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turk123 · 01-12-2019, 12:33 PM

My wife & I are a bit concerned about the finish on our new Classic 30. This is an image of the bottom (looking up) of the rear bedroom rear cabinet. The wood in the darker area is rough and the finish is not correct. I had a retired cabinet maker look at it (she happens to live in the campground we are at) and she said the stain is there (walnut over cherry) but the finish lacquer was not applied right.

Should I go ahead and maybe sand with steel wool and try to apply a clear finish to the whole bottom? If so, what product should I use?

Mansderm161 · 01-12-2019, 12:42 PM

I'd go to Jackson center

turk123 · 01-12-2019, 12:56 PM

I sent an email to John in customer support to see what they recommend. I also ask him how they would repair this and if I can do the procedure without voiding the warranty if it turns out bad.

I'm not opposed to minor repairs if the repair is done the correct way.

Lily&Me · 01-12-2019, 01:19 PM

Brand new, I wouldn’t touch it.

And that is a really big flaw.

Ours had some warped lower doors, and we insisted Airstream replace them.

They should do that for you.

Maggie

AtomicNo13 · 01-12-2019, 01:28 PM

Once again lack of quality oversight! Was the trailer assembled in the dark? Perhaps by a blind person?

Come on... Step up the quality! This stuff is not only embarrassing, but totally absurd!

r carl · 01-12-2019, 01:46 PM

Was it there when you bought it from the dealer?

majorairhead · 01-12-2019, 03:32 PM

I wouldn't touch it. I'd make Airstream fix it right.

I'd like to do a training for the assembly people at the Airstream factory.....assuming this was installed new like that. I'd start with 'hey, if you see a part that's messed up, don't install it'.

turk123 · 01-12-2019, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r carl

Was it there when you bought it from the dealer?

We did not see it until we left Florida. We did notice that either the dealer or Airstream used touchup pencils to cover small scratches. Overall I would rate the quality of the cabinets as just average. The company Airstream uses is nearby and supplies all the classic cabinets.

We have a cabinet door in the bathroom that has a top edge (right below sink) that did not get enough stain and finish also. It appears real light as if it got scratched. Its edge grain didn't take enough stain.

Lily&Me · 01-12-2019, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I wouldn't touch it. I'd make Airstream fix it right.

I'd like to do a training for the assembly people at the Airstream factory.....assuming this was installed new like that. I'd start with 'hey, if you see a part that's messed up, don't install it'.

One wouldn’t see an issue like this in your average walk thru inspection...who bends over to look underneath cabinets.

If this were simply a training issue, the quality control problems would have long since been resolved.

Allowing shoddy workmanship off the assembly line and delivered to dealerships has been part and parcel of Airstream for at least as long as AirForums has been around.

Some dealerships seem to correct problems, but we know from posts here that many others do not, and this is another one of them.

If JC wanted to do a better job, they would, and that’s all there is to it. They haven’t, because they choose not to.

There seems to be a disincentive to improving quality control.

There has got to be a big business in getting people to dealerships and/or JC for warranty work.

Maggie

turk123 · 01-12-2019, 08:48 PM

I know some of you are quick to jump on the quality issue, but I am satisfied with the Classic that I received. It has had its faults, but I've corrected most of them myself. You have to when all the way across the county!. Airstream has a lot on its plate lately with the new factory being built. I'm sure that management is being stretched to the limit with available time. Can they perform like Elon Musk? Probably not, but I bet there are some long days being put in by workers and management and on top of that, Airstream is being pushed by their dealers to get the product out.

Is this a valid excuse? Probably not, but I'm gonna roll with the flow knowing I have a 3-year warranty and it will eventually get fixed properly. In my experience, Airstream has never turned away from correcting a problem they caused. In fact, when I took my previous trailer to JC, they corrected issues I didn't even know about. Let see Forest River do that!

PatLee · 01-13-2019, 04:57 PM

Turk123 - Because this is a spanking new Airstream, I would definitely take it back to the factory. I see you reside in Ohio, so that would be possible, yes? My bet would be that they would replace the entire cabinet to make you 'whole.'

