Two newbs pick up their trailer and get it home - some observations

[brick1]

We had a much different experience with Southland RV on Atlanta. The tech did a great job, took his time and did not rush us. Everything was Demo’d.. Overall a great experience and fun day!

[WestieHouse]

“For what it’s worth, I knew about the pressure regulator at the trailer’s inlet, but got another anyway and run it at the supply end. Most parks and campgrounds have lousy water pressure (especially in the morning and after dinner) but holy moly some supplies are off the charts high! The pressure regulator at the supply is largely redundant but it’s easy to replace and could save a hose.”

And add a 2nd pressure regulator for your black tank flush hose. My tool kit grows every time I have a new problem - and they never end.

On my 18 month old 25 FC I was “camped” in Old Town Tustin 1 block from the city water department. After several days without problems I started to flush my black tank and heard an audible “pop”. Then the flow completely stopped. I could not add any water to the tank. After much trouble shooting m, and recriving incomplete and inaccurate information from Jackson Center concerning the plumbing system, I discovered there is BOTH a backflow check valve AND an anti-siphon valve about 12 -18 inches insude the exterior inlet connector. The metal ant-siphon valve was fine, but the cheap ($4.00 on Amazon) gray plastic valve broke causing a pieve of plastic to completely block the inlet.

JC sent a plumbing diagram I requested before I went looking inside the wall. But it did not show the gray check valve. And that was the one that broke.

Getting to the valves was the hard part. The actual repair was easy.

I now always use a pressure regulator on the black flush intake.

[WestieHouse]

Here’s a photo of the broken valve.

[B. Cole]

Originally Posted by WestieHouse

Here’s a photo of the broken valve.

Ouch! Built to fail, Airstream knows it junk..

[ROBERT CROSS]

It's a known fact....JC knows little about how to select quality aftermarket suppliers.

It's Alde built into their Relax market plan.

They still look nice though.👍


Bob
🇺🇸

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by NY24

Buyers, upon arrival to pick up their new rig should show the dealership that they have the "final payment" (often a Certified Check) but, DO NOT hand said final payment over (or sign any papers) until dealership personnel answer ALL of your questions and address ALL of your issues. Doing it this way keeps YOU in control and, prevents the dealership from rushing you off the lot. Advise the dealership ahead of time that they'll receive final payment as per your conditions. On an expensive rig, it would be wise to hire a Professional RV Inspector and have said professional accompany you the day you're to pick up your rig. The several hundred dollars you'll pay the Professional Inspector will be money well spent and, down the road, you're FAR less likely to have problems because your rig was right before you took delivery. DON'T be surprised that a Professional Inspector finds problems the dealer / factory did not. RV inspections at the factories range from poor to non-existent (many dealers don't fare much better). Any new RV is expensive (as far as the buyer is concerned); the fewer problems you accept at pick up means less cost in repairs down the road.

Hi

Also don't be surprised if the dealer bumps up the price by a couple thousand dollars when you make these requests .....

Bob

[J-Dog]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo;

...accessories including a water pressure regulator ...
Our unit comes with a built in pressure regulator.
This lack of product knowledge is not how you instill confidence in a buyer, from that point on we were suspicious of their knowledge about Airstreams ...

You may still want to have a pressure regulator to hook up to the hose bib in order to protect your water hose.

We had our water hose blow out due to high water pressure at a KOA camp site on a hot summer day in Cortez, CO.

[nadrad314]

Hi, which dealer was this? I'm picking up our new trailer in Chicago in June. Was it that one, or is it a dealer in WI? Thx.

[JohnandDonna]

We were fortunate as our dealer did a pretty good job on the orientation. However with all that is going on a lot ends up going in one ear out the other. What I found the most useful are the YouTube videos put out by Colonial Airstream. Their guy Patrick does and excellent detailed explication of the whole trailer. Just look for your model.

[richard5933]

Any suggestions on tools to bring with me in two weeks when I fly to NC to pick up my 1994 Excella? Somewhat limited to what I can put in a suitcase, and thinking now of a small set of hand tools, a multimeter, and a credit card. Tires will be new, bearings will be repacked, and brakes will be inspected. Not sure what else I should be prepared for bringing the AS back to Wisconsin.

When we bus nuts go to bring home a vintage bus, we have to be prepared for any number of mechanical things to go wrong. All kinds of checklists to go through. Anything similar for getting an older Airstream ready for a trip other than the obvious?