Decal

We have a 2008 Raptor 3602 and our decals are also “horrible” (peeling off, crinkling off, and simple falling off) :S

We bought our Raptor “brand new”, and for a year or two, even had it in covered storage. We’ve seen other rigs of that year, of different manufactures; not having as many problems with their decals. We’ve also seen newer, and even older Raptors not having as much difficulties with their decals.

I think Keystone during those years (2008-2009), must have been in financial difficulty, and to stay afloat, decided to use cheaper (thinner) decals on their Raptors (along with cheaper glue).

I say this, because when we bought the rig, I remember reading about the difficulties the RV industry as a whole, was having at that time (2008-2009). I think Keystone took it out on the Raptors decals (penny pinching).

We will also have to remove “ALL” our decals and either replace them with newer ones, or get a full body paint.

I think we will not trust Keystone if we have to re-order our decals. They may send us replacement decals, as cheap as their originals.

It seems odd to us, that with all the reasonable nice work Keystone put inside the Raptor’s during those years (cabinet wood, wall trim, window decorations, and so on), they would neglect to use higher quality decals on the outside.

Has anyone called them, to see if there replacement decals are of a better quality than their original (2008-2009 decals)? I know there are better quality decals out there some were (thicker and better glue).

Has anyone tried stripping off the old decals and doing a vinyl wrap? If so how was your experience? I've been considering this as an option but haven't gone out to get quotes yet.

I just bought a 2007 Coachmen Adrenaline Lite 26FS from my brother-in-law.

I just removed all the graphics from my trailer and replaced them. Removal is not that bad. I used a hair dryer, plastic razor blades and adhesive remover. I bought 3 of the erasers but used only one and was not really that impressed.

I got the astro eraser pad. I noticed the decals at the entrance side of the trailer go under the arms for the awning. When the decals are installed by the dealer, are they installed before the windows and all the other accessories are installed? Looks like the decals run beyond the edge of the window frame.

Decal removal with a hair dryer is not too bad as long as the decals are not dried and cracked. If they are then it becomes a cumbersome chore to the point that the eraser wheel is about all that will work. The wheel does not last as long as I expected and throws off a lot of rubber crumbs that look like sawdust.

I used all those techniques on mine. Some sections came off quite nicely with a heat gun and a scraper but the cracked sections were a real PITA! I noticed the dark blue decals were not cracked and dry like the black and dark gray ones. The blue came off fairly easy but the black did not.

The yellow decals came off in two sections, first the yellow colored vinyl peeled off and left behind a rubbery gray substrate which had to be removed with acetone. I had to use the eraser wheel on most of the black/gray.

YES! The decals are installed before the windows and doors. I know this as I had to remove several due to water intrusion damage and found the decals went right up to the edge of the cutout.

In general decals will not last regardless of the manufacturer. I cut them in my spare time and the highest end vinyl material is rated for 7 years outdoor. The decals on our old TT started cracking and peeling about the 3 year mark and got progressively worse. Our new TH is painted not decals so that seems promising...

deltamaster wrote:
The yellow decals came off in two sections, first the yellow colored vinyl peeled off and left behind a rubbery gray substrate which had to be removed with acetone. I had to use the eraser wheel on most of the black/gray.

Great info deltamaster. I had the same rubbery gray adhesive left behind on many of my graphics. I found if I sprayed it with the adhesive remover and waited a few minutes I could then use the plastic razor blades to easily scrape off the residue, especially in the sun. I liked the adhesive remover because it is citrus based and hopefully was easier on the wax.

I think the bigger challenge will be installing new ones now.i don't want to have to pull the windows out and the awning off and all the accessories just to install the new ones

For the windows, just lay the decal over the window frame and trim it with a box knife or razor blade tight around the frame.

For the awning, just extend the awning and remove the arms from the side of the rig at the bottom and rest them on the ground as you would to create an outdoor room.

U might want to try some wd40 to remove the glue. i use it to remove adhesive from the balance weights on my motorcycle tires. It wont hurt. By, the way, what about spraying a little clear coat over the stickers? im not a body man, but I figure that would work and cant cost much. My girlfriend worked for camping world once and said dont get anything with decals.

mustangglp wrote:
http://www.amazon.com/AES-Industries-Smart-Eraser-Adaptor/dp/B00488DDB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414086696&sr=8-1&keywords=pinstripe+eraser

here you go
The key is having a drill that's the right speed They work good used them for year when i was doing auto collision