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Old 10-06-2002, 12:49 AM   #1
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What is the MOST you have paid for an AIR STREAM part

out of curiousity...what is the most you have payed for an airstream spacific part. somthing only airstream makes or made. whats the most expensive thing out there to replace.....like a window a door, or my case a door latch?
 
Old 10-06-2002, 07:46 AM   #2
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I believe I paid over $400 for my Motorhome screen door. And get this, Airstream wouldn't ship to my house so I had to pay an addditional $270 to get it here. All in the screen door cost me close to $700 and it didn't even come with any screen or the sliding plastic cover where you can reach the handle of the main door. Just about $10 worth of aluminum bent to fit the door......What a stupid purchase, but I couldn't find one anywhere and my old one couldn't be repaired.
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Old 10-06-2002, 01:02 PM   #3
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Depends on what you want to do. A complete shell and/or a naked chassis are not cheap either.
End shells are not cheap, nor is a complete entrance door assembly.
Those are all individual parts that carry a part number.
A gallon of milk costs far more than a gallon of gasoline.


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Old 10-06-2002, 01:04 PM   #4
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feal the pain

ouch.... i use to think Vintage car parts were alot......is this for your 84? try shipping to alaska big $$$$.

anyone else?
 
Old 10-06-2002, 01:06 PM   #5
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air streams parts are not a dime a dozen

yep Andy water is more than fuel too. and i'd bet you dont go out and fill up a 30 gallon milk tank all the time eather. the thing is if a human drank milk like my truck drinks gas people would be upset!

did air stream not make very many spare parts for there trailers i realize there are not as many air streams as chevys but you'd think there would be a supply of parts for things. i was told 600+ for a KT door latch yesterday....i'd like to now what it would have cost for a KT door latch in 77. i bet the price now is about ten times as much for the same latch.

i was intersed in what actual people have spent for things just so everone can get an idea of what parts for these things go for.....hey andy how much do those parts you listed go for?
 
Old 10-06-2002, 02:05 PM   #6
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Wrong about the 10 times. The KT lock as used by Airstream from 1970 throught the 1977 now costs $546.06. In 1976 that lock was $22.50, complete.
Over time, some things change and go way up and some actually go down.The reason for the cost of the KT lock escapes us as well as you, that's why we sell them at $495.00. Some of the parts for them are not cheap either, as some of them, today, are hand made in small quantities.
In spite of our efforts, we have not been able to come up wth a reasonable subsitute for that lock. Later types, that are much cheaper, can be used, but you must modify the door.
That's where the problem starts, as most owners flat out state, NO, I WANT TO AND WILL KEEP IT ORIGINAL, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST!!
That being the case, what's to beef about??


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Old 10-06-2002, 03:15 PM   #7
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Thumbs down insanity

sounds like laughing all the way to the bank

thats to bad.....
the beef is i feal old airstream parts are way to much....and i'm not the only one.... thats way to much for a door latch!
the parts are only going for what people are willing or crazy enough to pay for and the fact that they have no choice(for original look).....22.50 thats nice! i figured it was alot less then what your asking for it.

if i was so obsessed with my trailer and i had to buy a new complete latch i would, just for originality sake, but i would still think it was a waste of money. what a rip off.

thats nice of you to drop the price some. it's not worth it to me i'll just fix the one i have and when it fails i'll improvize. i can think of alot of other things i'd rather blow 600 bucks on.

mabey i should up grade to a 2002 model door latch. they look similar. but arn't the same so what!

i feal sorry for air stream owners that pay to much for parts.
 
Old 10-07-2002, 03:13 AM   #8
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Old or new airstreams, I think the problem is the same. Could you immagine the cost of a new car if you were to purchase one piece by piece through the parts department?

I am very grateful to airstream for their promptness. This past summer, while traveling from Texas to New Mexico, I forgot to completely latch a window on the road side of our 2001 trailer. When I stopped for gas, and walked around the trailer, I found the window completely gone, nothing. When we got to Sante fe, I called airstream, they had me call a dealer, & I ordered a new window, shipped overnight to our campground in Sante Fe. $237 and one day later, I had a new, tinted, curved, tempered glass window installed in our trailer.
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Old 10-07-2002, 08:50 AM   #9
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Overlander. I don't know where you keeping getting $600.00 for that lock. If we are going to round off, then we really could say that it's $1000.00.
Why pick on Airstream parts prices? Auto parts prices are also too high. So are groceries. Electricity is at an all time high.
Best suggestion, possibly, is sell the "way too expensive parts Airstream" and buy a way to cheap Shasta. Parts are plentiful AND cheap. But so is the trailer.
Someone said years ago, "If you want to fly with the Airstream people, you have to pay the price of pride."
Question then becomes how much is a person's pride worth? That I suppose depends on the individual.
To join the "elite," sometimes, means we may have to pay the price. However, if someone doesn't wish to pay the price, then the logical answer, is, don't get involved.
Wow, you talk about prices, try owning a single engine Aircraft as I once did. Those prices put Airstream prices in the "little league." Some else said, "You want to play?" "You gotta pay!!"
Such is life, ..............considering the alternatives.


