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Haulin8or · 07-03-2018, 07:27 AM

Just wanted to post a list of issues we have had since picking up our new 2018 FB we bought in April of this year. Just want to see if others are having any of the same problems and what you may have done to fix them. Love our AS, just little PITA things that can get frustrating.

Issues:
- Water heater circuit board (just started last trip)
- Bathroom swing up mirror latch screws pulled from door (fixed myself with slightly fatter, longer screws)
- Bathroom roof vent weather stripping came off (replaced myself with weather stripping from Home Depot)
- Front storage hatch door latch won't unlock (had to open the bed and have my son crawl in and manually remove the nut that holds that latch to get it open, not fixed yet)
- Slide out bed under couch not retracting all of the way in anymore
- Plastic subwoofer floor mounts are broken (all of them)
- HDMI auto switch (in cubbie beneath DVD player) had to be reset twice (not easy to get too BTW!)
- Main door needs adjusting
- Deadbolt on main door was loose, almost causing us to become locked out of unit!

Key would turn, but would not engage the deadbolt slide (Do yourself a favor and check the 2 bolts on the deadbolt lock on the inside handle panel of the door. Make sure they are snug) (2 problems with two different locks on the same unit, kind of unacceptable in my opinion.)
- Outdoor shower head is simply a piece of junk, not quality at all. (replace with better shower head)

Now, things we LOVE about our 25FB!

- THE VIEWS out of all the windows!!!
- Love how it tows
- Love how solid it feels while camping. Does not bounce around when someone walks around like our old camper
- The cabinetry just feels solid. Love the swing up cabinet doors in the galley for cooking. Works so well just to leave them up while prepping a meal.
- I think we have cooked more in our AS in the last few months than we ever did in the 13 years we had our Sierra box camper.
- The rear bumper trunk, more space than I thought!
- The dining table, love how it swings down
- Putting the table down and making a large lounge area while watching a movie!
- The bed! We actually love the bed, our other camper was awful!
- The use of space inside. They made use of every small space.
- The Goodyear Endurance load range E tires! These seem to be built like tanks! Finally have some confidence in tires after towing for 20 years!
- The way the darn thing looks!! Just a beauty and always turns heads! It makes people smile!

I am sure there are tons more to add to the latter list. Just wanted to make sure to balance things. We love our AS and don't regret the purchase at all.

Happy and safe travels all!

ROBERT CROSS · 07-03-2018, 08:36 AM

'fatter longer screws'

I use toothpicks & MarineTex putty. Spread the MT on the TP Insert in the hole skinny end first 'til full, break off even and re-screw. It has never come loose again.

Bob
🇺🇸

Meeks · 07-03-2018, 09:03 AM

Sounds about right for a new trailer. Not what any of us would choose but seems to be the reality with most RVs.

The great thing is you have a wonderful attitude! Our trailer had small items that needed to be fixed like yours and since then it’s just a little something once in a while. This is our fourth Airstream season, though we use it off-season as well, and we still enjoy it as much as day one!

Chris

Haulin8or · 07-03-2018, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

'fatter longer screws'

I use toothpicks & MarineTex putty. Spread the MT on the TP Insert in the hole skinny end first 'til full, break off even and re-screw. It has never come loose again.

Bob
🇺🇸

Nice tip! Love that idea!

Thanks Robert! Will be doing that!

AirstreamInc · 07-03-2018, 09:06 AM

Hi Haulin8or,

Congratulations on your new Airstream! Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

twbucksr · 07-04-2018, 05:47 AM

Having owned a 2015 22FB Sport and now living full time in a 2018 27FB FC, I follow the FC and Sport threads in the forums to stay informed. I read the threads full of complaints the new owners have been posting about the little issues they have with their new Airstream’s. Granted they may not seem that little to many of you but they are compared to these 2 issues my RV Park neighbors are experiencing with their brand new rigs.......

Neighbor 1 lives an hour away and is a frequent weekend visitor to the RV Park. They were visiting for the weekend a few weeks ago with their brand new SOB trailer. They had the powered awning jamb while retracting it in. It bent the awning frame and pulled the mounting screws right out of the trailer. It took 3 of us to get the awning apart, retracted, zip tied together and reattached to the trailer so they could transport the trailer back to the dealer. I found out last night that their new replacement awning ripped in two when they opened it the first time at the dealer after it had been fixed so their new trailer is still at the dealership.

Neighbor 2 is visiting from Michigan on their maiden voyage in their brand new, large diesel motor home. Their refrigerator has stopped working. Two different on site repair men have told them they can’t fix it and that it needs to be replaced. No biggie, under warranty right? Unfortunately the refrigerator is too large to go out the door so get this, they have to remove the 2 front windshields and take it out over the dash!

We too have issues with our brand new 2018 27FB. Squeaking floor, door/screen door fit, water leak at front window when towing, black tank monitor calibration to list the main ones. For us, since we live full time in ours, these inconveniences will require a trip to JC for the convenience of getting them resolved in shorter period of time than it would take if we took it to the nearest dealership.

Jeff7176 · 07-04-2018, 06:30 AM

If you open the handle on the out side shower handle (one screw in the middle of the head) and pull out the inner plastic part you’ll see a brass plate that’s attached to the little on/off switch. If you pull that out you’ll see a little white plastic plug that switch pushes in to turn off. The problem is when it’s “on” the plastic plug impedes water flow causing a weak shower stream. Pull out the plug, throw it in the trash and reassemble to shower head. No more pressure problems. You lose the on/off switch capability, but that wasn’t a big deal to me.

