Help track the quality of the '04s!

[Silvertwinkie]

That is very good news John. I know that you'd be very frank and objective, so a thumbs up from you goes a long way... I'll be a firm believer when Jack, Porky Pig, Frozen Chosen, Josh, Mopar7, Rob C (depending on if he goes '03 or '04) and I get our coaches.

All these units will be built after 9/03 and IMHO true examples of what is coming out of Jackson Center post open ack of the issues with the commitment from Jackson Center to get on the ball.

As far as I can tell, prior to 9/03 there appears (and this is my perception) to be a 50/50 split approx to units in good shape, compared to those that could have used a bit more attention.

Although 0% defects might not be realistic, I am hopeful that the perceived 50% of units that needed help can be lowered down to less than 5%. I think that would be a big shot in the arm for them.....and us!

At any rate, once you've had the coach out a few times John, I'd love to see if anything new appears. As was the case in my '03 Bambi, the list grew as the number of towed miles increased. My exp may be isolated, but a follow-up would be much apprc if possible John once you've had the coach on a few road trips.

Eric

[hohne]

Salesman claimed it would be ready in the middle of January.

Ordered the Safari upgrade package, and the skylight.

As I live 70 miles from Jackson Center, I will see if I can get the salesman to arrange a visit the day ours goes through the leak test...

Plan on documenting the quality here one this thread...

[Silvertwinkie]

Hey hohne!

Thanks. We've got you on the list as one of the folks taking delivery after 9/03. The list of folks keeps getting larger! Looking very forward to getting your observations.

Congrats on your new coach. You're very fortunate to be so close!

Thanks to all that participate to helping track this for all to see. Hopefully folks will get some use out of this thread!

Regards,

Eric

[Porky Pig]

Originally posted by hohne
Salesman claimed it would be ready in the middle of January.
Ordered the Safari upgrade package, and the skylight.

hohne ...

Congrats on the new Airstream.

Looks like we'll be taking delivery at about the same time.

[Silvertwinkie]

Very nice looking....anyone else get one yet?

Eric

[Porky Pig]

I got one in mail today too .. but it is the same one I have had since July.

[rcaldwel]

We just bought an '04 25' Safari twin bed. Traded our 2001 Bambi which we had for two years. Very good deal and got the Thor 4.99 financing as well. Wanted to provide some QC feedback:BUILD DATE APRIL 2003

We went to a campground about 30 minutes from the dealer as suggested in this forum and spent the day inspecting the trailer.

Exterior fit and finish looks very good. Don't see the problem with the stabilizer and gas line. Plenty of space apart. I really tried to be critical so I could go back to the dealer in the morning with any issues I found.

Interior- the only thing I found was the door striker plate rubs the door. It needs to be chiseled out to make it flush. Seems the caulking in the bath has no problems I can see. Fit and finish of the cabinets are very good. Every thing seems to be level and squared. Only issue I can see so far is the mounting of the fire extinguisher could have been closer to the wall on the kitchen over wall so you could put an additional magazine rack there or a small waste basket.

I think we got a very well put together trailer. Maybe it could have been the predelivery at the dealership that found and fixed any items before we saw it. I know that they spent from 10AM to 5PM with two technicians going through the Airstream checklist. I didn't stay the whole time to watch them. But when I was there, they crawled under the coach inspecting the stabilizers, gas lines, holding tank straps etc. When they checked out the appliances, they just didn't turn them on and off. The oven, they check the temperature. Very good prep. They spent alot of time with us and even helped move stuff from the Bambi to the Safari. I think the dealer is a major key in the QC process. I will post any thing that comes up.

[docbluedevil]

Here's the skinny on our 2004 Safari 28 W.

Can't seem to find the build date (maybe hidden behind the stone guard). Will call A/S with the VIN# tomorrow.

First of all, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so little things tend to annoy me.

EXTERIOR:

SKIN: 10/10
Apparently perfect. Even rivets. No scratches.

EXTERIOR FITTINGS: 9/10
Overall, all exterior fittings (doors/awning/drains/outlets, etc) excellent.
The main rear storage compartment has these rubber bump stops on the door that are supposed to contact bump stops on the rear bumper to avoid scratches in the open door position. Problem is that the bump stops do not align. Moreover, even if they were aligned, they can't physically make contact with each other because the opening latch/lock fixture is taller than the 2 bump stops combined. What were they thinking? At first, I was thinking how thoughtful it was until I realized they couldn't execute it. Probably a simple fix though by buying/installing taller bump stops that align.

MECHANICS: 9+/10
Overall, excellent. Coupler lever when placed in open position digs into tongue. First time it was opened, it dug into the paint. Each time, more and more paint scraped off. Future rust problem? Or is this the nature of coupler levers?

