Potentially Concerned

[SteveSueMac]

I bought a new 2012 27FB Flying Cloud. I bought new because I knew my learning curve on "futzing" with it was going to take a while and with 2 years of warranty, it was pretty worry free. A few minor nits - my local dealer wasn't great (not selling them anymore either) but I've been to the factory for some custom work and repairs (most recently an emergency exit door in the bedroom - what a hoot!) and have loved every second of it.

Stuff goes wrong. That's for sure. Frankly though, it's been more worry-free than my home which we've been working the kinks out of to the point where we're good now 😀

Did I understand you to say you're buying at Can Am? They seem to have a terrific reputation so that's a great help right there.

Welcome. Enjoy the ride! Happy camping!

[PKI]

2015 FC23FB - new from the local dealer in May of that year. The coach was prepared by the Bosie dealership and delivered to the Bay area for us. No problems other than the water heater isolation valve was closed and it took us some time to figure that out.

We now have about 23K on it and that includes a trip to Kansas, a trip to Maine, and a trip to Canada.

We broke the rear plumbing and paid for it to be repaired. A toilet water line had a broken fitting that likely was a casualty of the prior event. The monitor panel stopped working and was replaced. It may have also been a casualty. They pulled apart a lot of the trailer to replace the black tank. We were not happy with the way the door closed. It had to be slammed. Dealer adjusted it. The microwave went out this spring. The city water pressure regulator was replaced. The shore power plug was replaced. The tail lights were replaced. Several rivets were replaced. The DVD Player remote was replaced. The valve handle on one of the LPG tanks failed and the tank was replaced. All except the rear plumbing was covered by warranty (we did buy the extended warranty).

We have had a lot of issues, but feel the trailer was/is reliable and functional. We did our research and expected a few problems.

Advice - do a complete walk through with the service department at purchase. Have a lot of questions ready to ask and write down the answers. Do not trust the memory. When they tell you how to do something, do it yourself to reinforce the process. This is your first chance at building a relationship with them. Make sure the door closes properly and that there are no gaps at the door, windows ......etc. If there are, do not accept the coach until corrected.

Take the coach on some shake down trips, before you leave the area of the dealer (the trip home does not count). Check out each system on these trips. At the end of your shake down you should have a good feel for the trailer condition and reliability.

When you do have a problem that needs to be repaired, expect the dealer to take one to two weeks to fix it. The microwave took over three weeks. That is the reason to stay close to the dealer or at least have a plan that allows some down time. We drove from Kentucky to California to have the plumbing done at our dealer so we could leave it with them and be at home. Much more convenient than staying at a motel at Jackson Center, but if they have the parts they can do the work faster.

If your dealer does not have a reliable service department, find one and build a relationship. Jackson Center is often the solution suggested, but not everyone lives close to that resource. Alternatively, one of the posters tells of getting JC to send him parts to repair problems himself. It seems to work for his circumstances.

Stay on the lookout for leaks - plumbing and shell too. An early fix limits the damage.

One final comment - an AS is made by folks. It can be repaired by folks. It will get bumps and dings. Enjoy it and don't worry too much about the small stuff, while making an extra effort to avoid the big stuff. Look before you move. Slow down or stop when the drive is unstable. Use active driving skills and attention at all times. Make and use a check list always. Have fun and promote those smiles.

Travel Safe. Pat

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by VaTravelers

FC, thanks for the reality check. Never thought about it in those terms. I have a custom cabinet shop at home and can fix just about anything so I am not going to be running to the dealer with every little issue. I intend to do a very thorough delivery inspection. I am sending the dealer a copy of my list prior to delivery so they know I am prepared and they should be as well. I want to establish the right relationship with them up front. I can either be their best advocate or not ... pretty much up to them.

I am not handy at all. The dealer fixed the initial problems (two minor leaks and a faulty power jack).

Many Airstreamers are ultra "handy." I sometimes wonder if this can lead to overkill and they create a bigger problem. The reason I say this, the craziest thing keeps happening. When I have a problem, the FaN has remedied the problem without any interference from me.

For example:
The deadbolt would not lock. The dealer ordered a new lock. Then the lock started working again - and continues to do so. The dealer was stuck with the lock, but they said that was okay.

The air conditioner was tempermental. "Make sure the outlets are not blocked," said some on the forum. Before I could check the outlets, it started behaving itself again.

A couple of other things too, but I can't remember them now.

I think I have found the perfect trailer....for me.

I hope you too will find a likewise compatible trailer...."handy" or not.

[AIRHEDS]

Originally Posted by dkottum

... We do regular inspections for leaks with a moisture detection meter ...

