Airstream Repairs: Front-End Separation Fix & Overcoming Battery 🪫 Woes (BIG Surprise!)
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2024
- ABOUT THIS EPISODE ℹ️
Can front end separation issues in Airstreams be prevented? Today we finally address the telltale signs of front end separation (FES) we have noticed in our Airstream. There are a lot of theories for what causes FES, but we decided to take a proactive step and complete some preventive repairs before any major damage occurred. In this episode, we travel to Virginia and drop-off the Airstream with D.J. Mastin at Broken Rivets RV Service for his expert repair service. Even if you don't have an Airstream with front end separation concerns, you just may learn a thing or two about your Airstream. We also overcome a dead battery and learn something new about our onboard Airstream converter. Thanks for watching and the continued support. Don’t forget to Like & Subscribe so you never miss a video.
**FES Repair Cost: The FES repair at Broken Rivets RV Service was ~ $2,200 (including a few other minor repairs). Because we were proactive in addressing a potential problem with preventive repairs the labor & material costs were on the lower end for such a repair. However, cost can vary depending on what repairs are required.
**Broken Rivets RV Service (DJ Mastin): call or text (804) 994-1405
**AIRSAFE Hitch: www.airsafehitch.com
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Great to see Lisa back and glad her mother is healing well. Safe travels!
Glad to be back. She is doing well and thank you - Lisa
Glad to see you got it addressed before it was a major problem!
Making preventive repairs saved us quite a lot of money. If we would have wanted for the damage to have been worse it would have cost much more (labor & material)
I am an Airstream owner. Regardless of the cause, Airstream has been well aware of the issue and should have paid for your repairs and all repairs due to a lack of addressing for their customers. As of now, all the 2024 models have additional support to prevent this going forward. Should have been done long ago.
We share your hope that Airstream has finally addressed this issue going forward. Thanks for watching and safe travels.
Good video, nice to see you both back on the road. I believe all Airstreams (and most RVs) 12v storage switch are wired the same. When you put the switch in storage mode, you are isolating the batteries from the 12v system. When you power the converter with shore power you are energizing the 12v system, including the indicator light by the storage switch but the batteries are still isolated.
Hey Guys…we had no idea about the 12v storage switch indicator light. Really confusing that the light remains on in store mode even when connected to shore power. However, we are just happy that we didn’t need a new converter. Always learning something new 🙂
Actually, the Airstream disconnect switch does NOT isolate the batteries from all 12V loads. It only isolates the distribution system. There are still multiple loads connected to the batteries even with the switch off. Not an exhaustive list, but things like tongue jack, inverter, propane detector, battery isolation relay, electric brakes and solar controller are still connected. That’s why I installed a cutoff switch at the batteries.
We had a bulldog receiver welded in place of the fork pin receiver. 1985 sovereign.
Rick&Lisa, I am all about Bucee’s bbq and The Lord’s Chickens Tea! So, happy to see the Peach Milkshake at CFA for the summer. Safe travels
Lisa said “praise the Lord for Chick-fil-a Ice Tea”…LoL
Good thing you are taking it in for repairs, they will know. Lol, fun, "The Set" Great pacing in this video Rick. So glad you are home Lisa and your Mom is on the road to recovery. You know me and you love that unsweetened ice tea 😍 That was perfect timing with the rain! Of course we watched until the end, hmmmm. Great information about the store/use button! Michelle
Michelle…thank you for the comments and kind words. We are very happy to have the repair completed. Just a few more projects in the coming weeks for the Airstream. Getting ready for our later summer/ early fall road trip to Michigan enroute to the international rally. Safe travels and happy camping.
Wow. I was not aware of the battery disconnect situation either. Thank you
It was a surprise to us as well. Always learning something new 🙂
Great video! Glad you addressed the issue. Nice to see Lisa is back. FWIW, my go to drive snack are Clif Bars.
Hi Mike, thanks for watching and the comments. I know Lisa is glad to be home as well. I should have guessed Clif Bars 🚴♀️would be your Go-To road-trip snack 🙂. Happy camping and safe travels
Nice video. I’m about to pick up a 28RBT next month. Aside from the floorplan preference, mitigating FES was a very big consideration for us as well.
