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Old 06-24-2008, 10:21 PM   #21
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2008 25' Safari FB SE
Delta , British Columbia
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Hello - we just picked up our 2008 fb se from Traveland in Langley BC and the first problem we are having is with the water system. The fresh water will not read full and will not flow or pump. We understand it is a common problem but we are not impressed, as here we are 2000 kilometers from home and unable to take a shower or wash dishes. I have no idea where the water goes, as the fill up is on for hours, but the monitor still reads "no water". I would ask some serious questions on this issue, but feel that you would not get straight answers from a sales person. It is under warranty, but still, we are far from home. Joyce and Jim
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Old 06-24-2008, 11:04 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by eheffa View Post
Thank you Airhog1.

That's reassuring. My wife has been pretty worried about sending all this money to a business we found on the internet.

We are planning to stay in the area one night to make sure anything obvious can be caught prior to our leaving the area. Our sales rep has been quite careful to reassure us that they will be going over the unit carefully to try and catch any issues before delivery.

-evan
Hi, eheffa. Been there, done that. We ordered our trailer from George Sutton over the Internet and picked it up about four months later in September 2004. We made a vacation out of it and spent most of our time in Oregon. We stayed a a privately owned campground in LaPine. My wife was concerned too, but you are in good hands at George Sutton RV. The picture on the left was taken at George Sutton RV and the picture on the right was taken in our first camp-out in LaPine, Oregon.
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Old 06-24-2008, 11:11 PM   #23
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2008 25' Safari FB SE
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Originally Posted by Joyce and Jim View Post
Hello - we just picked up our 2008 fb se from Traveland in Langley BC and the first problem we are having is with the water system. The fresh water will not read full and will not flow or pump. We understand it is a common problem but we are not impressed, as here we are 2000 kilometers from home and unable to take a shower or wash dishes. I have no idea where the water goes, as the fill up is on for hours, but the monitor still reads "no water". I would ask some serious questions on this issue, but feel that you would not get straight answers from a sales person. It is under warranty, but still, we are far from home. Joyce and Jim
Oh Boy what a bummer. That would be upsetting. (I think we toured that trailer (25 SE FB in Oatmeal?) at Traveland a few weeks ago & were told that it was sold & being prepped for the buyers.) It looked very nice.

I'm sure you've thought of all this but, are you not getting water even when connected to a hose or just when using the pump? The Pump is switched on & the fuses are all intact? Have you looked around the tank or fill spout to make sure you don't have a leak?

Are you anywhere near an Airstream dealer to get help?

I was concerned about warranty repairs as we have no A/S dealership on the Island but was told by the Airstream Warranty Dept. that they would authorize non-Airstream RV dealerships to do warranty repairs if the problem was with an appliance or sub-systems like pumps, brakes etc. recognizing that the distances & cost of getting to the A/S dealer might be an extra hassle. I would be giving them a call for some help.

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

-evan
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Old 06-24-2008, 11:16 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS View Post
Hi, eheffa. Been there, done that. We ordered our trailer from George Sutton over the Internet and picked it up about four months later in September 2004. We made a vacation out of it and spent most of our time in Oregon. We stayed a a privately owned campground in LaPine. My wife was concerned too, but you are in good hands at George Sutton RV.

Thanks Bob,

That is reassuring.

Reading some of these stories makes me realize that buying out of town is a bit of a crap shoot; but, if the dealer understands the situation & can remedy any deficiencies promptly I will be happy.

I'm glad to hear that you were happy with the Sutton team.

-evan
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Old 06-25-2008, 07:53 AM   #25
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Make sure to fill you water tank to the top, to make sure it does not leak. Our 08 SS SE leaked when filling the tank, but only when you were almost full.

good luck, and congratulations!
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Old 06-25-2008, 08:15 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joyce and Jim View Post
...The fresh water will not read full and will not flow or pump. We understand it is a common problem but we are not impressed, as here we are 2000 kilometers from home and unable to take a shower or wash dishes. I have no idea where the water goes, as the fill up is on for hours, but the monitor still reads "no water". ...Joyce and Jim
I'm a little confused. Are you putting water into the fresh water tank via the filler tube that is under the small key-locked door on the side of the trailer or are you hooking up the hose to the city water connection? If you have the pump on and the hose connected to the city water connection you probably wouldn't get any water through the city water connection and if you haven't put water in the fresh water holding tank, there may not be any way for water to get to your plumbing system...the pump may have the city water blocked and there is nothing to pump. I've never tried this scenario, but this may be the case. You might try to turn the pump off and see what happens or you might double check where you are putting the water. Does any of this make sense to anyone?

