2016 Airstream Pendleton Special Edition

[allylourn]

Very cool and so jealous!!!

[MarkFinATX]

The list is pretty long... I'd get together with some local members of the WBCCI chapter and pick the brains of some oldtimers.
Basics:Sewer hose w/ fittings
fresh water hose & in-line water filter
surge protector (not an absolute necessity but good to have)
tank additive for the toilet (we use Digest-It) + RV toilet paper
coax cable, 25 ft. or so, for parks that have cable
wheel chocks or a kit with an assortment of pads and leveling blocks
bottle jack or if your tow vehicle has a scissors jack you could use that- know where the jack points are before setting out on your first trip
small tool kit
spare fuses for the 12V power panel
flashlights- one for each of you
Barbeque? lots of opinions out here in the forum. We travel with a gas grill and a small charcoal grill. Someone recommended a nice looking grill called the Volcano
We put a suction grab bar in the shower of our Pendleton, #62. The seat is a bit low.

Have Fun!!! Make sure you take a shakedown trip or two... there's always something. Hooking up to 50 amp service lets you run both AC units so you can test them and get familiar with the Dometic Thermostat. Switch on the heat to make sure it's working properly. If you have Sirius/XM in your car or truck or at home definitely activate it in the AS.
We found the 3M hooks to be a great addition in the kitchen and bath.
Check your tire pressure often and do torque the lug nuts frequently. I check my tires and wheels before each trip and travel with a torque wrench.

[GinaNBob]

Hello everyone. We are the proud owners of Pendelton #81. Brought her home yesterday after orientation and a long drive. Stopped a few times to adjust the blue ox chain, eat dinner, and try to get the rear camera to work ( never did get it to work). Left it parked on the street last night as hubby was too tired to try and put it in the driveway. He did just great this am on the first try. Suggestion of walkie talkies really was better than yelling at each other ��! Got the camera to work today. Who knew you had to have your parking lights on for it to work! In all fairness it does say this in the directions, but no one ever focused on that at the dealership. Just an FYI to those who also may be having a problem.
Well hope to see you on the road. Gina.

[Ambot]

Originally Posted by GinaNBob

Hello everyone. We are the proud owners of Pendelton #81.

You must have been parked to #30 at the dealer! I hope to have it delivered is week as my original tow vehicle didn't work out and am going to wait for a 2017 F-2/350.

[GinaNBob]

Yes Ambot. We saw yours too. Looks great. We had some bubbles in the front window decals and showed them that there weren't any on yours so they are ordering a new set for us. Also had a big scratch on rear bumper so new one is also in order. No white spots on hickory paneling or floor but had a couple of minor cabinet adjustments that we were fixed quickly and well. Hope you get Keith for your run thru, he was great to us.
See you on the road.
Gina

[rmkrum]

I'd get a properly rated floor jack for the AS. (As in WAY overkill) A TV cheap crap scissor jack cannot be trusted. It's only designed for lifting a TV on solid ground. And even that is risky.

The AS is too heavy for a cheap jack and no jack stands. Don't risk your life....and never go under any vehicle supported by a jack alone. Crush injuries are no fun...I've lost a few foolish friends that way. 😭

And by the way, concrete blocks are NOT jack stands, ever.

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[MarkFinATX]

Hello fellow Pendleton owners

Is there a better way to create a subset or create some type of group? Maybe this thread is the best approach. Circulating a signup sheet might be nice too.

What I need some help with at this point is to see if any other Pendleton's were delivered out with defective hickory veneer. Little white dots all over the walls, doors, and drawer fronts. Not just a few, but dozens and dozens of them throughout the entire trailer. What really blows me away is the response from the Service Manager at our dealership:

"I spoke with Airstream today and they did an investigation and determined that the white spots are normal as part of the lamination process and are not a defect."

Wha....? We reported this first to our salesperson. No response. Then a service technician. No response. Next I had someone from the service department look at the problem and they took numerous photos. Guess what? No response from anyone at the dealership or Airstream.

The above was contained in an email from the service manager, after i finally made an inquiry directly to him. White spots in the laminate come from foreign matter when the substrate is extruded into a very thin sheet that is then bonded to a base material. Nothing about this is normal!!!

Any others have this problem?
Any comments will be welcome.

Mark and Sheryl
Pendleton #62

[switz]

Since the majority of the Pendletons do not have this white dot problem, it is not "normal". The factory has a warranty obligation (especially at around $125,000) to replace the offending cabinetry. While it would be a very small class, all those with this issue should band together as a group to get this resolved.

Poor craftsmanship abounds at Airstream.

