Fiberglass Gelcoat Problems Nest

[iCjay]

Here are some photos of the roof of my nest. I just noticed them when washing. What should I do? Is this just cosmetic? Is this serious? I have not even had the unit out on the road. The Nest seems to be cracking like an egg.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/sFjktE9JkC8gdUPz7



https://photos.app.goo.gl/ARvV8w92mQGSz5Bg6

[OTRA15]

Sorry for your problems . . . can you post the photos as attachments? Some folks here do not like to click on Google links.

The member Beboplu reported some problems, like this post in a Basecamp thread:

[click on orange arrow to go there]

Originally Posted by Beboplu

Sorry to hear, we bought the Nest, so many issues, front "ski goggle" window leaked as soon as we got it home - washed and waxed it first day, and just the hose rinsing off the roof leaked down the inside onto the fabric interior and leather dinette. Then I discovered a cracked area under the front fiberglass body when wiping off the wax that someone had smeared what looks like bondo (?) near it to patch it but didn't even come close. After that, we looked under the body and found at least 3 more areas that had been repaired. Add to that, there is an area near the top of the rear lighted handle that the fiberglass is eggshell thin and cracked like an egg - causing a hole. Then the fabric on the interior around the 2 windows on either side of the ski goggle window "bubbled up" in several places, so makes me think something leaked behind the panels that we didn't see previously, and moisture caused the fabric to seperate from the panels. We were so excited to get this trailer, our retirement dream, and it has been nothing but a nightmare! Several other issues as well. On vacation and now have our trailer in for service, they tell us it may take a week, we were supposed to be home in 4 days, my husband will be missing work, and the trailer was our place to stay. So where am I supposed to stay with a dog and parrot? NOT a happy camper anymore!

I believe that Airstream made Beboplu whole in some way. For some reason, however, his Post Count on the left is showing zero ["0"], and I can't find his thread.

Have you contacted your dealer, and Airstream directly, about this?

Good luck,

Peter

[lsbrodsky]

My experience comes from many years in the boating world. This is not just cosmetic; the gelcoat was not done properly. It is not cosmetic because water will get in through the cracks and make things worse. Most gelcoat, over time, will have some crazing and repair requires grinding out the crack and doing a gelcoat patch. But that is for a few cracks. Your problem looks worse than any boat I ever saw, except project boats. Those boats required sandblasting to get the old gelcoat off, the fiberglass surface was prepped, then they were usually painted with a premium paint like Awlgrip. I suggest that your only option is to get with your dealer and the factory.
Even low end boat manufacturers do a better job of gelcoating than that.
Larry

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by iCjay

Here are some photos of the roof of my nest. I just noticed them when washing. What should I do? Is this just cosmetic? Is this serious? I have not even had the unit out on the road. The Nest seems to be cracking like an egg.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/sFjktE9JkC8gdUPz7



https://photos.app.goo.gl/ARvV8w92mQGSz5Bg6

Hi iCjay,*

We're very sorry to see that this is happening. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can escalate it to our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

Thank you.*

[SubaruLou]

Originally Posted by iCjay

Here are some photos of the roof of my nest. I just noticed them when washing. What should I do? Is this just cosmetic? Is this serious? I have not even had the unit out on the road. The Nest seems to be cracking like an egg.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/sFjktE9JkC8gdUPz7



https://photos.app.goo.gl/ARvV8w92mQGSz5Bg6

Oh my gosh, that looks like drying clay, not gel coat!
May I ask what your Nest production number is? The other people that have reported issues with the shell seem to all have very low numbers.
I really love the Nest design and layout. My TV is only rated 500/5000, so Nest, Basecamp or Sport 16 are my only Airstream options, but so far I’ve heard so many quality issues that make me very nervous about pulling the trigger.

[iCjay]

I spoke with the dealers in Southhaven Mississippi and we are going from there. Yup now I'm freaking out on this one, and I love the little nest so much, I hope I don't have to turn her in for something else what do you do? I actually sleep in the unit every night even though it's been sitting in my driveway for less then a year and never really had it on the road at all. I did see that other people had problems like this, but I took the chance that airstream had everything all worked out. now I'm having really bad anxieties argh. emm I'm so sad about all this, well I'm sure Airstream will make it right. i Hope...

