2021 Globetrotter Quality Issues

[pdavey]

Off to the side but not up against the wall.

Makes it easier to visually check whether it is locked or not.

[eharvill]

Leslie,we are ordering ours next week.The replies to your thread are so helpful to us,too.I found out I will have to buy the hoses,chocks,water distribution,chemicals before we go unless I buy from the dealership.Also,sheet set does not come with it.Any suggestions on brands of all this stuff? Did you order your sheet set from the Airstream store supply? Have you made any for the contoured twin beds? Thanks.This group has so much valuable information.
Ellen

[JillN]

Hello! We are newbies as well. We picked up our 2021 GT 27FBT on 9/15 and towed it practically non-stop from NJ to CO with absolutely no issues other than a couple of operator errors. Colonial Airstream delivered a quality trailer and we couldn’t be more pleased with our selection.

As for the sheets on the twin beds...I ordered sheets and mattress pads from the airstream store. I wish I could sew! I would suggest labeling them right and left as it is hard to tell the difference once they are out of the package.

[GettinAway]

We bought tall twin sheets at target. They work great. We picked up fresh water hoses, drain hoses, levelers, the large lego blocks to put under stabilizers all on line. Usually much less expensive than buying anything from the dealer. We did buy a hitch carrier (a handled device that grasps the hitch ball and makes it much easier to carry the hitch) from the dealer, as I hadn’t seen one before, and it was less than $20. Spend a night at the dealers lot if you have time. Learn as much as you can and double check everything.

[nryn]

I can’t really speak to the fit and finish issues. I had a few minor ones on my 2019 that didn’t bug me, that I fixed myself, or that I asked JC to fix on my first warranty trip. Just keep a list and take photos.

As jeffmc306 mentioned I used those magnetic child locks on any cabinet that had heavy contents and that did not have the push button style latches like the pantry. They work very well. I keep the magnet for them on the stove hood and have a spare in the spares box.

For the bathroom vanity I had my dealer add some magnets. Hasn’t popped open since.

I think the expectation that new Airstream owners have that these trailers cost a premium and are fretted over at the factory is common. I did a lot of research before buying, most of which was on this site, so I knew what I was getting into and wasn’t disappointed at all. I think the vibe I picked up at JC is that there is a wide gap in work ethic between the service side and the production side of the business. Service side will take care of you and it’s in their best interest to fix problems for good and to your satisfaction. The production side metrics are, I’m guessing, more quantitative than qualitative. Somehow the math must work out for Airstream to make production side decisions that inevitably have service side consequences for some percentage of customers.

My advice is to use the trailer hard in the first year, break everything that is going to break, and bring it into JC or a good dealer for warranty work. Make the most of that 3-year warranty.

[Wheelshed]

Originally Posted by LeslieMc

We love our Airstream and this trip is teaching us a lot about our GT. While we are happy overall, there are some interior trim/quality issues which are surprising to us.
Thoughts appreciated ��.

Thanks,
Leslie

I had a brand new coleman popup that leaked inside like there was no roof and had to be totally replaced, I had fiberglass sided campers literally fall apart in the first year but some things are acceptable and there will always be things as you bounce down the road but Airstreams seam to hold together better than anything out there.

[Dennis C]

We just returned from our first camping trip in our new 2020 International. For the most part, everything worked and we didn’t have any issues. The cutlery drawer under the kitchen counter has popped off the track a few times, so we have to fix that. I found a loose screw on the floor after one day of travel with no sign of the origin. Some of the caulking in the shower is a little sloppy, but that’s about it.

[pdavey]

Or just fix it yourself better then they made it. Just like buying a house.

[chris_kelly]

So we took delivery of our GT 25FB after spending four years with our IS 23FB and the anti-quality control beast as reared it’s ugly head in our camper.

Couple of issues within 24 hours:

- Stereo antenna. doesn’t seem to be connected - we get pure static when there should be dozens of stations. I checked the back of the radio already and it’s plugged in. So has to be an issue down the line somewhere. Anyone know where else to look?

- Heat pump / thermostat. Turned on our thermostat to auto yesterday afternoon once we got to our campground onboard Naval Station Great Lakes only to find it didn’t shut off, thinking the temperature was still 66F when our other thermometer stated it was 84F. Ugh. We drove back to our dealer so we could swap out the thermostat. We did all the standard troubleshooting we found on the forum. Fingers crossed.

- Refrigerator. Bottom door hinge came unscrewed. Looks like it was stripped but was able to screw it back in. Thank goodness our fudgcicles didn’t fall out.

- Victron. Unable to connect via Bluetooth to the solar charge controller. So not sure it has BT or not. So I’ll investigate that when we’re back to home base. And for those whom love a battery monitor Airstream did not install one but rather used the MPPT control panel wired from the solar charge controller. No shunt, to me, would mean poorer measurement of the battery. Right?

- Awning. Seems like you need to help our awning arm out to get it to fully extend. One of the major test components during our walk around and the tech immediately replaced the rubber resting ring to see if that works. It didn’t. So that’ll be on the list as well.

Crossing our fingers nothing else happens. But I’m sure it will. We haven’t tried the TVs yet

The closest dealer to our house is in Austin and they’re not known for their quality workmanship or attention to detail, just go over to Airstream Addicts on Facebook for examples. I’m thinking we’re going to have to head to DFW.