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Old 10-07-2002, 06:46 PM   #10
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pure comedy

Andy.
I am just SWEALLING up with pride...look at me i own an airstream........."hey guess what a door latch for this thing cost!".......I am so cool! and not to mention PROUD!

my opinion they want to much for the KT latch.
they are obviously proud of the KT latch......I am not proud of it. and their for will not purchase one.... the chrome has come off mine and the reason the pin failed is becouse it has rusted out. that would mean to some that it is made from poor materials. your price of 495.00 is to much for a latch that is made form a bad choice of materials, that is crome plated...and made from cheap metal. In 76 22.50 was a fair price that is all it was worth......now adays it has gone up becouse of limited quantities or what not.....it now is an out dated poorly made outlandishly price peice of crap.... why pay so much for somthing like this? Pride you say sounds more like RETARDED!

the purpase of this post was to find out what Air Stream parts go
for,as in price..... so maybe people can get an idea of what things cost. i've found that parts wize all you are doing is paying for the name.

Andy i am very well aware of what my options are......thats why you havn't gotten any of my money!




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Old 10-07-2002, 07:13 PM   #11
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I'm confused.

Real simple,

Get a sawzall and make any over the counter part fit/work,
(and lower the value of your A/S).

Or use highly priced, reproduction stock and RESTORE your trailer
using vintage parts (where ever they maybe sourced).

I have purchased many parts from Andy, I also have purchased
many parts via e-bay and other A/S sites and personal web pages. In some cases I got great deals, in other cases I paid top dollar.

I have pride in my RESTORATION.
RESTORATION was/is my goal,
if your vision is not restore but to replace, stop your complaining and attacking of Andy .... get out the sawzall.

Oh another thing, Where is the love?

DMC
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Old 10-07-2002, 07:30 PM   #12
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this is a discusion forum isn't it? or am i wrong?

the problem i am seeing is spending tons of money for stock parts to restore your trailer....say you go through completely rebuild it you will have way more money in to it that it is worth.....if you go to sell it....just like restoring cars you will not get the money back........you'll have a ton of money in somthing that is really cool but nobody will pay you what you got in it.

proud of restoration is good..........proud to pay top dollar hmmmmm?

as for love:yeah your right i have sence edited my last post....
 
Old 10-07-2002, 07:46 PM   #13
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Restoration

Restoration is a labor of "Love" I do it because it is what I want to do, and I prefer to do it right.

I cringe when I see people that are "gutting" their trailer,
on the other hand, It creates an opportunity for less costly, and sometimes completely unavailable parts.

When you have searched passionately for a part for months, sometimes years, you will be willing to "pay the price" to achieve
your goal. A restored vintage trailer.

I don't have unlimited funds, but the $ i spend on my trailer is $ well spent. If and when I should sell my trailer, I can't expect to get out of it what I put in, how can you be compensated for spending 60+ hours stripping, rubbing, polishing and buffing?

Heck my wife doesn't get that much attention and her resale value decreases daily! Maybe I should try some Nuvite on her?

An antiques dealer on PBS once said, you don't own posessions,
they own you. You are but one of many "owners" in the pieces
lifetime. When you are long and gone, it will live on with a new owner, continued life.

I restore my trailer for it's next owners and its continued life,
and I have a hoot with it while I can!

Life is not for complaint, but for satisfaction! What ever you do ... be satisfied ... life is too short for us ... but our Airstreams will live on!!

DMC
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Old 10-07-2002, 09:43 PM   #14
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is this a discussion forum or am i wrong?

