Corrosion problems with new Airstreams

[Airslide]

Bump

[SilverRanger]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

I am perfectly aware that the "pen" works about as well as the "corrosion spray's" selling for twice as much as.......
Are you saying that this isn't a sincere effort?

The way things are going... only offering a pen the size of a baseball bat would be considered a 'sincere' effort.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Airslide

Bump

off topic.

cheers
2air'

[Airslide]

My bad...

[BigPlay]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

So far then I see 14 or 15 units. Some barely a year old. This has got to be a problem. If this was not a problem 15 folks would not all be saying the exact same thing.

Anyone else out there that has a newer Aistream that has anything looking like any of the white spider marks anywhere on their Airstream (see Airstream Issue or see the picture in post #20), please post and let us know.

To me, it's just plain not acceptable for a unit of 5 years or less to look this way. I do expect some wear and tear and aging, but this is totally unacceptable. Those of you who have a warranty still, please share with us the solution that Airstream proposes. To date, the current fix is to add sheets of alum over the existing, replace parts that can be replaced or cover up the issue with trim pieces. The issue though is that it comes back no matter what they do. There is a root cause that is NOT being addressed.

One or two units, I could accept (like Airstream said, they are hand built), but nearly 15 units, all having the exact same issues, posted less than 36 hours ago?? Folks, (if the average Airstream price paid was $50k) this represents about $750,000 in hardware that has a MAJOR flaw in it, just from what's been posted to date! It seems to me, and mind you, I'm no expert here, but, it seems to me that whatever is causing this to happen, is not being addressed since we have units from 2002 all the way through 2007 reporting here-- that's 6 model years! Me, I seem to have been blown off so far, but I'm not giving up. How Airstream responds to folks with this issue (both in and out of warranty given how common this appears to be) will determine if I ever own another Airstream again.

Please continue to post if you haven't already and see the issue happening to your Airstream!

Thanks!

Well I have had mine for going on 3 years and it's starting to show the corrosion just a little. I only wash the outside when I bring the rig home just before going out. I do use mild soap and rinse well and then apply a water soluble clear coat protestant. Funny thing is there is the exact same model about 10 spaces from me at my storage facility. His is about 1 year older then mine and I see no corrosion at all. I average about 30-40 days on the road and have only seen his rig gone once. He probably still is on his original propane fill. My license plate light and tail light rings are starting to pit most likely due to a poor plating job.

[hshovic]

I have noticed them on my 2007 Safari. About 10 of them, up to 1 cm in size. Mostly around the taillights.
Used some oil my dealer sold me to reduce their spread. Hard to say if it works....

[SRW]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

So far then I see 14 or 15 units. Some barely a year old. This has got to be a problem. If this was not a problem 15 folks would not all be saying the exact same thing.

Anyone else out there that has a newer Aistream that has anything looking like any of the white spider marks anywhere on their Airstream (see Airstream Issue or see the picture in post #20), please post and let us know.

To me, it's just plain not acceptable for a unit of 5 years or less to look this way. I do expect some wear and tear and aging, but this is totally unacceptable. Those of you who have a warranty still, please share with us the solution that Airstream proposes. To date, the current fix is to add sheets of alum over the existing, replace parts that can be replaced or cover up the issue with trim pieces. The issue though is that it comes back no matter what they do. There is a root cause that is NOT being addressed.

One or two units, I could accept (like Airstream said, they are hand built), but nearly 15 units, all having the exact same issues, posted less than 36 hours ago?? Folks, (if the average Airstream price paid was $50k) this represents about $750,000 in hardware that has a MAJOR flaw in it, just from what's been posted to date! It seems to me, and mind you, I'm no expert here, but, it seems to me that whatever is causing this to happen, is not being addressed since we have units from 2002 all the way through 2007 reporting here-- that's 6 model years! Me, I seem to have been blown off so far, but I'm not giving up. How Airstream responds to folks with this issue (both in and out of warranty given how common this appears to be) will determine if I ever own another Airstream again.

Please continue to post if you haven't already and see the issue happening to your Airstream!

Thanks!

I have a 2008 International. Last July I spotted (after a friend pointed them out to me) two spots of " filiform" corrosion. One is on the bezel of the road side tail light and the other is on the handle adjacent to the door.

When I was at Jackson Center a few weeks later for other warranty work I showed the spots to Jim Parrot and he politely told me to go pound salt.

OK, what he actually said after I asked him to replace the bezel was "Airstream does not warrant against corrosion".

Texas 66

[sk8r29]

Wow, I can't believe that after a number of days I'm finally finished reading this thread. And it's still like a whirlpool, going round and round and spinning down the hole. When I started reading I was hoping for a sure fire fix and sure fire I didn't get it. Don't get me wrong, though, as there have been a lot of good ideas presented and I've taken notes and will try some.

