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geirws · 04-09-2008, 09:34 PM

Sounds like electrolisis to me. I know with aluminun boats you have to insulate between to disimilar metals. And any bolts joining the alumium to metal has to be stainless steel. I guess the newer trailers are built with cheaper aluminum than old ones. And the aluminum body is fastened to the steel frame with steel bolts. And if you get any salt off the road or if you camp near the ocean there's a good chance you will get electrolisis

BamCamper · 04-14-2008, 05:44 PM

Has anyone powder coated the exterior parts (handles, light trim etc.) to prevent corrosion?

(I tried to search this thread but it's so long I got lost somewhere in the middle

)

Al - K4GLU · 04-17-2008, 03:18 PM

Thougth you'd all like to know that this problem now has a new name according to Airstream - Oxygen Cell Corrosion. Whether this is just another name for filliform I couldn't say. Anyway Airstream now claims that the problem is being caused by AIR! Yep, air is getting under the clearcoat and that is what is causing the spider web pattern. No salt, or any other type of material but plain old air. This information was given out at the dealers meeting several weeks ago in AZ - the same meeting that introduced the new Flying Cloud. It was also mentioned that it is not a warranty item as the warranty does not cover corrosion. So I guess this means we should all start keeping our Airstreams in a vacuum!

Airhog1 · 04-17-2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al - K4GLU

Thougth you'd all like to know that this problem now has a new name according to Airstream - Oxygen Cell Corrosion. Whether this is just another name for filliform I couldn't say. Anyway Airstream now claims that the problem is being caused by AIR! Yep, air is getting under the clearcoat and that is what is causing the spider web pattern. No salt, or any other type of material but plain old air. This information was given out at the dealers meeting several weeks ago in AZ - the same meeting that introduced the new Flying Cloud. It was also mentioned that it is not a warranty item as the warranty does not cover corrosion. So I guess this means we should all start keeping our Airstreams in a vacuum!

Correction!

This was not discussed at the dealers meeting...Oxygen Cell Corrosion is what A/S described it as when I called about the problem.

Sorry for any confusion.

G

Westfalia · 04-17-2008, 03:58 PM

Gene, I wonder where and when you got that terminology!

Airhog1 · 04-17-2008, 04:04 PM

I wonder...still waiting on your beltline by the way...glad to see you made it home OK!

G

TIMEMACHINE · 04-17-2008, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airhog1

Correction!

This was not discussed at the dealers meeting...Oxygen Cell Corrosion is what A/S described it as when I called about the problem.

Sorry for any confusion.

G

They can call it whatever they want.....sooner or later it is going to cost them more grief than it costs the owners who have fallen victim to the defect. Just my opinion, not an indictment.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 04-17-2008, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamCamper

Has anyone powder coated the exterior parts (handles, light trim etc.) to prevent corrosion?

(I tried to search this thread but it's so long I got lost somewhere in the middle

)

Hi, powder coating is like paint; Did you mean Anodizing?

markdoane · 04-18-2008, 05:27 AM

Whether they call it oxygen cell corrosion or filiform corrosion makes no difference. Filiform corrosion is a type of oxygen cell corrosion which occurs under an organic coating.

Where the idea came from that it is caused by air is a big mystery. That's pure BS. Either the person you talked to had it wrong, or they are trying to make it sound like a problem that has no solution.

. . . and sometimes technical explanations get 'simplified' to the point where they sound good to the layman, but are 180 degrees from the truth.

Silvertwinkie · 04-20-2008, 08:50 AM

What I am still wondering, regardless of the depth of the BS being thrown around, is what do they plan to do about it? So they found a cause for it, that's great! What can the factory do to assure the folks planning on spending between $25k and $110k, that the new trailer they are just about to buy isn't going to be at as great a risk? Moreover, it sounds to me like the comment about not being covered under warranty seems to make it clear on the company's stance on this. Of course I myself have heard nothing concrete, just what's been put out here on the forum, but I gotta tell you, if the company doesn't step up to the plate and fix this issue, 2Air is right, eventually the word is going to get out to the masses and sales will slow, and looking further, as more folks with units starting at 6 months old and up to a few years older, I can't not see this becoming class action lawsuit at some point. Somewhere, someone with the moxie and bucks is going to start the ball rolling and there will be thousands of us once a customer database is forced to be given out in litigation. Once folks get a mailer and actually look.....

Bottom line is that this is an absolute disgrace. From all indications, this has been an issue since at least 2003 and if I recall correctly, some reports still come in on 2007s. That's FIVE years of this. More than enough time to figure out the cause and a fix. I wonder what any of the auto makers would do if they had this issue and tried to walk away from a warranty claim, let alone a similar situation. Given the fact that the auto makers dwarf Airstream in production numbers is most likely why Airstream hasn't been taken to task on this like the auto makers are regularly, but I am telling you, at some point it's not going to be pretty. I mean really, I put out about $40k for my unit. In a year I started to see this. Is this really the quality product that they said it was? I'll let you all decide that one.

ROBERT CROSS · 04-20-2008, 07:04 PM

S.T.

G.M. HAS bit the bullit on this one. We replace at least a couple alloy wheels

every month under the Factory Warranty.

Why hasn't AS done anything? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Problem,what problem?

We don't got no stink'n problem.

Alcoa's got a problem, it's not our responsibility.

Honest Mom, it's not MY fault, I didn't DO anything!!

