Visit our Popular Forums

az-streamer · 08-16-2009, 07:17 PM

friends,

as a week-end project i decided to replace the "old" [a 2005 22'] "corroded" exterior rear plastic light covers.

imagine my surprise when i found out that the left cover was held on by 3 screws and the right one by 4 screws.

apparently the 4-hole set-up is correct since the replacment covers each had 4 holes.

out came the drill and using the old pieces as template i had to drill a new set of holes for each of the left side covers.

so - my 15 minute project took almost 2 hours as i sweated the details and made sure not to make any mistakes.

is it only me or are things very strange in the mfg department?

let that be a lesson to all of us - look before you renovate

az-streamer

ps.

wahoonc · 08-16-2009, 08:38 PM

Must have been putting that 3 screwed one in just prior to break

or the end of the day. When the quitting whistle sounds it ARE TIME TO GO!

Or they changed suppliers mid stream. IMHO Airstream QC is an oxymoron, they used decent materials but still fall prey to the human error factor.

Aaron

mello mike · 08-16-2009, 08:39 PM

Great work. The license plate light looks terrific. What did you use to shine it?

BTW, I'm just a few miles west of you, down the Carefree Hwy in Desert Hills.

az-streamer · 08-17-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello mike

Great work. The license plate light looks terrific. What did you use to shine it?

mello mike,

thanks. didn't shine it at all. this is how the new one looks right out of the box.

altho i guess i will have to make sure it looks nice now that i'm doing some projects.

az-streamer

HowieE · 08-17-2009, 03:08 PM

Are you saying that license plate light was on a 2005 or a 1965 trailer? parked under salt water should not do that in 4 years.

az-streamer · 08-17-2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wahoonc

Must have been putting that 3 screwed one in just prior to break

or the end of the day. When the quitting whistle sounds it ARE TIME TO GO!

Or they changed suppliers mid stream. IMHO Airstream QC is an oxymoron, they used decent materials but still fall prey to the human error factor.
Aaron

yeah, i'm still really puzzled. 3 on one side, 4 on the other. and these were factory drilled and installed.

made me run outside to take another look at my wheels

. okay - 2 on each side - whew.

you might be right about QC. glad i bought used instead of paying top dollar for new.

az-streamer

CanoeStream · 08-17-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by az-streamer

mello mike,

thanks. didn't shine it at all. this is how the new one looks right out of the box.

altho i guess i will have to make sure it looks nice now that i'm doing some projects.

az-streamer

Does a magnet attract to it? Then it's only nickeled steel -- very rust prone. That sez it all as far as my experience with this part. With or without seashore exposure -- although worse-for-wear if it has spent any moment seaside or being transported on salted northern roads in the winter.

az-streamer, you have me wondering if there's a different guy on the right & left sides of the line as the unit is being pulled together just before rollout. The rough openings were exactly the same?

az-streamer · 08-17-2009, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HowieE

Are you saying that license plate light was on a 2005 or a 1965 trailer? parked under salt water should not do that in 4 years.

howieE,

yep, its a 2005 but it spent 05 to present in the Cape Cod area so there was plently of heat, salt and humidity.

now that its here in AZ i've taken 2 of 3 out of the equation. all that remains is the extreme heat. hope the piece lasts longer.

az-streamer

az-streamer · 08-17-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

az-streamer, you have me wondering if there's a different guy on the right & left sides of the line as the unit is being pulled together just before rollout. The rough openings were exactly the same?

the rough openings in the shell were rough and i could not tell if they were similar. i did not change out the large metal housings, only the chromed plastic covers.

the 3 holes in the metal housing on the left looked as "official" as the 4 on the right. as did the holes in the original plastic light housings.

then, the replacement parts - which came from the factory - only had the 4 holes. go figure

.

az -streamer

ROBERTSUNRUS · 08-18-2009, 01:21 AM

Hi, my 2005 Safari has the rust prone license light too. I replaced it once, but I'm sure it will be a, every few years, maintainence item. As for the three screws in the cheap plastic tail-light bezel, that is what came on my trailer, but later Airstream changed to the four screw bezel. I'm trying to find something in stainless steel. The only one I found so far is ugly.

hookedonclassic · 08-18-2009, 06:51 AM

Not trying to mis-direct this thread but I noticed the screws to the light lenses on my AS looked rusted. I'm replacing screws today with stainless steel screws. Metric thread - M5.

az-streamer · 08-18-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

As for the three screws in the cheap plastic tail-light bezel, that is what came on my trailer, but later Airstream changed to the four screw bezel....

robertsun,

thanks for the info. but why did they decide to do the change-over in the middle of working on MY AS

.

oh well, it could have been worse. i could have had the 3 screwhole setup on all 4 of the mounts. then i would have had to re-drill 4 sets of holes.

az-streamer

mello mike · 08-18-2009, 12:46 PM

az-streamer, where did you buy your license plate light assembly and how much was it?

az-streamer · 08-19-2009, 10:41 AM

mello mike,

i bought the pcs from orangewood rv on bell rd in surprise az.

the license plate assy included the metal housing, white license plate holder, bulb socket with wires and foam spacer was $65.

i only changed out the metal cover since the other pcs were okay. figured i'd save the other items until i really needed them. no sense doing unnecessary electrical work.

az-streamer

InsideOut · 08-19-2009, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello mike

where did you buy your license plate light assembly and how much was it?

Check these out too:

Exterior Lights...this one looks the same and only $32.99.

Sorry az-streamer, but gotta save a fellow forum member $$ whenever possible~

Shari

CanoeStream · 08-19-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookedonclassic

Not trying to mis-direct this thread but I noticed the screws to the light lenses on my AS looked rusted. I'm replacing screws today with stainless steel screws. Metric thread - M5.

Rich, this is a well documented issue and many have done the stainless (metric) changeover. I couldn't find the same length when I did mine but there was plenty of depth inside the light assembly to take a screw 0.5cm longer.

A buddy with a 2008 had those screws bedded in a bit of caulk where the head meets the lens. Earlier units saw a lot of condensation inside the teardrop shaped lens. Lewster & silvertwinkie have posted how-to's involving using O-rings instead of caulk. So I used O-rings when I did the screw replacement with mine.

az-streamer · 08-19-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Sorry az-streamer, but gotta save a fellow forum member $$ whenever possible~

Shari

shari,

thanks for the info. you're right about saving $$$$. my wife and i forsee plenty of projects ahead.

i'll keep this source on file.

do you know if these parts are from AS or are they from an aftermarket supplier? I'm trying to keep my AS as "original" as possible.

az-streamer

ROBERTSUNRUS · 08-22-2009, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, my 2005 Safari has the rust prone license light too. I replaced it once, but I'm sure it will be a, every few years, maintainence item. As for the three screws in the cheap plastic tail-light bezel, that is what came on my trailer, but later Airstream changed to the four screw bezel. I'm trying to find something in stainless steel. The only one I found so far is ugly.

Hi, after more searching, I found some stainless steel bezels that look pretty good. [in the picture anyhow] After I get them and install them, if they work out as planned, I will post of pictures of the finished product.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 09-10-2009, 10:59 PM

Hi, today I received my new stainless steel tail light bezels. They are not as fancy as the hooded plastic bezels that came from the factory, but they won't rust or corrode. I determined that the grade of stainless steel is good because my magnet won't stick to them. Because they came with tiny stainless steel screws that screw into the rubber grommets, I had to buy new grommets. With the exception of the corrosion spots on the cast aluminum housings, that won't easily clean up, I think it still looks good.