Deal breaker??

[CamperCat58]

Hi,


We are looking at a 2019 Classic 30 on a local dealers lot. It's new, but I believe it's been shown a few times with all the various systems up and running. It's clearly had foot traffic, and I know it was taken to a local Airstream gathering where it was open for display for at least a few hours over a couple of days.


Anyway, besides some little nits that we feel we could live with so long as the dealer addresses them prior to purchase, we have one area of concern with the trailer that is giving us considerable pause. I didn't really see anything on the forums in a quick check that seemed to address the particular issue.


The first time my husband viewed the trailer, he had the salesman unlock the outdoor shower compartment. When he did, it was full of water, and the water was still under pressure and spraying out. The salesman said someone evidently left the pump running and said he'd have it checked out.


The next time we saw the trailer was about 3 weeks later, and we went together. I reminded my husband to check the outdoor shower again while I was looking over the interior. Once again, the compartment was full of water. Not under pressure, but still full of water.


The Classic has the stainless steel outdoor shower compartment. Our question is, if we have them replace either the interior components that have been affected (the back side of the lock has rust on it, and the rust has discolored the clear shower knobs), or replace the entire shower compartment before we agree to purchase, what are the chances that this issue has caused water infiltration behind the compartment into the walls or the wood flooring base?


It looks like we could purchase the trailer for about 26% off the MSRP. We would insist that all visible problems are fixed before we purchase.



Assuming that's a decent price, we don't want to pass up the trailer if the outdoor shower problem is an easy fix and not liable to cause hidden issues. But then again, we are patient and could probably wait until next May. We would prefer to buy new (but end of model year in order to get a better price) because I'm allergic to animal dander, and so many folks take their furbabies on the road.


Thanks in advance for any advice you can give us!

[Paprika]

I'd be very wary. At minimum, I'd have them remove the shower compartment, and then while it was off, I'd personally inspect the interior with a strong flashlight and an inspection mirror. Better still, use a borescope--you can get one for fifty bucks or less that transmits video to your smartphone or tablet--and run it down inside the wall so you can get a good look at the floor.

If there's any sign of wetness, walk away. A rig that has been sitting on a dealer's lot for weeks with water leaking inside (if that's the case) is going be a major expense/hassle to repair.

[A W Warn]

Assuming the trailer has not been titled, you would be the first owner therefore have a full warranty for three years beginning the day you purchase . Anything that does not perform properly is an item that should be repaired under warranty. No cost to you.

You can find the warranty on page 3-2 in the owners manual.
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...s-Manual-1.pdf

[wulfraat]

That is such a minor issue that is easily corrected. The lock costs $5 bucks to replace. That is sealed compartment designed not to leak inside the trailer, rather, shed water out under the exterior shower door.

26% off MSRP is an excellent deal. I wouldn't hesitate.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

At this time of year, the factory normally has a discount on "old" trailers still in stock. A discount of roughly 25% is pretty typical right now as a result. ( = it's a good deal, but not unusually great).

The outdoor shower should not drain back into the trailer. Equally, it should not fill up with water. Pulling the assembly to check on this is not all that crazy. There are neat little "bore scope" cameras that will let you look into areas like that.

Opening it up probably needed anyway. One would *guess* the leak is at the connections to the faucets. The only way to check / fix them is to pull things apart.

One interesting feature on the Classic is an overpressure relief valve. It will trigger if the water pressure goes over about 65 PSI. That protects things like valves from damage due to high pressure. The guess would be that whatever the issue is, it did not come from high pressure.

On a trailer that has been on display for a while, people twisting faucets is not unusual. Yes, that should be checked for *before* you turn on the pump / hook up the city water.

As noted above, you get a three year warranty on the whole trailer. If the issue is documented, anything that arises from it should be covered down the road. At least to me, this isn't a deal breaker. It certainly should be addressed by the dealer. It might be worth a few more dollars off the price.

Given how long it may have been sitting, I'd be more concerned about what shape the batteries are in. They are warrantied by the battery manufacturer rather than by Airstream. If they are damaged, getting the dealer to replace them (with the correct brand and model) still might be a good idea.

Bob

[Alumaholic]

Isolate the cause.
Assess the damage.
Have dealer guarantee to fix it properly.
Make a best an final offer at 30 per cent less than MSRP.
Be prepared to walk away.
Purchase a 28 footer instead

[PaulR-GA]

Go for it!

We had the same issue on our '19 30 Classic and the cause was simply that the door didn't have the proper sealing and draining notches so rain water was being trapped inside rather than draining out of the bottom properly.

The compartment was replaced under warranty by the dealer and we haven't look back since. I think it was a 2hr job.

[CamperCat58]

Thanks to everyone for the input on our shower compartment question!


I think we will try and get the dealer to replace it and let us see what it looks like behind the compartment (if we purchase) since the water was spraying out under pressure the first time we opened the compartment and we have no idea how long it was sitting locked up that way. Even with a 3 year warranty, I don't know if we'd be able to tell if there was a problem with mold or floor decking within the warranty period.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The only way to get water spraying out is:

1) The fresh water tank is filled and the pump is running

2) The trailer is hooked to a "city water" supply

Both situations pretty much never happen when a trailer is on normal display. If it's the fresh water tank, the pump gets noticed pretty quickly (the noise is very obvious), so that probably is unlikely even if it is hooked up.

The only *likely* situation would be during a pre-delivery inspection of the trailer or when specific work was being done on the trailer. It's actually a bit surprising that water was hooked up when you saw the trailer.

Bob

[CamperCat58]

My husband saw it when he viewed the trailer the first time without me. He said water poured out of the compartment when it was opened that first time, and continued to spray out after the accumulated water had drained. He says the water was definitely pressurized (it sprayed the salesman), but did not appear to be coming out of the shower head.



The salesman said someone must have left the pump on, so I assume it was coming from the tank. The second time we looked at the trailer, I again was not there when it was opened, but my husband said it was full of water that drained out when it was opened, though it did not continue to spray out after it drained.



It seemed very weird to us that it would be full of water a second time (after the salesman was aware that it had accumulated water before), thus our confusion and hesitation.

[Rocinante]

No, a thousand times no. I’d be finding another unit because I wouldn’t want to be dealing with the issue of where this water has been venturing throughout the innards of the trailer while the dealer seems to have ignored the problem. Your wallet, your decision, but I’d be running away from that unit as fast as my feet would carry me.