Back From Jackson Center!

[BAB]

I continue to shake my head at the ongoing shower door issue. What they come up with is a "work around" for a very, very poor design. The shower door is basically suspended from the top of the door by a cheap, about 3/4 inch screw that inevitably breaks. While the door may work in a static location (like your house!), the ongoing motion of a trailer on the move creates enough stress to either work the screw loose, or just break it off. The solution is a sturdier hinge mechanism. I solved this problem in my '12 28' International with a Sterling shower door that uses as pivot mechanism. I fully expect that at some point, I'll be spending around $140 for a similar door for my '15 Classic. Any decent process engineer would have analyzed all the shower door defects and fixed this years ago. The disconnect between those who REPAIR and those who MANUFACTURE is hard to believe.

[GCinSC2]

Is there a thread about a before and after of these various fixes for the door? I'm not sure if my '07 has the same design

[rostam]

Being a car enthusiast, I'm reading this thread in disbelief. Only if Airstream had half the QC of car companies... We bought our last 2 cars new and in 9 years (total) of ownership and over 100K miles, we have had to do a grand total of 1 repair (knock on wood).

Its ridiculous for owners of a $100K+ trailer to have to travel half way around the country, repeatedly, to have these well documented and chronic issues fixed. Based on what I have read on this forum, these QC issues were there 5 years ago, 10 years ago and even before. Airstreams of the 70's and 80's had the rear separation/sag issues. I can venture a guess that QC has been absent since Wally passed. Only if Airstream followed his motto: "Let's not make changes only improvements".

[scamp]

Originally Posted by rostam

Being a car enthusiast, I'm reading this thread in disbelief. Only if Airstream had half the QC of car companies... We bought our last 2 cars new and in 9 years (total) of ownership and over 100K miles, we have had to do a grand total of 1 repair (knock on wood).

Its ridiculous for owners of a $100K+ trailer to have to travel half way around the country, repeatedly, to have these well documented and chronic issues fixed. Based on what I have read on this forum, these QC issues were there 5 years ago, 10 years ago and even before. Airstreams of the 70's and 80's had the rear separation/sag issues. I can venture a guess that QC has been absent since Wally passed. Only if Airstream followed his motto: "Let's not make changes only improvements".

You said it! I agree 100%
Don

[FreshAirStmr]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

A few custom touches that I had added turned out to be a little more involved than we expected, but all in all everything went well.

Care to tell us what custom touches you added? I'm always looking for new ideas!

[FreshAirStmr]

Originally Posted by TheDuke

A few custom touches that I had added turned out to be a little more involved than we expected, but all in all everything went well.

Care to tell us what custom touches you added? I'm always looking for new ideas!

[m.hony]

One reason I am so devoted to my Tundra and Toyota as a whole is that in 8 years of ownership I have only done 2 maintenance items outside of oil changes and tire rotations- 1 accessory drive belt and 1 set of tires- still routine maintenance-
No RV manufacturer makes an RV that good.
My biggest take-away from the factory tour was the junk, clutter, and lack of organization- extension cords, air hoses, and parts strewn all about all over the floor to the point that the people taking the tour literally have to step over and around- tight, cramped spaces-
Airstream is obviously not ISO 9,000 certified.
I have toured the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, KY and it was pristine.
I have worked in many plants and mills that were very organized, from fork lift manufacturers to clothing manufacturers to a hair jelly factory and they were all pristine.
We need to bring them boys on down to Mississippi to show them how to straighten/organize a factory/warehouse!


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[Arcticfox]

Originally Posted by Minipad

I had this problem with my 2013. I didn't want to mess with going to the dealer or JC so I fixed it as follows:

1) Cut a piece of 1/2" white pex to the width of the door opening, from the hinge to the opposite side.

2) Drilled four 1/4" holes through just one side of the pex and all in a line, spaced evenly over the length.

3) Placed the pex across the bottom of the door opening with the holes up and mounted it with some stainless screws by drilling/screwing straight down through the 1/4" holes in the pex.

4) Removed the whimpy piece of weather striping from the bottom of the door.

Now when the door closes, the bottom of the door is entirely supported on the pex. It actually leaks less than it did before (from shower spray or splashing) and after many miles, no more shower door problems. When the door is open, it also is supported by the pex because the pex is placed right up against the hinge pin. The piece of white pex is barely noticeable.

This is very interesting. Would it be possible to post a couple pictures of what you have done

Thanks
Doug


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[larryglarson]

Jackson Center fixed our shower door perfectly. I do not even know what they did.

[glenrms]

Originally Posted by Minipad

I had this problem with my 2013. I didn't want to mess with going to the dealer or JC so I fixed it as follows:

1) Cut a piece of 1/2" white pex to the width of the door opening, from the hinge to the opposite side.

2) Drilled four 1/4" holes through just one side of the pex and all in a line, spaced evenly over the length.

3) Placed the pex across the bottom of the door opening with the holes up and mounted it with some stainless screws by drilling/screwing straight down through the 1/4" holes in the pex.

4) Removed the whimpy piece of weather striping from the bottom of the door.

Now when the door closes, the bottom of the door is entirely supported on the pex. It actually leaks less than it did before (from shower spray or splashing) and after many miles, no more shower door problems. When the door is open, it also is supported by the pex because the pex is placed right up against the hinge pin. The piece of white pex is barely noticeable.