INTERIOR:

INTERIOR FITTINGS: 7/10
Overall, average at best. Mostly minor stuff. Nothing terrible but nothing too impressive either (other than the modern "look").

1) A couple overhead cabinets do not close properly. Less than 50% align with adjacent cabinets in the open position. One cabinet that is separating from the other sides. Most problems somewhat fixed by the dealer after pointing it out.
2) Slide cabinets in bathroom stick and do not slide easily (probably just needs some silicone lube)
3) Occasional poor caulking job; fixed by dealer.
4) Large scratch on fridge panel; Said to be glue repeatedly per dealer who later recanted and ordered a new panel that was delivered a few days later to our home.
5) Scuffed laminate floor (carpet was covered with plastic but not laminate floor).
6) A couple deep scratches on bedroom wall likely due to mishandling furniture.
7) Couple sections of shoddy finishing work of that white, vinyl ceiling/wall trim.

APPLICANCES/ELECTRIC: 9/10
Overall, almost everything functioned as it was supposed to.

1) Black/Gray tank monitor indicates full tank when obviously empty. Fixed by dealer temporarily until recurrent malfunction later that night. (Are these supposed to work?)
2) Fantastic fans are sticky upon automatic open. Had to open it "automatically" twice before it actually opens completely. Bet some silicone spray would take care of it.

SUMMARY

We've only owned it for 2 weeks now and have taken it on an overnight local trip to learn the various systems. I'm sure there will be some new problems that surface with time.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the exterior/engineering of the Safari 28 W as expected. That's where the majority of my $40K is going to, right? Right??? I'm slightly disappointed to satisfied with the interior fittings (90% satsifactory, 10% less than satisfactory). IMHO, the interior is only average/above average compared with other SOB manufacturers. Compared to many members here though, I suppose I should count my lucky stars?! (which is too bad when you're shelling out that much money)

That may be the nature of Safaris, though? Get's you into an A/S exterior with a Coleman interior. FWIW, my wife likes A/S's but is not attached emotionally to them like myself; she thinks her parents Coleman pop-up had better attention to detail.

Happy? Are you crazy, of course! Worth $40K? If it lasts 30 some years? Absolutely. One of the "top 500 products in the world?" Hmmm... Let me show you a R.L. Winston bamboo fly rod first, a Merlin titanium road bike second...

Abe

[53flyingcloud]

Abe...

MECHANICS: 9+/10

Overall, excellent. Coupler lever when placed in open position digs into tongue. First time it was opened, it dug into the paint. Each time, more and more paint scraped off. Future rust problem? Or is this the nature of coupler levers?

IMHO,
You're in for trouble that, "it's gonna be hard to live with"..

Just imagine every time you pull into a campsite, the ugly sign of rust on your tongue is gonna ruin your reputation with all the other "SOB" campers around you. Not only will you be below standard but, you might find people excluding you from 'campfire' chats..
Solution~?
Just carry spare paint cans with you for touching it up



ciao
53FC

[jcanavera]

Abe,
Your vehicle ID information is on a tag on the streetside front of the unit. On the first straight panel. If you are facing the streetside of your trailer it will be left and down low. I haven't seen one built without one yet.

Coupler scraping paint is normal. Just buy a can of touch up if that bothers you.

Scratches on wall. If its the aluminum you see the scratches on, its typical of what I have seen on those units with the bare interior walls. Not very nice in my opinion.

Black tank monitor showing full when it is not. I haven't owned a trailer yet where this thing didn't go south after a few uses of the tank. Usually its the fact that the sensors get debris on them and unless you have the ability to flush the tank well, its something you live with. Ocassionally check the level of the black tank by looking a the water level through the toilet when you flush it. You'll know when its getting close to dump time.

Fantastic fans covers being sticky. Mine got better over time but after a long amount of storage or non use they tend to stick at first opening. If the automatic opener shuts down without them opening, I pull the crank into manual mode and give it a crank to pop them open. After that initial pop open they work great. Just be patient as you use them it will get better

My bump stops didn't really align either. The key is making sure that storage door doesn't come to rest on those twist pins which allow access into the bumper storage container. I had a couple of small scratches where I forgot to flatten out the pins and then opened the storage door.

Personally other that the inside scratch on the wall, floor, and fridge everything else is pretty minor or more in the nature of the beast and probably can be fixed (except for that black water issue).

Jack

[Pahaska]

After 5 days using the Classic, my total finds are:
1. 3 missing screws in the curtain bedroom tracks.
2. Bottom guide for the shower door was cut too short and comes loose. The shower door was "fixed" by the dealer before delivery and came apart during the second use of the shower.