Doug, can you please share what kind of moisture detection meter are you using? I'm only familiar with the needles that push ~3/8" into wood... Thanks, Rich

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by riffin-rich

Doug, can you please share what kind of moisture detection meter are you using? I'm only familiar with the needles that push ~3/8" into wood... Thanks, Rich

This is where we discovered it

Bob

[dkottum]

HI Rich, it's a Sonin from Amazon, about $30. Looks somewhat flimsy compared to what you may have but works very well for our Airstream use. It is 9v battery powered, as two needles at the end of a cord so you can reach into tight spots with it. Very sensitive to moisture.

I sharpened the needles with a file so I can easily push it through the vinyl floor covering and into the wood subfloor a bit. The mark is so tiny you won't notice it after pulling it up. I go around the interior perimeter with it probing the floor looking for external leaks that have drained to the subfloor. I do this during a quarterly general inspection of the Airstream, looking for leaks, corrosion, anything broke or loose, and ensure all systems work.

I have found four, all very minor, and fixed them easily. Two at the base of the awning support arm rivets and screws (this was when Airstream installed the awnings AFTER their assembly water spray leak check, they now install them BEFORE the water test). One at the lower door hinge screw, had worked loose. The other at the rear window during wind-blown rain, the latches were not tight enough.

[SMLJeep]

We just took delivery on a 2017 Flying Cloud 27FB after having a 2015 23FB. First was from Colonial, new one from Safford in VA. First one was to small. Have we had issues with both, yes. Have they been major, no. When you look at all the other brands the issues that Airsteams have are minor. I can't tell you what to do all I can say is we enjoyed our first one and are looking forward to many years of enjoyment with the second one.

[cwf]

You are..
Test pilot...
Ground crew...
Maintenance chief...
Preflight leader...
PIC....
Diligence in observance of your Airstreams peculiarities will serve you well.

Our 1999 is still on the road... Had a perfect trip Texas-Minnesota-Texas-Louisiana-Texas over the last two months...

Is it perfect?? For us, yes... We have done much to repair, tighten, seal and replace..nearly all ourselves... If you don't have the patient passion to follow thru yourself..... You can pay others who offer splendid service... like the Mothership

Will it leak??? Probably...
Will it creak??? Guaranteed!!!
Will it look tiny in the "mine is bigger than yours" RV world... Yes.
Will you regret purchasing??? Sure, it is a LOT of money, geez... A lot!!! Even George Soros and the Clinton Foundation winces at the sale taxes alone!!!
Will you hand down to some bright eyed descendant or a random fool, soon parted with his money, Anticpating dreams the Airstream will provide?
Probably or maybe so...

The Airstream can be fixed... Usually...

I am still working on me.

Hope you enjoy!!!

[rmkrum]

For the non-mil spec folks. PIC stands for Pilot in Command.

And yup, all the rest of that is absolute truth as well.

I'm a former Birdfarm black shoe sailor.


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[RareStream]

You will notice that there is a significant number of Airstream apologists on this site that will discard nearly any problem with these trailers as being "expected because they are hand-made."

Some people will lie and state they have had no problems whatsoever such as "our trailer has been nothing but a delight" but a search of their past posts will reveal they had serious problems with their trailer over the years yet choose to avoid being honest about it. For some, praising Airstream is the number 1 goal.

Your trailer will have problems. You HAVE to accept and EXPECT this.

Before I purchased mine, I was trepidatious. I read of the horror stories, the corrosion, the horrible abysmal quality control and cheap materials. I KNEW the risk of buying one.

BUT...and here's the big but...once I ACCEPTED that these trailers are NOT well-made and that there WILL be build quality disasters that will make your head explode, I was willing to buy one. But, again...this was once I removed my rose-colored glasses. I EXPECTED it to be a POS in many ways. And, as such, once my expectations were realistically lowered, my trailer turned out to be not so bad at all.

Now...when I DID have problems, I drove 1000 miles to Jackson Center and spent two months trying to get my trailers' issues taken care of. It was a HORRIBLE experience full of incompetence, excuses, insults, and terrible quality work. THAT'S what was so surprising to me...I EXPECTED the trailer to have problems; I did NOT expect THE FACTORY to do such sub-par service work for over $10,000 in repairs and custom work.

The bottom line...just be realistic in what you expect. Do NOT listen to the Airstream apologists or those who fib and state their trailers have always been perfect (again just search their old posts). There are quite a few on this forum like that.

As long as you don't EXPECT perfection (or even a reliable working trailer without leaks) you'll be fine. Just don't be surprised at the bargain-basement quality parts used to build it, the shoddy build quality, the lack of quality control...and fully expect something major to break (or leak) rather quickly. THEN, make your decision to give your money away. Weigh the good with the bad. It's truly a crapshoot.

I gambled because I like the style and look. But I in no way was blind expecting the trailer to be problem-free from the factory. I figured if there was anything really wrong I would bring it to Jackson Center to have it repaired under warranty. I figured, "Let's go for it!" And I did. And, I had problems. I brought it to the factory to fix...

