REALITY CHECK ✅: What BROKE on Our AIRSTREAM after a Year of Travel 

Very real issues, I had most of those issues and still loving my Airstream after 20 years.

Doing as much research watching many Airstream videos and want to thank you for the tips and comments. And thanks for wearing your 2A shirt. God bless and happy trails

The "spare capacitor" tip also applies to your home. It is the #1 item that fails & will cost you big $$$s to have a service call during a hot spell. It is not "IF" it fails but rather "WHEN".

I had an RV dealership when a customer came in with a roof leak I had my guys remove and reseal every vent and running light that got the problem solved almost 100% of the time. No the manufacturer didn’t pay me for this I valued my customers.

I sure like your attitude and the way you get things done.

I bought a new Airstream International 31 foot and yes there are minor things that happen. We had several bigger or more difficult items to fix where we had to take our RV to multiple dealers to get it fixed. It spent a lot of time at dealers getting fixed or just waiting for parts. Items such as a malformed jack part, thermostat died twice in 4 years, window fell out since it was never screwed in and the list went on and on. You have to be handy to own one. It’s clear Airstream is using their dealers for final quality control (my opinion). Finally we got so fed up we finally sold it. If it was a 30 k investment, that’s one thing but if you spent 100k on a new car you would expect great quality which ours was not. We wrote to Airstream…no answer.

Great video! My takeaway is - the structure of the airstream is built to a higher standard…but airstream uses the same low quality off-the-shelf components that the rest of the industry uses. I say this because I’ve replaced almost every identical component on my very low quality Forest River travel trailer in the 4 years I’ve owned it.

Very nice reality check. No doubt if we are RVing (full time or part time or weekend) you need to be pretty handy. And of course when we are putting lots of miles on the things, it is all the more challenging. But I guess it is part of the fun. Safe travels....

Thank you for a great video!!

Good information thanks for the video

Blue lock tight is in a red tube 👍🏻

Excellent well done video. I’m subscribing

Great video you mentioned woodland rv just north of Grand Rapids mi that’s where I bought my new 2012 30ft international which is for sale🤗👍🏋️‍♀️🤺☦️

Thanks for compiling this list. It is a great resource. I also would agree with most of the comments regarding quality of components vs cost. Seems like for the price of an AS you should have longer lasting parts. A couple of additions to consider adding to your list of spare parts 1. H2O water heater mixing valve 2. H20 water heater electronic controller and thermal cutouts/switches Our 2018 Flying Cloud has a system with a mixing valve. The valve is utilized to mix cold H2O with the heater's hot output to provide more volume of hot H2O. The mixing valve has a small screen on both this input and output which has a tendency to clog with mineral hard water build up and/or particulate (if you are not using an external water filter). This fix requires accessing the H2O heater from this inside to remove the mixing valve. It can then be disassembled and unclog the screen with an overnight vinegar soak.I carry a cleaned spare unit. Also I have had the thermal cutout/switch on the H2O heater break. This part of the H2O heater electronic control system. There are actually 2 of these thermal cutout/switches for the mixing valve type of heaters. The electronic controller and thermal cutout/switches are accessible from the outside. Initially I thought it was a controller malfunction, but I was able to diagnose it to the thermal cutout/switch. Again, I care a spare set of controller and thermal cutouts/switches, along with some spare 1/4" & 3/8" crimp on TAB style electrical connectors. Cheers and Happy Camping!

Wow the price they charge for an airstream a lot of repairs had to be made!😊

Amen to on road repairs! One of our Oceanair window blinds exploded into pieces as I went to open it up this morning. Time to put on my MacGyver hat on and have at it.

What newer model water pump would your recommend? I have a 2006 Airstream but no extra water pump.

Great content. I’ve learned so much and you certainly have a get it done mentality. Looking at Airstreams here in mid 2023, and geez, those puppies are expensive. Looked at other brands but those are clearly made to be sold and off the lot with little concern of longevity. But this video shows that Airstreams may be made be better, but not a lot. Airstreams are up to 3 times the price of other RV’s. This video was not encouraging, though I learned a ton.

I have a 2016 and I have had to replace everything you have done. I have also replaced the skylight and two fantastic fans because of leaks and I did break the manual knob.

What do you use on the exterior of your airstream to keep it so clean and shiny? Thank you for the informative video.

You’re not fooling me. You’ve got a guy with a beard doing your repairs. 😊 Nicely done. The short video inserts showing repairs is appreciated.

I had a pressure test done on my 2020 Flying Cloud we had after a year and it had so many leaks Airstream agreed to pay the dealer for the fix. I highly recommend you have one done on your rig.

Curious if you've lost any of the black plastic caps that cover the screws on the exterior of the windows? My Globetrotter is missing a few.

You folks are great! We hope to meet you on the road and buy you dinner You have saved us $$$$$ Thank you so much.

I know that water leak drove you crazy for a bit there! Glad you found the root cause!

Hey Rick , awesome & very helpful video 👍 . It’s disappointing for the money & investment made in an Airstream that most of the minor fixes could be eliminated with better quality parts , especially with the money that you pay for such a rig . AS should make available a travel & repair package as part of the investment a person makes to purchase these so when they are traveling they don’t have to worry about replacement parts or contacting am AS dealership to get these parts . This just go to show you the poor customer service & quality control of these companies & manufacturers making these units and AS quality is supposed to be superior than many others . By the way what’s your GVW of your AS & what tow vehicle 🚗 do you use ? Again, great advice & videos , safe travels to you & new subscriber here as well . 👍⚾️

Thanks for the video. Was your surge protector also an EMS unit? I think an EMS unit would have detected low voltage and saved you from the burnt plug. Low voltage can also damage electrical components such as the AC capacitor and the water pump.

Good video. Minor stuff I get. Poor craftsmanship I do not. I have an Airstream and want to upgrade to an international from a Caravel but am a bit hesitant given things like front end separation that Airstream has simply been unwilling to fix…as they could from the design and build stage. They had the same stubbornness with owners getting locked out with a poor lock design on the door. The CEO needs a serious spanking if he cannot simply correct clear problems and keep his product at the top.

Yikes, You are too kind considering the cost difference . I wouldn't have thought I would have to be a handyman to own a A/S and a roof leak crime is unthinkable

One thing we’ve learned, is that pretty much everything plastic will eventually break on the airstream.

😢

No offense, for the amount of money airstream is charging for their campers and “ design”, the last thing it should be doing is leaking from the roof. That issue alone is a complete turn off. They need to rectify that issue with a better design/install.

Interesting. I thought Airstreams were made to a far higher standard. Clearly they're the same garbage as the rest of the industry

Isn't it sad, that you have to pay a pile of money to buy an Airstream and then you have to spend bunches of money to fix all the things? Is profit more important than satisfied customers? At least I could learn not to buy American stuff. I prefer quality and warranty. So rather stick with a manufacturer outside the US.

fantastic video. Wife and I are considering an Airstream purchase in our near future, pre retirement planning. We would be doing it full time. We have been watching numerous videos on RU-vid about Airstreams, good and bad. Also any maintenance videos like yours, which are extremely helpful to see what happens on the road full time. I know there is no perfect Airstream, so you just have to roll with the punches. Like other people have said here, Airstream is quality mostly, but still uses low quality components for some things. So having parts on hand as you do, and all the right tools, sure makes sense to help ease the stress. Glad we found your videos. A couple questions... would you recommend a new Airstream, with full warranty? or a used one that has had a good inspection? We are looking at a 30ft, and one that is just a few years old, can save us thousands of dollars. Also after all your traveling, do you have some RV sites/areas around the country that you really like and would recommend?