New Airstream Owner - not impressed and would not recommend

[n2916s]

Honest, I wasn't trying to be snarky. I have been on this Forum a long time and it seems almost universal that if you start out unhappy with your purchase, you will remain unhappy. There are folks here that have moved on to an SOB but still come back to trash Airstream whenever possible which is really, really unhappy.

And I get it -- a new unit is a huge expense, everything should work. But, I think you are going to find, with the present state of Airstream QA (or lack thereof) that there will be many visits to your dealer and maybe even to JC. If you were this unhappy with a failed water pump, imagine how your going to feel when you get your first leak or the water heater craps out...

At any, rate, again I am sorry for coming across poorly and I really hope that the water pump repair is all you need for years of camping.

[Gene]

Milky, thanks for the compliment. As you can tell, the comments whenever there is a thread about Airstream quality range all over the map. I think some trailers are pretty good, some are not. Airstream is fervently anti-union and does not pay too well. They have ramped up production recently and I assume they have some pretty green workers. But they also have experienced and competent ones—so maybe it is crapshoot. Some buyers are lucky, some are not.

A lot of what they do is in-house and is far from modern. For example, they used to make all the cushions and the stock ones in our Safari were really cheap. The foam crushed early, the material was hard to clean and would move around the foam, there were no liners. The cushions got uncomfortable quickly and we had new upholstery done and improved the foam. I don't know if they still do all that themselves. A lot of things are done by hand and quality depends on the workers on your trailer. Insulation is poor—Airstream tried foam years ago and it didn't work. so they never have learned new techniques. They tried thermal pane windows and it didn't work, so never again. I have a cheap trailer with foam insulation and thermal pane windows and I use a lot less propane for heat and less A/C when it is hot. Why can a relatively small company outwit Airstream? Airstream always tell people about their shower that they test all trailers with, but Airstreams leak. Northwoods does not have a shower, but my trailer has never leaked. There seem to be some old-timers at Airstream who can't learn. Combined with cost cutting, the result is sloppy workmanship and cheap materials.

We were retired when we bought the Airstream, so I could fix most of the problems and did most of the maintenance over the years. If you don't have the time and/or the mechanical ability, owning one of the bad ones could be an awful experience. If the dealer is bad, that's even worse. Airstream does not have an extensive dealer network and there have been complaints about many dealers for as long as I have been on this Forum. The company does not seem to check on them or control dealers' quality. I recall one time at Jackson Center there were three of us from Colorado. We traded stories about problems with the dealer—after all, we had all come more than a thousand miles to the Airstream shop to have work done. Lots of people come to JC because of poor work at dealers, yet the dealer network is still a problem. If you are working, making the trip there is a large burden and will take up a lot of your "vacation". There's little to do in Jackson Center, not much in restaurants when were last there, and many hours spent in the waiting room passing time. How many factory tours can you take after all? However, you are not alone in having to wait a long time for a dealer to fix anything. We had similar problems with our Nash while Northwoods Mfg. took weeks to sent the warranty parts. Sometimes I just said get the part and I'll install it myself and since their shop was so backed up and they knew I knew how to do it, they let me have the part so long as I returned the old one. That is not something the manufacturer would like, but it worked for me and the dealer. As soon as the warranty was over, I had one thing I could not do and took the Nash to another trailer shop and they fixed it in an hour, not weeks (I did make the parts needed at home for an unusual modification, so that helped).

After several years, the fixes on the Airstream moderated. The first two years were bad, but it did get better. I made many modifications of cheap stuff and many upgrades myself. I always carry in the truck a lot of tools, a compressor for tires and other stuff to fix things. That's good practice for any RV. I bought a book years ago about how RV's work and how to fix common things—it was published by Woodalls. It is a good thing to have. We went from the North Slope of Alaska to Key West with our Safari and enjoyed our many trips. Eventually the inconvenient bed—too hard to climb over each other—and the cramped kitchen in the 25' FB got to us. The fridge was acting up too. We aren't taking cross country trips anymore and our one trip in the Nash to the northwest was interrupted by my wife's father having medical problems. We just needed a change. If you don't like your Airstream after a while, wait until the warranty runs out and then look to sell it—you'll do well on that (we got 71% of what we paid after 10 years) and can buy something you like better. There are lots of people looking for well cared for newer models, but you have to wait several years to make up for the immediate depreciation. And Barb recovered from being so upset on our first trip to JC. She loved the Airstream, but we quickly agreed two years ago it was time for change. The next time she cried was when she watched it being towed away. I felt teary eyed too.

[Jake]

Just returned from Jackson Center OH. Stopped there overnight after a couple of months in Texas. Decided to take the tour. Don the guide told us they are turning out 27 units a week and are two years behind in production. All of the production is still done by hand, much the way Henry Ford built his vehicles back in the day. Although our guide emphasized the quality of Airstreams as apposed to other brands, I suspect quality control is not high on the list of priorities. Our 2004 Safari has now topped 100K. I have not seen too many similar brands out there in the same condition. I learned early in the game to do most of my own repairs. As the saying goes on the forums "When you buy an Airstream, you inherit a hobby".

[Gene]

Originally Posted by n2916s

Honest, I wasn't trying to be snarky. I have been on this Forum a long time and it seems almost universal that if you start out unhappy with your purchase, you will remain unhappy. There are folks here that have moved on to an SOB but still come back to trash Airstream whenever possible which is really, really unhappy.

I stay on this Forum because I have friends here and when someone has a lot of problems with their Airstream, I try to put it in perspective with my and other people's experience. If Airstream looks "trash[ed]", it is because Airstream built some "trash". I also help people with problems that after years of RV travels seem simple to me but are overwhelming to them. We had mixed experiences with our Airstream and I report both sides of that. We were not perpetually unhappy and Milky doesn't have to be either. You may not try to be snarky, but if it looks as if you are, something to think about.

[brick1]

I have owned a Serenity 28 for just over a year. Sixty two nights in it so far, and all good. I bring the camper home from the storage lot about a week before we head out, and check every system and prep for the trip. Our dealer, Southland RV, has been great with after-sales support.
And we love our Airstream...

[skyguyscott]

After reading a number of entries from disappointed new buyers over the years, I think the thing that vexes is how much money they paid for a unit that does not meet their expectations of quality and reliability.

Airstream enjoys a reputation of quality, and makes brand promises on it's own website and marketing materials that, in the eyes of some of it's customers, it betrays.

For instance, here is what is on airstream.com on their quality page:

Quality
We build the right way.
Ours usually isn’t the easiest way, or the fastest way. But it’s always the right way, and that’s what it takes to build a product that’s passed down for generations.

Our standards for quality have always been self-imposed, since the days of our founder Wally Byam. He didn’t think it made sense to build products in any way but the absolute best way – and we still agree. Our travel trailers and touring coaches are built by hand by true craftspeople with an obsessive attention to detail. We use only the best materials and the most innovative ways to create and assemble them. And we never cut corners – especially when we can round them. And it’s all done right here in the United States at our Jackson Center, Ohio headquarters.

So, in the interest of truth in advertising, as a way to let of some steam, and perhaps bring a smile or two, here is my humble rewrite of this advertising copy to better manage customer expectations and more accurately capture the Airstream Experience of at least some new customers:

Quality
We build the best way.
Airstream trailers are so popular, we have a huge backorder, so we build them as quickly and economically as we can. In fact, we just added onto our one and only USA factory, so we can increase production.

Our standards for quality have always been self-imposed, since the days of our founder Wally Byam. He didn’t think it made sense to build products in any way but the absolute best way – and we still agree. Of course, the absolute best way is a way were we can make a good profit and stay in business. Our travel trailers and touring coaches are built by hand by true craftspeople with an obsessive attention to detail. As much as humanly possible, we try to notice every flaw, every imperfection in each and every trailer - a hallmark of hand-crafted assembly under tight production quotas we strive to meet everyday. We use only the best materials and the most innovative ways to create and assemble them. Of course, the very best materials are those we procure with the best pricing, and we are always looking for new ways to assemble these icons faster and faster. And we never cut corners – especially when we can round them.

We back our trailers with a 3 year warranty. Each of our customers has 3 years to find all the flaws, imperfections, failures, mistakes, poor craftsmanship and incomplete assemblies we build into each trailer, and return it to your local dealership, or travel across the country to our factory right here in the United States at our Jackson Center, Ohio headquarters. After we negotiate a satisfactory course of action, we’ll fiddle around with the trailer until the problem is fixed, or until you loose patience, and decide to do the work yourself, whichever comes first. Eventually, you’ll have a trailer you’ve invested so much time and money into, you’ll have no choice but to use it, love it, and pass it on for generations!

More honest?

