2016 Classic with shades of lemon

[Stfinabi]

i have been considering Airstream for a year; just looked at an Oliver. your input appreciated.

[graysailor]

All of the above will force me to do a thorough walk thru when my 2016 Classic shows up. I do have confidence in my that if something is wrong they will find it or take care of it if I find it. We shall see.

I certainly feel bad for your inconvenience and hope that in the end all issues are resolved.

[pickettmd]

My faith has been shaken! Just bought a barely used 2014 AS Sport, still smells new. We bought from an individual not a dealer and never questioned the quality of the product it's an Airstream after all ! Now I'm not so sure. We have yet to take it on our first outing and I'll be on the look out for water leaks, drainage leaks, electric glitches, propane leaks, latches falling off, and evil gnomes with bad attitudes. My only hope is that since it the smallest and simplest of the AS's there are less pieces to fail.

[m.hony]

The second owner gets a trouble free trailer.
Whatever was gonna happen already happened when the original owner had it. All the bugs are worked out.


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[DHart]

Originally Posted by pattydoug

In '07 & '08 we were seriously looking for a new Airstream and visited 5 different dealers throughout the US looking through new units they had open for display over the 2 years. At every dealer we found units that had numerous easily spotted problems. We were shocked and dismayed. We walked away from our dream of owning a new Airstream and haven't considered one since. To spend the money you spent and then be told you have to ride heard on the dealer or drive to the factory to have things corrected that should have never occurred in the first place, or someone else having 60+ items needing correcting has just reinforced our decision. Your story makes me sick to my stomach for you. Good Luck.

pattydoug... from the looks of it, you seem to still have Airstream on your mind, all these years later.

OP... very sorry to hear of your troubles. I would be frosted, as well, if I were in your shoes. Hopefully you will get it all resolved and these troubles will become a distant memory.

mhony... I'm amazed that you would have 60 fix-it items. That is staggering. Glad you are happy now, but 60 issues to correct??? WOW.

TO offer a counterpoint... we received our 2016 custom ordered 30' Serenity a few weeks ago and have been incredibly impressed that there are no issues to report. We expected better running time with the batteries, but that's not a quality issue or flaw. Our fridge didn't cool as much as we thought it should, but considering the ambient temp inside and outside the coach was 105* and the fridge was empty... we were probably expecting too much in that department, as well.

Every item in our coach runs as expected, fit and finish is excellent. We're on our second trip with it, including 6 continuous days and nights boon docking, and are exceptionally happy with this coach!

So, in our experience, Airstream is churning out well made coaches. Though apparently not every coach receives the best quality work.

Best to hold off signing the final paperwork until the walk-through and corrections are done, just to make sure you get immediate service attention from the dealer - if needed.

[KJRitchie]

The majority of RV industry is plagued with quality control issues. Just look at some of the youTube videos of RVs being assembled. You'd think the Devil was behind them cracking a whip.

I had a Casita before our Airstream. While we enjoyed the trailer it was too small for our long term needs. I've only looked at an Oliver in photos from their website and from users postings. It's too much like a Casita; wet bath, narrow, about the same floor plan just longer with more kitchen counter space, same 4 cu/ft single door fridge. We considered selling our AS and going with a Bigfoot 25 which is all fiberglass. The 25ft model is 2/3 to 1/2 the price of a new AS 25. The biggest drawback on the Bigfoot 25 rear bedroom model was the tiny bath. We even looked at SOBs but can't find anything we like better than our AS. In the end we decided to stop looking and keep our AS. We are planning a queen to twin bed conversion this winter.

Kelvin

[Remax gal]

We took delivery of our 2015 Classic in May and have one a/c that doesn't work, some of the wood trim has come off, leak under kitchen sink and a few other items that were minor. Frustrating? You bet. Piss me off? Oh yes. Would I buy another? I would buy another in a heartbeat! It was disappointing to say the least but we have had such fun that it makes up for the frustration. Absolutely quality control should be better and when it arrives at the dealership, they should spend more time going over everything as well, but we were so excited to get our unit, that I don't believe the dust had even settled from the time the dealer took delivery! My husband and I just decided that life was too short. We got what we wanted and love it to pieces and we'll get the problems squared away when we go for our appointment in October - we just hope and pray the other a/c doesn't crash!! LOL!


