Corrosion problems with new Airstreams

[JFScheck]

BTW - Airstreams are still the greatest trailers, I think were are all seeing a small transition period in build quality. 2015 ducted A/C shows Thor is addressing issues and progressing the development of the product, just need to be patient or go into Airstream ownership with eyes wide open.

[m.hony]

What other manufacturers sell a $100,000 trailer?

[xrvr]

Forum members are a very small percentage of owners. And only a few forum members post regularly. Most members of the Wally club still do not use the forums. So you are talking to a tiny percentage if AS owners, neverthe less the problems do exist.jim

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by m.hony

What other manufacturers sell a $100,000 trailer?

Hi M.. A 40 ft Thor Redwood 5th wheel, 2013 new on the lot $117,000 for example: wood cabinets (cherry stained beech, not hickory like yours), convection microwave, max fan in kitchen, 1 piece fiberglass shower, porcelain toilet, heat duct in bathroom, power roof vent, fully enclosed and heated underbelly, etc. Sounds a lot like Airstream standard. Yes, there are sliders and some other stuff (30,000 btu a/c, ice maker, dishwasher), but when I walk into my bottom line Flying Cloud and look at the beautiful all aluminum interior, clean lines, masterfully fitted cabinets, etc. I would never trade--Not to mention the one ton diesel I would need to haul the Redwood monster around with. Plus, it still has a rubber roof that will bake itself brittle in the sun.

I just bought the wife a Infinity QX 70, traded a Tahoe for the little crossover SUV. I look at that little thing and think how can that cost or even compare to the roomy and fully loaded Chevy (cost about the same). But then, I get in and drive with the Z car suspension and 325 hp V6 engine and think, wow, this is fun. Just saying, when I pull the 30 down the road following as straight as an arrow, when people come up while camping saying they hope to have one some day, I know I'm in the exact trailer I want to be in. Yes, Thor needs to do more. They should address the cut and unprotected panel edges and rivet holes. However, as posted before, during my working years, my office was an all aluminum structure and you must continually maintain no matter how well protected when new. SOBs the same. If you don't keep the plastic hulks polished, they become faded and streak oxidation down the sides. If they develop a leak, you usually find out when the fiberglass and gel coat delaminates.

By the way, good luck at JC with all your little quality control issues. Let us know how the repairs come out. I would be very surprised if Airstream does not make everything right.



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[m.hony]

That's what I am hoping for- that Airstream will make everything right-

[Denis4x4]

I suspect that Airstream is considered a "halo brand" by Thor and after looking at an $80,000 AS, customers start looking at other Thor products in the under $40,000 category. And, I suspect that those Thor TT's actually contribute more to the bottom line than an AS. I've already passed on buying another AS product (bought a Leisure Van instead of an Interstate) and just smile when friends oh and ah over my 25 FB Safari guest accommodations. In my opinion AS ownership is almost a cult and I find it difficult to defend a manufacturer that knowingly sells a product that doesn't meet my standards of perceived value.


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[dkottum]

Denis, Airstream is not a cult to most of us, it's the best towing, most handsome travel trailer available. You have set yours up as a guest cottage, not that it isn't roadworthy, but because you have decided to travel in a small motorhome. Good move, as your friends recognize, it's nice. Ten or twenty years from now advertise your Airstream guest house for sale and there will be a line at the door to buy it.

I don't think your standards of perceived value is everyone's. Your Airstream is always repairable and unlike most others, is worth the effort. As described throughout this thread, they can also be kept in excellent condition with the simple maintenance and repair procedures many of us use.

[Tomzstream]

Doug, we get it. You like them so much you bought a second even through your prior was infected with filiform. I doubt the new owner is as cheery as you are about AS.

I am one who chose a different route for my next RV adventure, namely a RT CS. but unlike you, I did not dump my trailer. I am hoping Thor will still come through with some sort of remedy. This thread is not about cheerleading the brand, its about the real pain and suffering owners of the mid 2000's trailers are experiencing. You call it simple maintenance, I call it a cancer and a pain in the A$$.