QC TORPEDO · 07-04-2018, 06:09 PM

We have a 2017 25'FB and we experienced some early frustrations. But we love the darn thing. Here are some "home improvements" we made that you might find useful:
*removed the clothes hangar from the closet and turned it into a pantry with wire shelving. (fewer clothes, more snacks!)
*reversed the door swing on the pantry door to make it more accessible from the kitchen side. (just try getting in the pantry from the stove)
*added switches with led indicators for the outside lights and electric water heater. (can't tell if they are on or off without indication)
*added a battery-powered led strip light to the drivers side. It is remotely controlled from inside to light the "dark side" of the trailer. (is that a skunk?)
*added weather stripping to the rear bumper storage area to make it water resistant. (everything got soaked once)
*changed the rear bumper storage lid hold-downs to knobs with threads. (after the genius of weather stripping, the little springy things were too hard to use)
*added a second sewer hose carrier next to the factory one. (the factory one seemed short and an extension might come in handy)

Happy Trails!

Rainbird · 07-04-2018, 06:15 PM

Congratulations Haulin8or! We also just bought a 27' FC FBT and are finding issues that require warranty work. We expected it. But we love her...Lady Clementine...with all her current ills. She'll be good and ready for camping, hopefully sometime this month. I'm impressed that Airstream has jumped into the conversation.

HCR · 07-04-2018, 11:05 PM

Would you put up with all these issues in a new automobile or truck? I'm betting that you would not. And yet Airstream and the other RV manufacturers continue to be able to put substandard products on the market. Goodness, how I wish the Japanese would start making trailers.

**Hans627** · 07-05-2018, 05:58 AM

"Neighbor 2 is visiting from Michigan on their maiden voyage in their brand new, large diesel motor home. Their refrigerator has stopped working. Two different on site repair men have told them they can’t fix it and that it needs to be replaced. No biggie, under warranty right? Unfortunately the refrigerator is too large to go out the door so get this, they have to remove the 2 front windshields and take it out over the dash!"

One advantage, among many, that an AS has is that the shell is built first. Everything must be put in thru the door. Thus everything can be removed the same way. They can be updated and modified almost indefinitely.

AirstreamInc · 07-05-2018, 08:37 AM

Hi Rainbird,

If we can assist with anything, please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

Bgibbs · 07-05-2018, 08:57 AM

We have had a number of issues and I have either fixed them myself, had AS ship new parts or had dealer fix. The only thing that really annoys me is that we are waiting to have our 3rd a/c replaced. This is not to mention that the temp sensor for Zone 2 was left in the ceiling by AS so on our first trip the ccc2 thought it was 94 in the middle of the night and responded accordingly.
I am fairly confident that the other a/c will fail on our next trip.
Otherwise, we love our Airstream!

Ahuka · 07-09-2018, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HCR

Would you put up with all these issues in a new automobile or truck? I'm betting that you would not. And yet Airstream and the other RV manufacturers continue to be able to put substandard products on the market. Goodness, how I wish the Japanese would start making trailers.

When you buy a new home, you usually go through it with the contractor to create a "punch list" of things that need to be fixed or touched up. As long as they are minor it isn't a big deal. An RV is a home, so I would approach it the same way.

Castaway · 07-09-2018, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HCR

Would you put up with all these issues in a new automobile or truck? I'm betting that you would not. And yet Airstream and the other RV manufacturers continue to be able to put substandard products on the market. Goodness, how I wish the Japanese would start making trailers.

With your attitude it sounds like you need to sell your AS

TG Twinkie · 07-10-2018, 08:07 AM

As long as current and future owners of RV's continue to accept the shoddy workmanship and less than reliable hardware nothing will change.
It would be interesting to see what a Japanese manufacturer would come up with.
After all. Look at how they impacted the U.S. auto industry back in the '80's.

brick1 · 07-10-2018, 08:32 AM

My new International Serenity 28 is great. Four trips in the book, no issues...
brick

hoagy_007 · 07-10-2018, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brick1

My new International Serenity 28 is great. Four trips in the book, no issues...
brick

2018 30' FC Bunk, have made 5 trips 2 over 200 miles and no issues at all (knock on wood). We only had one issue with the low drain/winterizing valve going to the toilet left open at the factory. That was an easy fix by searching the forum, found the same issue and a video where to find the valve and turn it to shut off.

Jason

Rg416 · 07-10-2018, 10:34 AM

We also hated the outdoor shower head. It just dribbled water in both positions. Like Jeff above, I disassembled the shower head. The brass plate is a cog that pushes the plastic pin in to block the flow when you turn the water saver lever. And yes, even in the open position, the pin blocks too much flow. Partially because the pin is too fat in the hole and partially because the cog keeps the pin too far into the hole even in the ‘open’ position. I removed the pin and thinned it down a tiny bit. I also filed down the pin head a little bit. I then used a file on the brass cog so that in the open position the pin head is further out of the hole. (You’d get what I mean if you look at it). The result is that now it functions as it should. In the closed position the water flow is blocked (mostly), and in the open position I get good flow! Yay! Sounds complicated but it was quite easy. I’m learning that owning an Airstream requires you to develop some handyman skills, like it or not.
Rich

gbauerusa · 07-18-2018, 09:33 AM

We got our 25FB in January 18 and had literally the same issues plus fridge not switching between electric & propane, black tank leaking, inside panel fell off, Bluetooth not working etc.
Airstream has a massive quality issue. I called and got all the way to a District Manager who couldn’t care less. Out of 6 months ownership, trailer was in shop almost 3 months ... terrible! Airstream took the fun out of camping. Deeply regret my purchase. No support from Airstream, little support from dealer who knew nothing about their own product (such as insisting all 25 FB have 50amp ... ).
Guido
California