2015 FC Bunk with that is leaking like a sieve!!!

[Gsmblue]

I had a problem where the toilet flush leaked. The plastic widget at the back of the pedal is a $25 POS. I keep one spare now. Also, I had leaks from the PEX piping under the sink, so I suspect leaking from PEX could be an issue for you.

[Wolf Alaska]

Whenever your RV is back to you from service or repair, or recall repair, or warrenty repair; you then become the final inspector.

I bought my new trailer from Camping World,which has on site camp facilities. I stay overnight after any repair & check everything out before leaving including systems that weren't supposed to be worked on. If somethings not right, I go back in to service & tell the rep. to come out to the trailer. That gets immediate attention.

If you leave without inspecting, it becomes more your problem than theirs.

Let's Roll !
Wolf

[silverlabs]

Just seeing this thread and reading through it your issue may be the same I had on my 2015 28FC. I had water accumulating on the floor and could not find source. Finally narrowed it down to after a shower. What was happening is a leak from where the hand unit connected behind the shower wall. A leak will not be detected until the hand unit button is depressed to use the shower head. The water can be turned on and the leak will not occur until that button is depressed activating the shower spray.

The issue is that the factory has placed a shim between the back shower wall and the connection from the shower valve. There is a pex line from the valve going down to a 45 degree elbow that leads to the shower hose inside the shower stall. There is a connection there that is unable to mate properly due to the thickness of the shim Aistream used on this. In addition, the seal this with a caulk so not easy to see. If you have access to see this connection, turn water on, the depress the shower nozzle button and water will pour out of this connection. Solution is to remove caulk, loosen connection and pull the fiberglass shim off. Put a thinner washer in there, reconnect and tighten. No more leak. I am out of town without trailer or I would attach some photos..

Hope this helps.

Chuck

[BFamily]

Originally Posted by silverlabs

Just seeing this thread and reading through it your issue may be the same I had on my 2015 28FC. I had water accumulating on the floor and could not find source. Finally narrowed it down to after a shower. What was happening is a leak from where the hand unit connected behind the shower wall. A leak will not be detected until the hand unit button is depressed to use the shower head. The water can be turned on and the leak will not occur until that button is depressed activating the shower spray.

The issue is that the factory has placed a shim between the back shower wall and the connection from the shower valve. There is a pex line from the valve going down to a 45 degree elbow that leads to the shower hose inside the shower stall. There is a connection there that is unable to mate properly due to the thickness of the shim Aistream used on this. In addition, the seal this with a caulk so not easy to see. If you have access to see this connection, turn water on, the depress the shower nozzle button and water will pour out of this connection. Solution is to remove caulk, loosen connection and pull the fiberglass shim off. Put a thinner washer in there, reconnect and tighten. No more leak. I am out of town without trailer or I would attach some photos..

Hope this helps.

Chuck

Thank you!
I wish I was handy! Did your water pool outside the pantry and seep thru the kitchen cabinets?
Just wondering.

[silverlabs]

Yes. In our floor plan pooled up under wardrobe and on floor in front of rear beds. Tons of water. Call the dealer and have them pull panel access that gets them to the shower valve. Turn water on in shower then depress the button to get flow out of the handle. That is only time you will see the leak. It's frustrating but a relatively simple fix once you can get into the rear of shower to access valve and elbow connection.

Good luck..

Chuck

[BFamily]

Originally Posted by ezairstream

I live in Orange County. I would call Rod at C & G Trailer Service in Bellflower CA. He is an authorized Airstream repair station and only does repairs. He has been at it for years.

9241 Sonrisa St, Bellflower, CA 90706
(562) 634-6286

The worst thing in the world is an uncaring dealer.

2006 31' Classic
2006 E350 Diesel

Just spoke with Airstream in Ohio and was told that because C & G Trailer Service doesn't sell their product, they are no longer able to perform warranty work.

[paiceman]

Suggest you contact Justin Humphreys, VP of sales at Airstream. He has helped other folks and might step in.

[mefly2]

Keep us in the loop as to your progress with the mother ship ... also keep taking photos to document your issues. This is disheartening, but you do have a great RV! We had the same issues with plumbing, water leakage, and- eventually- they all got sorted albeit via my personal labor with the plumbing fittings and leaking pex fittings.

You should not be expected to repair this yourself. Hopefully, AS can make arrangements to have your issues properly diagnosed and repaired where is it not too inconvenient for you. One problem with an AS purchase is that the dealer network is rather sparse in places.

Take a deep breath and know that we do support your efforts to get closure with AS. When it is all done, you will enjoy the unit.

[xrvr]

Call the factory! Ask for help! I know you've done this but try again.

[Arcticfox]

tagging in so I can find this thread again....

