New Delivery 2018 Interstate - our 5th

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by ScottP

Solution:
**********

Today, AS has explained to me what happened with our coach seating fabric and agreed to replace the seating to what we expected to receive.


Next Step:

Now if only we can get the inoperative Firefly functional - we’ll have a usable coach for a trip North to Banff later this week.

Any more details on the specifics of the seat material used in yours versus what you expected? Material brand/description?

What color interior did you order? Oyster, Moon, Black, Tommy?

You mentioned photos, those did not show up in the posts made.

Glad to read that Airstream is making the changes to what you expected.

[Titus]

Doing 'some' is strange. I wonder if Tommy Bahama gets one type and all others the rest, or if it is purely random based upon supplier availability? Wonder how much they saved on all those that used the cheap stuff, versus how much this one re-do will cost them? I am happy with whatever was used on my 2013 and will defer to ScottP that the 'new and improved' (stain resistant?) fabric is an overall step backward.

[busb2]

I was just at an Airstream dealer in Florida to pick up a part for my 2017 AI so I looked at a couple of their 2018 models they had, a Lounge and a GT, both seemed to have the same upholstery material as my 2017, but in different colors as mine is a TB, so it is very unfortunate that the OP got something different without any warning or explanation. The only thing I didn’t like about the 2018 was the Propane only water heater. First, the thing takes up about half the storage under the back lounge and second I wouldn’t want to use Propane from the small tank we have, unless we had to because we were boon docking. Most of the time, we are plugged in, and refilling the propane tank is often inconvenient especially when we are traveling. Losing the capability to heat water electrically is hardly an Upgrade IMO

[73shark]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Sadly that's been my experience as well with the latchless Interstate cabinets. My mishaps weren't caused by "sporty" driving, but by what laughably passed for "roads" during construction on the NW loop in Yellowstone NP......

Several years ago when the door opening subject came up, I checked mine which had never opened while traveling and discovered that the spring tension is adjustable. It can be made almost tight enough to prevent one from opening it.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by ScottP

Hmmmm...

Like I said, I'll check out the '18s at the show this weekend and see what their seats are covered with. As others have already found though, the 18's they've seen have all been covered with the same ultraleather as the '17s, so I expect to find the same.

My suggestion on the Coachmen was simply that, a suggestion because you seemed upset at the quality, or lack of, in your new Interstate. On the other hand, it looks like Coachmen has seriously upped their game! I don't know what their seats are covered with, but they look really nice, so I was just offering up a potential candidate for the coach you buy next year.....

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Several years ago when the door opening subject came up, I checked mine which had never opened while traveling and discovered that the spring tension is adjustable. It can be made almost tight enough to prevent one from opening it.

Good to know! When I get some time I'm going to go around and tighten mine up.

Thanks!

[Titus]

Agree with your assessment of this forum. I really appreciate the information that people are willing to share. My pet peeve is when a person's theory of what was supposed to happen or not is used to criticize/debunk another person's experience.

[Meeks]

Hey ScottP,

Great to learn from folk's first-hand experience, in this case yours. But sorry to hear of all the hassle. Sheesh.

I think it's cool that you trade-in each year. Given your mileage each year it seems like a smart financial choice.

Thanks for all of your sharing!
Chris

[rmkrum]

I suspect Airstream is having issues expanding to a much faster production rate.

Anytime I have been involved, that one thing has ripples all over the processes, supply chain, and workmanship, and it's starting to show up. The slightest weakness in a process or a supply glitch will cause even more issues in a fast-paced environment.

Not easy to solve, either...at least they are watching the forums more, and trying to swat the glitches...

[Boxster1971]

Earlier in this thread I mentioned replacing the upper cabinet latches on my 2013 Interstate - here is link to my original post from a few years back with details of the latch I used.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...ts-128468.html

[AirstreamInc]

Hi ScottP,

Congratulations on your new Airstream and sorry to learn about your disappointments.

Please feel free to send us a private message or reach out to our customer service and technical support team at*1 (877) 596-6111, option 2 if you need additional assistance.

Thanks.

[FlyFishinRVr]

A few folks seem to be upset because I said I doubted AS switched from their nice ultraleather to "cheap vinyl". Not quite sure why. If you think about it, it would make no sense for them to do that. Cost cutting? Hardly. Their marketing is all about being a luxury brand, and the "best" luxury vehicle in its class ("50 best in class features", blah blah blah). Heck, look at the price of their new Atlas. If that doesn't show folks the direction AS is going with their motorhomes, nothing will.

Anyway, it looks like the OP has confirmed that this may have been some sort of manufacturing screw-up since he's reported that AS admitted "some" '18s went out with a different seat covering, AND they're willing to recover his seats with the correct material. To me, this is more indicative of an "OOPS" than a material change, but let's see if we can get to the bottom of it. After all, there are people out there reading this that may want to put in an order for a new '18 but now they're spooked because they don't know what they'll be getting.

As I said previously, I'll be at the regional RV show this weekend and can check the VINs of the '18s that are present. If the OP wants to share the last 4-5 digits of his VIN, I can compare that to the VINs of the coaches at the show. If I find one with a higher VIN#, and it has the correct seat covering (i.e. nice ultraleather vs "cheap vinyl"), maybe we can conclude that:
1) AS didn't switch to a different material and this was indeed a manufacturing "OOPS" of epic proportion (process-wise)
2) AS has caught their mistake and corrected it so folks looking to order a new '18 can be given some confidence that they'll get what they see on the showroom floor

Last, I find it impressive that the OP got this level of candor and commitment to resolution from AS, and in less than 24hrs, especially given the logistical nightmare this is going to cause them to get done. And all without even seeing his coach. Amazing. This would lead me to believe that maybe they knew about it and already had taken other calls on it? After all, if this was their new seating material that they were going with across the line, why would they so quickly offer to replace it (at great expense)? Anyway, if AS gets a "D" (or worse) for their apparent manufacturing miscue, I think they should get an "A+" for their customer service effort in this case. It's not often a company of their size can commit to such an undertaking without at least a few days of deliberation with management, manufacturing, the dealership, etc. Either they've given their customer service folks superpowers, or as I hinted at, maybe they knew about this and were ready with a response if/when people contacted them about it......

