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Old 12-07-2022, 11:51 PM   #1
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2021 Interstate 24GL
Los Angeles , California
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my Interstate has been in the shop for repair for almost 6 months

our 2021 interstate 24 went back for warranty work in June this year, and it's still not fixed...

among a few other small issues, the main concern was the sliding door not closing properly. Airstream had to go back and forth with their corporate and MB to figure out who's responsible... since the door closing actuator is behind the bathroom wall. Airstream would need to remove the bathroom completely for MB dealer to gain access.

that took roughly 4 months, it was finally fixed by MB and then back to Airstream.

a few days later, i got a call from Airstream, they said the black tank seems to be leaking...

during the 2 years of ownership we never had a leak. maybe they messed it up while removing the bathroom?

now into December... we are still without the van. and we primarily use it for ski trips in the winter... that's why i had it dropped off in Summer.


is 6 month of "warranty repair" reasonable?
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Old 12-08-2022, 04:41 AM   #2
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is 6 month of "warranty repair" reasonable?
You may want to check to see if your state has an RV Lemon Law and whether or not you might qualify.

https://camperreport.com/rv-lemon-laws/
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Old 12-08-2022, 04:59 AM   #3
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Wow, how annoying this must be.

When my rig needs work, I don’t take it in until they are ready and able to do it, so just holding yours for 6 months seems strange, to me.

Maggie
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Old 12-08-2022, 06:03 AM   #4
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In before “my airstream is perfect so why are you complaining”.
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Old 12-08-2022, 06:14 AM   #5
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Where are the repairs being done, in Jackson Center? If not, it's easy for me to see why it's been this long.
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Old 12-08-2022, 07:18 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by mike2016 View Post
our 2021 interstate 24 went back for warranty work in June this year, and it's still not fixed...

……. i got a call from Airstream, they said the black tank seems to be leaking...

during the 2 years of ownership we never had a leak. maybe they messed it up while removing the bathroom?

…..
Generally speaking, you have the patience of a saint.

Specifically speaking, do you have the ability to get photographs of the leaking black tank area? Would Airstream allow you access to your vehicle for that purpose?

Even if you cannot get a pic of the exact spot, constraining the nature of it could be useful. Obviously you cannot re-de-install the bath, but the area under the vehicle could be revealing. Where is it emerging?

The reason I ask is that, in MANY historical cases with Interstates, there is not “a” black tank leak - there are actually 2 or 3 at the same time. And if you get a repair technician who doesn’t know what to look for, you could get one of them fixed without having the underlying cause rectified (which means it will happen again), or without having ALL of them rectified, in which case, one or more additional leaks may go unnoticed until you figure it out because it’s not possible to miss a black tank leak long term - your nose will inform you.

Long story short, my husband and I had to replace our entire black and gray plumbing systems due to defective installation by Airstream. It was a known issue for which numerous other first-gen Interstate owners successfully made warranty claims, but we bought our Interstate second-hand and the warranty period had expired by that time. Bottom line - we know all about this issue. We have DIY’d our entire system.
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Old 12-08-2022, 07:31 AM   #7
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How strange is this.

Even on the 2021 model, the sliding door is on the passenger side of the RV while the bathroom is on the driver's side. How and why Mercedes would mount a door actuator on the side opposite the door just don't make sense to me.


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Old 12-08-2022, 08:45 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by eubank View Post
How strange is this.

Even on the 2021 model, the sliding door is on the passenger side of the RV while the bathroom is on the driver's side. How and why Mercedes would mount a door actuator on the side opposite the door just don't make sense to me.


Lynn
I'm guessing they must have a GL vs. a GT? That would explain the bathroom being on the same side as the sliding door.

I will, as others have, note that the OP has not said whether their unit is at Airstream corporate for repairs, or at the dealer where they bought it. If at the dealer, I would suggest insisting that the dealer get help from corporate since that dealer seems to have proven itself incapable of correctly removing and re-installing the wet bath without damaging the camper. The OP should already be burning up the phone lines to Airstream Corporate to complain vociferously about this unit and demand timely repairs.

If the unit is already at corporate, then things are likely well beyond the salvageable stage. If the mechanical wizards at the Airstream Mothership can't properly fix this thing and do so in a timely fashion, it probably cannot be fixed. Let's hope that's not the case.
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Old 12-08-2022, 09:04 AM   #9
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No, 6 months is not reasonable.

