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Old 09-19-2018, 05:47 AM   #361
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Just to Clarify.

Airstream does not use MDF or Particle board in the interior walls floor etc. The walls and doors are made of "Light Ply" it is plywood that weights about half of what regular plywood weighs and costs considerably more. It does not hold screws quite as well as regular plywood but the weight trade-off is worth it.

As in the comment above though. Where Airstream should make a change is in their tire pressure specifications. Running Endurance tires at maximum pressure will shake all kinds of things loose as they are far to stiff at 80 PSI for any Airstream.

If you weigh your trailer axles when you are loaded for travel you can look up the Endurance Load Inflation tables on Goodyear's website and get the pressure you should be using. We 5 PSI higher than recommended to compensate for uneven loading from side to side.

Andy
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:59 AM   #362
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Just to Clarify.

Airstream does not use MDF or Particle board in the interior walls floor etc.
Does that include the flat cabinet doors and drawer fronts? That's where I had a few latches come loose. I didn't look closely, but when I fixed them I thought they were particleboard, but could be wrong.

Either way, THIN superglue is excellent for strengthening the wood around a screw hole because it wicks far into the surrounding wood, making it and the threads hard.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:09 AM   #363
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Yep...the weight trade off is worth it, as your mirror lays on the floor.

To expect a wood screw to stay secured in balsa cored plywood is a bit optimistic...

We have no balsa in our '03 Classic, most of our screw failures...overtightened or missed their mark.👎

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Old 09-19-2018, 07:46 AM   #364
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Went through the factory yesterday. I was shocked at what I saw. The workers were running around like mad men. There seamed to be no quality control inspection other then the leak test. I asked where the quality control inspection was done. Answer was “it’s there”. But where? Silence. What I observed was there is no quality control or final inspection. I asked why airstream quality has slipped? Answer was the quality is better then ever. The new factory is going to add 300 more employees. Where are these employees coming from? Wished I would have not seen how they are made. Airstream would be smart to stop the factory tours and hide their shabby construction process.
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:55 AM   #365
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What WD are using? How about tire pressure? Too stiff a ride (and rough roads) will cause things like you describe.
I was running the original equipment GYM's up until a 8 weeks ago, and was running them at 50psi on those tires...

Tire pressure on the new GYE's is 45-50psi, per loaded GVW scale weight of 7580lbs-7600lbs. TPMS shows increase to 52-54psi while traveling this trip of 2500miles back to Texas last couple weeks. no issues on this last couple weeks. I fixed the closet and minor latch problems prior to leaving MT 2 weeks ago. So far, no issues.
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Old 09-19-2018, 10:28 AM   #366
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Went through the factory yesterday. I was shocked at what I saw. The workers were running around like mad men. There seamed to be no quality control inspection other then the leak test. I asked where the quality control inspection was done. Answer was “it’s there”. But where? Silence. What I observed was there is no quality control or final inspection. I asked why airstream quality has slipped? Answer was the quality is better then ever. The new factory is going to add 300 more employees. Where are these employees coming from? Wished I would have not seen how they are made. Airstream would be smart to stop the factory tours and hide their shabby construction process.
Thank you for the report.

Pretty obvious that Airstream is not learning IMO.

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Old 09-19-2018, 12:44 PM   #367
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Originally Posted by twrastall View Post
Went through the factory yesterday. I was shocked at what I saw. The workers were running around like mad men. There seamed to be no quality control inspection other then the leak test. I asked where the quality control inspection was done. Answer was “it’s there”. But where? Silence. What I observed was there is no quality control or final inspection. I asked why airstream quality has slipped? Answer was the quality is better then ever. The new factory is going to add 300 more employees. Where are these employees coming from? Wished I would have not seen how they are made. Airstream would be smart to stop the factory tours and hide their shabby construction process.


You made a perception based on a tour that overall quality control was non existent.
Did you go with an open mind ... did you even go or just jump on the internet troll train of despair?
This thread has turned into a complaint of Airstream Wrongs based on alleged this, that and the other.
Move on little bird, nothing to see here.
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Old 09-19-2018, 01:07 PM   #368
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Originally Posted by Andrew T View Post

As in the comment above though. Where Airstream should make a change is in their tire pressure specifications. Running Endurance tires at maximum pressure will shake all kinds of things loose as they are far to stiff at 80 PSI for any Airstream.

If you weigh your trailer axles when you are loaded for travel you can look up the Endurance Load Inflation tables on Goodyear's website and get the pressure you should be using. We 5 PSI higher than recommended to compensate for uneven loading from side to side.