Actually, I'm tempted to remove the shower door and replace it with a curtain. I keep the cat litter box in the shower and the door makes the opening a bit too narrow to get it in and out easily.

Other than the above, the new trailer has been a joy to use and is night and day better quality than my previous trailer.

[Silvertwinkie]

It's great to see how you all are getting along with your '04s. I don't remember if I posted this, but my tent build date is 11/17/03. I can hardly wait to pick it up!

Looking at the thread, I see that the trend tends to be that the interiors are where the bulk of the issues are.

As problematic as the Bambi was, the exterior was well constructed. It was mostly the interior fit and finish that was lacking. It does sound however that a far number of the issues might have been resolved. I have heard far less or I should say, the lists have been smaller with all except a few units.

At any rate, when I pickup the Safari SS in December, I'll post not only my observations with the new coach, but also pics of the factory as I will be camping out at the campground one night before returning home.

Eric

[MaShep]

As follow up to a post made early on the thread, the LP line was riding the curbside front stabilizer jack on our new 16 CCD. We think the problem is significant and has been found on at least one other unit. Here's a picture of the line fixed.

[jcanavera]

My '01 Safari was very similar in that the gas line was almost impossible to not touch when trying to crank the stabilizer jack down. I used a foam water pipe insulator tube to enclose the gas line and escentially protect against an accidental touch while cranking the jack.

Jack

[Silvertwinkie]

T -10 days and counting!

...but who is actually counting anyway?

Eric

[Porky Pig]

Eric .... I hear you ... and yes, I'm counting too.

Don't have an actual build date .. but I finally got a VIN today from Toscanos.

This wait is killing me!

[Silvertwinkie]

Ifa you gotta VIN, you gotta build date ina youa futura!

Eric

[lee]

Just returned from 25 day trip to seattle and back, 1769 miles towed.
1: New 22' safari , reese wd 750lbs , Toyota Tundra 01.
2: Build date 9/18/03
3: Picked up 10/5/03 two minor QC issues , vinyl flloor cuts & weather stripping on water heater door. fixed at dealer.
4: After 25 nights & days in new 22' safari I can honestly say that every thing worked , nothing was defective before trip was started, I checked everything that I could think of.
A) Checked LP gas lines and how they were routed, all of them were routed well away from anything that could easily destroy them and they were secured and covered with protective conduit ( prior post on this forum warned of poor lp line routing.
B) Tank monitors were accurately calibrated.
5) Quality issues that I noticed from expierence
A) Wardrobe door latch is high quality but not the proper design for a folding door ( I broke it) . needs different type of latch
B) Plastic latch for securing mini blinds when fully closed for travel needs to be of high quality ABS / spring steel not cheap plastic. ( Yep I broke it )
c) some ill informed person put 13 wood screws in seat platform where you access water pump for winterizing so I just bought 9 gals of antifreeze because I didn't feel like dealing with it that nite . ( Wal-Mart $2.50 per gallon )
6) Fit and finish of exterior was excellent. Door, screen door, windows, dumping valves , zip dee awnings water hookups also excellent Interior fit and finish also excellent, except 2 minor cuts in vinyl floor , and fixtures and overall design interior design were superior.
7) Airstream towed flawlessly never a problem on freeways or bumpy roads no matter the weather ( snow ,rain and dry ) or fast traveling semis.

I would buy this 22" AS again in a heartbeat. It works like a well running watch. Next stop wintering Dec thru Feb in AZ.
I will post a trip report in a few days.

[Silvertwinkie]

Thanks for the info and contribution to the thread Lee. Glad to see outside of a few cosmetic issues that the interior has held up. Look forward to hearing how it’s holding up over time. I had very similar issues with the latching in my '03. I must have adjusted some of them 5-6x!

For me I have about 8 days before construction should start on the Safari I ordered. I'm anticipating that I will have either an 11/03 or a 12/03 build date stamped on the coach depending on when they start and/or finish, so I'll be sure to post how well they are doing. Going by your post though it does sound encouraging.

Eric

[joshua32064]

Believe it or not, I am back in China. Although I was only in the United States for all of about 4 days, I managed to have enough time to stop by and sign the papers for my new 28' International CCD.

Unbelievably, I only had about 5 minutes before I had to head to the airport to catch a plane to Washington, DC for a meeting. I quickly glanced at my new unit and I have to say that it looked great. The dealer had already done the PDI and I have to say, from what I saw, he did a great job.

It was agreed, that as soon as I get back, a thorough walk through will be done, but from what I briefly saw, everything looks good at first glance.

I will have a more in-depth update in two weeks when I return.