2003 International AS

[Pahaska]

I just uncovered a serious design problem involving the refrigerator.

I fired up the fridge on electric about 8:30 yesterday morning with a blue-ice cold pack and a big pitcher of ice inside. By 11:30, it was below 45 inside and cooling nicely.

About noon, I opened the trailer door which overlaps about half of the refrigerator vent openings. When I came back from the grocery store at 4:30, the inside fridge temp was back up in the high 50s.

I closed the trailer door and rechecked the fridge about 8pm. The fridge was in the low 40s. An hour later, it was in the 30s

There is a large muffin fan that moves air over the coils based on a temperature sensor. That fan is alnost entirely behind the opened trailer door. My theory is that the hot air is trapped and just keeps recirculating behind the trailer door. Perhaps the fan needs to be moved off center to work better.

This is a serious flaw. A fridge that will easily freeze food on a high 90s day with the trailer door closed, can not stay safely cold on a mid-80s day with the trailer door open.

I need to report this to Airstream.

[InsideOut]

There was some discussion of this same problem at our last rally. The concensus was that there are two main issues here:

1) The "in" & "out" vents (shown in your picture) are too close together to get good circulation.
2) The fact that they are both on the vertical face doesn't allow the heat to rise & escape.

The bottomline "opinion" was that it was poor design. One of the members had already written in to Airstream & complained...maybe some more letters would confirm the problem and result in a change.

Shari

[sbernasconi9]

Hi folks. Im currently looking to buy a vintage airstream as my very first. Im not at a point where I can buy one of these new ones but have been admiring them from afar. Im a designer myself and am so amazed at the ingenuity of everyone here. People come up with some really great ways to alter or customize their trailers. I am though , really disappointed in the manufaturer for not doing a better job of quality control. Surely, when making such an important change as a new trailer model, one would think AS would thoroughly test for defects. New models in any device often need adjusting here and there. But when you spend that kind of money, it would be nice not to have to work on things to get it right. As for the AS vs the CCD, I love them both. The CCD and its smooth modern finishes and large windows is my favorite but I have to admit that the AS has a better layout. The galley layout is quite innovative. The desk in the CCD is nice but the space could probobly be better used and the dinette already provides a writing/computer surface. Regardless of which model you have, they are both beautiful. I am green with envy. Keep us posted on how they work for you. Now all I have to do is find that vintage trailer to adopt.

[InsideOut]

sbernasconi9 ~

I agree...the simplicity of a vintage trailer aleviates many of the problems with the "convienences" of a newer one Fewer things fix...you just get to go on a goose chase to fix 'em ~ everytime!

Good Luck on your search


Shari

[jcanavera]

Originally posted by InsideOut
There was some discussion of this same problem at our last rally. The concensus was that there are two main issues here:

1) The "in" & "out" vents (shown in your picture) are too close together to get good circulation.
2) The fact that they are both on the vertical face doesn't allow the heat to rise & escape.
Shari

I think the problem mostly lies with the position of the door. I owned a Hi-Lo travel trailer for 14 years with a very similar layout of the vents (other than the door) and got very good performance from the fridge. The fact that closing the door improved the performance pretty much explains the problem. Interesting to see that they have included an exterior fan to attempt to increase the air flow.

Jack

[Pahaska]

The fan runs off a temperature sensor on the piping at the top of the fridge, at the end of the finned portion. It apparently doesn't take much heat to set it off since this morning I turned off the fridge at the campground and drove for 45 minutes and the fan was still merrily running when I dropped the trailer off at storage.

The fridge cools beautifully as long as the trailer door is closed. I usually have to turn it down to between 1 and 2 to keep from freezing things.

I think I may first try moving the fan to the left, out of the shadow of the door and see if that helps. Since the fan runs constantly when the fridge is on, I may just put in some aluminum baffles to improve the airflow over the fins.

[Pahaska]

Originally posted by sbernasconi9
The desk in the CCD is nice but the space could probobly be better used and the dinette already provides a writing/computer surface.

Since I modified the dressing table in my AS, I find that it is a great place to write or to use my laptop computer. I can sit comfortably on the edge of the bed and have a panoramic view through the front windows while I work. There are 3 drawers and a large cabinet underneath, so it is almost like the CCD desk. There is also a phone jack and AC outlet under the table.

As the trailer came from the factory, there was no way to comfortably use that table. I cut off the light colored area in the photo. below, removed the laminate with a heat gun, and laminated the cut edge.

