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tlcoftc · 06-11-2018, 06:43 AM

We have a 2016. We have to take in after almost every trip to have the shades repaired. Frustrating. Good Luck

TheHoff · 06-17-2018, 10:01 AM

The rear power screen just died on a recent trip. After extensive trouble shooting with my engineer son, it was apparent the controlling circuit board in the motor unit was not responding. This was followed by 2 hours on the internet where I learned these motor failures are common, the units are not consumer serviceable , AS will not do a recall, and with 13 such units on my AS Interstate, the two motor failures I have had so far ( one rear screen and one window shade) are not uncommon and more should be expected. Relative to the rear power screen, I ordered a custom made manual screen from Metroscreen Works (Genius Cascade vertical pull down retractable window screen-surface instillation model). Cost was $225 with shipping and I had the unit in 7 days. Instillation time was 15 min to get the original defective unit out and an easy 45 min to install the new unit. It works perfectly and now I don’t have to worry about loss of the screen on a trip-end of issue. The one drawback is that you have to be outside the unit to pull it down-a very tiny price to pay to insure it is operational. I’m sure the $225 is a tiny fraction of what it would cost to take the unit to the dealer , pay for parts and labor for replacement, and then get it home . (It is out of warranty) . I would have replaced all shades with manual models, but after careful inspection, one would have to take all of the inside side panels off to do the job-may yet be in my future.

Haasman · 06-17-2018, 03:26 PM

Our 2016 Interstate has had five "power shade" repairs. It has 11,000 miles on it. Our warranty expires this July.

I spoke to our local Airstream service manager (2.5 hours away) and he said "No Airstream has no interest in replacing the power shades with a manual one"

My friend an ex District Attorney says that Lemon Laws do apply to RVs here in California ......

Haasman

M4 Aviation · 06-30-2018, 08:53 AM

Well, decided to tackle the mid shade issue today (It's been in the down position for 8 months). I removed the screws in the overhead cabinet that hold the wall panel in place. HOW IN THE WORLD do you get the entire panel out without removing the upper cabinets or the kitchen galley? Picture attached. I think I will need to remove the upper cabinets. I see no other way. Possibly removing the aft panel first and then sliding the mid panel aft and out?? Hoping someone else has removed it or has seen what the shop does. If no replies, I'll call Airstream service on Monday....

FYI, I was able to see that the little white plastic clip that holds the wires away from the shade was not stuck to the side wall and the wires seem to be wound up in the shade... I have been putting off securing all of the shade wires for 18 months. Got to do that.

Boxster1971 · 06-30-2018, 09:24 AM

I did the reverse when recently installing a set of cellular shades in the middle and forward windows on driver side. It is tricky - but I remember loosening the mid and front trim pieces. Then was able to slip shades in through space in narrow opening created by moving trim out after disconnecting them at top. I didn't have to remove the upper cabinets.

Good luck!

Keithkleinmd · 07-01-2018, 12:44 AM

So I called my dealer about an inoperative shade when I picked up my new 2018 AI. I made an appointment and asked if they didn't have the parts, could they pre-order as by now everyone knows this is a big problem and they must know what to do. They of course, said no, they have to "analyze" the problem and it could take more than a week to fix and made it sound like this was the first they ever heard of this issue!
I had already asked if they could send me a missing window screen that was not on the right rear window when I took delivery and they said I had to bring it in and would not ship me this small very lighweight window screen.
So I have to take a day off from work and bring it to the dealer, not sure if they will even have it fixed in one week.
I should have known the service department was not up to snuff when I asked if they had a connection hose to fill the AI propane tank from a portable tank and they said I needed a propane pump to do that. I knew that was a very dangerous suggestion, and they obviously knew very little about handling propane, differential heating and positioning to do the transfer.
So I will give them one shot at this for one week and if no go, I will take it to another AI dealer, or just live with the defective shade.

Boom23 · 07-01-2018, 02:21 PM

All I have to say is that people (potential Airstream customers) read all this...

If Airstream does not do anything to remedy these problems, one day they will wonder why their RVs are not selling the way they used to. Brand loyalty is created by having a good product and by treating the customers well.

I hope Airstream wakes up and sees reality soon. There are many RV companies around...

glrosenbaum · 07-02-2018, 05:35 AM

I have a 2016 AI GT EXT and started this stream back around the first of the year.
It took several trips to the Airstream dealer but they finally fixed all my day and night shades. Yes it was a pain traveling 100 + miles each time but they eventually got it fixed. It seems that it depends on the tech who works on the vehicle in addition to airstream corporate providing new motors and parts to get the job done right. They had to remove all the panels to get to the motors to properly fix it. As one friend who saw the photos of the interior of the unit under repair said “looks like a grizzly was in there!”.
Be patient and as long as your unit is under warranty you can get it fixed. If you wait till after warranty good luck. I think the dealer charged airstream around $3,000 in labor.
Now that I have had my unit for over 8 months (I bought it preowned from the dealer with only 5,500 miles and 8 hrs on gen) and all the bugs are worked out my wife and I are loving it and heading out for a month long trip out west and looking forward to a trouble free adventure!

Haasman · 07-02-2018, 08:36 PM

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......dealer charged airstream around $3,000 in labor.

Wouldn't seem much more sensible for Airstream to offer customers a manual shade replacement than these expensive and seemingly continuous power shade repairs?

