Clear film

I had 3M on the front of my gasser and was glad I had it. I wonder if the Phaeton might not come with it already installed?

I'm pretty certain most all new Tiffins currently have Diamond Shields installed at the factory in Red Bay, Alabama.

Your Phaeton will come with Diamond shield on the front, around the wheel wells and under the door entrance. The new product is much improved.

Some people like others hate it after a while. My new Newmar has it and it looks like **** so I'm having the dealer remove it. Don't know if it was a bad install or what.

We loved our Diamond Shield and after 8 years of full-timing in it, it still looked new. Bugs came off without effort.

I notice that folks in humid areas have the most problems with it and mold. We were in the West and didn't have that problem. Also, you have to keep it clean and that helps with small dust particles getting around the edges and mold starting.

We spent a summer in Alaska and got no dings on the front of the motorhome as others did. We'd definitely have it again.

Our Phaeton is 11 years old with 115,000 miles. The Diamond Shield is getting pretty bad with mold underneath. At present it looks like bugs smashed all over. Darker mold is showing up behind the mirror arms where the film is "shaded" most of the time. Saw a similar vintage Discovery this week that was tan with dark brown staining under the plastic film on front. Hopefully we can get it in for removal and replacement this summer while in Elkhart.

"sunnybrooktoyhauler".....If you take care of it, it will last a long time. Use a soft microfiber cloth mitt to wash it, rather than an RV brush. Wax it like you would the rest of the RV.

Before very trip, I either wax it, use 303 or spray Pledge on it. It only takes a few minutes, but the bugs will come right off during or after the trip, depending on how long your gone. Never scrub the plastic to remove anything, soak it and wash it off. Scrubbing will cause hairline scratches that will look bad in a few years.

The new Diamond Shield Nano is a much improved product over what they had prior to 2011 or 2012. Tiffin had to replace the sidewalls on my coach so I elected to go with a different color arrangement, which of course meant repainting the front and rear caps. I had the Nano version installed and it's like another layer of clear coat.

I have friends that have removed their 3M or older Diamond Shield and now have a lot of chips and dings in their paint.

Like Don said, if you take care of it properly it will hold up fine.

sunnybrooktoyhauler wrote:
My wife and I are picking up our new tiffin phaeton next week. I read in the posts in the past about a clear film put on the front. 1 what is the manufacture. 2 is it worth it. Thanks in advance.

Well, I cannot tell you if your coach will come with or without it from the factory. And, also, as you can read, there are some that have had good luck with it and, it still looks good on their coaches even after a few years. And, there are some that have had "not so" good luck and, issues have arisen.

There are a few issues with this protective coating. It's really rare that it's installed incorrectly. It's basically just like Vinyl stickers on cars/trucks/motor homes etc. Any installer that knows anything about the application technique will know how to prep a surface and apply the material without any bubbles, wrinkles, or debris "under" the coating.

Sometimes, you'll see botchy brown "mold" starting to occur in various spots. On others, we've seen serious cracking, as in it looked like chicken scratches in all directions. And it wasn't from bad maintenance. Many think too much direct sunlight can cause many of the issues with it.

Our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT, is a full body painted coach and, it has the clear film on it. At present, and, 11 years old, that film is in flawless condition. I will ad, that we are the fourth owners and, this coach has been kept under a cover or, a garage, it's whole life.

Anyway, this was just to let you know and or, be aware of, "POTENTIAL" issues, that may, or may not appear at a later date in your new coach with this film. Todays film might be chemically better than yesteryears films.
Scott

Older coach had Diamond Shield, newer coach has Dura Shield. Don't know if the newer is better...or cheaper.

http://durashieldppfs.com/