For those that are bored, I've taken delivery and camped for three days in my new 2016 Classic and I will post some thoughts.
Options:
1. Twin
2. Chestnut Furniture.
3. Night Sky Counter-Tops.
4. Factory Solar.
5. Electric Awning.
Colonial was pretty good. It was waiting out back when I arrived for delivery checklist. The only thing I noted on initial inspection was that the front stabilizers were not working. The delivery guy said they were working during inspection a few days before. Supposedly, Airstream is torquing down the bolts on the feet (not suppose to), not allowing the stabilizers to lower due to to much friction. This burns out the motor. Lucking a quick motor swap and it was good to go.
1. Fit and finish was higher than I expected. I really found no issues with the cabinets or other interior or exterior appointments.
2. I was actually surprised by the satchel of info that Airstream gave me. All of the warranty cards, users manual for all appliances and electronics, 2016 Classic owners manual etc, all in a nice tidy dual clear flip-fold. Great touch.
3. It rained two days and so far no exterior leaks detected, always a plus!
4. The small cubby holes on the bottom sides appear to be made out of white painted sheet steel. Huge rust risk. I will have to Corrosion-X all of those areas, including the battery box and A-frame plus stabilizers.
5. As per BAB, I will need to replace that plastic external 110v outlet with stainless.
6. According to Colonial, there isn't a bug screen yet for the new Atwood air heater. I did purchase one for the hot water heater..
7. Love the lit blue candy cane grab handle.
8. Power awning with tilt seemed like a great option. Although, water definitely seems to like to run down the support arms. Just wondering how long those electric jacks will work as surely some water is creeping in there. Also, one time the awning rolled up most of the way with about a foot and a half left. Then the control panel didn't respond. I waited a minute, pressed extend and it began extending. Then I retracted once again and it went in. Not sure what caused it to stop a foot and a half short to begin with. I only assume it has some sort of resistance switch in it (the canvas was very wet).
9. Removed all of the stickers on the trailer besides the important vehicle identification ones. Not sure why they have to put a "window seal stick" sticker on every single window!
10. Does anyone know what is behind the 4 screw panel is in the rear storage area (above bumper), on the left hand interior side of the twin?
11. Licence plate frame/bracket, plastic housing feels kinda cheap.
12. Rear tail-light housings came with the edges pre-sealed. I was expecting to remove the covers to check for filiform, but they were sealed so I didn't worry about it.
13. No filiform that I could find on any of the trailer.
14. I was going to Corrosion-X every seam and rivet but ran out of time. It appears the factory did a nice job of using sealant on the edges of the cut panels, so Corrosion-X didn't seem like an immediate issue. I will do they over the next weekend or two. Corrosion-X all rivets and seams, then a heavy coat of wax. Anyone advise differently?
15. I always thought that you could fill the fresh water tank from the city water connection. I guess I will buy one of those gravity fill port connectors and fill on low pressure. Or I may just put a pressure regulator on it.
16. Exterior shower seems to like to drain a lot of water. I don't think it's the faucet leaking, just that the water likes to slowly leave the shower head hose.
17. Colonial wanted $500 to install the ProPride. I passed and did it myself. It took me a good 8 hours as I am super anal. I lock-tited all bolts, rust oleum'd all bolts/hardware, let it dry and then put a coat of Corrosion-X on everything. I had to modify some components with my cutoff discs, but it was a great installation. The difference between a simple ball hitch and the ProPride is crazy. Best $2500 I've ever spent. Never having to worry about the trailer (besides tires) is really relaxing. My first towing out with it there were 35 MPH crosswinds too!
18. Talked about the battery box, rust was already forming at the seams. Corrosion-X'd.
19. The skylights look fairly flimsy. I take it that's why people replace them? To protect against hail etc?
20. At both Colonial and Jersey Shore Haven, the antenna could only pick up 3-4 channels. Not sure that setup is the best.
21. Door seems like it's well made and I didn't have any "improper bend/seal" issues. Door needs a good thump to get it to seat fully. Seems that there is a two stage catch on the upper lock. One guy recommended I do the upper lock and lower bolt while travelling. The door opening from structure twisting would be pretty harsh while on the move.
22. Infinity flooring is quite nice. I like that it, combined with the plywood floor has a bit of give. Definitely not a fan of plywood floors though. I think they could do better than that for a few dollars more.
23. Cabinets are beautiful. Zero issues with cabinets closing, hinges or hardware. Lights in cabinets turn off when required. Cedar in three shirt wardrobes is beautiful. Love the arch LED accents at both ends of the trailer and the theater floor lights between the twins.
24. Sofa so far has held up to some pet use. Wish it reclined a bit more, but adding a pillow on the top for head works pretty well. I like the ability to lay down and watch TV relax.