Nice! I'll think I'll do the same thing except I'll us a flexible adhesive, like a clear silicon, to secure the PEX to the sill so there is no chance of water getting under the sill through the screws. Thanks for the tip.

[TheDuke]

Originally Posted by FreshAirStmr

Care to tell us what custom touches you added? I'm always looking for new ideas!

My mods are top secret, that is until I get my patents. LOL. Just kidding. When I parked at the terra port, there was a couple there in a new 16 Classic like mine and immediately they came over and started noticing some of the mods that I had already done myself. Asking lots of questions, which I didn't mind at all. The two custom touches that I had the guys at service do was to make a cherry frame and box for the kitchen window and mount a matching day-night shade in it. My wife and I both hated the cheap "plastic" frame and the roller shade. Now everything matches and looks so much nicer. The other touch was to have a stainless steel cover riveted over the top of the painted rear bumper storage lid. It has "Airstream" laser etched on it and they also installed it with the "bucked rivets" so that it matches everything else. I had already installed the stainless "A-frame" protectors. I am trying to cover as much paint with stainless as possible....so much nicer looking and it doesn't chip and rust like paint.

[greghoro]

Originally Posted by apanzer

What is Whit Pex? Were can I purchase some.

PEX is plastic water pipe but a newer style than the PVC which has been used for a long time. You can get PEX at most big box hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.). Although, most of them sell red and blue colored pipe to denote hot and cold water. White PEX may take a bit of searching. I found some at my local Lowes.

Originally Posted by glenrms

I'll think I'll do the same thing except I'll us a flexible adhesive, like a clear silicon, to secure the PEX to the sill so there is no chance of water getting under the sill through the screws.

I hear you, but since the PEX will be constantly be pushed at and scraped by the door bottom when it is being closed, I doubt an adhesive on its own would hold it in place on the sill for any length of time. In this instance, a mechanical attachment (screw) is the most robust. Plus, when the door is closed, it covers the screw holes.

However, you may want to consider removing the screws after the initial installation and apply some sealer to the screws and holes in the sill as well as the screw heads inside the PEX before installing the PEX assembly permanently. If you do use a silicone, make sure it is one which will not attack aluminum.


Greg

[Minipad]

The pictures as requested:

[polarlyse]

Just a caution Duke, My trailer had the stainless "A" frame covers. When I removed them there was quite a bit of rust underneath. I chose to remove them and re-paint with matching paint so plan to remove them down the road and clean things up. It seems they allow enough water to get between the SS and the frame.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by Minipad

The pictures as requested:

?? No pictures

[switz]

I was at the factory every day they were building our 2014 Classic model 30 in January 2014. A list of visible quality control issues that I and members of the tour group saw were written into a list I personally gave to the QC supervisor before I left the factory.

One day, I found they had installed the wrong linoleum after walls and the bathroom cabinet was in place. They had also failed to install the aluminum bathroom backsplash. I was soon in the foreman's office and they were looking for the change order since it was not included in the shop floor order. The dealer dropped the ball with no follow though to ensure the approved change order was included. Fortunately, I had a copy of the signed off and approved change order on my laptop in the customer lounge that I emailed to the Supervisor.

So the walls and bathroom cabinets had to be removed and the flooring replaced with the approved stock material. This created some employee issues as the flooring was not really installed properly and we replaced it later with Marmoleum on our nickel.

I was at the dealership 15 minutes after the trailer arrived. None of the issues were corrected before being released from production. And there were many new issues created during the fast drive to the dealership.(I knew what time the truck left the contract towing company location in Jackson Center and when it arrive at the dealership and no grass grew under the wheels.

Having had some issues with the local service department, I elected to get all the issues taken care of properly at a third party Vintage Airstream restorer who could also do warranty work along with the customizations. The work was with upgraded components so the issues would not reappear a few weeks or months later. We paid for all the repairs to be done properly.

The new 2015 23D International Serenity was delivered with both minor and significant issues that neither the dealership nor the factory corrected. An example is the plastic protective film still on the aluminum wall beside the bed - the factory put a mattress on the bed frame and the dealer put the mattress cover on the mattress with the film wadded up on the wall. The shower was not installed properly with a large gap by the door through which water would run directly down to the floor. The rubber pumpers of the bathroom door were installed on the wrong side. An awning in one of the eye brow windows above the dinette had a broken string so would not operate. I guess Airstream was not too proud of the trailer as they even failed to put the word "AIRSTREAM" above the rear factory installed awning. How could the dealer miss that? Every other Airstream on their lot had the brand name on the rear and they had lots of units there.

So I took the 23D to the same third party facility to get repairs done and many modifications installed.

So if the QC at the factory is poor and the PDI at the dealership is not done properly, the customer gets shafted. Return trips are not free due to the considerable travel expenses involved with going to JC or to a dealership. The dealer gets more money for chargeable warranty work than doing their PDI throughly and taking care of issues when found.

If the trailer is financed, then payments are being made on a non-useable vehicle while repairs are done that should have been taken care of before delivery.

As the top model Airstream trailer is now equal to or more than $150,000, most folks would have the expectation that for that much money there would absolutely no issues. Between the factory and the dealership PDI, all the factory glitches would be completely taken care of before delivery.

I wish that was true for all their new production models as none are chump change.