Thanks for watching and congrats on the new Airstream. Happy camping and safe travels.
Glad you were able to get the FES issue resolved. I continue to watch my front bunker area on our Classic 33 for any signs of abnormal wear. As for snacks, ice tea, Brim's pork skins and popcorn get me through the day. One question: are you using an app for the trailer leveling? Seems like there are several available. Can you share what you use?
We use the Level Mate Pro. Works great and makes leveling the AS a breeze. Here is a link - Level Mate Pro: amzn.to/40Ps0tZ
I never liked leaving shore power connected. I leave a battery tender quick connect terminal attached to my batteries and leave the connection plug in a hole at the bottom of the battery box. When at home, I can easily attach the tender. That way I can be assured batteries never get low enough to have damage and I have full 12V power to do anything I need in the camper.
Rick,
Thanks for the video on the FES topic. We have a 2019 Globetrotter 27 front bed queen which means we too have a front storage compartment. We have some early signs of FES and have a plan / appointment to drop our AS off with Airstream of DFW in early August for an assessment as well as “preventive” repairs as necessary. Like you referenced I have watched several videos on FES (i.e. KYD’s w/ Vinnie) on this topic. We purchased our 2019 AS brand new from an Airstream dealer who setup the Equali-zer hitch / weight distribution bars so, it is my “humble opinion” that this FES is a ‘structural / engineering’ issue that Airstream should own and repair at NO COST to the owner. Also, some additional thoughts on the ‘Air-Safe Hitch’ - we pay ALOT of money for these travel trailers and to have to spend additional several thousand $$$$ on a hitch and then figure out how to put it on and take it off seems absolutely CRAZY to me. I’ve seen some people on Airstream Addicts who use a ‘motorcycle’ / engine hoist for this purpose. I’ve talked to several people who just do NOT use the sway bars in addition to their weight distribution hitch because of the FES issue. I hope this is a topic that is discussed during this year’s Annual Rally in Missouri.
Lee, thanks for the continued support to the channel and for your comments. You make some great points. Our hope now is to put all of these repairs behind us and begin traveling again in the near future. We plan to be at the annual rally this year, but I wouldn’t hold my breath that FES would be an “official” topic of discussion (for many reasons). Best of luck with your AS repairs and safe travels.
I’m so sorry you all have had all these problems! I looked at a lot of new Airstreams at a major dealer and brand new ones sitting outside had leak problems in the front just like yours! Now front end separation ! They have been building Airstreams since the 1930’s ! I’m sorry but I believe the engineering is sub par ! Vehicles of this very high price range should not have these kinds of problems ! The whole RV Industry has been exposed for serious safety issues from Class A to 5th Wheelers !
I really feel sorry for folks like you having to do all this work and spend money on high priced campers they thought were first class
I have seen several old Airstreams that wore torn apart and everyone of them had severe rotted floors! This tells me everyone of them suffers from water leaks! Wouldn’t you think after all these years Airstream would have water leak problems Solved ! Evidently this isn’t the case ! Good Luck to you and family!
To be honest, we’ve been a bit frustrated as well with the repairs we’ve had to make, but we try to remain positive through it all 🙂. One of our objectives is to share our experiences (both good & bad) with the AS community so others can learn through our RUclips channel. Hopefully we are hitting the mark 🎯 on that goal. On the positive side, of all the RVs on the market, I would say that Airstream’s allow for repairs better than most and is one of the reason why so many are still on the road today. Happy camping and safe travels.
Our 2021 GT 27FBT battery switch operates the same as yours. I never knew why the light stayed on so thanks for the explanation; it makes sense now. Also it looks like we'll be taking a trip to Ashland. Va as well since we are also showing signs of FES. Thanks for another informative video.
Hi Rick…glad to hear the video was informative….that is always one of our goals. DJ will take good care of your Airstream. Good luck and safe travels
My automatic transfer switch went out. Pulled apart found bad connection in switch. Repaired working good now.
Thanks for the comment. Glad to hear you were able to diagnose and replace the switch. Fingers crossed 🤞 ours continues to work without any issues 🙂. Happy camping and safe travels
I’ll preface this my saying I am not a mechanical engineer, but I am of the opinion that overdoing weight distribution is the real culprit behind FES.