But again...that factory service disaster WAS an eye-opener. And NOT expected. As such, I would NEVER buy another new Airstream. NEVER.

(By the way, one of the things that REALLY pissed me off was that while my trailer was in the service department, Aistream actually allowed people off the street to WALK THROUGH my trailer-not to mention everyone else's trailers-while on the factory Airstream tour!)

But anyhoo... if you're expecting to have NO major problems...RUN THE HELL AWAY NOW and cut your losses.

If you are realistic about what Airstream is (a mass-produced shiny product with little to no regard for quality control but damn do they look good) then by all means give them enough money to buy a small house and deal with the fallout.

Just don't lie to people and tell them your trailer is perfect when you're going to find out rather quickly that it is emphatically NOT.

[Fly at Night]

Lots of advice about retaining a trailer inspector, but perhaps one should inspect themselves first. An Airstream isn't going to turn you into a saint or a virgin. Nor is it going to make you happier, healthier, sexier, wiser, saner, wealthier (or appear wealthier), especially if you are struggling with any of those issues.

And then something goes wrong. Uh-oh.

Anyway, this general mess is going beddy-bye.....in the trailer.

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by Andy R

Going down the road is the equivalent of major earthquake. Owners should expect that there needs to be some settling in time once they take ownership of their new house on wheels. Just like a home, be ready to make a punch list of little issues and prepared to take it to a certified warranty shop to have them resolved. If your expectations are properly set, you won't be disappointed.

This forum has more than 1.7 million posts, I'd venture to say that 99.5% of them are happy Airstream owners chatting about the enjoyment they get from their Airstream's. That being said, .5% would still be 8,500 posts from people who have had issues. Don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch. If they were all crap, people wouldn't buy them and this forum wouldn't be bustling with happy owners who own trailers made across 6 decades.

I would highly suggest doing some research into best practices to taking delivery of your Airstream. By studying up you should know what to look for, how to stay at the dealership and get proper training and what to do to shake down your Airstream to make sure you are 100% ready for your first camping trip. I'm sure others have posted great advice so being ready to make it a great experience should help significantly!

Please report back, we would love to hear how it goes!

Well said!

[Drake1949]

First let me say that I like the idea of owning an Airstream and I know that once the "bugs" are worked out it will be ok.
But having said this let me add......I picked up my 2017 25' Flying Cloud in Winter Park, FL....drove it home to Crestview, Fl.....5hrs away. Had a cabinet that came loose.....power jack quit working first time I went to unhook trailer, I had to take the trailer to Gulfport, MS.....local Airstream dealer would not work on TT due to the fact I did not buy from them. After TT was repaired, was going to stay overnight at a RV park in Gulfport......about 1 hr. into stay....lost power....had to get a room at local hotel (110 in trailer). Took TT to dealer, power cord was bad. After I got home went to unload TT and saw that cabinet door under the sink was hanging by one hinge.
Waiting on a call from the dealer I brought Airstream to see what can be done.
I know things happen and I know everything is covered by a warranty.... but all this has happen and I have not spent one night in the Airstream.

Now that my vent is over......I hope that I will get to the point that I enjoy the Airstream.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Everyone is welcome to their own opinion, you think he shouldn't be allowed to voice his?

Of course he can voice his opinion, hence the correction to first person. He can't really feel he has the right to speak for others (they, their etc.)

[dlkershaw]

My wife and I purchased a 22ft fb last fall from Colonial in NJ. We have enjoyed the experience and have had only minor issues.Colonial is the best, very responsive and helpful. Keep in mind you are traveling over highways, back roads and underdeveloped campground access roads. Chances are things will shake loose. Develop a good relationship with your dealer and enjoy the Airstream experience. There are wonderful sights to see in our country with great campgrounds and interesting people. Have fun !

[Tyvekcat]

Originally Posted by VaTravelers

I'm a new member to this community and am about to sink a lot of money into a 2017 28' International Serenity. I grew up with AS and always thought them to be world class. As we approached retirement I voraciously consumed all the available information on RVs both powered and not. I always came back to the AS as what I really wanted for a lot of reasons. However, I have read so many negative comments on this forums about the new AS that I am not so sure I want to take delivery on my trailer next week. I would rather forfeit the $5K I put down to order the trailer than to have nothing but problems with my investment. I need some reassurance from the community that it isn't all bad news.

Its good to see another Virginia member ! Great choice on the 28 International Serenity. We have a 2014 model.
Tows well, easy to park, and lots of information on the forum here for excellent enhancements. You will enjoy your new AS.

I added new hose to the water pump to quiet it down, enhancement not really a fix, but it needed to be done cause it was loud. Its under the fridge if you decide to work on yours. Pretty easy to get to
Lost a rivet above the entrance door ( inside) don't know where it went.
Other than that its been good, I can't complain.
My tires have been fine, I don't overload them or run the 'white line'.