[turk123]

I come from a long line of sailboats and you have a problem. All those cracks have to be sanded and filled with new Gelcoat. This is a mold problem (not a fungus but the shell used to make the Nest body) and would be rejected by any reputable boat manufacturer. This kind of problem happens 40 years later or after a lightning strike.

We had several boats in our harbor that suffered cracking due to a large storm and boats being tossed around. One of the 25' boats I housed in one of my buildings for the repair of the gel coat. 6 weeks later after sanding and repainting, and $10,000 later it was brought back.

Your shell is NOT right. This is probably due to stress on the body that Airstream has not figured out yet. The glass is breaking. I would not tolerate any of this.

[turk123]

This needs to go back to the manufacturer who builds the shell (Airstream does not make it) and let them repair it. This type of coating uses very toxic chemicals with paints, hardeners and lots more. Airstream can't possibly repair it in their factory.

[iCjay]

I have attached some photos which I hope you can clearly see, I marked the problems with black electrical tape to see the locations on the roof. There are six locations these cracks showed up at. These are all over the top. I will also mention that I had a leaking goggle front window right from the dealer which I fixed myself, also the inside headliner fell down, the center 16u table had missing screws, and the screen door was installed wrong, many other issues which I really shouldn't have had to address but I was a nice guy and just hoped that these were all just bumps in the road, but now I'm seeing the light and I still have warranty. The unit has never been camped in. I took the unit from dealer to driveway, and if these are the issues just sitting there GOD HELP ME! I have hope that Airstream will not give me the run around and just replace the unit or offer another choice.

[lsbrodsky]

I also hope you do not get a run around. As was said above, this was not done right in the mold. The way they make this stuff is in reverse. They spray the outer coat in the mold first, then successive layers of cloth and "glue". All of the temperature and mixing provisions must be carefully observed during application and curing. Finally, they pop it out of the mold. If you are having these problems now, the whole fabrication is defective. Do not settle for spot repairs; you will have problems with this one until it goes to a landfill. If they do not replace it or refund your money, I am afraid that you will need to get legal assistance. I am sorry that Airstream's venture into fiberglass has been a failure for you.
Larry

[Kags1969]

Originally Posted by iCjay

I have attached some photos which I hope you can clearly see, I marked the problems with black electrical tape to see the locations on the roof. There are six locations these cracks showed up at. These are all over the top. I will also mention that I had a leaking goggle front window right from the dealer which I fixed myself, also the inside headliner fell down, the center 16u table had missing screws, and the screen door was installed wrong, many other issues which I really shouldn't have had to address but I was a nice guy and just hoped that these were all just bumps in the road, but now I'm seeing the light and I still have warranty. The unit has never been camped in. I took the unit from dealer to driveway, and if these are the issues just sitting there GOD HELP ME! I have hope that Airstream will not give me the run around and just replace the unit or offer another choice.

Man, that looks like a s**t sandwich. I love the style of these, but it looks like quality control failed on this one. Subbing to thread to see if this is a common issue or one-off. I understand growing pains, but at 40K+ this is not acceptable. I wish you well in resolving and look forward to how AS takes care of you.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the photos. Not sure if these bad areas can be repaired to your satisfaction. turk123 may be correct:

Originally Posted by turk123

. . .
Your shell is NOT right. This is probably due to stress on the body that Airstream has not figured out yet. The glass is breaking.
. . .

. . . although your problems may be a one-off hiccup in the production line IMO. Keep the pressure on Airstream . . . Beboplu got a new unit I think. [see Post #2] I would ask everyone if other units are having similar problems, and ask for photos, in case this IS a systemic failure, like the Basecamp’s original axles, which required a fleet-wide recall.

Curious to know why Beboplu’s entire thread is gone . . .