[Pahaska]

I got tired of constantly pushing the dinette seat cushions back in place everytime I got up. The cushions are fabric and rest on a slippery plywood surface so that they slip out of place very easily.

I bought a kit of industrial-grade velcro at Sams. The tapes are about 1 1/2" wide and the hook strip is very rough. I applied strips of velcro hooks the length of the front and rear edges of the plywood. The hooks don't grab the fabric at all, but they are plenty rough enough to prevent slippage.

The cushions stay in place very nicely now. Just a little thing, but one more aggravation has been solved.

[Pahaska]

I have found that the wiring diagrams and some other info supplied in the manual have to be taken with a grain of salt.

When I had my lazy-Susan pantry removed, I found an unused connector in the extreme rear of the trailer, where the body harness connects to the ceiling harness. There were 3 4-pin connectors on the body harness and only two were connected to the ceiling harness. There was no corresponding connector on the ceiling harness.

Checking color codes, I found that the wires were for the Fantastic Fan thermostats. The ceiling harness diagram indicates that there should have been a connector for these wires. Obviously, the thermostats in my trailer had been wired directly to the fans.

Also, the manual states that the ceiling and body harneses connect "near the middle of the trailer". This is not true. The connection is behind the pantry at the extreme curb side rear of the trailer.

The AC wiring diagram shows a non-existant outlet. The ceiling harness shows a non-existant 12v outlet and TV connection in the bedroom. The TV booster is shown as being in the bedroom while it is really over the refrigerator.

The manual also states that there are shock absorbers on the axles and shows a pictorial of shocks. Not true.

I suspect that many of the manual pages were a poor cut and paste job from the manuals for other models.

[jcanavera]

Originally posted by Pahaska

The manual also states that there are shock absorbers on the axles and shows a pictorial of shocks. Not true.

John,
Surely you jest....there are shocks aren't there??? Is it the location where you question? I didn't think they would cut corners that closely to eliminate that feature. Even my Safari has shocks. You can see them when you look into the wheel well behind the tires.

Jack

[Pahaska]

No, there are no shocks. I looked again. There doesn't even appear to be any room for shocks behind the wheels as the frame is quite close to the tire. I'm not sure shocks are really needed with the rubber suspension anyway.

[Pahaska]

The bathroom fan (as in every other trailer I have ever owned) sounded like a jet taking off. This would apply equally to the CCD which has the same fan. Simple to fix, but why doesn't Airstream do it.

I simply cut the black wire from the switch to the motor and spliced in a 10 ohm wirewound resistor (less than $2 for 2 at Radio Shack). I used crimp connectors (red) and tied the resistor to the white wire with wire ties. Current is low enough that the resistor will not get hot.

Close the plug in the washbowl and the toilet seat before starting because you are sure to drop at least one screw.

Here is a photo of the final wiring.

[Pahaska]

While I have had some complaints, I love the trailer and I have not found anything I can't address myself.

I just received 2 private messages from some folks who bought an International AS and have so many problems tht it took 2 messages just to list them. I encouraged them to post the list here. It is unbelievable that AS allowed a trailer to be shipped in the condition that theirs was in and unbelievable that a dealer would let it off the lot in that condition.

[Pahaska]

I made two slotted guides out of rock maple and cut two windows out of Lexan. In normal use, the windows pass without touching. I placed two industrial-strength Velcro spots facing when the windows are closed. Before moving the trailer, a slight push on the outer pane causes the Velcro spots to lock together for travel.

The rock maple was salvaged from the pedals of a defunct theater-type electronic organ that I built some 35 years ago. I was able to use the original curved portion after planing the wood down to 3/4". The finish on the curved top is still the original polyutethane The edges of the guides are painted aqua in keeping with the southwestern theme I am developing in the trailer.

[Pahaska]

I got tired of things falling out every time I opened the door after moving the trailer.

I cut the plastic edging in half that I had removed from the spice rack (previous post) and glued the halves to the two shelves.

I then took a scrap of the Lexan from the spice rack fix and made a front for the bottom shelf which I pop-riveted in place with big-head rivets. The photo below shows the completed bottom shelf.

[Pahaska]

My wife complained that she never knew how long she was sleeping in. She wanted a glow-in-the-dark digital clocl, but I don't think that kind of clock fits the decor.

I had printed the parts catalog and I knew that there was nothing inside the bedroom wall. I traced around the clock and used my spiral-cut tool to cut out the plywood circle. The clock is held in place by a finned ribber collar.

I used industrial-strength velcro on the clock back to secure the battery against travel vibration.