you are totaly right i agree with you.....that is a nice way of putting things...and i think it's amazing what some of you have done with your airstreams

i was kind of shocked when i purchased my overlander.....the guy was talking to me about it and somehow we got to talking about parts for it..he said he could get them but there spendy...he said like for instance this door latch cost 350 bucks i was like wow.....that was enough for me right there...I purchased the trailer anyways becouse i thought it was realy cool and i've heard nothing but good things about them........... so later on my latch failed.....so i was trying to find someplace thet might sell em less then he said they cost...... but later i found out there More then what i thought they were...I thought 350 was alot but o.k. whatever...then i find out it's more like $500 that was when i started to wounder what other things cost....and I wanted to find out from other people not a dealer....so i could get an idea of whats fair.....and I havn't had very good luck with inland..... first they told me they had em then they told me they dont then they said they did i have been getting the run around with them.....I am not happy with them... ... i would think that for close to five hundred bucks they might want to help me out....(Run around = spend my money elsewere) even if it's more. when i talked to them on the phone the first time it was like they didn't want to bother All i got was "we dont have them" i even asked if they knew Andy they said yeah he is the owner i told them that he said they have the parts they said they dont......I wrote Andy he said call back and ask for him he was buisy so i was told they would call me back....I got no call and there for they lost my buisness. if want parts i want them now i dont want to have to call back and mess around......especialy if i'm going to spend top dollar for a spacific part......I understand Andy is most likly a very busy guy and I shouldn't expect the owner to deal with these things.....so here i am trying to justify the cost of that thing and trying to figure out why it's so much..........I DO NOT WANT TO PUT A CHEEZY DOOR NOB ON THERE! i like the stock lock and a crappy door nob would look bad.

So i am in search of answers for the price and a door latch from some place else. doesn't close to five hundred bucks sound like alot of $$$ for a latch? Or is it just me...........all I wanted was a door latch or parts....thats it and i didn't think it would cost an arm and a leg!

one person responded to my post like i had intended (kzener40)
i didn't want the "well everything cost alot so whats the big deal thing" i got from Andy....next time... i'll specify "no dealer input please" I wanted to now prices! i wouldn't of guessed that a screen door was close to 400 bucks with out the screen. If i had to have one I would of done the same thing he did.....whats wrong with finding out what stuff cost? should i call inland with a list and waste there time finding out what stuff cost? then turn around and post it?

I was trying to shop around "HA HA not many places to choose from" for somthing that should of been fairly comman Andy said it was used from 70 to 77 shouldn't there be some latches floating around? the older latch wich is posted on airstreamparts.com for like a 66 is cosiderably less than the 70-77 model why is this?

whats wrong with asking questions?......getting smartass remarks is not what i want for answers "thanks anyway andy" who probable bought his old parts from dealer at an auction for 10 cents a pound then is turning around and selling them for WAY TO MUCH! what is so great about a 25 year old latch that cost 22 times as much as it did a year before it was discontinued....
 
Old 10-07-2002, 11:29 PM   #15
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the point

two people have responded in the intended way............I just wanted to get an idea of what things cost what people have spent for particular name brand air stream parts. that is all...

i'm not looking to pick on airstream parts prices....or talk bad about air stream.

I dont want shopping lists for groceries or fuel prices or car part prices...... just Air Stream related parts prices.

I wasn't nessicarily looking to get horror stories... sorry if it seemed that way

The point of the point
i was trying to find out what some of you out there have spent on Air Stream spacific parts. good stories bad stories what ever it might be....is there anything wrong with that?
 
Old 10-08-2002, 12:22 AM   #16
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Let me try and add my two cents hopefully without affending anyone if that's possible at this point. I understand corporate america....we're all on this earth to make some form of a living and enjoy the finer things in life. For me one of those finer things was owning a classic Airstream. I have had a lot of enjoyment in with it and know my kids will look back and have fond memories of the times we spent driving down the road looking for new places to explore. That for me is worth a lot. I do however feel at times Airstream is taking advantage of those trying to keep their Silver Bullets alive. I would ask the simple question how much is a reasonable mark up on a product to provide a company a reasonable return. If 100% is the number and that lock cost AS $250 to make than I'm willing to accept their price...but if the lock cost them $50 to manufacture and they're marking it up 900% than I feel that's gouching their customers. Now some will say the part departments of many companys are losing propositions and when you take into consideration the cost to inventory, facilities, employees etc. I don't know the case with AS. Maybe we should ask AS what their "Mission Statement" is. Does it address providing outstanding customer service, providing their customers with superior products at reasonable prices? Or does it talk more about providing their share holders great returns on investments? What's their culture...consumer or investor directed?

I'm sure maintaining inventorys of parts built over the last 40 or 50 years is probably a challenge and involves much more than I know. But I have to say some of the items I've purchase have left me a tad bit suspicious. When it cost hundreds of dollars to put new rubber trim around my motor home and I know other trim cost a fraction it's just not the same design it makes my blood boil.

It's obviously the price I'll have to pay to be part of this experience but it's too bad it has to be that way. I'm sure many people would like to own an AS but unfortunetly AS doesn't want to make it affordable for the general public. I can't say all their parts win any design or quality awards, it's just the name in many cases.

