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wagnerda · 04-13-2008, 01:25 PM

Hi again,

Well, we went out today up to our nice beautiful 2006 Bambi which has been over-wintering at our year-around campground here in Maryland...

Last weekend we had a huge windstorm, and to make a long story short and painful --- about a 4 inch diameter tree limb broke off this big huge tree near our campsite and fell about 40~50 feet and as luck would have it clobbered the rear top of the Bambi....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!

(please excuse the loud scream in all caps but that is how I feel right now...)

Anyway, main damage is 2 sections of aluminum skin need replacing, the rear air vent is busted so it is open right to the inside, and the A/C cover is smashed and the cooling fins are all crumpled -- I sure hope the coils are not broken and that it is just bent fins but I don't know.....

So, this will be a trip back to Jackson Center and let them do their magic. And no, I am not a believer in insurance so this will be an out of pocket repair that I know is going to set me back a nice chunk of change, but.... I guess it is all part of the cost of living life.

And yes, before everybody tells me, I know that this is what I get for parking under trees -- but the East Coast is full of trees, and I like my campsite, I've been there 3 years, and now I pay the price... Oh well...

And I know you all like photos, so here are a few.... And I will put some more on after the repairs and I'll bet you cannot tell it was ever scratched...

Best regards, and I think I need another cool one (or 2..) Dave

Boondocker · 04-13-2008, 01:32 PM

Oh man, thats every airstream owners nightmare. So sorry.

2airishuman · 04-13-2008, 01:37 PM

bummer dave!

at least the awning and roof panel were missed.

they can work magic in j/c, but it is gonna be 5k$, as a guess.

was there any water damage INSIDE from the vent?

looks like a great campground.

thanks 4 sharing the silver carnage...

cheers
2air'

overlander63 · 04-13-2008, 01:40 PM

Wow, that sucks.
I'l give it a positive spin for you:
Now is your chance to upgrade to a Fantastic or Maxx-Air vent in place of what was there.

juel · 04-13-2008, 01:43 PM

I feel for you. I know how I felt with just a couple of big dents in my 76 Sovereign. I couldn't stand to go out and even look at it. Now I see that I was lucky. I'm certain JC can make it look good as new. I suspect you have good insurance, which I did not. Good luck and let us see the magic JC does to your trailer. Wonder why no one called to tell you about the damage when it happened?

Mikethefixit · 04-13-2008, 01:45 PM

Dave
Sorry Bout your luck ,as someone said "every Streamers Nightmare" .Come to our part of the world and Im sure JC can fix ya rite up
Thanks for the pics Hate to see that/
Best of luck
Roger

Smokin Camel · 04-13-2008, 01:49 PM

I hope you can post a happy ending after some shop time. It hurts just looking at it.

wagnerda · 04-13-2008, 01:55 PM

Hi again,

Thanks for all the support, I appreciate it... Yes, I will be happy to have it fixed for under $5K (I hope JC isn't reading this...) but I worry the A/C unit will be trashed and if so then I am sure it will be more.

Nope, the campground never called me, they said they did not notice it which I am sure is true because they are nice people - family owned place. One of the family came out today to take a couple pictures and he said they pay around $38K per year just for their tree service to clear any dead limbs from trees so if I ever see a dead limb to tell them. This was a "live" limb that got me so I never noticed it before.

No water damage inside that I can tell, this was right over the bed and it looks fine so I really think it happened just last weekend.

Anyway, I pulled it home so it is in my driveway waiting to go to Jackson Center. I will just do a drop off and let them take their time with it and then go pick it up when done. It is under 500 miles one-way to JC so I will just do a drop off.

Oh well, being retired and on a fixed income I guess this means I will have to shift to Pabst Blue Ribbon for my beer and have Shari shift to Thunderbird instead of Merlot to make up for it.... :-)

byebye & thanks again for the support, Dave

lewster · 04-13-2008, 03:40 PM

Major bummer....Dave!

I feel your pain!

I think that your roof air is shot also. It looks like the upper coils of the condenser are trashed. They need free-flow of refrigerant thru the unit (with the exception of the capillary tubes), and it looks like bend (dent) will not allow for this.

I just replaced one in similar condition as yours on a Newell MoHo, but it was from backing into his garage door that was not fully opened....OOPS!

Hope your insurance covers some of this!

CanoeStream · 04-13-2008, 04:24 PM

Ouch! Sorry this happened!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

Now is your chance to upgrade to a Fantastic or Maxx-Air vent in place of what was there.

A second vote for this. The OEM back vent has many reports of turning bad after just a couple years. See http://www.airforums.com/forums/f455...6-s-37843.html.

CaddyGrn · 04-13-2008, 05:12 PM

Yikes! This is awful.... feelin' the pain....

I hope your sweet A/S can get patched up and back on the road soon! Good luck with the repairs. Go kick the tree for us, ok?

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson

ALANSD · 04-13-2008, 05:33 PM

Mine was toalled by a tree in February...so I really can feel your pain..Best of luck with the insurance, State Farm was very fair to us,

Jaxon · 04-13-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagnerda

Last weekend we had a huge windstorm, and to make a long story short and painful --- about a 4 inch diameter tree limb broke off this big huge tree near our campsite and fell about 40~50 feet and as luck would have it clobbered the rear top of the Bambi.... Dave

I can imagine what that must of felt like when you saw it! Seeing your photos tightens my stomach up.

At least, your first inkling wasn't hearing it happen from inside and a few feet more towards the front. Fixing the Airstream is a lot cheaper than fixing people...

Good luck with the refurb.

TBRich · 04-14-2008, 06:43 PM

Oh, Dave! So sorry to hear this! Ow, ow, ow! You are being very stoic about it...I'd be losing it...yours is the same unit as ours and I would be devastated... Hope it doesn't take too long to fix or too much dinero, either... Good luck and let us know how it goes! :-(

sd90mac · 04-14-2008, 06:54 PM

Dave,

That's really awfull, but at least you and your wife were not in it and injured.

Good luck at JC and let us know what happens.

Marie

kenny2 · 04-14-2008, 06:57 PM

I would recommend that you consider P&S (Helena, Ohio not far from JC)for the repair. I had extensive repair and a clearcoat done two years ago by P&S and was impressed with both the result and the way I was treated.

Jimandrod · 04-14-2008, 06:58 PM

I lived in DC for 27 years and I saw a lot of tree damage over the years - however - seeing it hit an AS really hurts!!!

wagnerda · 04-19-2008, 06:04 PM

Hi everyone,

Just an update....

The Bambi is now back at Jackson Center for the factory service guys to do what they do best... I know it will be back in mint condition when they are finished. I will post a bunch of before and after pics and will bet you can't tell the diff from a brand new one on the lot...

Anyway, although I was really bummed when first discovering the damage, as bad as smashed aluminum is, in the overall scheme of things it really does not matter. Shari is a 2 time cancer survivor and that really puts things into perspective. Any problem in life that you can solve by simply writing a check is not really a problem at all...

best regards, Dave

attached pic is the terraport in Jackson Center waiting for repair: