. The real fix was when I took it to the factory for minor warranty repairs and some mods. The technician worked his magic and it closes effortlessly.

Aftershk · 12-15-2018, 09:28 AM

The only way I get ours to close properly is to slam it also, have an appointment for a good variety of issues in May At Jackson Center, hoping to get everything taken care of then meanwhile loving our Flying Cloud despite the few problems were having.

inthralled · 12-15-2018, 09:33 AM

Cleaning the latch and using some silicon lube fixed ours. I do it as soon as it starts showing problems. Usually once a season.

turk123 · 12-15-2018, 09:36 AM

We've had a problem with our door since day one. When we took delivery we were told by the dealer that you need to slam the door. I knew that was not correct. I had him call one of his techs to take a look at it and when he said, "I wouldn't touch this or you will make it leak at the top!", I knew he didn't know anything about adjusting an Airstream's door.

When visiting Alumapolosa last year with our 2017 international 27 (door closed very easily) there were 2 factory workers traveling from trailer to trailer fixing doors. Every door they worked on closed better than any Airstream I've seen on a dealer's lot. They knew what they were doing.

If you can get to the factory, by all means, have them fix yours. It seems the dealers just don't want to take this on.

Watch the video:

https://youtu.be/j7-PprGeESE

ejami5 · 12-15-2018, 11:08 AM

In early 2016 when I took possession of my new 2015 19' International, that was the first thing I pointed out to the dealer technician who was doing the walk through with me. He tried to adjust both the door latch and deadbolt (didn't help) and said I shouldn't have to slam it. The next year at the International Rally in 2017 (Escanaba, MI), I signed up for service and was pleased to learn that Jackson Center had sent technicians to the rally. Can't tell you specifically what the guy did but he fixed it and said not to slam it as it would eventually alter the frame (and not in a good way). As someone already said, if you can, take it to JC.
On my 2017 Flying Cloud, I do have to firmly shut it, much more so than the International but it's not a slam.

dkdouglas · 12-15-2018, 11:34 AM

I also used to have to slam the door on our 28' FC and tried to tap the bolt on the door frame to lower it but could not get it to go down enough. So I drilled out the rivets, moved it lower and put in new rivets. Had to redrill the holes for the rivets also. But not the door is centered and closes with very little effort. Before I had to hold my hand on the rub rail and lift up to slam it closed. Now, one finger push and it is latched. After watching the factory video, I think the jigs they build the doors with are out of alignment for the latch mechanism or the bolt locating jig is off. With all the people that have issues with this, it should be easily remedied.

SuzyHomemakr · 12-15-2018, 12:05 PM

I had to rebuild my door latch, with an insanely expensive striker. I wound up polishing the striker face to get a much smoother closing. In a worse-case, you can always file down the edge of the strike plate, but that will make your door a bit looser. The PO was a campground host, in an out-of-the way campground, and I think that someone tried to jimmy the door. So it required stern measures to get it to close properly.

jimfa440 · 12-15-2018, 01:22 PM

Contact Vinnie's Northbay Airstream Repair. He will tell you how the door should work. Vinnie Lamica is the owner and is an Airstream guru. Vinnie also has a Facebook account.

Mollysdad · 12-15-2018, 01:42 PM

I find my door closes easily but firmly when the trailer is perfectly level. Like on a concrete pad. If I have to level using wood boards, it doesn't close as easily.

I'm adding a handle inside to allow me to close the door without tugging on the lever. I'm using a standard 3" cabinet pull.
I got the idea from "sheriff1" but mine is a simple black pull.

SuperTrouper · 12-15-2018, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

If you can get to the factory, by all means, have them fix yours. It seems the dealers just don't want to take this on.

Watch the video:

https://youtu.be/j7-PprGeESE

The video is good but the process makes me nervous. That, and the way the guy says that he's going for "the full blowed out deal" when adjusting the screen door. Screen door alignment starts at 4:30 and main door at 7:00. There's a lot of truth in the content but the process may make you queasy. Reminds me of how we used to adjust Italian 35MM film projectors. Some crocus cloth, a wood block and a hammer.