Others may be able to correct me if the above situation wouldn't cause no water, but this may be the case.
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Old 06-25-2008, 10:58 PM   #27
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Water tank Leaks

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Originally Posted by bernermom View Post
Make sure to fill you water tank to the top, to make sure it does not leak. Our 08 SS SE leaked when filling the tank, but only when you were almost full.

good luck, and congratulations!

Thanks for the suggestion bernermom.

We live a day's trip away from the dealer & across the border so I sure hope we can catch anything like this before we head home. Reading the quality control threads & the horror stories on that board has me a little spooked - as warranty work will be a definite hassle from home.

Our salesman at Sutton has reassured me that they will be loading & testing all the subsystems before we pick the trailer up. Hopefully something like this would not escape their notice. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

-evan
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Old 06-25-2008, 11:29 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joyce and Jim View Post
Hello - we just picked up our 2008 fb se from Traveland in Langley BC and the first problem we are having is with the water system. The fresh water will not read full and will not flow or pump. We understand it is a common problem but we are not impressed, as here we are 2000 kilometers from home and unable to take a shower or wash dishes. I have no idea where the water goes, as the fill up is on for hours, but the monitor still reads "no water". I would ask some serious questions on this issue, but feel that you would not get straight answers from a sales person. It is under warranty, but still, we are far from home. Joyce and Jim
Joyce and Jim...did you get the water problem resolved? Like Minnie's Mate, I'm a bit confused about where you are filling the fresh water tank or connecting directly to city water. If you're connected to city water (and the water source is turned on) you should have water pressure in the rig's system without using the pump...if not, there must be a valve somewhere that is in the closed position keeping water from entering the trailer's system. If you have filled the fresh water tank and have the pump turned on that should give you water. Can you hear the pump working?
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Old 07-17-2008, 01:10 PM   #29
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2008 25' Safari FB SE
Victoria , BC
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Update on our Airstream Delivery & Importation

Hi All,

I thought I would report back on our quite positive experience picking up our 2008 Safari 25 SE FB from Sutton RV in Eugene.

We left Victoria on Wed night by ferry & spent the night in Port Angeles Washington. Next AM: 0530h start to arrive in Eugene 20 mins late at 1220h.

We met Mark, our salesman, who had graciously come in on his day off to meet and deal with us. I suspect I was one if his higher maintenance customers in recent memory…We viewed the trailer with him. Things seemed to be in good order so went back to the office to complete the paper work. At this point it became clear that although we had a permit to drive the Airstream home, we had no insurance in case of mishap; so, we had to make some urgent phone calls to our home insurance agent to get coverage. This was perhaps the most difficult part of the transaction as the fax machines were not talking to each other for some reason & thus required multiple phone calls back & forth through the afternoon to resolve everything.

Rich, the Service manager, spent probably 3 hours with us going over all the sub-systems of the unit, answering our questions & dealing with a few minor problems (a superficial scratch on the body, some rust on the A-frame where a previous EQ hitch bracket had been installed & many spots of excess glue still adherent to the exterior surfaces). He ended up giving me a new can of cement remover to allow me to take my time cleaning up these areas. The trailer had been built in April 2007 so had been there in that rather dusty industrial area for quite a while (one year?). There are areas on the unit that still need a better cleaning but the good news is that it has had a thorough test for leaks & seems to have passed without any water penetration problems. I looked hard for any evidence of leaks & couldn’t find any

