Is there any advantage in getting the AC installed by the Factory (vs dealership)?

[knight-rider]

Hello friends - my dealership called me today and said someone backed out on their Basecamp 20X offer. It has everything I need except the AC and microwave. My question - if they install AC and microwave, is it exactly same as how Factory would have installed it? The AC unit comes with heat strip and everything. Is there any advantage of having the AC and microwave installed by the factory? The dealership is saying it's exactly same as getting these things installed from the factory. But it'll be great to have a second opinion from the experts on this forum.

My lead time would decrease dramatically if I buy this unit. The current projection is around September/October. But now I can have the unit in March.

[Prettygood]

Really tough call. I would stick with the factory install later this year unless there was a significant increase in the discount on the other, enough to cover the install of both items and a discount on top.

[GetawA-S]

If you trust your dealership, and they assure you the parts and warranty are the same as a factory install, I would not have a problem with it. The lower dealer cost for the available unit without those options offsets their shop time - there’s no magic going on here.
The dealer shop does the same work for replacing failed units - they have the experience. I assume there’s no A/C ducting or special wiring to be added, so it should just be a matter of popping out the vent and putting in the A/C. They may even let you have the old vent to augment your garage clutter, if they don’t have a use for it.
As you say, the main advantage is having the trailer for Spring/Summer trips.
Happy travels, whatever you decide!

[knight-rider]

Thank you both! I'm not paying anything more for the AC as my deal already includes AC. The dealer is willing to reduce the price on Solar by $600. My deal didn't include Solar but the unit has one.

The dealer will cover warranty, just like Factory installed warranty. He said there is no ducting in Basecamp, and wiring is covered as part of labor. My only concern at this point is on the quality of installation, and if I would compromise on any feature by not having the AC installed by the factory.

[SilverFire]

Dealer installation makes more sense. Your in WA. The factory is in OH. AC installation no big deal. We have read posts of factory AC installations coming out of BC due to 4 bolt installation failure. If any issues your dealer is closer to remedy too. Any AS dealer with a decent service department is capable of securing and sealing the AC unit securely in place IMO.

[PirateChris]

I agree with Silverfire. This IS NOT OPEN HEART SURGURY. In many cases, the local dealer mechanic is older and had has more experience than the 22 yr old Jackson employee who is poorly supervised and in many cases poorly trained....The Airstream quality issues are not "accidents". The root cause is training and supervision of installation. Further, they are NEVER held accountable for their sloppy installation, because it goes back to the selling dealer for resolution in almost every case.

Get it done locally and save yourself 4,000 miles of round trip driving.

[Wazbro]

I would expect the wiring to already be installed, this is completely different from adding a second AC.

Ask if the drain line for AC is preinstalled or will be installed, otherwise you might have the condensation water running down the side of your trailer.

I don't know if the Basecamp 20X have a separate thermostat or just go with the one on the AC.

Other then these three possibilities there is not much to an AC install.

[knight-rider]

Originally Posted by Wazbro

I would expect the wiring to already be installed, this is completely different from adding a second AC.

Ask if the drain line for AC is preinstalled or will be installed, otherwise you might have the condensation water running down the side of your trailer.

I don't know if the Basecamp 20X have a separate thermostat or just go with the one on the AC.

Other then these three possibilities there is not much to an AC install.

Thanks Wazbro! Great point on the AC drain line. I called AS tech support and also dealership. Nobody knows if the AC drain line is pre-installed. The dealership said they won't be able to install AC for the factory price ($1200) because they don't know what's wired/ducted/drained and what's not. So we decided to get the unit as-is without AC. I'll figure out how to install. We live in PNW, and we can live without AC for a season, so I have some time figure it out. As others mentioned, it should be doable. But it surprises me that even AS tech team doesn't know if there is a pre-installed drain pipe or I don't know if the person I spoke with was not motivated enough to find out the information!

[Ultraclassic]

Originally Posted by knight-rider

Thank you both! I'm not paying anything more for the AC as my deal already includes AC. The dealer is willing to reduce the price on Solar by $600. My deal didn't include Solar but the unit has one.

The dealer will cover warranty, just like Factory installed warranty. He said there is no ducting in Basecamp, and wiring is covered as part of labor. My only concern at this point is on the quality of installation, and if I would compromise on any feature by not having the AC installed by the factory.

A qualified Dealer is a qualified Dealer...they would be the same as the factory "service team". if is a big box dealer that has some AS to sell on the side....then maybe not