issues with Airstreams

[Caravel2020]

Will hopefully be picking up our 2021 20' Caravel at the end of the month; but after reading many forums about problems and repairs I am scared to death about getting a trailer with issues.
Live in Florida and am hearing horror stories about RV1 service which seem to be the exclusive dealer and repair here in Florida.
I currently own a 17' Casita fiberglass which has had no problems and their forum seems to not have issues with the Casita either. Is there someone out there that can help me feel confident about spending $70,000 for an AS. I need a larger trailer to carry my husband and 4 dogs, if Casita had a 20' I would have gone there.
Annie B

[s1000pre]

Your more than likely going to have problems with every trailer on the market. Your towing your home away from home across uneven surfaces everywhere you go! What would your house be like if it experienced an earthquake every time you used it! Regardless of issues, your Airstream with hold it’s value better than any other. Just expect that you will have issues, and don’t get all bent out of shape over it. Buy it for what it’s intended...to bring enjoyment into your life!!! You are going to enjoy it!!!

[AgBullet]

I wouldn't be afraid of negative comments on the AS Forums about quality. Most of the Airstreamers I know, and myself included have had a very positive experience with our rig. You'll have issues, hopefully small; just deal with them as they come. Airstream builds an incredible product, and I suspect you'll be very happy in your Caravel.

[TKCamper]

Originally Posted by AgBullet

I wouldn't be afraid of negative comments on the AS Forums about quality. Most of the Airstreamers I know, and myself included have had a very positive experience with our rig. You'll have issues, hopefully small; just deal with them as they come. Airstream builds an incredible product, and I suspect you'll be very happy in your Caravel.

I fully agree. We are on our second new Airstream and both have had minor issues and I have never regret buying them. I wish I could say the same for the Lance, Article Fox and outback I have owned in the past. I sold my last Airsteam after 3 years forlorn $1500 more than I paid for it. Not often you can say that about a depreciating asset.

[sdwilsonsct]

Originally Posted by Caravel2020

Will hopefully be picking up our 2021 20' Caravel at the end of the month; but after reading many forums about problems and repairs I am scared to death about getting a trailer with issues.

My 2019 has been perfect and a joy to use. You have experience, a warranty, and this site. You'll be fine.


Scott

[Caravel16]

As a new AS owner, I can say w confidence you will love your new trailer. I had a few minor issues but everything was covered under warranty and none were particularly troublesome.

Just pull the trigger.

[Bcc75]

Welcome!
Newbies here as well. Don’t think you will be disappointed with an AS. We certainly are not. We live in Ga but bought from RV1 in Fla. Honestly the experience could have been better but I think you have to take that with a grain of salt. Dealers exist to get you in and out. That simple. Some are better than others obviously. We had issues up front. It’s going to happen. But nothing serious. My best advice is learn as much as you can about that trailer from the manuals, this forum, YouTube and other Airstreamers you meet along the way and use these resources to help you diagnose and fix minor issues as they arise.
By the way, owning other brands of trailers helped us appreciate the Airstream even more once we finally got it.
Good Luck!

[Caravel2020]

Thank you to everyone with their support. Like you said, enjoy it for what exactly it is home away from home.

[GCinSC2]

Annie,

No doubt new challenges are around the next curve in the road. A few self defense tips I can offer.

Learn the systems to the best of your ability. That means even reading the owners manual. Open panels, look under or behind stuff to find where pieces parts are.

Carry a small tool kit, some basic stuff.

Take good care of your electrical power cord, batteries and even get a basic multimeter and learn how to use its basic 12VDC function and how to test a fuse etc.

If you have an issue with an appliance or system reach out to AF and ask but have the model number if its an appliance and describe what it does or doesn't do correctly.

Pre trip inspection and hook up check list.

Learn how it works and enjoy.

Gary

[B. Cole]

Originally Posted by Caravel2020

Will hopefully be picking up our 2021 20' Caravel at the end of the month; but after reading many forums about problems and repairs I am scared to death about getting a trailer with issues.
Live in Florida and am hearing horror stories about RV1 service which seem to be the exclusive dealer and repair here in Florida.
I currently own a 17' Casita fiberglass which has had no problems and their forum seems to not have issues with the Casita either. Is there someone out there that can help me feel confident about spending $70,000 for an AS. I need a larger trailer to carry my husband and 4 dogs, if Casita had a 20' I would have gone there.
Annie B

Well, look at it this way.Youre dropping 70K into the Airstream lottery.
You know, as stated from reading forums like this, they have quality control + dealer issues.
You pay your money+ buy your ticket.
It is what it is....There are no guarantees in life.

[BayouBiker]

I would just add that if you are handy with tools or don't mind learning to become handy, your best bet is to make the minor repairs yourself. You can get great advice and tips on how to get the job done right from the forum. For modest repairs, you may also want to tackle those. For major repairs at least learn how to diagnose the problem so when you take it in you know more or less what the problem is and can tell if they fix it correctly.

If you're none of this, you should find a handyman type repair person close by and have them do the minor stuff. Taking the trailer to a dealer is an exercise in frustration for most of us. My dealer is an hour away, they do good work (not perfect) but because they are good, they are always booked solid

It is true that you will experience need for minor repairs and you will have to fix a few quality issues. You might be unlucky and also have to fix quality issues that are more difficult.

The good news is anything can be fixed. The key is not to get frustrated, and also when the problem first comes up it is important to get on the right path to repair to begin with so you don't go round in circles and have it turn into a nightmare.

Airstreams and most travel trailers are hand built more like houses than vehicles and houses are not made to be vibrated continuously, thus stuff happens. I can only imagine how much they would cost to build if they were designed and built more like airplanes or automobiles.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Prepare for the worst, if you win the quality lottery, think how happy you will be.

The AS builders can, and do, drop the ball, but 80% of customer satisfaction is based on the Dealer experience. How well they handle the pre-delivery inspection, customer orientation and follow-up.

Being uncertain about the Dealer does not bode well for a successful outcome.

Read all you can on the forum.
Ask a LOT of questions on the dealer orientation, take video notes, camp overnight on the dealer lot and try everything.
Examine the trailer with a fine tooth comb.
And then in the morning ask all the questions that came up overnight that you had no answers to.
Don't fall for add-on warrantee or service offers.
Ask to inspect the roof, open all doors & drawers.
Ask to have the battery tested and ck the build date.

Don't rush & don't assume....ASK.👍


Sweet Streams

Bob
🇺🇸

[hddeering]

Bought a new 25' 2016 FC then went to a 28' 2020, very minimal issues. We have not needed dealer assistance so can't comment on that. Happy camping!