After installing a new Equalizer hitch, we then left the lot at 1700h & drove the rolling twisty highway (100km or 60 miles) to Florence. This was a great opportunity to discover how wonderfully well the Airstream tows on winding roads. I was very impressed at how much better this rig handles compared to my our old trailer ( a 1997 23 ft Kit Companion). All my concerns that the heavier trailer would be less manageable with our 2000 Suburban 1500 were quickly laid to rest. (We do have the 4.10 axles)

By the time we got to our campsite, we were pretty knackered & tired. After disconnecting I managed to christen the unit with its first scratch, marring the gray underbody surface near the tank valves with one of the EQ hitch arms as I stashed it under the trailer. Aagh! At least I didn’t have to wait in suspense for long wondering what the first real scratch would look like…

We then discovered that one of the stabilizer jack plates was missing. Closer inspection revealed that another one had no nut on the bolt & probably would have fallen off soon & a third was secured with a wing-nut instead of a normal nut. None of them had any lock washers.
With more time to inspect the unit a few minor cosmetic issues were also discovered (Lots of rough & proud edges along the laminate edges requiring further trimming &finishing, incomplete interior caulking along countertops, plumbing drain tubing needing tightening , a small hole in the lino near the fridge, a few interior aluminum sheets with no rivets in the corners, unsecured lino edges in one of the under-couch storage areas) but otherwise everything seemed to be in pretty good working order. After reading some of the horror stories on this forum I was sort of prepared to have a lot more wrong with the unit than we found & so we were quite pleased overall

With only one real warranty issue to deal with, I called Rich at Sutton the next AM. He had spare jack plates in stock & was quite happy to replace the missing parts so we trekked back to Eugene for the replacement & with a shopping list at hand filled out our inventory of spare parts & bits before we left the tax-free land of Oregon. Thankfully, the Airstream could stay in Florence. I ended up buying a few nylon nuts & lock washers so the new jack plate & the remaining old ones will be less likely to disappear again.

After another night in Florence, the drive home was quite uneventful along the Oregon Coast & up the I-5 from Salem. Despite a stiff headwind, I was impressed at how well the rig handled on the freeway & how much better our fuel economy was with the Airstream. I have heard that the A/S’s were more efficient but because this unit is heavier than our old one had expected only modest improvement at best. I am still only estimating at this point & basing my estimate on a relatively short trip, but I think we are getting close to 40% better fuel mileage with this setup compared to our old trailer- Quite impressive!.

We spent one night on the Hood Canal camping in an already full State campground where the host graciously opened up the day-use picnic area and allowed us to spend the night right on the shoreline with a spectacular view. He was admiring our new A/S and although his unit was an Avion, I think we both felt like we shared some things in common. It was quite a nice gift he gave us.

The border experience was quite uneventful actually. The processing of Forms & payment of GST was as predicted and took about 30 minutes with no nasty surprises at all. Less than 48 hours later we had the unit sitting on our driveway, fully inspected, PST paid & properly insured with BC plates on it.

I looked for evidence of filiform corrosion on the unit at Sutton but did not see any evidence of this until we got home. Once I had a chance to look more closely & was able distinguish between residual areas of dirt & corrosion I have found a total of three areas of filiform corrosion. One small area on the curbside rear tail light bezel, another bit on the beltline forward curved section curbside near the pano window and a mirror location on the beltline but rear roadside near the pano window. Although the effect is minor and merely cosmetic at this point, I hope to try and arrest this process as soon as possible. I have ordered some Boeshield, ACF-50 & Corrosion-X & will be trying these on the spots before I do any more cleaning or start waxing. I will try & document the effect in a more controlled fashion & see if I can determine which agent(s) work best. I was initially very pleased to think we had none of this filiform effect on our unit and am disappointed that there is some of this actually present on the unit but I am still optimistic & hopeful that it can be controlled.

Anyways, I hope this is of some interest to others who might have wondered whether we ever did get the trailer in the end.

I have a list of things to do yet but am confident that we can camp in very fine comfort with this lovely home away from home….

Now what to name her?

-evan


PS. Can anyone direct me to instructions on how you upload photos to this site?

