Walk through Checklist

[KTBug75]

Hi there, my husband and I are first time airstream owners. We just purchased a 2014 30' Flying Cloud Fb Bunk. We do our walk through inspection on Jan 20th. We wanted to know if there was a certain checklist we should have with us to make sure we go over every part of the coach. Thank you.

[Pat Cassity]

KT, great question! We are currently on our third AS (not by choice by any means). My first suggestion is to find out if your dealer

has the ability to let you camp (with full hookups) in the packing lot, the first night. If so, try out everything. AC, heat pump,

furnace, Stove, oven, microwave, both TV's, etc... And , don't forget the shower, so you can check for leaks. Make sure your

Dealer explains how everything operates. Don't let them off the hook with anything. They love to assume you already know

how to operate a particular item and you'll end up getting home without knowing how to open or start something. Get a good

understanding of how to open and close your awning. Don't be surprised if the person giving you your walk through isn't

completely familiar with the way something operates. Again, don't let them off the hook. Have them find someone that does!

During your walk through, open all drawers and cabinets to insure that there are no problems. Raise and lower your shades and

inspect for rip, tears or stains. Yes, I have found them all! Turn all lights off and on. Make sure you understand the use of the

control panel for the fresh water, black water, grey water, and battery. The dealer should have put some water in your fresh water

tank, so check to make sure your your water pump is working correctly. Open and close your windows to make sure there are

no problems. Walk the outside and check to make sure that all storage doors and vent covers close properly. Check your

stabilizers to insure they open and close correctly. Inspect the aluminum all the way around the trailer for scratches and

excessive sealant around windows that was smeared on the aluminum at the factory. Be sure to make a list of all

problems as they are discovered. Have the dealer either fix all items before you leave, or if this not possible, set up an

appointment with the service department to address each item. Last but not least, if you are having a hitch installed,

observe the installation. Make sure that all bolts are tightened properly. Whatever you do, DO NOT assume they know what they

are doing. The TV and TT should be completely level during installation. If it is not, there is good possibility that the

specifications for installation mandated by the hitch manufacturer will not be adhered to! I hate to be to dramatic, but

your life and and that of your family and other motorists depend on that hitch being installed and set up correctly!

You are going to find problems. One would think that by spending close to $100,000 for anything, that you were buying

a flawless, perfect item. This is not the case. Many RV dealers are just like car dealers. They are the greatest people in the

world right up to the time that they get your money. After that....well you know the drill. My first AS was a complete lemon and

the dealer with Airstream's approval gave me a complete refund after two frustrating months. Good luck to you!



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[KTBug75]

Pat, I can not thank you enough for this information. I am so overwhelmed right now. This gives me a starting point and I can not begin to tell you this is just the direction I was looking for. Take care.
Kate

[ghaynes755]

Also would suggest getting a creeper to take a look at the underbody. It is educational, you can find jack points and the like, but you may find areas where there are gaps in the sheet metal that were not properly sealed.

[2012FB]

The live in it for a day or two is a must if at all possible. If the dealer can not accommodate this on site ask them to arrange it at local campground etc..

Besides what has been said above.

Make sure they burn in the furnace at least a few hours twice over a two day period. This is a big one. If not you will spend two days in a smoke filled trailer the first time you need to use it.

This time of year they ship the trailers winterized and the dealers don't like to put fluids in. This you must insist on and then they need to re-winterize, if you live in a cold climate or will be traveling in the cold have them install the winterizing kit or you can also look at http://www.airforums.com/forums/f516...-a-127922.html.

Have them walk you through a complete winterize including the hot water heater bypass and drain.

Make sure they can connect the trailer to 50A power and run both zones in AC and HP modes. Check for function and vibrations/rattles.

Run the furnace and check inside and out for vibrations/rattles.

Check the UL carefully for stress cracks where drawn tight.

Look at all the cubby holes for bad interior trim or edge banding. It will undoubtedly need repairing.

Take a DVD with you for them to play in the player. Make sure all 3 TVs work and sound comes through the overhead speakers.

Run all the appliances in each mode (i.e. fridge on electric and gas, hot water heater electric and gas).

Look behind the toilet, sink, in all the cabinets everywhere you can for leaks and plumbing pinch/rub points etc..

Check the exterior stove vent as the plastic keeper arms came out the first time tried to use it. I have ordered a stainless steel replacement.

Look at the windows carefully inside and out for proper installation. I have seen a couple that were flat wrong.

Almost forgot, take pictures of the stupid stickers in the shower and have the dealer remove them. Also make sure the bottom of the shower looks new as mine was very dirty from others stepping into it with their shoes on. It still does not look that good.

