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Belbein · 11-04-2014, 02:08 PM

Anybody had a good trust-worthy experience with an RV shop in Atlanta area working on your AS? I've got some warranty stuff that needs to be done, and the dealer that I trust--PECO--just told me that they won't work on Airstreams, and refused an explanation. So I'm looking for a place that I can trust not to sqrue me.

Extra points if you have had anyone work on the interior aluminum and not completely screw it up.

Extra-extra points if you've had warranty work done and done the invoice-and-reimbursement dance and can tell me about it.

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dkrug · 11-04-2014, 02:17 PM

I will repeat what I answered in one of your other threads. Ford dealers don't do work on Chevy vehicles. Find an Airstream dealer and look at it as a camping trip.

Protagonist · 11-04-2014, 02:18 PM

Refer to my answer on the "HELP! Warranty Work by..." thread before you delve too far into this. If Georgia is one of those states that forbids third-party warrnaty repairs, you may want to cut PECO some slack; it may not be their fault.

AWCHIEF · 11-04-2014, 02:34 PM

Yikes, three threads with the same question.

Jim & Susan · 11-04-2014, 02:54 PM

Man, you gotta love Peco RV. I worked down the street from them for about 5 years. I musta bought a shopping cart full of stuff from them for my old '73 a few years back. Great folks and a really nice stock of parts.

I don't know of anybody in the Atlanta area that I would recommend to work on your 'Stream for warranty work. There hasn't been a dealer around here for several years. Camping World off of I-575 in Woodstock was a dealer for a while, but they gave it up after the great flood a few years back (in other words, don't take that as an endorsement). There was a place up near White Water in Marietta (on Cobb Parkway?), that was a dealer for a while, that I've seen some good posts here abouts, but they are no longer a dealer either.

I will strongly recommend Out Of Doors Mart in Colfax, N.C. They are a long standing Airstream Dealer with a great reputation here on the forums. About a one day drive from the Atlanta area. Maybe you could drop it off and come back in a couple weeks and pick it up?

Just curious why you don't want to return it to the dealer that you purchased it from, just too many miles from here to there?

I live on the south-side if you want to talk on the phone. PM me if interested.

Jim

Belbein · 11-04-2014, 06:18 PM

Protagonist: Georgia is not a no-third-party-repairs state. I didn't know there were any left. I'm not quite sure how LA gets away with it. Seems like a restraint of trade. Someone should call the FTC.

Anyway, I'm not blaming PECO at all. I think there's another dynamic here. But that's mere speculation at this point.

Belbein · 11-04-2014, 06:24 PM

I guess if I have to return to the dealer I bought it from--8 hours one way, down in Tampa--I will. It's just a shock that after doing pre-purchase research, and after talking to both my local trusted repair shop and Airstream before I bought, that now I find that they both misrepresented the truth and that now I have to drive a full day each way to get warranty work done. If this turns out to truly be the case, I would certainly not recommend that anyone more than 100 miles from an Airstream dealer buy one under warranty. I can't figure out if I'm more upset or more p---ed off. Probably a lot more of the former today and a lot more of the latter tomorrow.

Belbein · 11-04-2014, 06:26 PM

No, Awchief, they were all different questions. You gotta read, my silver brother.

SteveSueMac · 11-04-2014, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Belbein

I guess if I have to return to the dealer I bought it from--8 hours one way, down in Tampa--I will. It's just a shock that after doing pre-purchase research, and after talking to both my local trusted repair shop and Airstream before I bought, that now I find that they both misrepresented the truth and that now I have to drive a full day each way to get warranty work done. If this turns out to truly be the case, I would certainly not recommend that anyone more than 100 miles from an Airstream dealer buy one under warranty. I can't figure out if I'm more upset or more p---ed off. Probably a lot more of the former today and a lot more of the latter tomorrow.

You seem upset and I'm sorry for that. A suggestion offered to help - you're likely going to bundle all your warranty work as you build a punch list. Maybe you go once each year during your 2-year warranty period. If so - just try to make a camping trip out of it. The mothership is about 500 miles from Atlanta. Schedule the repairs appointment and take a few days off. Have fun with it. I've come to love driving that trailer around so much, I'm LOOKING for opportunities to do it!

Maybe I should open a business driving people's trailers to the mothership for service :-)

Seriously - it's not as convenient as you hoped - but it's another excuse to go camping and see the country - isn't that why you have it?

Good luck!

Belbein · 11-05-2014, 07:31 AM

SteveSueMac: I was upset, all right. It's not really about convenience: it's that I did the research before I bought and was basically lied to by everyone in the mix. That really hacks me off.

However, I've now calmed down and accepted that this is just another way of the Universe testing my ability to be accepting and of good humor and to give me some practice with patience--OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-GDI!-OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. We have been bundling up little things into a punch list. And I have prety much reached the conclusion you suggested: make a trip to the dealer or to the Mother Ship once a year during our warranty. It just wasn't what we planned, based on our research and that just really p------Ommmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmm...

ALANSD · 11-05-2014, 07:55 AM

Three Way Campers in Marietta was an Airstream dealer for years and still has knowledgeable staff

Tater · 11-05-2014, 08:06 AM

Take it to JD Sanders in Alachua, Fl for the work. I use them for all AS work and very satisfied. Will save you about 3 hours travel time.

westernjeep401 · 11-05-2014, 09:22 AM

The closest to us is 225 miles away, so, like everything else, I perform my own repairs. In the case of "as delivered" problems when we got it home the first time, I took pictures, sent an e-mail invoice-style, and requested AS send the parts.

They did.

m.hony · 11-05-2014, 10:31 AM

Sometimes the dealer won't have the parts on hand and will want you to leave the trailer.
That is why I chose to take my trailer to Jackson Center for warranty work. I kept a running "punch list" for the 2 years and then took it to Jackson Center. They fixed everything to better than new in 3 days and didn't charge one cent. The closest dealer is 5 hours away and wanted me to leave the trailer- 20 hours by the time I make 2 trips and I don't have my trailer for 2 or more weeks. I can't imagine not having my trailer to camp.
The whole experience of staying in the Terraport, touring the factory, and touring New Breman and Dayton was cool.