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Scuba6801 · 12-17-2016, 06:04 AM

My wife and I are very close to buying a Flying Cloud. What will they try to sell me after trailer selection? My tow vehicle is rated at 10,700 lbs. Will they try to sell me electric braking options, hitch set up?

Thanks in advance!

lsbrodsky · 12-17-2016, 06:17 AM

Perhaps you should name your dealer so people who have been there can reply. My dealer did not try to sell me anything and gave me a $300 allowance in their store. I had already made arrangements for the dealer to install 16" wheels with Michelins mounted on them and to install a ProPride drop shipped to them.

Larry

Scuba6801 · 12-17-2016, 06:22 AM

The dealer is RV One. I am in Florida. Is the tire and wheel package on a 28 Flying Cloud sufficient or should we go larger?

paiceman · 12-17-2016, 06:29 AM

If you have factory installed Goodyears at 15", all I can say is in two of our four Airstreams we changed to 16" Michelin LT tires and on the last two, including this one we got the same from the factory. So far, never an issue, can cruise at highway speeds over 65MPH if we need or want to. No regrets.

If your trailer came with a brake controller installed from the factory you should be fine, if it did not you will need one installed either by your dealer or someone else. In most states any trailer over 3,000# must have working brakes, your Airstream brakes will not function without a controller.

Your dealer may try and sell you and extended warranty. It's me, but we do not buy them.

Bud

lsbrodsky · 12-17-2016, 06:35 AM

I think Bud means tow vehicle brake controller. Your truck will either have one or it will have wiring for an aftermarket controller.
Larry

xrvr · 12-17-2016, 06:41 AM

If your tv doesn't have a factory brake controller, they will sell you one so you can have brakes that work. You also will need a hitch which the dealer can set up for you. If do not want the ones the dealer sells then you must plan ahead. Most dealers won't let you leave without operating brakes and at least some advice up on a hitch, otherwise you will just be towing on the ball, no brakes, no weight distribution, and no sway control. Brake controllers and hitches are generally thought of as tv accessories.

Bob662 · 12-17-2016, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba6801

The dealer is RV One. I am in Florida. Is the tire and wheel package on a 28 Flying Cloud sufficient or should we go larger?

My experience with RVOne is they offered quite good pricing (20% off MSRP) on the trailer, but priced the hitch and installation at retail+.

I don't believe you need to change the rims and tires before leaving the dealership. Just plan on doing something in the first couple of years or 10,000 miles. Others here will strongly disagree; Airstream doesn't. I'd plan on either better tires on the 15" rims, or upgrade both to Michelins+16" rims--your choice. On my 25 footer I'll keep the rims but go to better tires.

Scuba6801 · 12-17-2016, 07:06 AM

Thank you for the information.

Any recommendation on brake controller and sway hitch?

I see they sway hitch can range from a couple hundred to 3 grand?

I have a receiver installed from factory on my F150, as well as the connectors.

OTRA15 · 12-17-2016, 07:07 AM

Scuba you should probably also spec your tow vehicle, as their brake controllers and adaptability to after-market controllers vary greatly IMO. Some newer vehicles with OEM sway control, and extensive computerization of every function, make it very difficult to add a brake controller from what I have read on other forums.

OTRA15 · 12-17-2016, 07:09 AM

Belay that I just saw your recent post. Does your OEM hitch include a brake controller?

And welcome to the forum!

Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba6801

Thank you for the information.

Any recommendation on brake controller and sway hitch?

I see they sway hitch can range from a couple hundred to 3 grand?

I have a receiver installed from factory on my F150, as well as the connectors.

StrmyWeather · 12-17-2016, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba6801

My wife and I are very close to buying a Flying Cloud. What will they try to sell me after trailer selection? My tow vehicle is rated at 10,700 lbs. Will they try to sell me electric braking options, hitch set up?

Thanks in advance!

That particular dealer told us that everything is covered by airstream's warranty but we found that each oem parts (ie refrigerator) are covered by individual manufacturers warranty. The only thing offered to us was an extended warranty, again by the dealer you mentioned. We don't buy extended warranties. We also didn't buy from that dealer. I think you'll be up sold dependent of the salesperson and dealer you go to.

More to the point, before you buy you might want to know exactly what you want in the way of options for the trailer offered by Airstream and those extras you may need to comfortably use your trailer. It makes for a much easier and smoother transaction with the dealer you select. It may also let you know just what kind of experience you'll have doing business with that particular dealer. When we bought our boat I approached 3 dealers with the boat we wanted and a list of equipment and finally the fourth actually used the list for his proposal and included everything in his price. The process was easy and the dealer was great to work with. We knew exactly what our trailer needed and arrived at the dealer to take delivery with the things we needed to use the trailer (Anderson chocks/leveler, electrical cord converters,...). We also provided the dealer with a list of items that we wanted to purchase with the trailer. The dealer was also able to help with our decision by recommendations and suggestion, and their thorough response to our questions (yup, Patrick at Colonial). For example, we knew we wanted the awning package, microwave convection oven..., did not want a wd/sway bar hitch, installed the brake controller ourselves...

