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Old 08-11-2008, 06:15 AM   #21
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Mabye an easy fix for the H20 tank would be to put about a two to three cups of bleach into it, fill with water and let it sit for a day or so. Flush it out and it should be OK.

Flooring, windows, etc, you really need to talk to a dealer, unless you are seriously planning on tearing into it yourself and have the know how. Prices can very greatly depending on the specific job. I think the prev owner's offer to pay to have it brought back to the condition of what was in the ad, back to Jackson Center is a fair offer.

BTW, the main door seals on nearly every new Airstream I've examined, including my own, are not air/water tight seals. There are significant gaps, but those gaps, though the don't allow the cool or heat to be kept in very well, have not yet allowed water into my unit.
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:28 AM   #22
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If you decide to keep it I would start drying it out immediately, get some heat in the unit, a couple of 100 watt bulbs 24/7 for a week or two. Get some febreze sprayed around in there with the heat and cook the oder out.

Did you sign a bill of sale which states sold as is? I buy many things used and have had to live with a few mistakes, even after inspecting the item and also have made some great deals. Sight unseen and long distance sales are tough. A 2004 trailer is by no means a new unit, I find that the problem with these units are they are not old enough to make restoration a viable option but often have many of the early signs of neglect so they are not pristine and often disappoint the buyer. When I purchased my 2005 in 2006 it was new, I started out looking at $10,000 used trailers and decided that I had to go full tilt restore or new.

Many owners of trailers, boats, cars, are not dedicated to maintaing their toys. One of the pictures shows a young girls bike in front of the trailer, I would bet that the young girl is now a teenager and the family couldn't drag her into the trailer so it is sold and time moves on.

Good luck with the unit , I hope you will find the problems are not as bad as you fear and with the help of the good folks here most can be sorted out rather quickly. Floor rot, leaks, and other problems can be solved and often with out to much expense. Others here have faced worse problems you may want to start planning you first trip nothing you have stated will stop you from enjoying the unit.

Best of luck.
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:34 AM   #23
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Here are a few sight unseen suggestions, so take them for what they are worth:
A brand-new electric tongue jack is about $300 from Camping World. There are three bolts and a wire holding it on the trailer. You will save another $300 performing this relatively easy repair yourself. It usually takes me 30-45 minutes to replace one.

Let a professional re-replace the rear window. In case it leaks again, or something else bad happens to it, you will have recourse.

You can get a new fridge hinge from Dometic, through most authorized Dometic dealers, even Camping World can order the hinge. It is a matter of a bolt and two screws to replace. This is a repair you can make yourself.

Have the floor checked over carefully by someone that knows what to look for. If the floor is merely soft, and not thoroughly rotten, you can get a product called Rot Doctor (the epoxy mentioned above) to repair the floor.

When you take your trailer in for the window repair, and whatever else you don't feel comfortable doing yourself, ask them to leak-check the trailer. Most RV repair centers have a gizmo that slightly pressurizes the trailer, and they apply soapy water to the outside. Anyplace you see bubbles is a leak.
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:35 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 62overlander View Post
Let me guess now too... hurricane Katrina, 2005... airstream from Georgia a 2004... lots of rust and water related damage. Wonder if seller might have escaped Georgia for the beautiful gulf coast. Wonder is sell might have even left it there for long periods of time, maybe while fleeing a coming hurricane. Maybe seller is old school, afraid to contact his insurance to report all the damage. Seller says "I'll just do this myself so that my rates do not go up", or "dagnabit i aint got no insurance" and then they realize it was really worse than originally thought and they dump it on someone that cannot really check it out in person.
I am from New Orleans, my trailer spent Hurricane Katrina at Disney, Fort Wilderness, I bet you would of never guessed that.

BTW I had a 34 foot sailboat totaled by Katrina, Allstate gave the boat back to me not even a buy back deal and reinsured the boat with no rate increase it was part of a negoation on salvage issues. Insurance dose not always work out how you would think.
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Old 08-11-2008, 06:37 AM   #25
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If you are handy you can find a Jack on ebay for half that price or at least you could a couple of years ago, I have one.
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Old 08-11-2008, 07:44 AM   #26
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What was replaced in the rear window? The glass or the complete frame?

As for the jack I would call the manufacture and ask for a repair price. Mine went back for a question and was repaired at NO COST. Take the head cover off the jack and make sure you have power inside the housing before you condemn the jack. If it is ceased I would assume it would have blown the fuse.

As for the floor. If you can find soft spots in the open areas you must assume there are problems under concealed areas such as the cabinets and bed. The floor is a structural part of the trailer and you have to be sure the perimeter, close to the body, is good or in time you will see body problems such as cracks or folds in the body.