Andy
Good advice Andy. Some people read the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall and think that is the recommended pressure for every vehicle no matter how it is loaded.
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Old 09-19-2018, 01:35 PM   #369
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Cispook
I agree with you 100%
A thread with a header:
Airstream management failures
has legs 27 pages long talking about
particle board components. And zero management quality control. When folk at the factory say it’s never been better.
And you get a here here by the same old
overseers to keep it alive.
Look this forum is at its best with great advice for capabilities of different platforms and experiences of well seasoned travelers. NOT the constant
bashing of a company and people trying to give us a joyful traveling experience.
It’s a shame.
Tom
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Old 09-19-2018, 01:39 PM   #370
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Please note the word Failures in the name of this thread!

Anyone who does not want to read replies about failures is certainly free to move elsewhere without trashing folks who make ON TOPIC comments.

Really . . .



Or start a Pollyanna thread about blinders and myopia, which you can then monitor and police!

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Old 09-19-2018, 01:49 PM   #371
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I can’t face you in a wordsmith match up.
But what company EVER has not made
misfires. That’s called trying.
Sorry I said anything.
Keep up the constructive dialogue.
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:20 PM   #372
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cispook View Post
You made a perception based on a tour that overall quality control was non existent.
Did you go with an open mind ... did you even go or just jump on the internet troll train of despair?
This thread has turned into a complaint of Airstream Wrongs based on alleged this, that and the other.
Move on little bird, nothing to see here.


Yes I own an airstream and have owned a total of three. Have you been through the factory since they started pumping then out at record numbers? Maybe you should visit the factory instead of trashing me. You are one nasty SOB.
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:31 PM   #373
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In reading threads for much too many years, Airstream has been almost continually criticized for poor workmanship, bad components, cheap materials, trash behind the walls and cabinets and in the belly pan, and poor design changes. Many, many owners have been surprised by the low quality of a "premium" trailer. These are not a few malcontents. I have seen numerous names over the years. New threads bring the same people and stories, but new threads are also read by new people who never saw the old threads.

The evidence is overwhelming that some trailers have a lot of problems. Some do not. For those of us who had many, many problems, dismissing us as cranks may make someone feel better about their trailer, but is more than unkind. Many of us with problems have expressed that we are glad some people do not have problems, but the opposite does not seem true of those who were lucky.

I am sure some are so entranced by their trailers they do not care about problems. Airstreams are a cultural icon for their design (not for their quality), though the design was created long before Thor Industries owned the company. Some parts that design have been compromised by current ownership (OSB subfloors, weakened frame, for ex.) and ended up costing a lot in warranty claims. One review site had Airstream as average and would have been a lot lower if not for the basic design. Quality was rated low.

Others may accept problems because they have owned badly made motor vehicles and expect that level of quality from any vehicle. Chrysler products have long been criticized for low quality for generations (I'm hearing their trucks have major front end issues in recent years requiring constant rebuilds—that information comes from the mechanics who have worked on them), but people buy those tough looking trucks with the hemi engine heads (hemi engine heads have been a standard design for generations across the industry, nothing new about that) and may not know other brands have better ratings and semis. Of course, some Dodge/Ram trucks are fine, maybe the majority, so not everyone gets a bad one.

Maybe the Airstream apologists have had other RV's and they were badly made, so that is their only experience. I agree the RV industry standards are low, but only because people accept it and there is little information about quality and little competition from overseas. There are a few brands that stand out for better quality, but not a lot.

I think Airstream still uses Dometic fridges. We have had a Norcold for a year and it gets cold a lot faster and appears to be better built. The freezer door area is not as cold, but I just put things in it that don't have to be as cold. The basic floor design of Airstreams has been pretty constant for years—the center hall wastes a lot of space and after being in other trailers, an Airstream feels cramped. The Airstream design makes it easy to group the heaviest things in the middle—bathroom fixtures and the kitchen, so balance may be better than some other floor plans, but there are other plans that have also good weight balance.

I hope everyone's RV is fine and that no one's Dodge has to have the front end rebuilt, but it probably won't happen that way.
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:41 PM   #374
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Anyone who does not want to read replies about failures is certainly free to move elsewhere without trashing folks who make ON TOPIC comments.
If people don't want to view this, or any other thread, all they have to do is go to the top of any page in this, or any thread they don't want to see, click "thread tools", and click "ignore thread".
They will never be bothered by that particular thread again.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:17 PM   #375
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its all about money$$$$$$$$....how many a/s can we get out in a month
big numbers game ! what would wally say ?

very
Yes it is..and since AS is making ton of it, it may be cheaper to just let the customer be the quality control, lol
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