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by Tomzstream

Doug, we get it. You like them so much you bought a second even through your prior was infected with filiform. I doubt the new owner is as cheery as you are about AS.



I am one who chose a different route for my next RV adventure, namely a RT CS. but unlike you, I did not dump my trailer. I am hoping Thor will still come through with some sort of remedy. This thread is not about cheerleading the brand, its about the real pain and suffering owners of the mid 2000's trailers are experiencing. You call it simple maintenance, I call it a cancer and a pain in the A$$.

TomZ, would you be able to post some photos of your trailer Filiform in a few areas? If you have close-ups back there somewhere, sorry I missed, but I would like to see what your troubles look like. There have been some awfully ugly stuff posted here, yours might be one of those babies. Ok if you would rather not, but it's always interesting to me how some trailers pick it up early and bad, but then others seem to escape completely. Environment has a lot to do with it, but that's not nearly everything.

Thanks
Howard


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[dkottum]

Tomz, the filiform was very minor on our 20' Airstream, we bought it that way new, two-year-old stock from the dealer and saved a bundle. With regular and simple treatment of CorrosionX the minor filiform never advanced a bit during the two years we owned it.

We traded for a 25' Airstream only because we enjoyed it so much we decided to spend six months a year traveling with it and needed more space. We got near our purchase price for trade in plus a discount on the new Airstream; it was sold before we brought it in and the new owner takes good care of and loves it.

In three years with our 25' there is no trace of corrosion anywhere, we inspect and treat it with CorrosionX quarterly, which is enough corrosion maintenance because we have not parked it at the coast or pulled it in winter salt.

There is no downside to regular inspection and maintenance on your Airstream and it's not hard to do. If you already have corrosion, get it cleaned up (see Howard L.'s posts) and set up a periodic maintenance schedule to keep it that way.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Denis4x4

I suspect that Airstream is considered a "halo brand" by Thor and after looking at an $80,000 AS, customers start looking at other Thor products in the under $40,000 category. And, I suspect that those Thor TT's actually contribute more to the bottom line than an AS. I've already passed on buying another AS product (bought a Leisure Van instead of an Interstate) and just smile when friends oh and ah over my 25 FB Safari guest accommodations. In my opinion AS ownership is almost a cult and I find it difficult to defend a manufacturer that knowingly sells a product that doesn't meet my standards of perceived value.


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Exactly!
How many times during the shopping process did I hear a salesman of a Thor sob trailer say, "It's made by Thor, the same company that makes Airstream."
That is partially why I bought an Airstream. It is apparently still the standard/bench mark/second to none in the industry.
My response to the salesman's pitch would usually be, "Then I should buy an Airstream, right?"

[m.hony]

That, I think, is why Thor bought Airstream- not to sell mor Airstream trailers, but to sell more of the other trailers it manufactures due to the perceived quality/longevity of Airstream. Has any other brand been around 82 years?

[xrvr]

All this discord over a cosmetic issue per the thread title! Life is not a beauty contest to all of us. Jim

[m.hony]

...a cosmetic issue that I still haven't seen...

[dkottum]

m.honey, are you treating your panel edges and rivets with a corrosion preventive product such as CorrosionX or Boeshield T9 regularly?

If an Airstream produced since 1999 when Alcoa began supplying the pre-coated panels is not treated and exposed to coastal or northern road salt it's only a matter of time before corrosion will occur. These protective products are very, very easy to apply.

[Howard L.]

X2 Doug. Also, somewhere back in this novel I posted to treat the exposed overlapping edges with a clear coat pen or touch-up brush and your choice of clear. That will insure no raw aluminum edges and stop the edge problem before it has a chance to start.


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[Tomzstream]

Originally Posted by Howard L.

X2 Doug. Also, somewhere back in this novel I posted to treat the exposed overlapping edges with a clear coat pen or touch-up brush and your choice of clear. That will insure no raw aluminum edges and stop the edge problem before it has a chance to start.