The more time you spend in it and operating stuff the better off you will be.

Better to have them make all corrections before accepting it.

[mopillar]

We have that model that you are getting and everything that is mentioned here is great advice. It does seem a bit overwhelming but having things taken care of before getting it off the lot is always the easier route to go.

In our bunkhouse the shower in areas was poorly caulked which might be something to look for or maybe my guy was ready to leave for the day.

[Len n Jeanne]

Having been through this process 2x (and assuming you are buying through a dealer,) take copious notes as you go through absolutely everything, one item or system at a time. Your AS should come with a big instruction manual, but these seem more written for mechanics and electricians than ordinary Mom and Pop RVers. These notes proved more helpful than the manual with our previous AS.

I second camping on the dealership lot: in fact, our previous (Can-Am) and current (Airstream of Spokane) dealers requested that we do this. Your night should be on a weekday Monday-Thursday, such that (a) if there's a malfunction, or (b) you can't figure out how the heck to make something work, the mechanic is on duty the next morning to fix it or help you. If your next overnight is in a nearby campground, so much the better.

Your trailer is under warranty, so it's up to the dealer to fix anything that isn't as it should be.

How great to have a new Airstream! Happy Trails to you!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Video the entire walk thru, and ask all the 'dumb' questions you can think of...on tape.

Good Luck & have FUN!!!

Bob

[TracyRA12]

Hi, I saw your post from 2014 about being first-time owners. How's it going? We're picking up our 2021 25FBT International w/ Hatch on July 6 and I'm searching for the same thing you were searching for 7 years ago. I'll take any suggestions you have! P.S. We live in Newbury Park. Tracy :O)

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by TracyRA12

Hi, I saw your post from 2014 about being first-time owners. How's it going? We're picking up our 2021 25FBT International w/ Hatch on July 6 and I'm searching for the same thing you were searching for 7 years ago. I'll take any suggestions you have! P.S. We live in Newbury Park. Tracy :O)

Hi

.... most (but not quite all) of the people who posted on this thread are no longer active on the forum ... If your post is specifically to one of them, they may not "be here" to respond.

Bob

[Mollysdad]

Don't laugh.
Take a DVD with you and ask the tech, "Demonstrate how to play the DVD on the TV with audio through the stereo speakers."
Since TV's are different along with stereos and DVD outputs there's no one simple answer. I'm not sure I could do it on my TV.

[TracyRA12]

It was to no one specific. Thanks

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Here's the problem: You will be in "information overload when the trailer is delivered. I would suggest it's *way* more important to focus on the walk through and absorb as much as you can from it. It should take well over an hour and with various questions asked could stretch past three hours. Much of what is detailed above is part of the walk through.

You now have a three year warranty on the trailer. You don't *have* to spot every little this or that in the first hour of ownership. If you have to hold the dealer hostage to get work done, this is not a dealer you should be working with. Find a better dealer.

I would strongly recommend spending your first night of ownership at the dealer. Most allow (and many encourage) this. You *will* have more questions in the morning. You may spot a few things as well.

What you need to know before you head out ( = walk through stuff ...):

1) How do you safely hitch and unhitch the trailer? What / how do you check the various bits and pieces involved.

2) How do you prepare the trailer for travel? What gets turned off (water pump...) what does not get turned off? (fridge....).

3) How does the electrical system work? How do you check the batteries? What is the correct procedure for hooking up shore power?

4) How is propane managed? How do you check the tanks? How do you switch them over?

5) Where's the spare tire? What do you do for a jack? Why do you need to go buy a torque wrench?

6) How do the stabilizers work? How much is enough / how much is too much when adjusting them.

That's enough to keep you reasonably safe and mostly out of trouble. It all should be covered (and way way more) in the walk through.

Systems wise, If you can point to it, they should demonstrate that it works. There are a lot of things you can point to. Remembering all the details .... yikes ... YouTube is your friend in this case. For fun, you can go through and put a cute sticker on each thing that has been demonstrated. At the end, look for the stuff with no stickers ..... (yes, they can fall off, so not a perfect procedure ....)

If you enjoy crawling around on the floor / in the dirt, and know what the underside of a vehicle normally looks like, trailers can be fun to crawl around under. Expect that folks may find this a bit odd. (At least they did a few weeks back when I was doing it on a showroom floor RV ...).

Plan a number of short trips first. Head out, learn things, go to Target, buy stuff. Repeat that process a half dozen times (at least we did ...). There's a lot more to this than looking at fuses.

Water leaks are the biggest thing to watch out for. If you have something that does not seal / keep out rain, that should be addressed quickly. They are not common.

Get out and have fun !!!

Bob