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Old 07-17-2008, 01:19 PM   #30
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You'll figure out a name...just get a feel for her personality! Welcome to the (aluminum) fold! /lois
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Old 07-17-2008, 01:42 PM   #31
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Thanks Lois,

My good wife may already have a name for her...but we'll have to see if it fits.

I should perhaps clarify that the trailer was prepped very nicely by Sutton. They did a very good job getting it ready for us. The area where they are located is quite dusty & dirty & although the trailer was quite clean overall (especially inside) there were a few small areas here and there on the exterior that will need another go. I personally think it would be impossible to get the trailer totally clean and keep it that way in that sort of ambient environment.

Sutton served our needs very well.

-evan
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Old 07-18-2008, 08:10 AM   #32
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Congrats to you! I'm looking forward to some pictures of your new unit. I suspect you're anxious to take her on a trip up island soon! Maybe try out the road to Tofino
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Old 07-18-2008, 11:46 AM   #33
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Thanks Cameron,

We're planning our first real trip to the Rockies but hope to hit Tofino sometime in the fall for storm season maybe? That highway will be a good twist test for the rig.

-evan
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Old 07-18-2008, 11:56 AM   #34
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Sounds good! Let me know when you're heading over. I'm in North Vancouver, just below the highway, so I can run up to the overpass and chear you on as you head off East on your trip!
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Old 07-18-2008, 11:57 AM   #35
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Oh crap. I just realized you're in Victoria and will probably cross at Tsawwassen.
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Old 07-18-2008, 12:43 PM   #36
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Congratulations on your 25' FB, Eheffa!!
Ours is a 2006 LS FB. One thing I would recommend is to stand in front with a water hose and spray the edges of the front compartment strongly. Ours leaked on the curb side, and the dealer couldn't fix it, so had to pull to Jackson Center for repair. Get a ladder and look around the mounting screws on the skylight if there is one. Airstream doesn't drill the holes prior to installation, and many will crack where the screws are tightened. They squirt some goop on the screw heads, but you can see any spider cracks in the plastic. We had to have ours replaced, and the tech used our old one to drill the holes first prior to installation, telling us the story of how the factory installs them.

We are quite happy with our unit overall, even with the leaks (there was another one under a rear marker light) and look forward to many years of fun.

Best regards.
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Old 07-18-2008, 02:52 PM   #37
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Congratulations... and fine report!

Information on how to upload photos is here. (in Forums How-To's & Support).

Looking forward to seeing your photos here...

and in the "Corrosion problems with new Airstreams" thread.

Cheers!

SilverGate
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Old 07-18-2008, 03:30 PM   #38
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For BSmiley

Thanks BSmiley.

That sounds like good advice re: leak checks. I'll make sure to do a hose test sometime in the next while. I was thinking I might work at adding a little bit more of a barrier between the forward storage compartment & the bed with 3/8 plywood & some foam insulation. I was planning on storing the BBQ & outdoor mats in that compartment & would prefer not to have their smells floating up into the Bedroom. I should check for leaks before I do anything in that regard.

I am a little loathe to get up on the roof if I can avoid it as it looks rather fragile to me. I suppose a ladder wrapped in foam should allow me reasonable access to the roof vents etc. ?

Thanks again.

-evan
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Old 07-18-2008, 03:37 PM   #39
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Thanks for the welcome Silvergate.

I appreciate the link to the photo upload. I should have looked a little more closely myself but I appreciate the help.

I will post my shots to the corrosion thread as well. I try not to be too neurotic about the "things" in my life & don't wash my vehicles obsessively. If this little bit of filiform is all I see I won't be too upset with what is essentially a cosmetic issue, but if it is a rapidly progressive phenomenon that can't be arrested with a bit of TLC, I will probably be more upset. I guess we'll see....

-evan
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Old 07-18-2008, 03:42 PM   #40
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The other Ferry

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Originally Posted by cameront120 View Post
Oh crap. I just realized you're in Victoria and will probably cross at Tsawwassen.
Yes, we do use the Tsawassen route more but we'll wave to you when drive by on our way to visit the rellies on the North Shore

-evan
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