[Ambot]

My white dots were repaired by the dealers service department to my satisfaction. They used the following products available on Amazon and there is no sign of them. The "professional furniture repair man" turned out to be the 23 YO service tech, but nonetheless he did a good job and there is no perceivable evidence of repair.





When I got the trailer home I went over every nook and cranny that I could shine a light in and was pleasantly surprised to see no garbage, neat wire runs, and otherwise a quality installation of all visible components.

[CDONA]

Your spot repair stuff, two different colors of a putty type substance, and a cleaning solvent?

[Ambot]

Yes this is what airstream recommended.

[MarkFinATX]

Originally Posted by switz

Since the majority of the Pendletons do not have this white dot problem, it is not "normal". The factory has a warranty obligation (especially at around $125,000) to replace the offending cabinetry. While it would be a very small class, all those with this issue should band together as a group to get this resolved.

Poor craftsmanship abounds at Airstream.

I spoke with Airstream this morning and they claim that ALL Pendleton's have those little white flecks in the veneer and that's just the way it is! I wish my dealership was as competent as Ambots. Apparently they have no intention of attempting a repair. His photos show three different items. It looks like 2 different colors, or shades of filler and a solvent. Maybe I'll check out some local furniture repair people and just pay out of pocket.

I sent a long message to AS and closed by using the analogy comparing the purchase of a Mercedes or BMW and finding little white dots all over the interior. I seriously doubt they'd accept that. What a disappointment.

[RareStream]

Comparisons to the Classic aside, the Pendletons are definitely a step up collector and value-wise if the idea is resale down the road. The all-solid-hickory earlier true "CLASSIC" Classics and the very first all real wood cherry Classics I honestly think will hold much better value down the road than the current stick-on-laminate Classics. I know that if I still wanted a cherry Classic, I would ONLY scope out a used but mint all real wood version, and those are probably pretty rare already. So I can see those would hold value. In contrast, I would NEVER pay for the fake wood version. But, to put the Pendletons into perspective, the 75th Winick trailers are going for MORE than they sold for new. It wouldn't surprise me if the Pendletons do something similar down the road. People like "campy" trailers regardless of what Airstream usually feeds us, and the Pendleton fits this bill while being all laminate which makes it more practical to actually use than the 75th trailers (which are essentially rolling works of gorgeous art that some can be apprehensive to actually use because they are just so perfect).

[MarkFinATX]

Hey Pendleton owners. New plate just arrived


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[allylourn]

love it

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . I knew from the look on Her face when we walked in the Pendleton I was toast. . . and now we are the proud owners of #68 ! We traded our '10 FC28, making this our 4th Airstream. We had a couple of solar panels & controller installed, as well as a cell booster thingee, with ext antenna. . . Can't wait to head for the high country & escape this killer heat in AZ..........oh happy days , regards, Craig

[SrFade]

Well, have taken a couple of long weekends, starting with a Memorial Day maiden voyage of #006. Typical Rocky Mountain M-Day weather, ranging from snow and 28 degrees to sunny and mid sixties. We were certainly warm and cozy inside but the weather sure gave the furnace a workout and, between the snow and cloud cover, gave the solar charging system a test as well. Last week we were in Rocky Mountain National Park (first NP visit for #006) and next week begins a three week adventure to the North Country of Minnesota.

Love this Airstream lifestyle!

[Ambot]

Great update! Did you or anyone else get a real world tounge weight? How much solar do you have, factory or aftermarket?

Thanks!

[BicycleStream]

Glad you wrote 006! Happy to hear you're enjoying your new Pendleton. We've had ours out in cold weather but not freezing temps. Our 320a solar installed by the dealer is working well.
By the way, I finally received my NP pass in today's mail. Has everyone else received theirs?

[SrFade]

Originally Posted by Ambot

Great update! Did you or anyone else get a real world tounge weight? How much solar do you have, factory or aftermarket?

Thanks!

Can't help with the actual tongue weight. It would be nice to know but not really critical given our TV. As for the solar, I had 200 watts of Go Power flexible panels installed. Not sure I am happy with those yet. Very clean installation as they actually curve to the roof contour. Can't tell they are up there unless you get up high. On the other hand, I have yet to see any charging rates above 9 amps as they are not optimally oriented to the sun…..ever! Our upcoming tour will determine if they need more help, either in the form of an additional rooftop panel or a small portable folding panel that can be efficiently directed at the sun. It was an expensive experiment as I have a single 160 watt glass panel on our truck camper that consistently puts out more amps under similar sun conditions. Will do more exploration on the actual output of each panel and see if there is a load shed somewhere or if the wire gage is inadequate.