[Moflash]

This is not unusual for a Airstream.I just take a while to get them dialed in.Think of it as a work in progress.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Nowisee]

This is the 3rd thread related to water damaged caused by poor (lack of quality) workmanship.
Certainly not worth the price that Airstream is charging for their units.
There is plenty of folks that do not have faith in their local (or where they purchased their units) Airstream dealership.
Because of this, I see no reason to buy an Airstream from a dealership...and I am questioning whether to get an airstream at all...
Sure, I can probably tear the damn thing apart and eventually find the problem, but I should not have to.

Anyway, I will continue to read these posts, but Airstream needs to take notice, I am not going to buy from a manufacturer that cannot produce quality stuff...

[dkottum]

Airstream makes a beautiful product that is a joy to own and use. They are not perfect every time but most of them are close. Ours is and we are thrilled to have and travel with it. Nothing comes close. Miss out if you wish.

[SteveSueMac]

BFamily - what's the latest??

[PaulnGina]

Preach it, brother!!!!

I agree 100%.

Originally Posted by Nowisee

This is the 3rd thread related to water damaged caused by poor (lack of quality) workmanship.
Certainly not worth the price that Airstream is charging for their units.
There is plenty of folks that do not have faith in their local (or where they purchased their units) Airstream dealership.
Because of this, I see no reason to buy an Airstream from a dealership...and I am questioning whether to get an airstream at all...
Sure, I can probably tear the damn thing apart and eventually find the problem, but I should not have to.

Anyway, I will continue to read these posts, but Airstream needs to take notice, I am not going to buy from a manufacturer that cannot produce quality stuff...

[BFamily]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

BFamily - what's the latest??

Sorry for not checking in! My family and I are in Colorado for a wedding.
I was told she would be ready this past Monday, but never heard from our dealer/service.

Nothing has changed from my last post.
VERY DISAAPOINTED in this product.
We purchased a 100K unit that has been in service 50% of the time we have had it.

I am thrilled for those of you that have not had any issues, but if you were in my shoes you would not be so giddy about the product.

We plan on going out sometime in July and will report back

[SteveSueMac]

Hope you're enjoying the wedding!

So did you take it camping and have the tech out to see it in full hookup mode? What did they say? Is that how it got back to the dealer for service?

Sorry you're having such a bad experience.

[eheffa]

I rather like our Airstream now that I have rebuilt it.
(2008 25FB)

The unit is a pleasure to tow as it tracks very well on twisty roads with minimal drag at freeway speeds...The interior space is nicely laid out, aesthetically pleasing and very functional. It is a lovely iconic bit of towable camping art.

BUT in order to get it watertight I had to remove a significant proportion of the trim, belly pans etc. I then caulked all these seams that were never caulked at all by the factory. To assess and repair the water damage I had to remove almost all the cabinetry and flooring. It took me hundreds of hours and months of hard work to finish the job.

Once this was done, my unit is now better than new and quite a pleasure to own and use.

What does this say about Airstream?

It's not what they would like us to say because quite honestly, Airstream as a manufacturing company has deplorable / terrible quality control. If they were building automobiles I would bet that they would be bankrupt dealing with lemon law returns.

It seems to me that they simply rely on a combination of flashy presentation (they certainly are beautiful) and a reputation from sometime in the distant past to sell their product.

They are actually quite easy to fix if you have the time, patience and basic skills. Once the deficiencies are identified and remedied the Airstream essentially *does* live up to the dream of a beautiful camping unit trailing on behind you as your home away from home. BUT, when you buy one there is nothing in the fine print that says that you will be expected to tear it apart and rebuild it in order to make it watertight.

People often compliment me on what beautiful rig we have and ask me what I think. I tell them exactly what I've written above.

Airstream needs to make some fundamental changes to their quality control and design practices. Threads like these should warn any prospective buyers that the purchase of a new Airstream is a crapshoot. Only the brave or handy should risk purchasing one.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Airstream; I just don't love the fact that I had to spend so much time and money to make it sound.

The Brass at Airstream should be ashamed of themselves. I see no sign that they have ever acknowledged the serious problems with water leaks, rot etc. or attempted to rectify their lousy quality control. I do not believe that we should defend their shoddy practices.

Sure, buy one if you're feeling lucky. If you don't win, be prepared for a big project that can be quite rewarding in the end but don't expect Airstream to fix it for you.

- evan

[ROBERT CROSS]

"....we don't make changes, only improvements" W. Byam


Waiting on the improvements for quite awhile now.....

A list posted here 8 yrs ago about our experience with our new 03 Classic.....

Bob


A LITTLE HISTORY….. MY WIFE SANDRA AND I HAVE BEEN STREAMING SINCE 1989. OUR FIRST WAS A 1963 22 FT. SAFARI. (kind of wish now it was still sitting on the pad) WE PURCHASED OUR 2003 25' CLASSIC IN JUNE OF 2004. BUILD DATE FEB. O3. NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF.....

ITEMS NOTED BEFORE TAKING DELIVERY THAT WERE FIXED BY THE DEALER.