Laura & Tom

[twestover]

The reports of the 2016 Classic Lemon are very disconcerting. We have a 2009 Flying Cloud FB 27 and though we have had some issues, most have been small. And the biggest one was paid by Airstream in full, even well past the warranty because it was clearly their fault - long story, taken care of, in the past. But we've been considering getting a new one in a year or two and this makes me wonder if we should just hold on to our older one until things settle down at the factory. I love the idea of the dealer having a fully hook up place for the first night so difficulties can be identified quickly. It seems like a no brainer, now that I read about it. Dah! Wonder if our Airstream NW offers such a thing. It would be so much better to leave a trailer at the dealer to have things fixed than to schlep it back and forth. I will say that we have a friend in our Airstream group who got a new 2016 Classic and I've not heard a peep about things being wrong and it sure is a beauty so sometimes I guess they do come up well. Sending the Jackson Center people to a Lexus plant for a lesson in quality control methods seems like such a good idea. But I wonder if the factory folks read these posts at all. Hmmm.

[m.hony]

I am compiling another list for the next trip to Jackson Center.
The little bar on the front of the cooktop is loose.
The refrigerator light doesn't work.
The Goodyear Marathons have been replaced with LT truck tires.
The "punch list" isn't going to stop me from enjoying my trailer.
It is still better built than our SOB trailer. Its problems caused it to stay at the dwaler more than at home.

[LongShot]

I thought I'd add my 2 cents to this thread as I bought a new 19FC that was manufactured and delivered in March 2015.

Issue #1 - Water under the sink - I had the same thing show up on our first camping trip. This was caused by the dealer not threading the water filter on correctly. Solution: Remove water filter and use plumbers tape to re-attach the original pipe. Problem fixed, no more leaks, and no concerns as we drink bottled water (singles for personal use & jugs for cooking)

Issue #2 - Under-bed storage latch broken - Cheap plastic part was not lined up properly. Solution: $1.99 Home Depot metal latch & 5 minute repair

Issue #3 - A few screws here and there working loose. Solution: I keep a small pack of gel glue in a syringe in the camper; whenever I find a new screw working it's way out, a simple dollop and a quick turn of the appropriate screw driver and it's done. Better to have screws than staples so there's that!

Issue #4: I've found 4 rivet heads on the floor to date; I just collect them. Solution: Next year I'll be driving right by Jackson Center on the way home from a match, I'll book an appointment and drive there for factory service.

All in all, I can't gripe about the QC of my Beastie, yes there have been some small issues. But overall, they are so minor and I have already put over 20K miles on traveling from Florida to Georgia to Oklahoma to Texas to Kansas to Indiana to Michigan to Kentucky - all of which involve some level of off-road driving as the ranges I attend are well off the beaten path that I fully expect to shake a few things loose.

Actually, my biggest gripe is with the dealer; I used their 'electronic' online service request to get the brakes checked. That was on August 8th; and although I did receive the auto-reply that someone would contact me within 24-48 hours, so far, nothing but crickets! I'm currently on the last leg of a multi-city match tour and when I get home, I think I'll forward the auto-response to my sales guy, his boss and of course, a cc to AS. Maybe then, someone will call to schedule an appointment. I think I'll go elsewhere to get the trailer brakes looked at/serviced. It cannot be an exclusive AS thing. FYI: AS dealership located on I4 in Florida, yes that one (good prices, bad everything else).

Good luck with your new AS. I've heard/seen plenty of stories like mine but I have also heard of the occasional horror story. Once you get these issues resolved and you start making your camper yours, all of this will be forgotten.

The thing I've discovered with AS ownership is when you go to add/modify something - it is so well put together that your add-ons are simplified. I recently added a cell-phone booster to help me stay out in the field - I elected to hard-wire my new Drive 4GX unit and encountered no issues accessing the panels, 12-volt wiring, etc. When you start looking deeper, you'll notice the difference.

Best of luck and lots of patience.
G.

[Lily&Me]

You know......I have been on these forums for 6+ years and the factory-issues-that-JC-always-so-graciously-and-thoroughly-resolves was being discussed when I first got here.....and throughout the time since, chronic issues with quality control. .

I thought at the time...what the h--l? I still think that, and why not.

How absurd and utterly ridiculous. They must simply not care.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

And, that said.....I still love my Interstate.


Maggie

[m.hony]

As long as they can get away with it-
As long as people pay stoopid money for a silver trailer-
As long as they are able to manufacture 65 units per week-
We're part of the problem- not the solution-
Boycott Airstream, and quality will improve.
Don't get me wrong, I still love my trailer.
It is what it is. They are plagued with quality issues.
The design is great, but the execution is lacking- poor build quality abounds-
It's like it is all part of the design to put out trailers with problems then have their excellent service department repair them- kinda sorta makes the service department look good-

[Lily&Me]

I completely agree, m.hony.

