Airstream would fail a basic house inspection

[Camerons]

perhaps our 2016 is a lemon and airstream failed to support the plumbing by mistake. (like they only installed two screws in the rear view mirror ?? when there is 4 required). If you want to check your GT here is the procedure. Remove the garbage drawer. Remove the 90 degree cabinet that extends into the cabinet opening. There you will find the drain pipe from the kitchen sink, It is unsecured from the sink all the way to the grey water tank. I put some metal straps around it to secure it. I have to believe that leaving a drain dangling from the sink then subjecting it to road conditions will cause a failure and a huge mess. This is something that would be caught with a house inspection. Hopefully this isn't how airstream installs drains in all GT's.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Camerons

perhaps our 2016 is a lemon and airstream failed to support the plumbing by mistake. (like they only installed two screws in the rear view mirror ?? when there is 4 required). If you want to check your GT here is the procedure. Remove the garbage drawer. Remove the 90 degree cabinet that extends into the cabinet opening. There you will find the drain pipe from the kitchen sink, It is unsecured from the sink all the way to the grey water tank. I put some metal straps around it to secure it. I have to believe that leaving a drain dangling from the sink then subjecting it to road conditions will cause a failure and a huge mess. This is something that would be caught with a house inspection. Hopefully this isn't how airstream installs drains in all GT's.

Good you could DIY. 👍

While waiting...enjoy the lemonade. 🍋🍋

An AS surrogate will soon be in touch. 🥴😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[J. Morgan]

Thinking about it a little, but in retrospect, when I installed my drain plumbing six years ago I didn’t tie it up anywhere. It’s still not leaking.

[Zybane]

Airstream would fail a 5 year olds inspection.

[Rzrbrn]

Seems like a minor issue. If that is the only thing wrong with your coach, I would say it is very well put together indeed, particularly since it apparently was not broken.

Look on the bright side, its made in the USA.

I have often wondered why China, Japan, Germany etc do not import RV's into the country, or open a plant in the US. A little competition might be a good thing, look what it did for the auto industry.

[rustyoldman]

Unfortunately, I have to agree. AS does not impress me with the "consistent" quality that someone would expect from an rv in their price range. I was a home inspectorf for many years before retiring and I can comfortably state that many an AS I read about in these forums could have been finished better. I think its just what this country has grown to accept as far as a quality product is concerned. A big part of the issues has to do with workers who have little or no pride in what they are doing. Too many people in every walk of life are interested only in the paycheck. The only solution I can see is more stringent inspections along the entire line of production.
Years ago, if Americans wanted items made for quality those products came from Germany. Years ago Americans did not want anything 'made in Japan'....quality was viewed as inferior. Today the lack of quality is associated with 'made in China'. In todays world, the best electronics come from Japan.
Maybe in a few years Air Sreams will be made in China and the USA will be view as the 'lack of quality' country. Sad, sad, sad.

[Sportleicht]

Originally Posted by Camerons

perhaps our 2016 is a lemon and airstream failed to support the plumbing by mistake. (like they only installed two screws in the rear view mirror ?? when there is 4 required). If you want to check your GT here is the procedure. Remove the garbage drawer. Remove the 90 degree cabinet that extends into the cabinet opening. There you will find the drain pipe from the kitchen sink, It is unsecured from the sink all the way to the grey water tank. I put some metal straps around it to secure it. I have to believe that leaving a drain dangling from the sink then subjecting it to road conditions will cause a failure and a huge mess. This is something that would be caught with a house inspection. Hopefully this isn't how airstream installs drains in all GT's.

Well said with your house inspection comment. Being the owner of a 34 Limited for just over ten years I have come to the conclusion that all that money charged for Airstreams is not for production quality & premium parts used in production, but rather for the intellectual property, floor-plan(s), and good looks of the product. I have lost count of how many items I have had to rebuild or upgrade in terms of hardware to make our trailer consistent and reliable...leaks, plumbing issues, wiring issues, door issues, the list goes on and on. It is analogous to a race car having to be "sorted" out by it's owner to be usable on the track. Once I repair/upgrade something...it stays fixed! The lesson here is not buy new, but rather buy used from a guy like me that can document all the things that have been done to it since purchase...full disclosure my trailer is not for sale; after ten years of ownership I think I am finally "on top" of it. My wife & I will enjoy it in our retirement years...I am curious whether my experience is matched by other "Airstreamers"?

[Camerons]

There is an incredible opportunity for airstream to listen to its customers and recover before the more independents like advanced RV start coming out of the woodwork with better quality products. It would be a shame to see airstream become the next Kodak.

[Oldtrapper]

As an engineer of 40 years, it is my view that amateurs tend to make things too stiff which creates failures. Compliance is a good thing. In my AS trailer, I often admire how AS’s experience and engineering allows for things to flex and accommodate dynamic loads.

[TG Twinkie]

The sink drain line and the lack of support is pretty typical.
Why would anyone think that the slip joint in the drain piping would be capable of holding the piping in place.
$.25 worth of plumbers tape would resolve the issue.
It is not a minor problem. IMHO. If there is a leak from the pipe separating there could be major cabinet and floor damage.

[InterBlog]

If it ain’t broke, sometimes you’d still be wise to fix it. Corollary: Just because it hasn’t broken yet doesn’t mean it will stay together.