Not to add to your problems but I would not suggest you go to Colonial. They are a great place to by a trailer because they are a used car dealer that went into the trailer business. Repairs are not their forte. They are only now opening a parts dept. If you do decide to use a dealer contact Park View in Smyrna De. They were a dealer and have a long history of working on Airstreams.

Where are you in Phily?
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Old 08-11-2008, 08:03 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by overlander63 View Post
When you take your trailer in for the window repair, and whatever else you don't feel comfortable doing yourself, ask them to leak-check the trailer. Most RV repair centers have a gizmo that slightly pressurizes the trailer, and they apply soapy water to the outside. Anyplace you see bubbles is a leak.
Here are some pictures of that procedure:
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Old 08-11-2008, 09:49 AM   #28
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Reminds me

Just over a year ago I was up at GSM picking up my trailer, which had the frame fixed and floor replaced, plus a couple other odds-n-ends.

While there Colin showed us a very recent airstream ( I think it was a bambi) that the owners had brought in to have new upholstery put on. What Colin discovered was that under the cabinets and in other areas, the original dealer had not done a complete job of removing the protective plastic from the floor. Airstream apparently ships trailers with a plastic cover on the carpets and the dealer removes this prior to sale. From what I saw, it seems like airstream carpets the interior, lays the protective plastic ontop and then installs the cabinets.

Somewhere down the line the airstream leaked water, OH big surprise, and it was caught under the plastic. So the question is, what happens when moisture is trapped under plastic? MOLD and rot. He pulled back the plastic and you could smell the mold. Plus Colin was able to poke a screw driver through the floor, you could see glimpses of daylight from under the cabinet.

Colin told the owners this and as you could expect, they were shocked. I'm not sure what ever happened to that trailer but Colin was guessing it would need a full shell off floor replacement. l

I wonder if that is the case with yours. Maybe some plastic that was not removed properly and water over time became trapped and caused the floor to rot.

Good luck.
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Old 08-11-2008, 02:40 PM   #29
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hi muddy...

u r correct, that's exactly how they do the carpet, plactic and interior.

eric...

my concern IF u are planning to keep this unit is...

what's going on UNDER the flooring ?

as in the insulation and frame area...if it's still wet that needs to be addressed.

again the original subfloor is osb and once wet SWELLS, even after drying.

given the purchase price for this unit vs the typical price for 16s...

it is worth it to have the unit properly inspected and repaired.

take it to j/c and let them do ALL of the critical work....

labor rates are 20% off in the winter months, but i wouuld not wait till december on this.

should YOU decide a bigger unit is needed, the resale of THIS one will be easier...

if it's properly repaired.

and why have u not posted any pictures yet?

we love looking at other peoples messes!

cheers
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Old 08-11-2008, 04:50 PM   #30
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That is a terrible thing when people overrepresent and trick people. I wouldnt want to have his Karma
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Old 10-23-2008, 07:06 PM   #31
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Just a Follow up? How is it coming. I always hate to hear these type situations. Bad for the buyer, and for the trailer. Jimmy www.twistedsilverairstreams.com
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Old 10-23-2008, 07:09 PM   #32
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it worked out really well actually.
the seller refunded me and was very sorry for the toruble.
i then bought a like new 2006 19' unit.
i have a feeling this would have been one expensive repair!
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Old 10-23-2008, 09:26 PM   #33
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2air: no other pics sent b/c they live in VT and trailer was stored in GA. Just their word and description of the issues (toilet seat and dent). Numerous unreturned calls over the past 3 days....perhaps they are away for the weekend? I'd love to drive it there expect it is 400+ miles.[/quote]

Is it at all posible that the couple didn't know the condition of their AS since it was stored in GA and they live VT? Maybe the damage was caused at the storage place.

Just a thought
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Old 10-23-2008, 09:32 PM   #34
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woops....I guess I should have read the full thread before I made my silly comment!
Congratulations Eric and happy camping!
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Old 10-27-2008, 09:07 AM   #35
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Great to hear it worked out. No need for bad a/s experiences.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:24 PM   #36
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it worked out really well actually. the seller refunded me and was very sorry for the toruble. i then bought a like new 2006 19' unit. i have a feeling this would have been one expensive repair!
Eric - Major congratualtions!! You are one very lucky guy!! A lot of sellers wouldn't have considered a refund. Really glad to hear there are some good folks left out there. Also glad to know you've already bought another AS, that this bad experience didn't sour you on RV'ing. Hope to see you on the road some day.
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