Damage to 2 Panels and a Seam

[Coloradobus]

Sorry to see the damage. Not a dealer in house repair. Particularly where it is. Have dealer search nationally on other lots to find a similarly optioned unit I know it hurts , but i wouldnt accept that trailer unless JC repaired it

[14tidewater]

You will spend high $100's in diesel fuel to take the trailer to JC (which is quite the hike from Colorado) - I agree with the masses - JC needs to do the body repair. Sorry this happened - but i'd walk (run) from the deal..and demand another unit at the contracted price. It wasn't your fault this occurred. - Remember YOU are the paying customer.

[Escape_Plan]

Do not take delivery of this trailer. Once you "use it this summer" it becomes your problem to fix despite what the dealer is telling you. A $3,000.00 discount plus them fixing it is an insult. That is easily $15,000 worth of damage alone, not to mention the trip to Jackson Center and even then, JC may not be able to get you in for several months. Meanwhile your using camper, out in the elements, with a compromised seam.

I would tell them to order another trailer and get in touch with Airstream, Inc. and make sure they are aware of this dealer caused problem.

I know it's tough to walk away after waiting for the delivery, but you walk away you must. The repair work may well be beyond the dealer's ability to conduct, but they will never tell you that, they have no incentive to and every incentive not to. They will charge Airstream for "warranty work," do a potentially shoddy job, and give you an insulting low discount for absorbing THEIR mistake.

[Boxite]

Yep… THEY screwed up and they want YOU to reduce their pain by taking that trailer off their hands while the insurance will fully reimburse THEM for the damage and YOU will receive previously-damaged, substandard-repaired goods.

[PatLee]

I would NOT accept this trailer. You committed huge sums of money for a factory new/perfect trailer and now the dealer wants you to take a defective unit with significant visible damage and is tempting you to take it for a measly $3K. Boy, does that sound like a dealer to me. I see so many problems with this down the road, literally and figuratively. This is not how you want to begin your 'Airstream Journey.' I would also find a new dealer and re-order.

[Life is a Highway]

This happened to us. However we had paid for it and it was thee back in a week for warranty work that’s when we got the same call Someone backs down the whole side.

Refuse the trailer order another our dealer tried to repair ours it was a panel over a panel looked like heck we ended up having to spend $4k more for a new model no litigation would take the case.

[Joseph Sessa]

Originally Posted by Susie D

Hi, I am new to the forum and Airstream Life! Was hoping to start out on a happier note, but here we go. We are supposed to be picking up our brand new Flying Cloud 27FBB from the dealer tomorrow. We received a phone call today and were told that someone backed it into something at the dealership. So we have 2 panels affected as well as the seam on the driver's side rear bottom corner. My question is, if we were to still go ahead with this purchase, what is the worst case scenario for this type of damage? They are suggesting that we may be able to use it this summer and then bring it back for repair in the fall. They can't really determine the extent of the damage until they take the panels off so I feel like we would be making a blind decision here. Not sure if this is a good idea or not.... Waiting to hear back about what all of our options might be, but I figured a little advice from the veterans here might be helpful. Thank you!

I would not accept. There are enough issues without damage at time of delivery. I have been through this before.

[Escape_Plan]

Upon closer examination of that super high quality photo your dealer sent you, it's three panels damaged, not two. And two of the three are rounded end caps, notoriously difficult to repair properly. And one of those has your corner window in it.

I know it's a gut-wrenching decision, but as I said previously, as have many others here, do not accept this trailer. Your dealer will tell you whatever he thinks you want to hear to get this problem off his hands, don't fall for it. Your Airstream will inevitably get dings, bumps, scratches; but let them be yours.

[uraljohn]

Walk away. Wait for an undamaged trailer. I know you are anxious to start your AS ownership, but this is not a good start. Sorry for your situation.

[Susie D]

Wow, I am so appreciative of the advice that you have all given. I am so happy to be joining such a wonderful community! Once I have an Airstream... I called the dealer this morning to let them know we are NOT taking the trailer. This was after I spoke with someone in Jackson Center. They really couldn't help me, but they were honest about the potential damage etc. and it really sealed the deal for me. I was already there with the comments from yesterday, but I was glad to speak with someone at the factory and they confirmed the huge backlog of people waiting for an Airstream. What I am being offered is a new trailer in August/September and it's the 2023 model so I have to pay $3000 more. I tried talking them down on that figure but it sounds like they won't budge. Costs have gone up, etc. For now, I just confirmed that I could still get my $2000 deposit back if I cancel the whole deal at a later date (if I find something else, etc.) and said go ahead and get it in process.