I like what CWH (Channing) said
" You are..Test pilot... Ground crew... Maintenance chief...
Preflight leader... PIC....
Diligence in observance of your Airstreams peculiarities will serve you well. "

That is so true ! People drag these things everywhere. Ours has been from Maine to FLA, MS, and back to VA. Tows like a dream, heavy little dude though
Safe travels 'VaTravelers' !

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by Drake1949

First let me say that I like the idea of owning an Airstream and I know that once the "bugs" are worked out it will be ok.
But having said this let me add......I picked up my 2017 25' Flying Cloud in Winter Park, FL....drove it home to Crestview, Fl.....5hrs away. Had a cabinet that came loose.....power jack quit working first time I went to unhook trailer, I had to take the trailer to Gulfport, MS.....local Airstream dealer would not work on TT due to the fact I did not buy from them. After TT was repaired, was going to stay overnight at a RV park in Gulfport......about 1 hr. into stay....lost power....had to get a room at local hotel (110 in trailer). Took TT to dealer, power cord was bad. After I got home went to unload TT and saw that cabinet door under the sink was hanging by one hinge.
Waiting on a call from the dealer I brought Airstream to see what can be done.
I know things happen and I know everything is covered by a warranty.... but all this has happen and I have not spent one night in the Airstream.

Now that my vent is over......I hope that I will get to the point that I enjoy the Airstream.

Airstream doesn't build power jacks or power cords.

If cabinets and doors are coming loose there is an indication of unbalanced running gear, problems with the truck or hitch setup, or simply really bad roads. (Airstream doesn't build axles, trucks, set up hitches, or fix roads).

And they don't own dealerships.

[Buzzr]

Let me start out by saying I owned an Airstream for 11 years and mostly enjoyed my experience. I had a 25 foot Safari. My wife and I wanted something larger and really liked the 26U. Before we decided to sell I took the trailer to Jackson Center to have it overhauled. I spent $10,000 to have the floor redone and a number of other things repaired. I have posted about my experience with the factory before.

The factory did a very poor job on many things and and the workmanship was slipshod. I am not going into detail because I get upset every time I think about it. When I brought attention to the quality of the work I was laughed at. My experience was so bad I decided not to buy a new Airstream. Instead I bought another manufacturer's model that I have been very happy with. I did not expect perfection but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality.

I still love Airstreams. I would not, however, even consider a new one. In fact I am looking for a small used one to restore. My wife will probably kill me when I do.

The point of this post is to advise you not to buy a new model unless you are reasonably handy with plumbing, woodworking and electrical. I am ok in these areas and enjoy tinkering. The factory that so many rhapsodize about on this forum is unprofessional and does not care about quality. Obviously there are individual exceptions.

I really enjoy this forum. It is loaded with great repair advice and other helpful information. There are, however, some frequent posters who have confirmation bias and deny the horrible experiences many of us have had. Some say only the complainers post. I do not believe that to be true. Take what you hear about quality, both positive and negative, with a grain of salt. The truth is that the RV Industry, Airstream included, does not care much about quality.

[FCStreamer]

I understand that having had a bad experience with Jackson Center can cause one to be disappointed. I too have read the multiple negative posts. However, I'll say two things.

First, I've read just as many positive posts.

Second, it doesn't really matter because posters here are not a representative sample. So even if the number of positive posts outweighed negative ones (or vice versa), that doesn't mean anything. One way or the other.

If I were blown off by someone at Jackson Center, I too would be negative and cynical. That is human nature. But it's not fair to ascribe motives to Airstream because of some negative experiences. Truth is that if any business were THAT bad, it would have gone out of business long ago.

Truth is they do enough good to keep a loyal customer base. They sell very well. A company that "doesn't care" simply cannot survive. Airstream does more than survive. They thrive.

So based on that I assume they do more good than not. This by no means is intended to discount the negative experiences SOME posters have shared. They are not lying. They indeed experienced a very negative situation with Airstream.

If Airstream did not solve your situation to your satisfaction, I am truly sorry. But yes, there are people in that organization that care. And they do a good enough job that they keep selling all the trailers they make and have a backlog.

I for one appreciate those who share their negative experiences. It helps the rest of us be on the lookout. It helps us sponsor the "good" dealers and stay away from the bad ones. But let's not get carried away and doom the Airstream organization as a whole. They work very hard and there are many posters here, myself included, who are very satisfied with their product despite the issues.

[OTRA15]

Well unfortunately the current discussion is probably not giving the original poster much additional confidence in his purchase . . . (IMO)



There is always The Argue Thread for heated discussions:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...ead-60297.html

Have a good weekend, and good luck, VaTravelers, with your purchase!

Peter