[gwsullivan]

John Irwin, I like your idea of quieting down the bathroom fan. I think my Safari has the same fan. Do you recall the power rating of the resistor you used?
Thanks for your help,
Jerry

[Pahaska]

The one I used is a 10 watt wirewound. It is the only ones in that range that my nearby Radio Shack had. They come 2 to a card; I used one for the stove hood, so I just went ahead and used the other one for the bath fan. About 5 to 10 ohms works pretty well to quiet the fan.

[rbyrnesanmateo]

Pahaska wrote: -While I have had some complaints, I love the trailer and I have not found anything I can't address myself.

I just received 2 private messages from some folks who bought an International AS and have so many problems tht it took 2 messages just to list them. I encouraged them to post the list here. It is unbelievable that AS allowed a trailer to be shipped in the condition that theirs was in and unbelievable that a dealer would let it off the lot in that condition.-

Hi John,

Well, as per your request, I'm posting my "laundry list" on this board. We purchased our 2002 Airstream International AS in May of this year. It was built in February, and we purchased it at an RV show in Pleasanton from Toscano RV out of Los Banos, CA. Walking in the trailer and looking around, we fell in love with the floor plan and the size of the unit. I have to admit that we did not inspect the trailer from tip to toe, we expected the dealer to do that upon delivery. In any case we are not new to RV'ing, we've owned a tent trailer for years, and had ONE problem in all that time!

Well, we've had the trailer for three months now, and these are the problems that we've encountered since we've made our purchase:

1. Crack in the Formica on the left side of the refrigerator
2. Bump in the counter to the right side of the stove
3. Formica is de-laminating all around the unit
4. Screws falling out and not holding – stripped
5. Bedroom wall partition is falling down due to the fact that the screws are stripped and popping out of the wall
6. Screws stripped out on the dining table clips – we cannot use the dining table as a booth
7. Faucet drips continuously
8. Excessive caulk all throughout the bathroom
9. Transition from shower to living space is sloppy and uneven
10. Screws are missing throughout the unit
11. Sawdust is continuously falling out of the speakers – when we arrive at our destination, I can guarantee an excess amount of sawdust all around the counters
12. Missing lens cover in under-storage area
13. The countertop does not overhang the cabinet upon entryway
14. Formica edges were not finished – they are rough throughout the unit and are coming free along the edges or chipping, they are hazardous to small children
15. Water leak from rain comes in through the stove hood
16. Bedroom closet door latch is missing screws
17. Bedroom drawers fly open during transport
18. The lower front exterior trim is scratched
19. The exhaust fan over the stove was wired BACKWARDS
20. Gouges in base of the bathroom floor pan
21. Bathroom medicine cabinet flies open during transport
22. Inside damper broken
23. Upon delivery, the right tail light was mis-wired, my husband fixed it at the dealer
24. Missing shelves in the bathroom medicine chest
25. Formica is now completely free from the wall to the right of the sink, and buckling
26. Refrigerator sometimes works – too much or not enough, we think that this is a design flaw with the placement of the door and how it opens onto the unit
27. Husband found a pair of live (12volt) wires underneath the lazy-susan pantry, we discovered them to be continuously hot – another hazard. My husband has since capped them off.
28. We’ve recently lost the leveling bubble in the electric jack
29. We are not sure if our unit should have front stabilizers or not – it seems that many units from other companies have front stabilizers, as well as the older units
30. Fabric has dirty handprints where it was installed over the bedroom area, and is now coming loose along the seams
31. Water heater did not re-fire up after the propane tank was switched over
- Whew!
There are many more problems to list, and it seems that every time we take the trailer out on a weekend trip, we come across more problems, however, we feel that these are the most unacceptable of the bunch.
Yesterday we stopped at Manteca RV and spoke with a dealer there, who stated that if our unit had been sent to him, he would have returned it back to the factory.

It is rather frustrating to think that we may have to do without the RV that we saved for and dreamed about while it sits in a shop for any duration of time, especially while we continue to make payments on the unit.

Anyway, we'd like to hear from other owners to find out if you are experiencing some similar troubles...and how you've managed to resolve them with Airstream.

Thanks!

[Airstream Scottie]

I'm also a potential buyer of the new Int'l series but like the CCD model, my first rv
I have heard a lot about the swaying probs when being passed by buses and hvy trux
Have you had any probs at all with your unit?
I can't tell from the pic if you have an anti sway hitch

Additionally the minor probs you encountered are a bit off putting