Damage repair at Jackson Center

[trichef1]

Unfortunately, i damaged my 2023 25 ft International. Nothing too major but it does need to get fixed. I’m planning to bring it to the “mother ship” in Jackson Center for the repair. It’s about 600 miles from home so it’s a reasonable drive and well worth it to get the repair done correctly. The earliest date they could get me on the schedule is 3/6/23 which is putting a damper on our planned Spring travel.
My question is: does anyone have a contact name I could reach out to directly in Jackson Center and maybe get a date sooner? I’ve been dealing with Josh Copeland via email. He has been nice enough but I can’t help believing that i may be able to get a date sooner than 4 months out if I speak to the right person directly.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[Hans627]

Actually I'm a bit surprised the wait is only 4 months. I would really be surprised if that could be improved regardless of who you talk to.

When I had my body work done at JC the wait time was about 4 months. Well worth the wait though as it was fixed like new.

Perhaps you could make the trip to JC part of your spring camping schedule?

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

You could always drop it off with them and see if they can get it sooner, though it would require a round trip. Don’t know if you wanted to stay on site while the repair is completed

[jeffmc306]

I called last week and got a June 13 date - it was the earliest they had available. Like Hans627 said, I’m surprised you got in that quickly. We’re planning to add some camping time to the trip on the way home.

Good luck with your plans!

[s1000pre]

I made an appointment 3 months ago for next May.

[trichef1]

Thanks all for “level setting” my expectations on the 3/6 date.
I’ll be driving it there from western North Carolina (near Asheville) and leaving it for the repairs (about 600 miles each way). I’ll drive back out when the repairs are completed and try to add a few nights stay somewhere on the way back home.
Any suggestions on where to stay within a few hours of Jackson Center and in the direction of western NC?

[PatLee]

I would want to take my new rig to JC as well but I understand that Colonial Airstream does excellent work on damaged Airstreams. You might want to give them a call to see if you could get an earlier repair date.

[dugster]

You indicated it is not severe damage. They can probably give you an estimate of time it will be in shop. Most body work is not all that long at the factory. If it is from 1-3 days, I would just stay in a local motel. There are 2 in town and many just north in Lima. That should best traveling home just to turn around & return to JC.

[dkdouglas]

I would call JC and talk about dropping it off and having them fit in as possible. I was able to do that but it was about a month for everything to get completed. That meant I did the 2500 mile round trip twice and paid dearly for diesel. But they fit me in and the work was top notch!

[Mikebrady62]

Originally Posted by BigSxyWhtGuy

You could always drop it off with them and see if they can get it sooner, though it would require a round trip. Don’t know if you wanted to stay on site while the repair is completed

I was just told I could winterize mine and drop it off in January. They had a few open appointments in January February and March.
If I wanted to wait on it (1-2 days) it would be in June.
I have a June 12th appointment now.

[mbubbaca]

The used to go to guy was Arti Presser who recently retired. IMHO, A trip to the mothership is worth it for repairs. I am the 3rd owner of my Safari. I took it to JC for running gear check on the way back from a caravan. They found a lot of things that needed to be fixed that had been done by very recommended repair shops in NC. They brought my Safari up to airstream specs . Yes the labor rate is higher than most other shops but the men who worked on my Safari had a combined 30+ years of AS experience. It was done right and without shortcuts. I had a body panel replaced and they brought out several for my wife to see and be sure we were satisfied with the match. That’s special effort to match 22 year old aluminum. They did and let us inspect the install before they buttoned it up. Your mileage may vary. My experience may not be yours but I feel a lot better after JC serviced my AS.

[PatLee]

I always stay at the Holiday Inn in Wapakoneta which is a bit cleaner / nicer than the Best Western there. BTW - if the repair is only going to take a couple of days, why not stay until it's done? There's a lot to do in JC now i.e. the new factory is open to tours (I think); the museum is open, too. Wapokaneta has a couple of good restaurants - Maria's Fire Grill (or something like that) and right down the street, another restaurant - "Rail" something - a sign with a train on it marks the spot.

[pmclemore]

I had always made the 600-mile trip from VA to Jackson Center. This time I decided to give the new dealer just north of Richmond a try to repair my blowout damage.

Delighted that I did - repair came in less than expected and repairs were completed in one day - I had made an appointment last month.

I would recommend giving them a shot; I was pleased with the facilities, the people, and my mechanic.

Pat

[bweybright]

Originally Posted by PatLee

I always stay at the Holiday Inn in Wapakoneta which is a bit cleaner / nicer than the Best Western there. BTW - if the repair is only going to take a couple of days, why not stay until it's done? There's a lot to do in JC now i.e. the new factory is open to tours (I think); the museum is open, too. Wapokaneta has a couple of good restaurants - Maria's Fire Grill (or something like that) and right down the street, another restaurant - "Rail" something - a sign with a train on it marks the spot.

Nice to know. I will be there for a few days next May, looking for day stuff to do. I always like the bike museum.... Maybe the National Park and biking north towards Cleveland if anyone has any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

[azflycaster]

The Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton is an hour away and well worth the trip. We visited it again this year (3rd visit) and was not disappointed.

[fltlevel510]

We have used P & S Trailer Service in Northern Ohio several times. They have provided us with excellent service. Depending on the damage to your Airstream you will probably be able to stay in your Airstream each evening. Here is a link:

https://www.pandstrailerservice.com