For a little background, I had a 2005, 19' Bambi that I bought used and it had corrosion issues in all the usual places. It was too small for us but we did get the aluminumitis and soon bought a 2008 Safari SE 27 FB. It also has started to show problem areas, again in the usual places. The worst of it was the door handle and when I asked about getting it repaired the factory gave me the usual, "Not our problem. You live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and it's the marine environment." I also asked them to extend my warranty for six months as I have had absolutely endless problems: Leaks in several places, one of which won't go away; mildewed dinette cushion from leak; buckled areas in floor from leaks; Refrig not cooling when we're on the move; failed front jack; failed Parallax unit, failed batteries; heater quit, (bad installation of fuse holder); Bottom plastic of refrigerator door hinge broke requiring a new door, cabinets between the stove and the bath shifted out and toward the bath so that I couldn't open the bath cabinet mirror; water line leak under the sink; bathroom sink faucet handle came off; refrigerator light melted itself until the cover fell off, and the usual popped rivits and "where the heck did this screw come from?" The factories answer, of course, was, "No, not going to extend".

Despite all of the frustration my wife and I love the AS. I would no more think of getting a SOB than I would think of trading out my kids, and trust me on this, my kids aren't perfect either. I plan on keeping my 27' a long time and just fix or improve it as necessary. I wash it once in a while, have never waxed it and park it outside.

Despite my negelect compared to some of you, my corrosion is very minor. The handle bothered me so I sanded it off: small angle head air sander with a small Scotch Brite type disc. This cleaned it up nicely and I then painted it with a Rustoleum clear spray can. I am under no illusion that my "fix" is a permanent one but when it looks crummy again I'll probably do the same thing again. Right now, unless you look real closely, it looks at least as good as new. The real closely part comes in because I couldn't get in behind the handle and I also purposely masked off just a little wider than the base of the handle in hopes of sealing off that area.

On an interesting note, a service tech at Bates RV upon taking note of the filiform corrosion on the front corner seam, made an interesting comment that I hadn't heard on this thread. He said that perhaps the reason that much of the corrosion first shows up on the end caps is because the protective finish is compromised when the end panels are formed. I have no idea how AS forms the caps but I would surmise stretch forming.

I've worked with metals all my life and they are all prone to corrosion in the right conditions. Some things you just have to keep after. I haven't got the answer to the filiform corrosion in the belt line area yet but my wheels are turning. I don't know that putting a cover over that area is the best solution as I also worry about it creeping out eventually. If I could figure out a way to strip that area, and only that area where the belt line rivits are... hmmm... stripped in a nice straigth line up to about a half inch above the rivits, scotch brite or sand the bare metal to give it a texture/look like the rest of the AS, paint to just below the bottom of the upper panel and just above the stripped area with an automotive clear polyurethane that was flattened slightly... Gee, if I, or someone could figure this out there might be a business opportunity here... Hmmm. Do I have the guts to experiment on my 2008 unit????

[eheffa]

That sounds truly awful.

I've had a few leaks & I have some filiform in a few places. The leaks I've fixed. I've just thrown out the Parallex converter because it was noisy & clearly not helping my batteries' longevity but your litany of problems is pretty terrible and make my short list look pretty good.

Like you, whenever I think I might of made a mistake paying a premium for the A/S, I take a look at the SOB interiors & quickly reach for the scopolamine to quell the nausea. The A/S, when it's sound, is quite a lovely resort on wheels. I've resigned myself to needing to stay on top of the gaskets, seams and seals. I will grudgingly repair corrosion when it happens and will not spare my scorn for the manufacturer who has seemingly cut corners on the quality to its peril as a brand icon; but, maybe like you, spend a lot of time dreaming about the next trip - heading down the road with my well-behaved shining A/S in tow. I can hardly wait for next time.

Good luck with the experimental belt-line repair. Let us know how it works out.

-evan

[2airishuman]

the C on trim and handles is not filiform.

crappy parts and finish perhaps but a different issue.

the "stretch forming" issue has been covered in this thread (early) and in other threads on the newer alcoa clearcoat.

there is NOT much filiform on the end caps, EXCEPT on the CUT EDGES...

which is just like most of the rest of the skin/coating locations, along with random nicks.

the front endcaps might also has sand/stone/debris hitting it to nick the coatings.

trying to RECOAT the end caps is a bad ideal, IF one cares about final appearance.

wax/seal/wax/seal and repeat often.
_____________

and while many of us had concerns about how well the coating would hold up on these curved panels...

those areas have NOT been a focus 4 issues like peeling or coating failure.
___________

and there is GREAT THREAD for posting the other fit/finish/leak/pissnmoanpoorworkmanship issues...

here...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ity-31210.html

in fact there is a thread like that for EACH year of production since 2003/4...

use'm and read'em if you need MORE reports on the j/c saga...

cheers
2air'

[sk8r29]

In my litany of problems that I've had with my AS I forgot to mention that the skylight cracked around the edges in a number of places. This led to leaks and staining/corroding of the interior aluminum around the skylight. Those of you that have skylights might want to add this to your list of things to keep an eye on. Other than the small corrosion mentioned above I haven't seen any evidence of corrosion on the interior skins.