Good luck,

Peter

[Nesty19]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Sorry for your problems . . . can you post the photos as attachments? Some folks here do not like to click on Google links.

The member Beboplu reported some problems, like this post in a Basecamp thread:

[click on orange arrow to go there]


I believe that Airstream made Beboplu whole in some way. For some reason, however, his Post Count on the left is showing zero ["0"], and I can't find his thread.

Have you contacted your dealer, and Airstream directly, about this?

Good luck,

Peter

Hi Peter!

I’m not sure if you remember, but we, too, had numerous issues with our Nest, and I posted a few times and had a few exchanges with Beboplu. I can’t find any of my posts or theirs... quite curious.

I wish I could say that Airstream made us “whole” as they did with Beboplu (they got a brand new unit). Airstream did absolutely nothing for us, but luckily, we purchased our Airstream from Colonial and they had our Nest in for service from November until April. In addition, when we first hit the road last summer, Colonial overnighted us bolts across the country for our malfunctioning step more than once (it had fallen off numerous times and caused an injury). Colonial’s sales and service team have stepped up and made up for Airstream HQ not just falling back but falling completely flat.

We’ll see how our Nest fares for her next 10,000 miles when we hit the road again in June. We’re finally getting YouTube ready because there isn’t much out there as far as Nest reviews.

[OTRA15]

Sorry for your rocky road . . . and thankful for Colonial's integrity, even if that quality is not shared universally . . .



[ . . . unspoken thoughts about missing threads and posts . . . ]



Good luck in this new camping season!

Peter

[SubaruLou]

Originally Posted by Nesty19

We’ll see how our Nest fares for her next 10,000 miles when we hit the road again in June. We’re finally getting YouTube ready because there isn’t much out there as far as Nest reviews.

Yay! As someone who has Nest on the top of my TT list, I’m looking forward to your videos. I search every week for actual Nest owners giving real feedback about Nest ownership. I had read Bebopolu’s and your posts with all the problems and it has made me think twice. Now iCjay has problems with the shell too.

Please let us know here when it’s up and running!

[iCjay]

I'm amazed that my unit didn't go back to Southaven Mississippi Rv and Marine, but I think Airstream wants to study this manufacturing defect issues. I hope they make me the offer of a sport 16 2019 like they did for Beboplu. They stuck with the Nest, but I have lost all confidence in the production quality across the board with the unit. I want to go with the tried and true which Airstream is famous for. I have looked at the Sport 16 2019 and I have to say I'm impressed. I think sticking with what Airstream knows best is the right choice. New products are always hard for companies to get right sometimes. Look what happened to Samsung with their Note smartphones catching fire, they had to recall all of them and they went back to the drawing board and made it right. If this is what Airstream is going to do then that is the signature of a 5 star honorable company.

[OTRA15]

Thank you for the new details. Great to hear that AS is going to transport your Nest back to JC. [BTW that info in your "headline" will not appear if anyone Quotes you.]

You might consider, however, tempering your expectations about quality control in traditional Airstreams IMO:

https://www.google.com/search?q=qual...com&gws_rd=ssl

Good luck,

Peter

[lsbrodsky]

I agree with Peter. Your wish for an aluminum Airstream, now, is a crap shoot based on years of reading posts and my own experiences. You could end up with a "no problem" version or you could end up with an aggravation. You would think that management would put a replacement through extra QC because of your NEST problems, but who knows?
Larry

[iCjay]

I'm trying to be positive, I had a call on Monday from Airstream to schedule a pickup from my home, They have not gotten back to me yet about the transport. Maybe Friday I hope. See I'm a caregiver for my mother who is 72 and has dementia, I have nobody else to care for her at all. My father died 3 years ago from cancer and I'm all my mother has to care for her. The nest was my only space that provided me with some true down time. Sounds crazy I know but it's like my zen garden to find some quiet time. 48k is a lot of money for some quiet time don't you think? So having to worry about crap I have to fix on a beta product that's a manufacturing issue is not happening in my world.

[OTRA15]

Makes entire sense . . . been there . . . best wishes for your Zen garden, no matter what form it takes.