Experience with Capital City Customs?

[lsbrodsky]

I don't want to jinx my inquiries, but does anyone have experience with Capital City Customs in Raleigh, NC?
Four months ago I asked them about doing some modifications along the lines of Ultimate Airstreams out West. At first it took a month for CCC to respond, OK, then I sent pictures and information from Airstream about laminates and such. But now CCC has been silent and unresponsive for 3 months.
I was hoping for a price close to Ultimate Airstreams, but now I wonder if I could expect a job to be completed, at any price. I have heard that Dan and Lisa stay very busy, but I cannot even seem to get a quote in 4 months.
What is worse is that they seem to be the only ones out here that does the kind of mods done by Ultimate Airstreams.
Again any experience or recommendation for an alternative? Driving to the West Coast is not an option.
Thank you,
Larry

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the heads up.

http://www.capitalcitycustomsinc.com/about-home/
http://www.capitalcitycustomsinc.com...rsonal-builds/

A "failure to communicate" would be a deal-breaker here. [Cool Hand Luke]

Good luck,

Peter

[lsbrodsky]

Yeah, but I was hoping someone would jump in and tell me how to get the outcome I really want. Well, this way I save a bunch of money.

Larry

[OTRA15]

. . . with a possible emphasis on "bunch" IMO . . .

[lsbrodsky]

Just to see if any Sunday viewers have any experience with them...thanks
Larry

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Some of these outfits (much like local contractors) have very limited capacity. Once they "book up" the next X months of business, they stop answering the phone. They know from past experience that it's better to focus 100% on getting the next 9 months of jobs done than to answer 50 phone calls a day looking for somebody to do this or that "right now".

Bob

[OTRA15]

Bob, might it not be thoughtful and convenient, if they changed the outgoing message on their answering machine to reflect how backed up they are?

A failure to communicate!"

Buh bye! [ . . . forever . . . BTW . . . ]

[ROBERT CROSS]

They seem to polish good...how 'bout the inside?🤔

Bob
🇺🇸

[lsbrodsky]

A few years ago some of members in the RDU area said they took their trailers there for annual maintenance and Dan did excellent work, although he was always pretty booked. The one time I did talk with Lisa, she clearly advised me that they were booked months ahead. She warned me that Spring was the earliest I could expect any work to be done, but that was fine with me since I really don't camp in the summer and planned for then. But, with no response and no estimate it seems that 2020 is out of the question. The last thing I would want is for my Airstream to disappear into a black hole of modification. We have lived with the standard layout for 6 years and I guess we can live with it for as long as I own the trailer. But, I really like the Ultimate Airstreams living area mod for the 25.
Larry

[Knotflying]

Isbrodsky -

No experience with CCC, sorry.

We presently have our 2019 27FB TB in for custom work at Ultimate. They will haul it for you at a fair price to and from Oregon. Ours will be ready Monday after 7 weeks of work but the dealership agreed to house it indoor until we pick it up at the end of February...No Charge! Ian in sales is the point man on all this. Super easy to work with, expensive but hey its custom work. They communicate immediately back to you. In all it will be a 2k mile journey to and from Oregon with the trip home visiting the Pacific Ocean for a week. Good luck with the customization and happy travels!

[lsbrodsky]

Thanks, they quoted me $8k for transport. Just does not make sense.
Larry

[sclontz]

We had a 1979 31' Airstream Sovereign with large holes in the floor under the twin beds in back that we took to Capital City Customs to access repair. We wanted to know if the frame was in good shape and if it was worth fixing. They worked on it for about a year. We were working within a budget and received quotes at three stages. We chose what was most important to us to be done and what not to fix at that time. Dan's work is the best, he is a professional. We were patient as it took time and was expensive, but they are honest and their work is excellent.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Bob, might it not be thoughtful and convenient, if they changed the outgoing message on their answering machine to reflect how backed up they are?

A failure to communicate!"

Buh bye! [ . . . forever . . . BTW . . . ]

Hi

Well after spending the last month or three trying to get *any* local contractor to answer their phone .... that idea does not seem to have occurred to any of them ....

Bob

[jwgreen]

Since you live in NC and CCC is just outside of Raleigh, why not just make a trip and talk to them in person to get a feel for their backlog, etc? I visited their shop last summer and found them to be very busy. I've not had any work done by CCC but they appear to be quite competent.

[BrunoT]

Larry
We have had our 1999 Safari into CCC twice for work. They have done solar, electrical, interior and aluminum repair. Some fabrication. Dan has walked us through some of the other AS they have done. Some of it is amazing. We have always been treated fair. Been charged fair rates. We will definitely go back with future projects. They are a three hour trip from us. We looked around and I don’t know of any shop to match their work in twice the drive(or more).
Another streamer gave me their card almost 4 years ago. At the time he said, “They do great work. Sometimes they are hard to get on the phone.”
Yes they can be. But it’s worth the effort.
Safe travels.

[lsbrodsky]

Thanks for the comments. They are about 2.5 hours away, 5 hr RT and, while it might be interesting to see their shop, how can you really trust a shop that does not return emails or phone calls? I have used a lot of craftsmen over the years, but even in the "old days" the good ones returned phone calls. I'll either forget about the modification or search again for other options.
Larry

[JayTheCPA]

Originally Posted by Knotflying

Ultimate... will haul it for you at a fair price to and from Oregon.

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

Thanks, they quoted me $8k for transport.

Check out UShip.

[lsbrodsky]

Thanks. Just filled out their forum and one way is $2600-3400. Seems like a lot of money, as much as 50% of the modification cost. Especially since this is something I really do not need, but then who really needs an RV? Time to think.
Larry

[JayTheCPA]

Given that time is on your side, might see lower pricing. Although, for that distance of a run, there are probably not a lot of people covering that route. So lack of competiton will probably keep the price up a bit.

In any event, the person doing the tow still needs to cover costs, budget for maintenance, pay the home mortgage / rent, and eat.

[lsbrodsky]

How does that work? Does the driver just show up in a truck and he hauls it off to Oregon?

Larry