I need to touch up the frame in a few places where the paint has gotten chipped and rust is showing. Anyone out there found a good paint that will match reasonably well?

[Gene]

The skylight problem is well documented. The factory has for a long time screwed the screws down too tight and not used washers to distribute the force. The inevitable result is a cracked skylight and leaks. The next result is the company spends far more to repair the issue—replacing skylight with the labor necessary and doing the installation right. This is a crazy way to run a business and shows something is seriously wrong in JC.

Yes, mine was replaced on Airstream's dime along with a very long list of other problems that were corrected.

Gene

[eheffa]

Originally Posted by sk8r29

...

I need to touch up the frame in a few places where the paint has gotten chipped and rust is showing. Anyone out there found a good paint that will match reasonably well?

I got some Airstream branded spray paint from Sutton RV when I bought my A/S. They call the frame color paint "Pewter Gray". Airstream probably sells the stuff. You might be able to order it directly from them for an exact match.

I have a few places that tend to rust on the front triangle area & tongue. I have put some rust converter on these areas & touch it up with a bit of this Pewter Gray & its works well. If only the Aluminum corrosion areas were as easy to fix.


-evan

[Gene]

I bought some black and white small cans of Rustoleum and mixed them to approximate Pewter Grey. A lot easier to find them. It took a while to mix, but I got it pretty close and it was good enough for something no one spends a lot of time looking at. First I use rust remover with a primer included. The tongue is the place where I get the most impact scars and rust.

Gene

[dkottum]

Only the cut edges of the beltline seam at the endcaps, and only metal around some rivets at the endcaps, show filiform corrosion. No corrosion at the sides, front, or rear. One difference is that in Minnesota summers, evening dew forms on the top of the trailer and drains down the sides at these endcaps areas. The water collects at the cut edges and the rivets and remains all night until mid-morning when the suns dries it. The sides, front, and rear are protected from drainage by the awning rails and windows. Maybe this is a cause of only these areas corroding.

I suspect the water gets between the finish and the metal, corrodes, and then proceeds deeper. If there are other elements on the surface, such as salt spray near the ocean, it would proceed faster. I have looked at a couple Airstreams here in usually dry Arizona and seen almost no filiform.

I doubt Airstream or Alcoa (perhaps the real culprit) will be helping (much). Perhaps if we can find the pieces to this corrosion puzzle, we can put together a solution.

[Al - K4GLU]

If you buy this paint from Airstream expect to pay 15-20 bucks for a little spray can.

[Gene]

A thought about cut edges. It would figure that some are cut and some are not. It would be good information to know whether cut edges are the ones that corrode and uncut edges , i.e., ones that are coated by Alcoa, do not. If uncut edges corrode also, the cut edge theory is false.

Gene

[VIKING]

And another thing...
Are the edges coated at Alcoa? I doubt that they are. They are most certainly run through a flat-line finishing machine, which would concentrate the finish on the flat face, not so much on the edges.
Still, dragging them across the floor would damage the finish at the edges of the face.

Rich the Viking

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

A thought about cut edges. It would figure that some are cut and some are not. It would be good information to know whether cut edges are the ones that corrode and uncut edges , i.e., ones that are coated by Alcoa, do not. If uncut edges corrode also, the cut edge theory is false.

Gene

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

I'm one.

Found these last month high on the rear panels. This area was "clean" when sealed last Fall. No hail or ice falling over the Winter. I inspected the one spot that I missed with the DW's jewelery loupe after first posting this photo and did not find any compromise of the coating. I don't rule out something being there, I just couldn't find it

Don't forget these, nothing at all to do with "cut edges" but still a PITA.

Gooped with clear last Spring, the official JC owner repair. No werse, butt lukz like hades.

[dkottum]

Have applied Boeshield, Corrosion X, and wax but I don't think they are stopping the filiform corrosion. I think the tiny seam between metal and coating needs a better seal. Ordered a lacquer pen from Airstream but am hesitating to apply it for fear of another ineffective product, that lukz like hades.