But...
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Old 12-08-2022, 09:05 AM   #10
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Airstream perhaps needs to compensate owners financially for such prolonged repair back-ups with warranty work.

Maggie
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Old 12-08-2022, 09:22 AM   #11
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If you want it FIXED, it is worth the trip to JACKSON CENTER, OHIO. They should be able to do it in a day or so, and they will be ready once you arrive; call ahead for a date. They will fix everything the way it should be done; and you can sleep in your unit nightly.
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Old 12-08-2022, 09:25 AM   #12
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Brush Prairie , WA
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It shouldnt be but...

Been there. Start to finish our final 3 year warranty claim took almost 4 months. Amongst some of the reasons were JAX Center not approving a warranty claim that went back and fourth 3 times. I found the most agregious to be the service representative that was not an advocate for us at all eventually quit the dealership with an inadequate papertrail of the work needed. The process started all over again with a different service rep. Lack of parts, trained technicians etc all added to the downtime.

Good luck going forward.
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Old 12-08-2022, 09:47 AM   #13
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Personally, I would not have Airstream fix it. Sliding door issues with Sprinters -- not just those used as RVs -- are a relatively common problem and are handled by Mercedes quite often.
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Old 12-08-2022, 10:05 AM   #14
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In California, a new vehicle is considered a “lemon” if it has been out of service for more than 30 days for warranty service within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles after delivery. I’m not sure how it applies to RVs, but given the original issue was unrelated to the RV components of your van, it may qualify.
https://www.dmv.org/ca-california/au.../lemon-law.php
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Old 12-08-2022, 10:10 AM   #15
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RV lemon laws are either famously flexible in favor of the manufacturer or altogether non-existent - depending on the state. Across the country RVIA has done a masterful job of manipulating state legislatures to specifically exclude RVs from lemon laws or to craft watered down lemonade laws that work in their favor, to the heavy disadvantage of consumers like all of us.

https://www.rvia.org/advocacy/policies/lemon-law
https://farahandfarah.com/lemon-law/rv/

Note that RVIA wants every state to mirror Florida's RV lemon law, and that the Florida law says the "living area" is not covered by the lemon law. So, in a Class B Van, the motor vehicle specific stuff is covered, but the RV components are explicitly excluded. The excuse is that it's just too confusing because there are so many individual warranties for all the components, blah blah. So, while you might be able to seek some kind of relief should the need arise, the lemon laws aren't super-likely to help you. Still worth checking because every state is different, but if you buy new in FL and your dealer can't / won't fix some "living area" part of your RV that's under warranty in a timely fashion, the lemon law alone won't be of much use.

Hmm...that has me thinking that if I ever buy another new RV, I should consider buying in a state that has some modicum of protection via the lemon laws.
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Old 12-08-2022, 11:22 AM   #16
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Where are the repairs being done, in Jackson Center? If not, it's easy for me to see why it's been this long.
It would be reasonable to assume not all repairs can be done at a dealership. Your experience sounds like a nightmare.

Wait months for an appointment and then months for a repair? How can they justify that?
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Old 12-08-2022, 11:29 AM   #17
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Smile

We had a similar experience with the automatic door on our GT that had to go back to MBZ dealer and AS service a few times. On ours MBZ had to remove the galley and the AS dealership service had to reassemble. It’s amazing how many parts there are and they missed reconnecting some of them correctly which took some back and forth. Overall it took us about 3 months. I assume you are doing this at one of the local dealers and I have found that QC for these types of repairs can be less than desirable. You just need to be relentless in your follow up with them to get things prioritized. I have no doubt they will fix it its more about how long you sit in a queue over there. By the way I copied your set up for larger inverter and batteries, thank you….Good luck with everything!
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Old 12-08-2022, 11:38 AM   #18
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Correction AS had to remove and reinstall the galley and MBZ did the belt repair like your situation. Yours model obviously has the bathroom on the door side.
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Old 12-08-2022, 12:11 PM   #19
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My experience is that there seems to be a lot of wasted time while Airstream and Mercedes Benz go back and forth deciding who is responsible for what. I guess it's the " nature of the beast" and everything seems slower since COVID
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Old 12-08-2022, 12:13 PM   #20
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Not reasonable at all, you are extremely patient.
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