I went out to wash the winter off the Bambi yesterday and was alarmed to discover a patch of clearcoat about 3" x 1" had peeled away from the skin. It's at the top curve on the side that gets most of the solar exposure, but then I found a peeling patch on the shady side maybe 4 feet up. It's interesting that the peeled clearcoat wasn't brittle at all (it didn't break off easily). Yes, I Walbernized last fall before the white stuff took over. This is an '02 trailer. So much for the Alcoa finish. Anyone else having this dilema on a newer AS?
I was alarmed read about the peeling clearcoat on your 02!
My A/S is a 99, it was the first year for the pre-coated panels from Alcoa, I have been told by everyone in-the-know and have been told there is no stripping/recoating proceedure on these.
So far, I have not detected any peeling or any issue.
I am concerned about what happens in the event of it develops a clearcoat problem. Did Alcoa intend or design this product to last for ever, just a long time or just in optimum conditions?
I had the clearcoat peeling from a front top center panel on my 2003 CCD. They had to replace the entire panel (fortunately it was under warranty), unfortunatley it began leaking badly after a few months and now it is being replaced again (unfortunately the warranty ran out).
I also had the clearcoat peeling on all 4 wheels and had those replaced.
I was told if it peels there is nothing you can do except to replace the panel.
My 2003 had peeling problems near the rivits and panel edges. Resolved by replacing the panels at JC. Now I store the trailer indoors. When in JC I saw a few newer trailers with peeling problems.
We have an 02 Classic. Clearcoat is not peeling, but (while still under warranty) we discovered "pitting" of the panels/clearcoat coming out from under the rubrails in several areas, and coming out under the Airstream emblem. Random spots = not a regular pattern, but it seems to be spreading. It looks like corrosion.
We bought this unit used, from a dealer. We immediately took the unit to our local dealer for some "tune-up" work, and to show them this panel/clearcoat condition. They took pictures and sent them to Airstream. Airstream said it was a MAINTENANCE issue - no warranty coverage.
We keep her clean and walbernized. What are we missing on the maintenance issue, and what is the remedy for this problem because it is getting worse.
We have a 2002 CCD with minor "pitting" of the clearcoat around exterior handle for the door. It looks like very small white spots, irregular in shape. I'm hoping someone will have a suggestion for keeping this from spreading. The clearcoat has also partially peeled from the exterior hinges of the door... I'm not as concerned about this as I am about the pitting on the panel around the door handle. Any help would be appreciated.
Andy
I believe you said that even Airstream dosen't have the plasticoat. So can it be fixed, OEM style. I could not find any of this plasticoat for my 03. I had C & G replace the whole lower street side under warranty. Is there now a fix? Because everone is going to experience some pitting and peeling at sometime.
my 02 safari is pealing and cracking in multiple places (all curved) . i feel the bending process weakens the coating. true to form , i got zippo satisfaction from airstream. who requested i send them photos, acted like they never heard of this problem -then told me i could drive 1000 mi round trip to the closest dealer who would keep the trailer for around a week and repair it at my expense. so much for standing up for your product--esp when it is an obvious product defect.
The "peeling" on our 02 Classic is in various spots - not necessarily curved areas. I would just like to know how to stop it from spreading further!
Jen
Andy,
Thanks for the information. I'm going to try the spray plasticoat on the hinges... and try touching up the small pits around the lock to see if that keeps things from spreading. Worth a try, anyway.
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