1) BOTH FRONT SEGMENT PROTECTORS SCRATCHED AND DENTED.

2) REAR BUMPER COVERS CRACKED.

3) ACCESS DOOR UNDER BATHROOM SINK WOULD NOT OPEN, REPAIRED BUT SIEZED SOLID AGAIN BY THE TIME WE GOT HOME FROM THE DEALER.

4) PANTRY SLIDE-OUT OFF BOTH TRACKS, REPAIRED BUT FAILED AGAIN WHEN LOADED ON OUR FIRST TRIP. Took pantry out, removed slide tracks, removed all ball bearings and divided equally between tracks, AS sent replacement tracks, holding as spares until needed.

NOW FOR THE Q/C AND PDI STUFF... IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALL CONCERNS LISTED WERE REPAIRED BY MYSELF. THE SELLING DEALER HAD CLOSED.

1) THREE OF THE CLEARANCE LIGHT BULBS.

2) TWO STORAGE COMPARTMENT LIGHT BULBS.

3) TWO SCREEN DOOR PROTECTOR SCREWS MISSED THEIR MARK.

4) BAD VIBRATION IN LEFT FRONT SPEAKER, AGAIN MOUNTING SCREWS MISSED THEIR MARK. SCREWS REPLACED WITH VELCRO TAPE. CLOSE OUT PANEL NOW EASILY REMOVED.

5) WATER PUMP FAILURE CAUSED BY A SEPARATED WIRE INSIDE THE INSULATION WHERE WIRING ENTERS THE PUMP HOUSING….. FAILURE OCCURRED ON OUR FRIST CAMPING TRIP.

6) A MULTITUDE OF PINHOLES IN ACCORDION SHADE OVER SINK.

7) WATER LEAK AT SHOWER MANIFOLD CAUSED BY COLD WATER LINE BEING TOO SHORT.

8) THREE PLASTIC LATCHES FOR CLOSET DOORS AND TWO STORAGE COMPARTMENTS INSTALLED POORLY, MISALIGNMENT, CAUSING LATCH FAILURE.

9) STOVE IGNITER KNOB CRACKED/FAILURE.

10) BATHROOM MIRROR LATCH.

11) … HOLD DOWN SCREWS FOR CONVERTER MISSED THEIR MARK.
SLOPPY/NOISEY WATER PUMP INSTALL & WIRING. INSTALL RUBBER ISOLATION MOUNTS, RE-ROUTE AND SECURE WIRING HARNESS.

12) WATER HEATER<> THERMOSTAT NOT CALIBRATED<>SCALDING TEMP.

13) FRIDGE INTERIOR LIGHT INOP, SWITCH ARM CRACKED

14) KITCHEN SINK SPRAY HANDLE CRACKED,LEAKING WHEN USED.

15) CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS FOUND THRU-OUT TRAILER. BIC LIGHTER & CANDY WRAPPER UNDER RUG IN STREETSIDE REAR COMPARTMENT.

16) AC SHROUD, SKYLIGHT, FF VENT ALL CRACKED AT SCREW MOUNT HOLES FROM IMPROPER INSTALL.

17) BLACK TANK VENT LEAKING, POOR INSTALL/CAULKING. MISSING SCREWS.

18) WATER LINE FITTING UNDER BATHROOM SINK CROSS-THREADED, CRACKED, LEAKING.

19) FILIFORM CORROSION

20) CLEARCOAT PEALING FROM ENTRY DOOR HINGES AND BATTERY DOOR SURROUNDS.

AIRSTREAM DID SEND US THE NECESSARY ITEMS TO MAKE THE REPAIRS ON SOME ITEMS:
WATER PUMP, SHADE, LATCHES FOR CLOSET AND STORAGE DOORS. NEW
DOOR FOR BATHROOM ACCESS, SLIDE FOR PANTRY.
OTHER NECESSARY ITEMS PURCHASED FROM CAMPING WORLD.
I NEVER RECEIVED A CSI REPORT FROM THE FACTORY, OR ANY FOLLOW-UP AT ALL.
THE FACTORY QC WAS LACKING, BUT THE DEALER MUST ASSUME SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A VERY POOR PDI. WELL I GUESS THAT JUST ABOUT COVERS IT, EXCEPT TO SAY I WAS MORE THAN A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED IN THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE!
__________________
 LOST IN THE SIXTIES

[peetoe]

This should not be a hard fix/repair. Nor do I feel is somthing that requires going back to (the mothership). Any decent airstream repair facility can fix this. Put simply these things bounce down the highway and sometimes stuff happens. While in yellowstone last week I had a small leak at the back of my outside shower where the threads going to the manifold had come loose. Took me an hour to figure it out. But it was a simple fix. I'm bummed you'very had a bad experience but I blame the repair guy a lot more then the airstream. Don't let a loose thread or a bad manifold ruin a great airstream/adventure.