25. Seems there is some storage under the couch (not talking middle drawer) and behind it that I will use for very infrequent use items.
26. May remove the two magazine holders. I won't really use them, or maybe put some sandals in them.
27. Trash can is really tiny. May put in a Simple Human stainless can by front door/magazine holder.
28. Laying on sofa, portal and Vista view windows are awesome. Great to stare at the trees.
29. Love that a few main lights have dimmer feature. Pure on/off lighting for the main lights is annoying.
30. Cabinets above kitchen counter top will need some felt put on the edges. At 6'4", that's some pain just waiting to happen.
31. I love that the stove actually exhausts air. A lot of houses don't even have that.
32. Oven and Microwave seem of decent quality of what I can tell. Oven had no issues baking.
33. LPG heater is fairly loud. I will have to shut off one of the outputs by the front door to force more heat mid and aft trailer. A good 65% of all volume comes out of those two vents. There is serious kinking in the small duct that goes under the floor under the wardrobe. I will have to try and un-kink it as the bathroom receives almost no heat. I will also have to wire a separate switch to turn on the furnace fan (no heat) to force warm air from electric heaters to the underbelly for winter. Thinking about installing a electric stove type electric heater somewhere. Does anyone know how to remove that false panel in front of the air heater under the sink? I could find not reasonable way to release the panel without a lot of force so that I could get at the heater.
34. Dinette seat is fairly comfortable. For any long term use though, the seat backs are too low. I will need to do a modification or simply use the back rest by the TV and put a pillow back there. The TV may get replaced anyway and electric heater put there. Main TV will be an OLED located behind the forward dinette seat in front of the sofa.
35. Not too impressed with the Polk Audio. Speaker upgrades are definitely a future project. Down firing speakers as the only option are never ideal.
36. Electric table works fine, but I will have to watch the base mounting. Leverage seems like it can really work its magic on that. I will lower it and brace the table between the cushions for travel.
37. Inverter fan is loud. They literally could have spent two dollars more to put an actual proper fan on that thing. Inverter will get replaced in short order. Most likely 3000w Magnasine. (1000w solar and 1000AH lithium planned for future).
38. So far the Sealevel and solar gauges seem to work as advertised.
39. Checked all the hidden/behind drawer items I could, like water lines etc. I found that my under bath sink cold water valve had a small drip leak from the connection to the valve on the input side. This meant that I had to run without pressure for the trip, seeing as the leak was before the valve. One of these weekend I will have to cut off the PEX connector and install a new valve. The valve spins on it's inlet pipe, not sure if it was a manufacturing defect or what. Colonial apologized for missing that.
40. The two curtain dividers in bath area will be raised to their max height. My head almost touched them, and they can be raised a good two inches.
41. Electrical panel fuse box was not labeled. Is this normal?
42. Bathroom mirror top left edge was lifted off the wall slightly. I know some early owners have had their mirrors fall off. Curious as to if Airstream just doubled up on the double stick tape or what their "fix" was. Still a bit uneasy. I may take some clear silicone and beat the entire perimeter of the mirror. Not a huge fan of the aesthetics of mirror clips.
42. Bathroom Door mirror had retaining trim installed. I don't foresee an issue with that coming loose.
43. in the curbside shirt closet behind the shower, there is an access panel It appears as if it was designed for shower plumbing access. It was curious, as the shower plumbing was all down by the shower head water selector. Thus, making that access panel fairly moot.
44. Rear backup camera works like a charm. Albeit a bit low resolution and stuttery due to transmission limits, but it gets the job done.
45. Most window shades due "hit" the window knobs. I may just drill them in another 3/8ths of an inch.
46. Mattresses are of "OK" quality. They are fairly lightweight, but I definitely am not a fan of sleeping on a petroleum product. May swap out for talalay latex with organic topper. Curiously, the mattress cutout at the heads of the twins wasn't a regular curve to match the airstream wall curve. It was more like an "S" cutout. Good quality mattresses are MUCH heavier than the factory mattresses. Curious as to compromising the lifting of the bed design for storage, and additional stress on power bed lift.
47. The factory bedding is fairly strange. Not sure who would ever want to use something so rough? Seems like it's all for display and not use. Most likely throw it all away and get some good quality stuff.
48. Air conditioners seems to be fairly quiet. Although, on a hot day I could definitely see you needing 50 AMP service for dual unit use. The heat pumps strangely made the Airstream very damp. Almost as if the units were sucking in, moist, outside air. To get rid of the moisture and not lower the temperature too much, I would run zone 2 air conditioner and zone 1 furnace. I will definitely be looking into dehumidifier and ambient/radiant heating options.
I am sure there are some things I've missed. I will think of them later! Some pics:
Ramblings about 2016 Classic...
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