Haasman

AirstreamInc · 07-03-2018, 09:40 AM

Hi Keithkleinmd,

We're very sorry to learn about the issues with your 2018 Interstate. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

bob323 · 07-03-2018, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirstreamInc

Hi Keithkleinmd,

We're very sorry to learn about the issues with your 2018 Interstate. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

Airstream, how about issuing a recall for those of us who spent megabucks for the Interstate with power shades only to have to haul it back to the dealer for power shade repair every other time we take it on a trip! This is getting OLD and I'm running out of patience!

bob323 · 08-25-2018, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob323

Airstream, how about issuing a recall for those of us who spent megabucks for the Interstate with power shades only to have to haul it back to the dealer for power shade repair every other time we take it on a trip! This is getting OLD and I'm running out of patience!

Airstream, are you listening? Is there going to be a recall on the power shades? Is there an alternative solution under development that can be retrofitted to 2017 Grand Tour? Thx.

Haasman · 08-27-2018, 10:22 AM

bob323

It is amazing there is no response from AirStream.

We just back from a week-long trip. 3 shades failed. Ones that have been repaired multiple times before.

Our warranty ends this month.

We are hoping that Airstream does the right thing here.

Haasman

AirstreamInc · 08-27-2018, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haasman

bob323

It is amazing there is no response from AirStream.

We just back from a week-long trip. 3 shades failed. Ones that have been repaired multiple times before.

Our warranty ends this month.

We are hoping that Airstream does the right thing here.

Haasman

Hi Haasman,

We're sorry to hear about the issue you are having with your shades. If you are not already in contact with a representative, please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

Mansderm161 · 08-27-2018, 05:50 PM

It would be nice if there was some kind of explanation about what is going on with these shades. I just had mine fixed at jackson center, but they don't know why they act up? After fixing and replacing what sounds like 100's, u would think they could figure out a permanent fix

Alex AVI · 08-27-2018, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mansderm161

It would be nice if there was some kind of explanation about what is going on with these shades. I just had mine fixed at jackson center, but they don't know why they act up? After fixing and replacing what sounds like 100's, u would think they could figure out a permanent fix

MANSDERM161 - I think they know why they act up. But figuring out a permanent fix would require a complete change in amount of labor time spent to wire our rigs. A mentality that says 'wiring is not worth the expensive labor time for routing properly because customer won't see it' in the long term costs them a lot more than if they spent more time to secure wiring harnesses. Below are 3 examples (interior & underchassis) that have come loose that are within inches of moving/hot parts, one right next to the drive shaft, another next to exhaust, another inside sharp edges of driver seat swivel base (wires related to airbag deploy sensors). The 4th pic is of the powershade wiring. I am not claiming all powershade problems will disappear with neatly routed wiring that will not catch the power shades during motion. But given how lax they are with these, it is logical that a high percentage of problems can be prevented by paying close attention to wiring practices.

bob323 · 08-28-2018, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haasman

bob323

It is amazing there is no response from AirStream.

We just back from a week-long trip. 3 shades failed. Ones that have been repaired multiple times before.

Our warranty ends this month.

We are hoping that Airstream does the right thing here.

Haasman

I'm sure it's a pain to have to take your rig back to the Airstream dealership/service center (in my case it's a full-day event), but at lease be sure that you report, and they record, the issues before your warranty expires!

bob323 · 08-28-2018, 07:17 AM

I agree 100% about the wiring issue! Most of the shade failures I've had were due to the shade itself getting tangled up in the 'spaghetti' wiring. And even the repaired shades are a mess, as there isn't a wiring channel/conduit to contain and protect the wires! In fact, in my case the shade wires are sticky-taped to the sub-surface underneath the panels which, during the hot summer weather, become unsecured due to glue failure resulting in free-hanging wiring just waiting to get entangled! What a mess!

I would GLADLY replace all my power shades with manual ones - it'd save Airstream on-going repair costs and me my sanity! I've gotten to the point now that I'm afraid to raise/lower them for fear that they'll fail again. As such, I travel with the sun screens down but the privacy screens up ALL THE TIME!

If ever I trade my Interstate for a new rig, you can bet that a purchase criteria on the top of my list will be a detailed understanding of how well the manufacturer has engineered/installed the wiring from both protection AND access perspectives!

BobMcD82 · 09-06-2018, 02:49 PM

Have experienced this same issue and has been repaired at dealer. Will see if the repair lasts.

Alex AVI · 09-06-2018, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob323

I As such, I travel with the sun screens down but the privacy screens up ALL THE TIME!

BOB23 - This is an excellent tip for everyone. I also have done the same from Day1. For one thing it helps with inside temps. With regards to wiring, if sunshade is down, then there is zero chance night privacy shades can tangle with wiring. I only raise sunshade if I get complain or request from passengers. When I do, I only raise them 3/4 up. That way, the last 1/4 which contains the track-bar has no chance of tangling the wires when it normally retracts to its final resting limit or also when it exits from that area to come down. That is the danger zone of entanglement. By taking this minor change in mode of use, you minimize powershades issues a great deal. It is such a big PITA to do but my goal this winter is to re-wire all connectors with miniature ones and change the limits on the sunshades to only go 3/4 up. I dread the hours/days I need to accomplish such an easy task, but it is a good winter inside coach project