ROBERTSUNRUS · 05-30-2008, 12:05 AM

Hi, I haven't heard or read any more stories on corrosion for over a month now; Has the corrosion stopped from spreading on the trailers that have it? has there been any new owners added to this list? Has Airstream done anything for those who complained or is it going to be a court case sometime in the future? Or have we accepted the fact that nothing will be done so we will just have to live with it? Has anyone gone to JC and brought this to their attention face to face, and eye to eye, with an actual show and tell demonstration to get a definitive answer from the makers of this fine product? Inquireing minds would like to know. Nothing new on Paris Hilton or Britney Spears either?

wheel interested · 05-30-2008, 01:03 AM

I have been staying away because it makes me ill to think of it. Can we have a sticky somewhere with exactly how to treat it with what and where to order it from and how exactly in detail. I can't read back no more, it hurts. Someone can make a lot selling corroison repair kits and giving seminars. Maybe we ought to have an Airstream corrossion rally and work on them together.

2airishuman · 05-30-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

... Has anyone gone to JC and brought this to their attention face to face, and eye to eye, with an actual show and tell demonstration to get a definitive answer from the makers...

they've seen it bob

they've treated customers and trailers a variety of ways as the corrosion has spread...

currently they are doing almost NOTHING for trailers and folks with scale, compared to their initial remedies.

with our ability to instantly connect, relay info and help each other, their reaction is retreat.

the new tactic involves blaming it on OXYGEN, while sticking their heads in the ground...

apparently there is no 02 now there and very little corrosion....

hey carol the fix/repair mend is outlined pretty well in about 3-5 posts, so just find those and copy 'em...

i will eventually do a detailed pictorial, but i won't be sticky.

cheers
2air'

Area63 · 05-30-2008, 08:23 PM

All my trailers are vintage, which brings a whole different set of issues. But, I can honestly say that some of my friends and customers have corrosion on their newish trailers so bad that it's simply baffling that there is no help from Airstream. I am talking about trailers that are just a couple of years old, and cost well over 50k when new.
I think it's perfectly ok to charge an appropriate amount of money for a good product, but what I have seen is just terrible. The sad thing is that I have no solution either, which makes me a part of the problem, which I hate.
My wife and I shied away from a new 25ft CCD about 4 years ago due to very poor quality, and the dealers inability to accommodate for it. Didi and I were ready to sign the dotted line....literally.
We went for a complete redo on a 63 Overlander instead, and haven't regretted a moment of it. It's not any cheaper than a new one, but we feel that we got a better deal in quality and overall performance.
I want to express my sympathy, and feel sorry for all that have this problem. It will get worse, and much more difficult to fix than the clear coat issues of the 70's, 80's and early 90's. One of my things on the to do list is to obtain a sizeable chunk of the alcoa material on the new trailers and experiment with it. How to strip, repair, recoat, or polish.

monocoque · 05-30-2008, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Area63

I want to express my sympathy, and feel sorry for all that have this problem. It will get worse, and much more difficult to fix than the clear coat issues of the 70's, 80's and early 90's. One of my things on the to do list is to obtain a sizeable chunk of the alcoa material on the new trailers and experiment with it. How to strip, repair, recoat, or polish.

I want to second the feeling of sympathy for all new owners with corrosion trouble. For your consideration here are some methods of strip, repair, polish that a few of us with earlier models with extremely progressed corrosion have experimented with lately: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f441...ion-42083.html.

TIMEMACHINE · 05-30-2008, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Area63

. But, I can honestly say that some of my friends and customers have corrosion on their newish trailers so bad that it's simply baffling that there is no help from Airstream. It will get worse, and much more difficult to fix than the clear coat issues of the 70's, 80's and early 90's. One of my things on the to do list is to obtain a sizeable chunk of the alcoa material on the new trailers and experiment with it. How to strip, repair, recoat, or polish.

Uwe,

Your help is certainly welcomed, your dedication to our plight is encouraging, a true Airstream dream supporter...THANKS.

crazylev · 05-31-2008, 01:05 PM

Uwe,

We appreciate your candor.

Maybe you could call AS on this. Just tell them that you refuse to knowingly sell a product that is going to deteriorate before it's time, and that the company has refused to address this issue appropriately or at all. I know this sounds drastic, but in the end, you have to ask yourself if this problem is going to be bad enough to drive you crazy or worse.

I think if enough dealers banded together to address AS and this problem, they might get the message. This is a terrible time for anyone who is concerned about the high cost of fuel to think about buying an AS or any other RV for that matter.

As you mentioned, you feel like you may be part of the problem. The first call that new owners of these defective units are going to make is to you.

I think you have a ball in your court.

Jonathan

Al - K4GLU · 06-02-2008, 02:38 PM

A number of people with vintage trailers have posted on here and they all seem to think that their units are immune to the filiform problem.

Don't you believe it!

At Airstream there is a 13 panel trailer sitting out back of the repair shops - I'm not sure what the exact vintage on this is. It has a badge on it saying it is a custom job by David Winnick. I was in Jackson Center several weeks ago and looked this trailer over closely. It has at least 4 places where there is filiform and one of the spots is quarter size if not larger. So while your units might not be as prone as the ones using the new precoated aluminum they can still develop the same problems.

Sorry to bring this bad news but it seems that's all I'm running into lately.

Silvertwinkie · 06-02-2008, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al - K4GLU

A number of people with vintage trailers have posted on here and they all seem to think that their units are immune to the filiform problem.

Don't you believe it!

At Airstream there is a 13 panel trailer sitting out back of the repair shops - I'm not sure what the exact vintage on this is. It has a badge on it saying it is a custom job by David Winnick. I was in Jackson Center several weeks ago and looked this trailer over closely. It has at least 4 places where there is filiform and one of the spots is quarter size if not larger. So while your units might not be as prone as the ones using the new precoated aluminum they can still develop the same problems.

Sorry to bring this bad news but it seems that's all I'm running into lately.

Man, yer just full of good news today...first the Maxxis tires, now this. Next yer gonna tell me Santa Claus is a sham too.