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pjshier · 12-22-2018, 05:29 PM

Apparently our secure covered storage is only one of the two. Stopping by today to get some data for a possible converter upgrade, I see the window in the door broken, the metal screening cut, the fabric bug screen ripped, and the welded cross piece that holds the screen door slide for access to the locks from inside is slightly bent. Apparently no access gained to the trailer, no other external or internal damage. Police reports filed, yard owner notified. Relocating to our home tomorrow.

Questions: 1. there are no Airstream dealers in Alaska, so how to get the window replaced? (Alaska Streamers feel free to share your local knowledge of folks that know the species.) Not sure, but it looks like solid rivets may need to be drilled out and replaced.

2. The bent cross piece and cut metal screen - does that mean a whole new screen door?

All insured. Biggest concern is to get all repairs done correctly. Thanks in advance for your condolences and suggestions. Grateful it was not worse. Certainly made us angry. But I consider this a "first-world" problem that has a feasible solution.

Caffeinated · 12-22-2018, 08:02 PM

Well that sucks. Good luck. Maybe call AS at Jackson Center and send them pics and they could tell/send you the right parts?

Mike

dbj216 · 12-22-2018, 08:02 PM

Always bad news to hear about a thief. Maybe the perpetrator is on camera somewhere.

I believe the extent of the damage to your new Airstream warrants a trip to an Airstream shop that does body repair work. It's going to be a hassle for you, but it will get repaired as good as new eventually.

David

AtomicNo13 · 12-22-2018, 08:33 PM

Way cheaper to learn to buck rivet than is a road trip to the factory.
That window start to finish is at most a few hours work. After this, you're ready for anything!
Re screening the door is cake!

cegardner · 12-23-2018, 09:23 AM

If you can ferry your AS to Seattle (Covington) The AS dealer there can repair your unit. They have excellent service. Highly rated repair. Better than factory now. Factory is overwhelmed with repair needs. We have used them. Call the service manager there. He can tell you what can be done and the time frame. They might be able to order parts ahead for the repair

twolanehwy · 12-23-2018, 10:52 AM

Ya mean the criminals are even up in the great white north?
Then there is nowhere to escape anymore.
I'm sorry to read this as I'm sooooo tired of worrying about thiefs.
It's just sad that America has lost it's moral compass.

I just retired to Sierras from 40 years in SF. That place has become the criminals paradise. So far so good up here.
Wish you the best.

pjshier · 12-23-2018, 11:01 AM

Thanks for the replies. Brining the unit home today, and further inspection. Ideas welcome.

Raminc · 12-23-2018, 11:22 AM

pjshire,
I'm a neighbor in Palmer Ak. This kind of thing has been happening more often around the valley than ever. If you need help I would be willing to give you a hand. I'm pretty handy and there's a lot of riveting and metal straightening that I think can be done to save from having to order a new door. Which storage yard was you using? Our Airstream sits outside our bedroom window with a security camera watching. I'd be really pissed if I came home and found her damaged. If you want to pm me I'll give you my phone number so we can talk.

DTCOnyx · 12-23-2018, 12:11 PM

The only problem with AS Northwest (Covington) is the amount of backlogged work queued up at any given time. Just to get awning repair, it took a month. The previous year, we had minor repair work done and the nano sealer; it took 2 months. Just an FYI...

mefly2 · 12-23-2018, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cegardner

If you can ferry your AS to Seattle (Covington) The AS dealer there can repair your unit. They have excellent service. Highly rated repair. Better than factory now. Factory is overwhelmed with repair needs. We have used them. Call the service manager there. He can tell you what can be done and the time frame. They might be able to order parts ahead for the repair

+1 for Airstream Adventures NW in Seattle (Covington) ...

garry · 12-23-2018, 01:44 PM

Not sure about the later models but when I replaced a window I was surprised to find the new window holes did not match and all new rivet holes would have to be drilled some halfway overlapping the old hole.

Since the gasket was still good I repaired the old window with Lexan
probably took me 3 hours start to finish hard part was putting the old window back together.

Kind of a PITA but better than re-drilling and having hundreds of holes.
I did not have the tool to smooth out the bullet rivets but a Dremel tool does a good job if you take your time.

andyherman · 12-23-2018, 05:28 PM

Sorry to hear about your issues. I've found that those "storage" places are anything but secure.

I have a 16' cargo trailer. It was parked next to my AS in a friends driveway. One night the neighbor came over and said "do you know your cargo door is open?" (I had it locked as I had my ATV and a bunch of other stuff in it.

They cut the lock and stole a lot of stuff. So I decided I'd tow it to a new "Safe and Secure" storage lot that just opened. About 2 months after I moved it there, I got a call from the manager saying they thought maybe someone had tried to get into the cargo trailer (I was up on my property @ 70 miles away).

I drove down and when I checked the trailer, the bastards had cut both "security bars" that the locks latch onto. I was pissed and let the "secure" storage people know what I thought - they stated they had no responsibility for any loss or damage.

I had to drive over to Idaho to buy 2 new latching mechanisms since the trailer has a ramp and it would have flopped open if I'd tried to haul it to the dealer.