[Mhphhoward]

Did the water pump work when you purchased and picked up the trailer?

[featherbedder]

My first was used 1962 AS pur. 1963 my second AS was 1967 30 ft pur. new. we often camped w/friends that had new Holiday Rambler, they were a highly touted trailer. Buy they had lots of gripes as to quality and construction so other brands besides AS owners have gripes. I have had 5 AS 1 Argosy all new except 1962 AS & 67 AS to replace 67 30 AS that was totaled. 1962 & 67 used 76 31 no warranty. As had lifetime warranty thru 1974. never had any warranty work performed on and still have 76 pur. new in 77 have few issues but some last several yrs. w/things needing replaced, not bad for 43 yrs. But I hear lots of gripes of Quality, workmanship, and shoddy equipment. Would I by another NO. I don't like any of insides plus some design factors. Only design garbage on 2 67 AS & 76 was fabrics. Some features of new are better but not at prices now. A happy AS owner for 56 yrs. Still go & do every thing for 74 yrs camping before & after trailers, now 85 yrs old w/unbroken AS ownership [56] yrs. plus having several sob along w/AS at same time. Have had some skin work 3 times at JC [my fault] always treated like royalty never a complaint. I hear of many complaints of leaks & having to reseal roof, my 76 sat outside 23 yrs. no leaks or resealing, except 1 screw in awning rail, not AS fault but dealer that installed awning.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Mhphhoward

Did the water pump work when you purchased and picked up the trailer?

Our's worked fine when I did my own PDI at home🥴...but it also failed on our first outing👎(broken wire in the crimped connector)...not much has changed in 15yrs.🥺

Bob
🇺🇸

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Uncle Milky

I bought a 2019 Flying Cloud 25FB Twin last November. I took it on its maiden voyage at the end of March. In addition to some minor defects, the water pump did not work. Of course, our first night was in a campground with no hookups, and that's our fault. Here's where the pain begins. I live in Colorado where there's one place to get warranty work done on Airstreams. It's 60 miles away from my house. I called them as soon as we got home in early April and they couldn't schedule service until mid-May. This is the third trailer I've owned and by far the most expensive. To put it in perspective, my old trailer was two feet longer, with a slideout and cost one-fourth as much as this new Airstream. In my opinion, Airstreams are not worth the money -- not even close. It's an overpriced trailer with low initial quality and I would not recommend them to anyone. Buy a motor home instead. Just my $.02.

Just to get a better water pump? No thanks, I’ll stick with my Airstream. Motorhomes can be a sheer nightmare to repair, especially the so called “diesel pushers” (term makes no sense because they are all rear drive regardless where the engine is).

[Hans627]

Thinking of quality makes me curious how the warranty of SOB’s compares to the three year warranty on new AS? Any idea?

I had an SOB many years ago and don’t remember the warranty period but do remember everything that needed to be fixed was a big issue requiring much “discussion”.

So far any issue with my AS, and there have only been a few, was fixed without any arguments. Of course this is what we expect.

[majorairhead]

I think a company that manufactures a $100,000 travel trailer should have an expert Inspection team ensuring each trailer that comes off the production line is in near-perfect condition.

That being said, I'm still not sure of the issues with the trailer in the original post other than the water pump.

I have been around long enough to know mechanical chit fails from time to time.

Not to mention my eye is keen such that I can discern imperfection in any manufactured thing no matter what the cost.

I once had a good friend auto mechanic tell me all cars are junk you just have to decide whether you want cheap junk or expensive junk.

Anybody goin' campin' ? 😁

[wnajera]

There may be two sides to this issue, however, when you purchase anything you should thoroughly check it out before and immediately after this purchase. I also purchased my 25RB Twin Flying Cloud last November and have taken it out to partial and full service campsites in December, January February, March, and last week. We ran it through the paces and found a few minor issues that were immediately corrected by the dealer, A couple of times as newbie AS owners we had to call the dealership service dept. while at a campsite and they walked us through our issue and got us up and running immediately. I did have one issue with rust on the undercarriage and had to contact the manufacturer to get it taken care of. As a retired aerospace engineer, I was able to articulate my side of this issue as I have seen with flight hardware and they took care of my issue.