So I live with what I signed up for and chalk it up to a learning experience and a passion to create memories......

Ken
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Old 10-08-2002, 05:13 AM   #17
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Talking Parts Department

KEN,
This lil bit of info is something most of you may not be aware of.

Having spend several weeks during the last two years at the A/S factory while getting work done. I've gotten the chance to talk to a number of the employees there and, this is what I've discovered. Concerning the parts department, it's in a makeshift location for the time being due to expansion work. It currently location is in the work-bay area~! How many are there? I really didn't count but, I'd be willing to say more than 5 or 6 bays.These work-bay could be used to work on A/S TT and MH but, A/S has been using them for the parts depart.(for 3 yrs, at least). I know and, I'm sure you'll agree that, A/S could make more money on a daily basis using these areas for working on MH and TT.
It shows me that A/S is willing to go the extra distance to perform the work that's required by those of us who want the 'factory' expertise.
Somewhere I have a picture of the parts depart..If I can locate it, it'll get posted.
This input is just for the purpose of sharing knowledge.

BTW, I completely agree with your intentions abt " creating memories" for the future~ Your kids are indeed very lucky~!!!
ciao
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Old 10-08-2002, 08:12 AM   #18
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Question Prices please

Inland-Andy wrote:
Quote:
Depends on what you want to do. A complete shell and/or a naked chassis are not cheap either.
End shells are not cheap, nor is a complete entrance door assembly.
Those are all individual parts that carry a part number.
So how much are end shells? Is this the exterior shell?
How much is a entry door (minus screen door and minus the $546. lockset) for a 74 Excella?
Are all doors the same?
Are these New Old Stock?

thanks,
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Old 10-08-2002, 12:38 PM   #19
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reply to 53flyingcloud(parts department)

trying not to affend anyone

O.K. tell me if i'm wrong here? from what i got air stream doesn't have say for instance a warehouse for there parts? or are they selling there parts from the bays? wich is it?..... they have been useing shop bays for parts?...haveing parts in the shop is that a mess?......and for three years! why havn't they Put up a building? having parts available and having a building to store them in is kind of a neccesity isn't it? three years seems like a long time to me.....does airstream move very many parts?..........are they not doing to well......a company that makes the rolls royce of trailers should have a real parts department.
so if they wern't useing shop bays does that mean you wouldn't be able to get parts at all? and does this explain the pricey parts?

how many trailers does air stream sell in a year? are they a large company.
 
Old 10-08-2002, 01:00 PM   #20
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Arrow

First to Overlander I feel your pain. Altho I have yet to actually buy my Excella 31', it is for all practical purposes a done deal.
Deposit made (refundable) and arrangements in progress to go get it.
I have never seen it except in photos.
This thread as much as any other has given me my most compelling reservation to NOT buy the Damn thing.
I WILL NOT EVER pay 500 bux for a door handle (unless I have pre-sold it...'Cash in Advance' for 600 bux).

I have been "poor-boyin" it for most of my life. The Jones' ran off and left me long ago...I couldn't keep up! I considered it all a rat race and the rats always seemed to be winning.
Turns out I have enjoyed much of my new found time on the 'sidelines' albeit Jonesless.

If I buy and oneday pull into a RV-Park and am ignored/ostracized by fellow Airstreamers because I have a 75 dollar Schlage doorknob, then I hope I'll just turn the other cheek and be civil anyway. I'll just assume that all that runnin with the rats raised their blue-blood pressure and deformed their blue-noses upward. I'll be content knowing their Blackwater-Tanks smell just like mine, even if they are convinced that their aroma is the 'sweet smell of success'.
Anyway Overlander I'd be proud to park next to you anytime. We could down a few ice cold Blue Ribbons and look down on all that "trash" in them "white-trailers" and 'up' to all those Wallyites that wouldn't join us in a toast.


As for Inland-Andy...I am VERY glad that he participates in the various Airstream Forums.I am not sure that he does not occasionally overstate something, but he has license to err on the side of caution, due to liability issues. He also apparently has more hands-on knowledge than most or any of us.
I do wish there was another dealer or two who did the same as Inland-Andy on the various lists, just for comparison's sake. . Sometimes I wish there was more to life than marketing. But it does make the world go round!

Now as for his markup and pricing... that is entirely his business and I defend his right do as he pleases. We obviously don't owe him our business just because he posts here. But all things being equal I would go with him because of his involvement. I hope we never find him or any other participating vendor to be misleading us.
However I reserve and encourage the option of discussing pros & cons of advice given by, or service problems and irregularities or 'shipping and handling' ploys of ANY vendor.

....yup the price of my 'pride' is a shade shy of $500 bux for a door handle.
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