[Endodoc]

I think that the OP being a yearly repeat customer is the reason for Airstream’s timely response.

[xrvr]

They have responded to others also, many times recently. But money does talk!

[amirm]

It is possible they made a change for the 9 passenger configuration. Maybe that is from feedback from their customers for a more durable or easier to clean material. Maybe those are used more for commercial applications???

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by amirm

It is possible they made a change for the 9 passenger configuration. Maybe that is from feedback from their customers for a more durable or easier to clean material. Maybe those are used more for commercial applications???

Could be. Hopefully the OP will chime in with enough of his VIN so those of us attending upcoming shows can compare with the VINs of the show vans and see if we can find Lounges (aka 9 passenger floorplans) that were built after his. This should give us a very big clue as to what might be going on.

Having said that, I still can't believe AS would, or even could, make this a permanent change mid-year. Imagine the "bait and switch" claims that would come rolling in if they have Lounges with nice ultraleather on the sales lot and in showrooms, and then ship a cheap substitute to unsuspecting buyers. I realize the RV industry isn't regulated like the auto industry (where such a practice flat wouldn't be allowed), but the potential for legal action should be enough to scare the AS lawyers such that they cast a big "NOPE!" on this idea. Besides, have there really been that many (or ANY) complaints of recent-vintage Lounge seats not holding up? I haven't seen any.....

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by AirstreamInc

Hi ScottP,



Congratulations on your new Airstream and sorry to learn about your disappointments.



Please feel free to send us a private message or reach out to our customer service and technical support team at*1 (877) 596-6111, option 2 if you need additional assistance.



Thanks.

Thank you for your note, and responsiveness to the forums. It’s refreshing.

I’ve elevated my concerns and you’ll be able to reference them through tech services / customer support rep JP or Bob W.

Have also offered process improvements / suggestions for handling product changes mid-stream during the model years.


Similar Experience:

As a customer (and later a consultant) of Cirrus aircraft (between 2003-2012) these types of product, or material, changes during the production cycle created multiple problems on a $550-750k private aircraft (with a build cycle of 90-120 days. Can you imagine showing up in Duluth MN to take delivery of your aircraft and the company changed your order?

In all cases, Cirrus Aircraft made sure the customer received the upgraded product at no cost (could be avionics or upholstery etc) or received the exact product they ordered (even if the standardized paint striping scheme had changed). The company thrived on timely repeat orders - well inside the typical private aircraft average of 8.7 years - Cirrus wanted repeat orders inside of 24 months. Cirrus Aircraft understood their customers are their best salespeople. It was a dynamic fast - flowing environment where production deliveries to customers (who were in-house flight training) was four aircraft per day.

I’m sorry to reminisce, but my point is this; companies with premium products need a strategy which demonstrates they value their customer.


It’s not about product - it’s about product utilization.

It’s also about the Airstream community, customer satisfaction and TRIBE. TRIBE is what ties it all together.

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by Meeks

Hey ScottP,



Great to learn from folk's first-hand experience, in this case yours. But sorry to hear of all the hassle. Sheesh.



I think it's cool that you trade-in each year. Given your mileage each year it seems like a smart financial choice.



Thanks for all of your sharing!

Chris

Thank you.


Sharing ~

It’s the shared experience (from each of our perspectives) which brings value. Truly that’s the value of these forums - sharing knowledge.

And I value FlyFishRV’s input on technical issues (Mike too) - he’s exceptional at helping others get to the bottom of technical issues.

Why buy new ea year?

We buy new every year to take advantage of the product innovations.

So, In our case it’s a 4wd Black lounge, 9 pass. We are either in the Pacific NW, Jackson WY, or New England. Obviously 4wd country.

I think the most we have ever sold below our acquisition price, is $14k...but it was the first unit, had 26,000 miles on it and I priced it incorrectly. Sold the first day, he wired in advance and it left 3 days later. Usually it’s +|- $5k except the last AS which sold at a premium because it was a perfect 2017, with 7k miles and 4wd. Probably should have just kept that one. AS NW Adventures service solved every single glitch on that coach and it was the smoothest tracking ASI we’ve ever owned.


Each year when we sell our unit, the new buyer gets a pristine ASI without mechanical or electrical problems and only 7-10k miles on the odometer. As a courtesy I’ll also pass along sales leads (after the unit is sold) to a dealership salesperson from someplace we’ve purchased before.

We all know our vans have less value a year after we own them, but we haven’t “realized” the depreciation yet. In my case, I have no income, I don’t care about the tax implications or my accountant complaining about recapture etc. - we just “realize” our depreciation after the first year (or appreciation) and order a new unit. In the end, we think it costs us less to buy new every single year. But really the choice is driven by product improvements for me.

Hope this extended reply was helpful.

[Meeks]

So, ScottP,

Given the numbers you provided in a previous post it sounds like your own "lease", so to speak, costs about $400 a month. Pretty sweet new rig every year for a sweet price!

Thanks again for the info.

Chris

[NotStock]

What’s wrong with hugging your AI every night?