We took delivery and had wonderful 10 day camping trip going home. The dealer gave a very good orientation and we had everything we needed to comfortably and safely use the trailer right off the dealer's lot. Best of luck with your journey. The trailers are great!

Scuba6801 · 12-17-2016, 07:41 AM

It did not include the brake controller.

Scuba6801 · 12-17-2016, 07:42 AM

So Strmy, you made the trip to NJ and dealt with Patrick?

StrmyWeather · 12-17-2016, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba6801

So Strmy, you made the trip to NJ and dealt with Patrick?

Yes. We picked up the trailer 7/29 and camped in Shenandoah, NC, SC and GA on the way home. Dealing with Patrick was a very good experience. Message me with your number and I'll give you a call if you want to talk about the trailer or our buying experience. I'm by no means an expert at this yet, but can let you know our experience.

capnttom · 12-17-2016, 09:09 AM

We're seriously thinking about buying our new AS from Colonial and we live in Houston, TX. It's a long trip, but if the price is right and the positive experience reflects what I see in these forums, I'm ok with it.

The only hang up I have is warranty service. The Houston dealer has suggested they won't look favorably on getting us in their service queue in a timely manner. So my thought is that we will end up making 1, or possibly 2 trips to JC for this. Also, JC seems to do a better job than dealers.

We are trying to sell our MH and after this task is complete we will buy our new AS from somebody.

overlander63 · 12-17-2016, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnttom

We're seriously thinking about buying our new AS from Colonial and we live in Houston, TX. It's a long trip, but if the price is right and the positive experience reflects what I see in these forums, I'm ok with it.

The only hang up I have is warranty service. The Houston dealer has suggested they won't look favorably on getting us in their service queue in a timely manner. So my thought is that we will end up making 1, or possibly 2 trips to JC for this. Also, JC seems to do a better job than dealers.

We are trying to sell our MH and after this task is complete we will buy our new AS from somebody.

AS dealers will perform AS warranty work, but most will give priority to trailers that have been purchased from that dealership.

Bob662 · 12-17-2016, 09:42 AM

Scuba, I neglected to mention that I did not buy from RVOne, primarily because I don't respond well to pressure sales tactics ("This price is only good for today").

If you have RVOne's best price, and you can usually get that on-line without having to talk to a salesman, take that price and go to your dealer, with a deposit check made out to that local dealer, and ask him to match. Most will. Handing a deposit check for $1K, together with your offer price, is pretty powerful stuff.

paiceman · 12-17-2016, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnttom

We're seriously thinking about buying our new AS from Colonial and we live in Houston, TX. It's a long trip, but if the price is right and the positive experience reflects what I see in these forums, I'm ok with it.

The only hang up I have is warranty service. The Houston dealer has suggested they won't look favorably on getting us in their service queue in a timely manner. So my thought is that we will end up making 1, or possibly 2 trips to JC for this. Also, JC seems to do a better job than dealers.

We are trying to sell our MH and after this task is complete we will buy our new AS from somebody.

Warranty work is a touchy issue with dealers, as it was with the dealers I had selling and servicing the products my company sold. Our warranty policy as it is with most companies I am familiar with covers parts and labor and overhead for the servicing dealer, we did not cover profit. We had a set time for virtually every product on our vehicles and paid the dealers on that time basis, no more. So, if Airstreams policy is similar, the selling dealer will gladly do the warranty work as they sold and made a profit on the original sale. If however, you buy from someplace else and then take it to your local dealer, most likely under their dealer agreement with AS they are obligated to do the warranty work, but will put you in when they want to. It's not really fair to the end user, but it's the way it is. Therefore, if you have a good servicing dealer near you it might be best to negotiate as good as you can and buy locally. We tried on our latest unit but have been extremely disappointed in their after sale proficiency so we go to the factory.

Good luck and enjoy

Bud

lsbrodsky · 12-17-2016, 11:24 AM

I have learned that none of that really matters. If you need dealer service you just have to recognize that there may be a long lead time, the service may take longer than estimated, and they probably won't get to you on the date they scheduled. It seems that JC is a big exception to what I just said, except for the long lead time. IMHO, where you buy should be based on price and PDI.

Larry

LaPorte214 · 12-17-2016, 12:45 PM

We recently purchased a 2014 27ft through a dealer. They encouraged the Tyron Tire system and gave a good pitch. We reviewed it on You Tube and agreed it was an option we wanted. They also pitched the Cilajet treatment to exterior and interior. You can research it too. We bought off on it as feel it will protect the finish and interior leather etc. Comes with a 7 year warranty. Check those two things out. Of the two, we feel the Tyron system is best investment as tire blow-outs can be dangerous. Last, they sold us a Blue Ox hitch system.