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AGAIN, why has THOR not seen fit to perform this "simple" task. Obviously they know of the problem and still they can't see fit to perform this simple task. Auto manufacturers boast about their pre-paint prep and corrosion prevention techniques... Why do we not see this on a product costing twice as much?

Clearcoat pens aren't cheap and it is tedious to perform the "repair" once the damage begins, which by most counts, including the originator of this thread, occurs almost immediately and repeatedly.

To answer your prior question, per the photos, we've all seen this damage repeatedly on this thread, and mine is a "Typical" case with extensive beltline and rear taillight assembly damage.

On the topic of geography, I have seen several posts referring to problems with having trailers near the coasts or in the Midwest among other places. Jeeeeez. Thor sells their product through a dealer network throughout the country. We've seen many folks post about the wonderful beachfront camping area that they enjoy. All I have to say is if the trailer skin can't take a bit of exposure to the elements, then it is inferior to other finishes, and buyer beware. Thor needs to engineer a solution and OBVIOUSLY pre-treat damaged areas like the beltline before shipping. A defect is a defect.

Still not satisfied.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by dkottum

m.honey, are you treating your panel edges and rivets with a corrosion preventive product such as CorrosionX or Boeshield T9 regularly?

If an Airstream produced since 1999 when Alcoa began supplying the pre-coated panels is not treated and exposed to coastal or northern road salt it's only a matter of time before corrosion will occur. These protective products are very, very easy to apply.

I have never treated it with anything.
I have never seen the corrosion.
I still don't really know what it looks like.
My trailer has been to the gulf coast twice.
It will never be exposed to salt roads in the north.

[Howard L.]

""AGAIN, why has THOR not seen fit to perform this "simple" task. Obviously they know of the problem and still they can't see fit to perform this simple task. ""

I don't know Tom. But at least coating the freshly milled/cut edges prior to assembly, or after, would put a stop to one of the biggest problem areas. I did ask customer service why that was not done. Answer, Filiform doesn't form there on all panels or all trailers. I take that answer to mean that the company does not see this as a problem big enough to address during the build (your belt line has it all, uncoated edges and multitudes of rivets). Maybe they feel if they address that issue, they would then have to address the bare metal rivet holes also. After that, what about the squiggles that sometimes just show up in the middle of a coated panel for no known reason (in reality microscopic pin hole). No matter what they did during construction, there would never be 100% avoidance of the corrosion. Even anodizing AL is not a forever preventative. But coating every known raw edge would solve a vast number of the problems. With eyes wide open to what we have here, that's why I recommend clear coating the exposed edges ourselves. I think that's why DKOTTUM recommends the corrosion X treatments. Whatever pin holes, scratches, exposed raw metal edges are there, the C X will keep the Filiform from starting.
I know this does not solve your disappointment in our trailers. I'm still upset about it all also. I wish I had known what I know now the day I brought the 30 FC home. I would have, like Doug and a couple others, protected the skin from day one and stopped the problem before it started. Now, I've fixed the larger areas that showed and do the protective maint.. No new Filiform since.
If you and others ever want to send a group letter to Thor asking them to at least try to address this issue I'll sign on. The panel edge solution is simple, and I think the rivet holes could be dealt with also.


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[dkottum]

The panel edges on our 2012 Airstream all have a line of sealant applied at the factory, looks similar to Acryl-R sealant. It is very thin at the outer side of the panel edge. I'm not sure this is a sufficient protection and not sure if they are doing something to the the holes punched for rivets. The is some black sealant oozing out the side of the panels so maybe there is some added protection there as well.

Even though Airstream has addressed the panel edge corrosion problem on our trailer, I am not convinced this is enough or takes care of the rivet holes. So I will continue to use the added protection of CorrosionX on a regular basis.

Howard L., your Airstream is also a 2012. Is there a thin line of sealant applied to the panel edges? Seeing you did this yourself with clear coat and you have repaired edge corrosion I would assume not.

So I wonder when this panel edge sealing was started and if it is effective. Our Airstream is a early 2012 model, we bought it factory fresh in Sept 2011. Anyone else have this panel edge sealant? If you do, have you had subsequent filiform corrosion?