Ace Airstream 2007

[rogbi200]

Greetings all, my first post on this forum.

I'm considering and close to my first MH purchase, and have put down a reservation holding deposit on a 2007 Ace Airstream 680FB at a local dealers. A search on the forum suggests there are a few Airstream owners (though it appears to have been a shortlived model) but a web search researching this model found a thread on another forum from about 2010 which suggested a tale of woe with these models, including electrical issues and recalls on the habitation door. I gather the electrical problems were related to faulty components in the electric distribution board, but I would have hoped that after 13 years, any issues would have been located and rectified by now (though no indication one way or the other in the documentation). Dealer will offer a warranty of course, but I obviously want to avoid buying a can of worms.

So my question is, how have current owners of the Ace Airstream from the 2007- period found their models? Should I buy, consider, or avoid? All comments welcome.

 

[ambulancekidd]

 

[Ian Kelly]

Did you go ahead, we have had a 2008 680fb and the only issue we have had is delamination of the cab sky light which we will replace in the spring.
Otherwise a perfect fit for two as it only has two seatbelts. Lovely to dive with the 130 multi jet engine.

 

[TerryL]

Greetings all, my first post on this forum.

I'm considering and close to my first MH purchase, and have put down a reservation holding deposit on a 2007 Ace Airstream 680FB at a local dealers. A search on the forum suggests there are a few Airstream owners (though it appears to have been a shortlived model) but a web search researching this model found a thread on another forum from about 2010 which suggested a tale of woe with these models, including electrical issues and recalls on the habitation door. I gather the electrical problems were related to faulty components in the electric distribution board, but I would have hoped that after 13 years, any issues would have been located and rectified by now (though no indication one way or the other in the documentation). Dealer will offer a warranty of course, but I obviously want to avoid buying a can of worms.

So my question is, how have current owners of the Ace Airstream from the 2007- period found their models? Should I buy, consider, or avoid? All comments welcome.

I know this isn't a recent post but also would be interested.

We bought a 2007 Swift Bolero 680FB at 2 years old, which is a slightly upgraded version of the Ace (at the time Swift did 3 levels, ACE, Bolero, Bessacarr - all identical except for trim etc). Had it for 11 years now with 120,000 miles, over 1000 nights away so well used. No particular problems other than usual wear and tear, despite there being many doomsayers and no intentions of changing.

But of course we know how ours has been treated, not the case with you so it's definitely "caveat emptor".

 

[Lee680fb]

Hi all - hope someone can help?

I've just purchased an '07 plate 680fb and really happy (at this stage!) with my choice for the price.
Despite a good handover on everything from the dealer, because of the weather on the day I didn't get to see where the drains are for teh fresh & grey water.
Looking underneath I can see one drain tap (ball valve) on the passenger door side towards the rear, but that's the only one I can see.
Can anyone advise where the other one is as I think I'm going blind.....!
Thanks

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[Phill D]

Hi welcome.

If the fresh tank is internal to them van then the drain could well be inside the tank itself, mine is.
If it’s external then there will be a tap or drain on the tank itself.

 

[GeoffnDee]

There may be a hatch cover on the floor inside the van above the fresh water tank that you remove and then find a large access cap to the inside of the tank that has a drain plug in the bottom of it that you remove to drain the tank (This is what I found on a Swift Bessacarr I used to own)

 

[Langtoftlad]

My Ace Moderna 2012 had a tank hatch midships for fresh. To drain down you had to plunge your hand into the cold icy water and unscrew the red drain cap...

 

[Swifter]

As mentioned above . Fresh water tank should be Internal and normally under one of the hab seats .
Unscrew the cap on the tank and there is orange bung in the bottom of the tank . The grey waste drain should be outside normally on the passenger side behind the rear wheel .

 

[TerryL]

Have the Swift version, the Bolero 680FB. The tap on the nearside by the back wheel is the grey water dump. It's got an internal 1" thread that I can screw an adapter into (any good plumbers merchant) and fixed an old washing machine drain hose to it which gives me the ability to drain into a suitable depository if no over-drain facility is available.

There is no external drain for the water tank. Right in the centre of the floor is an access panel, underneath that is another and under that is a large screw cap which is the fresh water tank (the sensor by the way is just to the nearside of it). Unscrew the cap and you will see a rubber bung directly below, hopefully attached to a wire or cable - just pull it up and the tank drains through the hole. Basic, simple with nothing to go wrong.

Until I ran over a ladder that fell off a pickup in front of me and took the protruding small drain pipe off................ But that's another story!

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