When I purchased my AS my dealer conducted a walk-through with myself and my spouse which included operating the water pump (they put water in the fresh water tank). I did my homework and approached this AS purchase in the same manner as I had done with work related analyses and case studies I had performed at work. The bottom line is you have to be happy with what you buy. I have owned an RV since 2002. This is why I chose not to buy a motor home or other travel trailer. The next time you want to purchase a vehicle or RV, go to a used car/RV lot and look at a car/RV that is 7 years old. I'll bet the 7 yr old AS will look better than any of it's RV counterparts. You get what you pay for. If you're not totally satisfied, you probably shouldn't have bought it is the first place.

[jcanavera]

Have owned 2 Airstreams, both bought new. My local dealer went through the trailer, checked systems and had it camping ready when we went to the dealership. They spent 4 hours with us going over everything in the trailer. They then hooked us up to a full hookup site at the dealership. We spent the night there and were told that they would take care of anything we found prior to doing the final paperwork the next day. What did we find with the first Airstream. The only problem we found was a leak from the shower door when we showered the next morning. We used all the systems, refrigerator, every light, water pump, stabilizers, TV, stove and microwave, awning, Fantastic fans, all cabinet doors and drawers. One issue. Now what did they have to fix that showed up later? We had to have them replace the jack due to intermittent loss of power to it, again work on the shower door that still leaked. We also had the air conditioning checked at the dealership and JC due to poor performance. They never did find the cause other than the folks at JC doing an alignment on the door. What we did think was that the 13.5K unit was insufficient to cool a 27' Safari in 100 degree full sun temperatures.

Fast forward to our Classic. We picked it up in early November and spent about 2 hours getting training on the trailer. The dealer again had it set up ready to camp in with heat running and with water. I didn't realize they were expecting us to camp in it and told them I was set to bring it home instead. They went ahead and winterized it for me and home I went. We did a close campout the following spring and found 2 problems. First the shower door leaked, just like the Safari did. We also found a bad check valve in the water pump when we found when using the city water hookup, the fresh water tank was very slowly filling. It was slow but I did notice we had water in it from the system monitor panel when we were getting ready to depart our weekend campout. Probably no more than 10 gallons. The dealer fixed both problems quickly the following week. Other issues that surfaced in the first two years of ownership was a recall for the potential that the axle bearings had the wrong grease in them, mine didn't. We also had a leak in a skylight that the dealer determined was due to an overtorqued fastener which cracked a corner. The skylight was replaced. Finally one of the two pocket doors on the mid bath got damaged by a screw within the pocket that drug against the door as it was opened and closed. The door was replaced and the offending screw was taken care of. The door and skylight problem didn't show until the second year of ownership.

My gut is that dealer probably wouldn't have caught the pump check valve problems since it was freezing temperatures when we picked up the trailer. He had the fresh water tank filled for our overnight. The leak at the shower door really would have been found if we stayed the night.

All in all I didn't really consider the issues terrible but the advice I give every person is to try to see if your dealership has facilities, or a very close campground where you can shake that trailer out overnight, with the understanding that they will correct any issues the following day. If they can't give you that immediate appointment for the next day corrections of problems, I'd consider maybe going somewhere else (or at least guaranteeing you maybe a fix within a week). You definitely shouldn't have to go into the normal service queue and have to wait for that initial appointment.

I've owned 2 other trailers SOBs. One was missing a piece of water line that connected to the city water outlet. The other one had leaks in the roof from the day I saw it first till the day I sold it a year later. What l learned on that second trailer was the rubber roof membrane was attached by screws which were falling out of the plywood underlayment. Dealer never was able to keep these fasterners in tight. Both problems were fatal from a quality standpoint in my eyes. Thankfully the trailer with the missing waterline I caught before I used the trailer. The dealer found out that it was pulled out of the factory for a dealer RV show before the water line pressure test was complete. It was supposed to go though that QC check upon return to the factory but apparently was mishandled upon return. The other trailer I sold within a year and got myself out of that piece of trash. I really didn't do a good job looking carefully at that second trailer.

Jack

[Life is a Highway]

We have the exact same year and trailer.

And with a Automotive vocational background and
a huge dose of OCD I feel your pain. In my view most do not pre-deliver
as the factory wants. Then people blame the factory.

I’ve had good conversations with the factory reps and they do care. I feel the huge dropout is the dealer prep and the dealer orientation. And dragging a new trailer through road salt flat towed is a crime. For the price they
should moved be on a flatbed.

Many on this Forum fix their own because the dealer service
Is either overwhelmed or to far away.