[Escape_Plan]

Originally Posted by Susie D

W I called the dealer this morning to let them know we are NOT taking the trailer.

That is good news, you will be much happier in the long run even though your wait time just got extended a little.

Thanks for updating everyone.

[wcrockett]

Agree. I think $3000 is a very low estimate. If you are working with Windish RV in Denver I would walk away and start over with the Airstream Dealer in Salt Lake City. I have dealt with both Windish and the dealer in SLC. I zero percent confidence in Windish Airstream service. I live in Denver and I have my trailer serviced in Salt Lake City. If you want I can give you more information about my experiences with offline messaging Apps. So we do not bore everyone else with my opinions on the matter.

[Trons4u]

That's a hard pass. If it were me. I bought a new trailer with no dents, not a new trailer with dents.

[majorairhead]

Originally Posted by Susie D

Wow, I am so appreciative of the advice that you have all given. I am so happy to be joining such a wonderful community! Once I have an Airstream... I called the dealer this morning to let them know we are NOT taking the trailer. This was after I spoke with someone in Jackson Center. They really couldn't help me, but they were honest about the potential damage etc. and it really sealed the deal for me. I was already there with the comments from yesterday, but I was glad to speak with someone at the factory and they confirmed the huge backlog of people waiting for an Airstream. What I am being offered is a new trailer in August/September and it's the 2023 model so I have to pay $3000 more. I tried talking them down on that figure but it sounds like they won't budge. Costs have gone up, etc. For now, I just confirmed that I could still get my $2000 deposit back if I cancel the whole deal at a later date (if I find something else, etc.) and said go ahead and get it in process.

You did the right thing, no doubt in my mind.

[2012FB]

So sorry to hear of the damage. I echo the don't deal with Windish. I have bought 3 from out of state and Windish is 10 minutes away.

You should not have to pay a penalty to get a new unit due to it being damaged at the dealer prior to delivery. Airstreams have a huge markup in the 20+ percent range. Reach back out to Jackson and keep pushing to have the dealer make it right. They should discount it just because you are not going to be able to use it for the summer season.

[Atwebs]

It does sound as if the dealer is trying to work with you. Go, see the damage and make an informed decision face to face. The better your relationship with the dealer the better the chance of having a good solution to this problem.

You have to be comfortable with it. The math here is odd, folks think they should discount you more than the repairs and do them free, and yeah that would be amazing but, realistic? I'd work with them before I wrote the entire trailer off to see what other compensation they might be willing to make. Repaired trailer + discount + ?? -perhaps solar, perhaps an additional warranty of several years, perhaps some other sort of upgrade? Often times compensation can be in something other than just a discount. How about an extended written warranty "if these repairs cause any issues in the next 5 years, we will fix no cost."

If you still aren't comfortable, are they going to offer anything on a 2023 trailer to make up for your lost time? A discount, an upgrade, anything? That would be a good second question to ask.

[thewolffman]

I agree with the Majority. Don't accept the damaged trailer under any condition.

If you think about it they damaged the trailer, accident or not and they are asking you to deal with getting it fixed.
Having been through this once before I can tell you the following:
-It has to be taken to Jackson Center for the best factory level (bucked rivets) repair
-It will probably take 4-6 months before you can get an appointment to get it fixed
-Since you live in Colorado you have to tow it to the factory(1,600 mi) it will probably take four days to get there so that is 3,200 miles so say 320 gal at $5.75 so lets call it $1,900 in fuel, meals another $800, Hotels another $1,200.
-It will probably take another two weeks to get it fixed so you'll have 14 more days of meals and hotels so say another $3,000. So all in about $6,900 in expenses getting there and back. Then what is 21 days of your time worth? Don't forget the risk, things happen on the road.
Don't accept the trailer and ask the Airstream factory Sales department what they can do to help. I would also call Bob Wheeler, the President of Airstream, and express, in a nice way what, your displeasure with the situation is and see what he can do to help. He is a really nice guy.
Good luck!
thewolffman

[Silverminer]

This looks
Bad. I'd walk away.

[mojo]

If you still want a NEW Airstream, take your deposit back from Windish and shop elsewhere. When we lived in CO we tried to deal with Windish but walked away and bought from dealer in Boise ID. Best dealers sell nothing but Airstreams.

[Dingo Girl]

I am so happy you passed on taking the damaged trailer[emoji16][emoji16]