It seems to be by design.

I'm going to hit the ignore button on this thread, lest I elevate my blood pressure.


Maggie

[rostam]

Nothing improves quality like some competition. How I wish Fleetwood would revive Avion.

[BAB]

Clearly, your dealer dropped the ball by not doing a decent prep, and probably for not telling you that those lights over your sofa are push on/off....and while FOR SURE, the factory failed as well. With regard to your leaky sink issue, be more concerned about the furnace...which is directly underneath the sink cabinetry. If you got water in there (likely), the furnace board may have shorted out. (The awning electronics are behind your microwave or right behind the drawer underneath it.) I've had my Classic for about 6 months now and while I didn't have any huge issues, I've spent around 60 nights in it and it's throughly shaken down. The last shake down was a week ago....after driving on I70 through Indiana (my vote for the WORST roads in the US), the sink actually fell from the countertop. When I got home, I removed the entire Corian countertop and remounted it. Sadly, Airstream had only 4 small clips holding it to the countertop. I reinforced this, as well as used epoxy to enhance the bond of the stainless steel to the underside of the countertop. I've had a few other issues as well -- including failure of one of the accordian blinds in the front of the trailer. Overall, though, the trailer has been great. I do think, though, that if you are NOT handy around the house you'd soon get worn out from trips to the dealer to fix minor -- but irritating -- issues.

[Hiho Silver]

Originally Posted by m.hony

As long as they can get away with it-
As long as people pay stoopid money for a silver trailer-
As long as they are able to manufacture 65 units per week-
We're part of the problem- not the solution-
Boycott Airstream, and quality will improve.
Don't get me wrong, I still love my trailer.
It is what it is. They are plagued with quality issues.
The design is great, but the execution is lacking- poor build quality abounds-
It's like it is all part of the design to put out trailers with problems then have their excellent service department repair them- kinda sorta makes the service department look good-

And of course while you are having warranty work taken care of in JC, I'm guessing some of us have other upgrades, I did. So they probably still come out ahead.


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[Kilo3]

We read horror stories like this one before we bought our first new AS last year. I was worried but our Texas dealer and AS did a great job, because our 2015 FC 27' FB was, and remains, flawless. Everything works. Nothing broke. So, there is hope afterall and you should not be afraid to buy a new one. But as others have pointed out, go thru it very carefully with your dealer before you ever drive off. For those still struggling with issues, just hang in there!

[RareStream]

We are SOOOO glad we didn't jump for the new Classic! We loved the style when we first saw it, and ALMOST pulled the trigger. But, we were lied to by Airstream regarding the humped roof (it was told to us that it would be redesigned for 2016) and we held off buying. At first, we were bummed. But now...proooo-nella!!! We are GLAD they left those unsightly humped monstrosities on each end cap. All these problems (I didn't realize so many had so many problems with their Classics!) have definitely soured us on the Classic style and build quality. Sinks falling off? Air conditioners conking out? Water leaks? No thanks! We are actually even now a bit turned off by the interior. While we LOVED it at first, it definitely does NOT look "campy" in the least; it is more like a lawyer's office. Bleck! We are sorry for those of you (seemingly now most Classic owners!) that are having so many problems, but we are SOOOOO glad we didn't waste sooooooo much money on a big silver canister of lemons!

Thanks sooooo much for this thread!

[Hiho Silver]

Originally Posted by RareStream

We are SOOOO glad we didn't jump for the new Classic! We loved the style when we first saw it, and ALMOST pulled the trigger. But, we were lied to by Airstream regarding the humped roof (it was told to us that it would be redesigned for 2016) and we held off buying. At first, we were bummed. But now...proooo-nella!!! We are GLAD they left those unsightly humped monstrosities on each end cap. All these problems (I didn't realize so many had so many problems with their Classics!) have definitely soured us on the Classic style and build quality. Sinks falling off? Air conditioners conking out? Water leaks? No thanks! We are actually even now a bit turned off by the interior. While we LOVED it at first, it definitely does NOT look "campy" in the least; it is more like a lawyer's office. Bleck! We are sorry for those of you (seemingly now most Classic owners!) that are having so many problems, but we are SOOOOO glad we didn't waste sooooooo much money on a big silver canister of lemons!

Thanks sooooo much for this thread!

Sooo sorry for you that u got sooo turned off to airstream. I love mine


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