The reality is, if you have room on your property, anything is probably safer there than at any supposedly secure storage facility.

It was obvious to me that whomever did this had a unit at the storage place as you have to have a key code to get access and it's surrounded by fencing with razor wire on top. Any thief could simply rent a storage unit, then gain access at night (this one is available 24 hours/day) then make the rounds at night to steal whatever they want and lock the loot in their storage unit to retrieve at their leisure.

Fortunately, these a-holes didn't steal anything out of the trailer, though they probably would have if I'd been dumb enough to leave it there - I towed it to my property that same day after I got the replacement parts.

pjshier · 12-24-2018, 11:14 AM

message sent.

pjshier · 12-24-2018, 11:28 AM

A&E Storage on the Parks highway. When I called the police, the arriving officer said "Again?" When I called the storage yard folks - they sheepishly admitted there had been unauthorized entry under a fence at the rear of the property, which they thought they had solved with a snow berm.

We are definitely now working on a solution here at home. The rare subdivision around here with restrictive covenants, so I have to think about how to pull it off without going overboard. Most of the neighbors are in violation under the "no parked RVs, unless..." section. Just don't want to push it. My opinion: an AS in the yard classes-up the joint.

Now, it sits outside our bedroom window with motion lights and two energetic barking dogs. A&E had cameras, too, but my read of the attending officer was that the cameras might help make a case if they stumbled upon the perp in some other way. At the U, I was in charge of the U Police and the system of 500 cameras. 99% of the time they provide a record of what happened. But there is an undeniable prevention effect for those that can read the signs and aren't whacked-out on whatever.

I'll be on the phone later this week checking out parts availability and prices as a baseline for decision-making. The one tricky part i can't see an easy solution for is the thin metal screen panel in the upper screen door. Seeing as it was pretty easily cut out of the way - may not be necessary to replace it if it proves difficult. Still thinking a new screen door shipped here might be covered. More to come. Thanks heaps for the feedback.

AirstreamInc · 12-24-2018, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjshier

Apparently our secure covered storage is only one of the two. Stopping by today to get some data for a possible converter upgrade, I see the window in the door broken, the metal screening cut, the fabric bug screen ripped, and the welded cross piece that holds the screen door slide for access to the locks from inside is slightly bent. Apparently no access gained to the trailer, no other external or internal damage. Police reports filed, yard owner notified. Relocating to our home tomorrow.

Questions: 1. there are no Airstream dealers in Alaska, so how to get the window replaced? (Alaska Streamers feel free to share your local knowledge of folks that know the species.) Not sure, but it looks like solid rivets may need to be drilled out and replaced.

2. The bent cross piece and cut metal screen - does that mean a whole new screen door?

All insured. Biggest concern is to get all repairs done correctly. Thanks in advance for your condolences and suggestions. Grateful it was not worse. Certainly made us angry. But I consider this a "first-world" problem that has a feasible solution.

Hi pjshier,*

We're very sorry to learn about this. If there anything we can do to assist, please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team.

Thank you.*

dbj216 · 12-24-2018, 07:09 PM

It is great that AirstreamInc monitors these Forums and tries to help out folks.

Thank you for doing so.

David

pjshier · 12-26-2018, 09:54 AM

I responded to the tech support folks with the following principle points: looks like there are screws all around the interior of the window frame - maybe an easier fix with just a new glass panel? The upper metal panel that was cut attaches with four screws... looks like an easy fix. Screen replacement looks straightforward, and I even have the tools.

Big question is the bent cross member on the screen door. How to re-shape the bent part without tweaking the screen door....

More to come.

Jimmyg561 · 12-26-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjshier

Thanks for the replies. Brining the unit home today, and further inspection. Ideas welcome.

If you end up doing the repairs yourself, I just learned from nay grandson who just finished his training in the Airforce for Airframe repair, that you file the rivets flat first then center punch them. To avoid going to the next larger size rivet. Just my 2 cents. Good luck

robert claus · 12-26-2018, 11:00 AM

I replaced the pebbled privacy glass in my door years ago with smoked safety glass - I wanted to be able to see out before opening the door. The attachment was totally different then yours, necessitating the removal of a clip at the top and bottom. The glass was flat, but the door was curved. What I found out is that - glass will bend! Getting the top clip in, I was able to bend the glass to where ai was able to then clip the bottom. I just wanted to share this in case you find the same situation when you fit the replacement glass. I guess you could use Lexan, as well, but I preferred to use glass. A local glass shop made up the piece from a cardboard template that I provided to them.

pjshier · 12-27-2018, 05:55 PM

I removed the inner trim ring around the window and gained easy access to the back side of the driven rivets. The concern as mentioned is lining up the holes on the new unit with the existing in the door. I've assisted in airframe panel replacement and seen the same problem - both are hand made units and bound to vary without VERY careful CNC and jigs. I wonder if I can get one without holes pre-drilled? Cost is $530 plus shipping.

Closer inspection finds the screen door tweaked enough that I don't know about getting it back in shape. New door is just short of a grand. Mounts with pull rivets, just like the original.