We had to replace our entire gray water system in our 2007. Reportedly Airstream had done many such replacements under warranty, but we bought our rig used and past the warranty period.

Previous posters have reportedly paid $2,000-$2,500 for the plumbing job we DIY’d, because Airstream didn’t do it correctly to start with.

[franklyfrank]

The serious problem we have is the complete lack of Trade and Technical Schools in the US.
It is there where a young man learns to have pride in his work.
Many moons ago I attended trade school in Austria for Auto Mecanics. It was a 5 year course and it started with metallurgi the Idea being that you had to be able to make your own parts or repair them. Like a broken cranckshaft.
Oh and first you had to make your own tools.
VW has an ongoing thech school where young people learn all about engines and cars before ever seeing one built.
As large as the RV industry is they should have built an RV Tech Scool long ago.

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by Camerons

perhaps our 2016 is a lemon and airstream failed to support the plumbing by mistake. (like they only installed two screws in the rear view mirror ?? when there is 4 required). If you want to check your GT here is the procedure. Remove the garbage drawer. Remove the 90 degree cabinet that extends into the cabinet opening. There you will find the drain pipe from the kitchen sink, It is unsecured from the sink all the way to the grey water tank. I put some metal straps around it to secure it. I have to believe that leaving a drain dangling from the sink then subjecting it to road conditions will cause a failure and a huge mess. This is something that would be caught with a house inspection. Hopefully this isn't how airstream installs drains in all GT's.

Maybe, or maybe what they do is install a variety of different fails on different days/weeks/months/years depending on who is working and what thir mood is, or what the general mood of the shop is, or what type of quality materials have been supplied to them at the time. We must also remember that these workers are most likely paid little and are making an item they themselves will bever be able to afford, this would definitely lead to poor morale and little care for a good/great product. It’s up to the company to take care of the workers so morale is improved. It’s also up to the company to provide good to great quality materials for the product.

[Boxster1971]

How boring - yet another thread about Airstream's poor quality. Yet we all bought it.

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by Oldtrapper

As an engineer of 40 years, it is my view that amateurs tend to make things too stiff which creates failures. Compliance is a good thing. In my AS trailer, I often admire how AS’s experience and engineering allows for things to flex and accommodate dynamic loads.

It can have support without being stiff. Too little support can cause too much flex. I’m not an engineer and I can see that. There is a middle ground between the two. Brackets wide enough to give the pipes room for up and down flex when needed, and spaced far enough apart for flex, but not so far apart that the pipes lack support.

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

How boring - yet another thread about Airstream's poor quality. Yet we all bought it.

Only once, and only because it was a much older model at a rock bottom price for the best condition possible for it’s age. I wouldn’t buy a new one at gun point. They appear to be money pits.

[75Bob]

I bought it, I didn't like it, so I rebuilt it my way. Now when something doesn't work correctly I go back to see how come it wore out so quickly or came loose or broke and then figure out a way how I won't have to address it in the future. To me that's part of the challenge and I gain experience. I have the $ to stay at the Ritz but there is no challenge there I also own 2 Harley's, they fall apart too, same deal. It's camping, your gonna get dirty.

[Sportleicht]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

How boring - yet another thread about Airstream's poor quality. Yet we all bought it.

Yes, we did buy it...for it's looks & uniqueness; nothing boring there. Anybody that steps up to one of them must be aware of what they're getting into. Right now, Airstream has no incentive to step up the quality as they are not subject to the same laws as automobiles manufacturers are...remember the sixties and the crappy quality Detroit put out. For now it's working, because there is enough disposable income out there to have a large enough pools of first-time buyers.
The economy does not a function in a straight line either up or down. Thus the success of a manufacturing company of high-line products is measured in decades not years. Once the word gets out to enough people that it's not a good ownership experience people will shun the product. Airstream has been on the "brink" before, more than once; apparently nothing was learned from that.

[gr.austin]

I've had my 27FB Classic Limited for almost 10 years now. Even though it has served me well it hasn't been without its many many problems. All of the 74 issues could have been fix in the factory at assembly for about $50.00. But it has cost me $1000's to fix them by others and by me. All minor issues but for $144.000 for a new unit, I would think l should have never experienced these issues. But all Airstream units are delivered with some assembly required. Here is the rub: the Airstream might get a C+ for quality and reliability but the most any of the competition might get is a D. So when you buy Airstream you are buying the best but the best isn't too good. The only way Airstream is going to listen is to call the customer service department and complain over any and every issue, no matter how small. Broken handles, rusted latches, curtains that need tools to remove for washing, broken bilnd harware, rusted storage compartments, doors that don't close, windows that won't open, window handles that break, Antenna cranks that break. The list can be endless. Every problem reported on the forum needs to first go through customer service for their advise no matter how little it is. Their phones need to be swamped for months for them to start hearing that their quality and design stinks. i would much rather pay for stainless steel storage compartment than for blue tooth control of lights in the kitchen. Anyone on board to join my journey? I had called customer service over 40 times. How many times have you called?

[J. Morgan]

I have a good friend who due to certain circumstance bought himself a larger SOB trailer to live in..... last year a “wind event” nearly blew his trailer over.

When this happened, it twisted the trailer and broke both of the kitchen sink drain pipes.

The pipes were well secured. Which trailer is the better quality trailer, his with well secured drain pipes, or an Airstream with unsecured drain pipes?