Try to take it all into perspective. I have to let go
on scratches dents and battle scars that we all will get
unless you never use it. And Colorado I would be paranoid of
the hail storms. Airstream travels is a huge learning curve.

We did take ours to the factory for service in March. Yes it
was far, however the positive service and people I met there made it
worth while.

This forum will help you out. Or scare the heck out of ya. Depends
On how much you process and filter. Please let’s us know what the problem was?

[dkdouglas]

Milky, you have lots of support in Colorado. I am just down the road in Colorado Springs. When we bought from Windish, I pointed out 5 things that needed fixing before I would buy (this was a used model) and they completed everything within a week. Now have I been back for anything, no. The one thing they did that I will not let happen again is that the batteries in this 2016 trailer were from 2011 and 2013!!!
Overall I am very happy with our 28' Flying Cloud and have replaced the stock converter with a better unit per Randy at Best Converter. The solenoid for the Use/Store switch burned out and I had to replace that. Or rather my neighbor the electrical expert, troubleshooted and helped replace. I've customized storage in the cabinets over the stove/sink and will continue to upgrade the electronics for a solar install in the future.
Now if the 10" of snow from Tuesday would go away I could de-winterize and be ready to go to the Great Sand Dunes this weekend.

[GettinAway]

These quality threads are always interesting. I’ve never tried to equate the RV business to any other market. I can see how one might get frustrated if you expect an AS to be a Mercedes. Just pull the price out of the equation, and look at the RV business. Look at the number of units made, and the number of competitors. I’m not aware of any business that’s comparable. All these RV manufacturers are doing is just putting together various components that they all buy from a few other manufacturers. They all do it with varying degrees of competence. It’s just a camper, with the same components as any other RV. The pricing is independent of everything else, and in my opinion, not similar to anything else. AS can charge what they do because their box of components looks different than all the rest. People are willing to pay it, so that’s what they charge. Both my eyes were open when we bought ours. I’ve kept all the components working without too much effort or cost. I don’t expect it to feel the same as a Lexus when I close the door. It’s an RV. I do like ours, but better yet, my wife likes it, and she’ll go camping with me..

[smithcreek]

Originally Posted by GettinAway

These quality threads are always interesting. I’ve never tried to equate the RV business to any other market. I can see how one might get frustrated if you expect an AS to be a Mercedes. Just pull the price out of the equation, and look at the RV business. Look at the number of units made, and the number of competitors. I’m not aware of any business that’s comparable. All these RV manufacturers are doing is just putting together various components that they all buy from a few other manufacturers. They all do it with varying degrees of competence. It’s just a camper, with the same components as any other RV. The pricing is independent of everything else, and in my opinion, not similar to anything else. AS can charge what they do because their box of components looks different than all the rest. People are willing to pay it, so that’s what they charge. Both my eyes were open when we bought ours. I’ve kept all the components working without too much effort or cost. I don’t expect it to feel the same as a Lexus when I close the door. It’s an RV. I do like ours, but better yet, my wife likes it, and she’ll go camping with me..

Excellent post. Trailers and automobiles both have a wheels. Trailer have frames as do some automobiles. After that, not so much in common.

[jwpaquette]

I don’t blame OP for their frustration. My wife has had similar sentiment as we have had this or that replaced in the first year of our ‘18 FC. Closest dealers to me are also 90 and 120 minutes away. Call AS customer service directly has worked out well. I’ve needed some parts here and there and they ship them to me and all is well. Someone made mention here a while back that being handy and owning a RV go hand in hand. Boy was that the truth. FWIW, skip the dealer when you can, make YouTube your friend and learn as you go. And yes, as frustrating as it may be, let go of the notion that a camper this expensive shouldn’t break like this. While I feel the same way, I had to choose to move on from that sentiment lest I would spend all of the best camping days pissed off and without a camper as it is constantly in the shop getting this or that attended to.

[MickeyC]

I Feel Your Pain

We purchased a 1979 25 foot Airstream for our first ever RV. It was an older trailer and we were planning to redo a few things and travel in it when we retire (which is real soon). It was the worst decision we ever made. AS is not made for hot summers or cold winters. I should have known, aluminum is a conductor of hot and cold not an insulator. But we fell into the same fashion over function trap that every other AS owner does. We since sold the AS and purchased a 2016 25 foot Bigfoot. BF has a few dealers in Colorado. IMO BF is a lot better trailer than AS. BF is a true 4 season trailer. We have used it a few times and we are truly happy with it.

Good Luck
MC