Newbie looking for perspective on issues

[jameskuzman]

One more thought about dealers and the PDI process.

I don't know how many dealers do this, but Colonial encourages new customers to set up at their facility and spend a night getting to know their new trailers and testing out all of the systems. The next morning, they're right there to answer questions and take care of any repairs.

I find value in that service.

Jim

[Mike1997]

Dream Stream........while your problems with the new rig are unfortunate, its not uncommon across the whole RV industry. Several years ago, my cousin bought a new Bluebird motorhome for about $300,000. The first year, it stayed in the shop longer than at their home. Before the warranty ran out they demanded it be replaced under the Florida Lemmon Law and won their case.

The replacement unit had less than 500 miles and even it suffered problems with the tag axle. This is exactly why I have never bought a new RV. All of mine were low mileage and well cared for by the previous owner. Never had serious problems and I love my Airstream....taking it to Alaska next year if we can cross the border. Good luck with your new rig.

[AbbyA]

Regarding the issue of how far away your dealer is—we found out by accident that there is a mobile RV repair in our area that can do Airstream warranty work. They get authorizations from the dealer about an hour from us. Ask your dealer if they have anyone. You never know. We have had wonderful experiences with the mobile outfit.

[Jan01]

We too, have a 2020 Globetrotter FB. And we have had our share of problems as well.
1. Ceiling leak.
2. Propane valves on the refrigerator weren't working.
3. Hot water heater not working. (Had to take the airstream back to dealer 4 different times.)
4. Furnace sail switch failed. (This happened while we were skiing! Luckily we brought a small space heater.)
5. Batteries failed and were replaced.

All of these things happened on different trips. Of the 8 trips we took, 7 trips had an issue. Needless to say we were very frustrated. We think we now have all the kinks worked out. I feel the quality control should be better. If anything- some of the issues most likely could have been discovered if the trailer had been properly prepared by the dealership. Being a newbie, we "didn't know what we didn't know." If we were to purchase another new trailer, we would have done things differently. That being said, we really believe all the kinks have been worked out.

[DC Bruce]

We were total newbies at this RV business and bought our new FC27 at Colonial Airstream in New Jersey in the fall of 2014. It was on the lot. Part of the deal was that they would store it until the following spring when we had acquired a suitable tow vehicle. During the interim, they installed a new ProPride hitch and a cellular signal booster.

We picked it up the following spring with our new truck and spent the night at a nearby state park. The only defect was that the filter screen housing in front of the water pump hadn't been screwed in tight, so the pump was sucking a little air with the water. That's it.

Obviously, the folks at Colonial did a thorough pre-purchase inspection and correction. During the warranty period (which included 8 months of full-timing) our problems were: stove ignitor failed and was repaired by a dealer in California, a cell shorted out in one of the Interstate batteries supplied with the trailer; replaced under warranty by an Interstate dealer in Tucson, and a few interior rivets popped out.

So, we did well. That said, I think anyone who owns an RV, or a boat (I've owned 2, a 30-footer and a 36-footer) should be prepared to be something of a handy[person]. The degree of "handiness" varies with the person. So, for example, I went back to Colonial to have the roof seams re-caulked and taped (a maintenance item).

I have maintained the trailer pretty carefully, but not obsessively. Five years on, it's still pretty fresh.

[Ron Glow]

Originally Posted by dream_stream

So my wife and I purchased a 2020 Globetrotter 23FB in June. We have already used it for a few trips.

I've been looking at doing this for a few years. Airstream was the only brand we looked at and I've always liked the iconicness of them. I was looking for the best of the best.

As a unit we love the Globetrotter so far.

That's all the good new.

The challenge has been the number of issues we have had. In the last 60 days we have had:
* propane leak in the stove (dealer had to remove all kinds of stuff to find and fix)
* speaker not working (wire was not connected, dealer fixed)
* power awning not work (wiring issue that dealer fixed)
* shower leak (dealer sent part to fix that I installed, this also caused another power awning problem)
* recall inspection for a demco hitch
* water coming out of the freshwater intake (Good Sam tech says I need a new water pump)

I've been surprised by the number of issues. I wasn't expecting to do much to the unit especially at first. I don't really mind tinkering with things, but don't really want to be working on a brand new unit too much.

Part of the issue for me is the dealer is 2.5 hours away.

I think I'm a pretty reasonable person and I can understand having issues occasionally. But from my perspective this seems a bit over the top.

Anyone have any perspective? Is this the norm? Should I be expecting to continuously need to address issues like this? How do others deal with distance to dealer issues?

The dealer has been plenty responsive (Airstream of Virginia) and willing to help and fix things. The issue for me is the number of issues and the distance to dealer to deal with them.

I'd welcome feedback. I'm going to be bummed if I bought the nicest RV I could and this is typical of the experience.

Welcome!
If your trailer makes you smile, as mine does, even with the early and now occasional problems, just learn about it as you go along and travel prepared. Make a list of your issues before warranty expires and contact Kevin Haines at Airstream service department in Jackson Center to schedule service. Just skip the dealer you purchased from if they are not helping. Many of your components are common with other RVs and any qualified service center may be able to repair them without having to be “Airstream certified”. I had a small, local RV repair dealer fix my furnace that was never hooked up from the factory and sent Airstream the bill. We recently returned from Airstream service center and they did a very thorough job fixing our warranty issues. Others will agree they do a great job, plus, you can stay at the Terraport!
Enjoy the ride and have fun!