If you’re putting too much leverage on the frame, even airsafe hitch isn’t going to help
WD is one of the more common FES theories and seems to make sense. Thanks for watching and the comments.
I have the same model AS but a 2018 and shore power will charge the battery via the converter when in Use and in Store mode. And when pressing Store, the red light always goes off. They must have made some changes with that system between 2017 and 2018.
Very interesting. Makes me wonder what model years this impacts?
Great video! Did the repair uses aluminum (Mothership style) or steel (Vinnie style) brackets? I remember noticing your dimples in a video quite a while back and commenting. They definitely looked a little worse in this video. Fun fact: it’s Canada, not Canadian geese. 🙂 They’re named after a person (John Canada) rather than the country. Safe travels! 👍🏼
Hi Brent. After DJ assessed the Airstream and identified the required fix, he hand fabricates each steel bracket similar to Vinnie’s. Because our issue was caught early and none of the outer skin had torn or rivets missing our “prevent repairs” were much less invasive than they could have been. Thanks for the Fun fact…I had no idea about the name. Happy camping and safe travels
Glad you mentioned "Canada Geese". Small pet peeve of mine; I hear them referred to as Canadian Geese all the time. Didn't know about John Canada -- thanks for the info.
Can you share what repair facility you used for this work? We are about an hour away from Ashland and would like to have options other than the Airstream of VA facility. Apples, peanuts, and trail mix are my go to snack on the road.
We used Broken Rivets RV Service. DJ Mastin is the owner/technician. His contact information is in the video description.
coffee and Pb&J
I have to limit the amount of coffee I drink on drive days or we are stopping every 1 hour for a pit stop. 😂
Hello enjoy your channel may I ask what is your tow vehicle
2010 GMC Sierra 2500HD
Gas or diesel
Thank you
@edwardmachado4314 …6.0L Vortec V8 gas engine with 87K miles. It’s been a great truck over the years.
First I thought Automatic Transfer Switch was out, but you mentioned AC worked in the rig so 🤔
That was one of our initial thoughts as well. Just glad we found out the cause and that it didn’t cost us any money 💰
From learning about front end separation, it appears that it only happens on Airstreams with a front end door/hatch, which creates a weak spot that doesn't exist on Airstreams without a front end door/hatch, such as a 19cb. What have you learned about that? Thanks.
So that is my opinion as well. The majority of FES issues occur in AS with the front end hatch. I can’t say that is the cause but there seems to be a strong correlation. Add in a weight distribution system that is applied incorrectly I could see how that could cause further FES problems. Again just my opinion based on research I have done myself.
Costco trail(er) mix.
A good trail mix is one of my favorites 👍 as well.
Airstream has been owned by Thor Industries for years.
Nuf said.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Happy camping & safe travels.
Asking for a Northern friend: How much is a "smidge?" Also, my Northern friend, who can be annoying, told me that the geese are not Canadian Geese but Canada Geese.
Lisa said a smidge is little less than a tad 😂😂
As for the Canada Geese we were recently educated on the history of their namesake (John Canada). However, if they flew from Canada 🇨🇦 would that make them Canadian Geese? 🤔
I'm a Professional Driver "Trucker" I just need water and gum different flavors.
That’s so funny. What’s your go-to gum?
@@thewrightlife Extra because its sugar free. Helps time go by besides radio and CB.
On my airstream the front connection is called the generator hookup. It’s intended to be used to power the trailer and NOT charge the batteries.
Both the front connector (generator hookup) and the side connector (shore power) are wired directly into a a pair of solenoids that prevent both power sources from feeding into the converter at the same time. You can use either to charge the batteries.
It is a real shame that thousands of dollars have to be spent by Airstream owners to fix a known problem when the same fix could be done at the factory as the RV is made. Airstream should be embarrassed by this known problem and their lack of response.
It’s my understanding that Airstream has begun addressing the FES problem in the 2024 models years, but I would agree that it may have taken longer than it should have.
hostess chocolate cupcakes and a coke
Those are classic road trip snacks! Thanks for sharing and safe travels.