PatLee · 01-13-2019, 05:14 PM

One more note to Turk123 - I agree with you regarding the Airstream workers knocking themselves out to correct defects (but you do need to return your AS to the factory to see that happen). And I found them very knowledgeable when it came to determining root cause and correcting the problem with the right solution. I was also very impressed by 'my guy' who installed the new Reese on my rig (left my hitch at home) and did all the things I could ever have hoped for with his proper installation - something that did NOT happen at the dealership where I bought my AS with hitch; or at the rally where I bought my second hitch.
If AS management would urge their workers to think about "quality at the source", coupled with developing a relationship with these suppliers, time and money (and quality of life) would be improved all around. The conversation would go like this: "Hey, this last shipment of 30 cabinets had 10 we couldn't use because of flaws. If you don't improve this reject rate in next 3 months, we're going to source our cabinets from someone else." I think this would incentivize Mr. Cabinet Maker to improve his product so he could stay on the AS gravy train.

kendrick.l.j · 01-13-2019, 06:00 PM

Hi Turk, after you talk with John in JC and hear what he suggests or offers. Take lots of pictures then and only then I would suggest to take a cabinet door off and go to HD or Lowe’s or somewhere and see about matching the stain. Maybe John and get the name of the stain from the cabinet people and you could probably do it yourself in a few hours but it would be a messy job. Dust is going to go everywhere. I know how much time you’ve already invested in your AS fixing this shouldn’t be too difficult.
I had the very same issue in my bathroom that you do. I was able to lightly sand that little edge and dabbed a bit of stain on it and then put a very thin coat of polyurethane sealant on it and I don’t think anyone would be able to see that it wasn’t factory done. Heck, I can’t tell.
But back to your under cabinet issues, it’s a much bigger job than just a few drops of stain so talk to John first. Maybe you can add it to a punch list if you have one started. Dragging it to a dealer or JC just for this may not be worth it.

63air · 01-15-2019, 06:30 PM

Just curious but what has been inside this cabinet. I have been a professional wood finisher and restorer for 55 years and I can't tell for sure but from your picture but it looks a lot like a spill from inside that has soaked through. Is that a possibility? If not ,shame on the person that let this go by. This is not a do it yourself project to fix unless you are very experienced and have access to the right materials.

turk123 · 01-15-2019, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 63air

Just curious but what has been inside this cabinet. I have been a professional wood finisher and restorer for 55 years and I can't tell for sure but from your picture but it looks a lot like a spill from inside that has soaked through. Is that a possibility? If not ,shame on the person that let this go by. This is not a do it yourself project to fix unless you are very experienced and have access to the right materials.

I don't see any stains inside and I didn't spill anything. It almost looks like maybe oil was on the surface when they tried to put the final coat on and it didn't stick.

BAB · 01-16-2019, 05:23 PM

Maybe Airstream has changed their supplier, but all of the cherry cabinetry in my ’15 Classic was outsourced. I met the owner of the company at Alumapalooza in 2016. Really nice guy (oddly, he’d never seen his cabinetry in a finished trailer!) When the ’15’s came out there were enormous delivery delays -- all due to the cabinetry. There were Classics sitting everywhere outside the factory waiting for their cherry cabinets. He told me that they were overwhelmed with the demand and had fallen way behind. Were I you, I would have the cabinet replaced. I’m willing to undertake almost any repair in my Classic, but refinishing the woodwork isn’t one of them.

turk123 · 01-21-2019, 11:42 AM

I talked with Airstream JC today and they said I could try to fix it myself if I liked. It would not void the warranty and if it didn't work out, they would replace the floor of the cabinet or the whole cabinet. Problem is, they did not know what kind of stain or finish it has. They obviously do not repair them at the factory, just replace.

Made an appointment for August.

kittmaster · 01-21-2019, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

August.

By choice or by queue?

turk123 · 01-21-2019, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittmaster

By choice or by queue?

By choice! We just won't be back before that!

Chris in service said they would replace the cabinet. He is also going to look at our two doors (main & Screen) to fix their closing problems.

And well, whatever else fails before that time.

kittmaster · 01-21-2019, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turk123

By choice! We just won't be back before that!

Chris in service said they would replace the cabinet. He is also going to look at our two doors (main & Screen) to fix their closing problems.

And well, whatever else fails before that time.

Good lord.....I'm expecting to pick mine up in March.....these type of threads just make me cringe.