Paint checking - What years

Thank you guys again for all the replies. Was this issue pretty standard across all manufacturers or did some have a fiberglass process that avoided the checking problem?

imgoin4it wrote:
The small fibers in the fiberglass siding material releases, comes loose and raises from the panel. When it is under a painted surface it raises the paint, slightly at first which causes the bumps that one can see when looking at the paint in the right light and at an angle. Eventually the tiny fiber may break out of the paint and cause a slight "chip". Sanding and repainting is a temporary fix because it will just occur again. Sun and heat speeds up the process. People in the industry believe the checking or etching problems were solved with the 2009 models

Sounds like what you are describing is a side wall made out of chopped fibers that are close to the surface with very little or no gelcoat. I can see a continuous long fibers in my 1996 side wall(polyester resin) right on the surface, but no checking as described. Do you know what the Mfg's changed in their laminating process to fix this problem?

The small fibers in the fiberglass siding material releases, comes loose and raises from the panel. When it is under a painted surface it raises the paint, slightly at first which causes the bumps that one can see when looking at the paint in the right light and at an angle. Eventually the tiny fiber may break out of the paint and cause a slight "chip". Sanding and repainting is a temporary fix because it will just occur again. Sun and heat speeds up the process. People in the industry believe the checking or etching problems were solved with the 2009 models

I am still trying to understand this checking issue. Those of you that say it is caused by the fiberglass how does it cause the checking? Is there something on the surface that the paint does not adhere well to or is it the difference in expansion of the fiberglass and paint? or something else?

Sure......my comment was primarily regarding the clear coat along the roof, which was NOT a fiberglass issue on the Monaco coaches. Yes, paint is paint, but just like any paint job, it can have one coat of cleat, two coats, even up to ten. The coaches with deeper clear coats held up better.

When you buy a new Newmar, you get their standard paint job up to the Dutch Star line. Once you go above that line, you get what they call their Masterpiece paint job. They paint, sand, clear coat, sand and shoot more layers of clear. It's a much deeper and better quality paint job.

Take a look at older Country Coaches, especially the higher end models. They still look like new because they got a better paint job with a ton more clear.

When we bought our Diplomat years ago, we were told that it took 35 gallons of paint, probably around $35-$45 a gallon back then. You start adding more paint at that price, along with the additional labor, you can see why only the more expensive coaches get better paint jobs.

When it comes to checking, I agree that is a fiberglass issue. We have a local guy who says he can fix it. He actually found a large check on the front cap of Diplomat when I had the clear coat repaired. In the that one area he sanded down to the fiberglass and used a new epoxy base primer in just that small area. I sold the coach two years later and it was still holding up, but it sure wouldn't have been worth the extra cost to sand a coach with substantial checking down to bare fiberglass and use the expensive primer and repaint.

DSDP Don wrote:
Keep in mind, the Dynasty's and above got better paint jobs than the Knights, Diplomats and probably even the Camelots. I wouldn't expect to find many Dynasty's, Windsors, Signatures or Executives with as many issues.

Forgive my ignorance....can you tell me what the difference is in the paint jobs? I would assume that they all use the same paint as they roll down the line. Also, would that even matter if the real issue is the fiberglass?

I can tell you what I was told. It is an issue with the walls used on coaches from about 2000 to 2008. The walls used fiberglass bonded to plywood. The bonding is failing and it happens more quickly on dark surfaces because they get hotter. The problem is that it can lift the clear coat off - this is what was happening in the dark paint areas of my coach. If the clear coat was not lifting, it would not be a big deal. I talked to a number of top paint shops. Some have sanded down the areas and repainted and have had mixed results. Sometimes the paint holds and sometimes the checking comes back. Since it is expensive to sand down the walls and repaint, it is not a good solution if there is no guarantee it will work. When I told the paint shops that Newmar will replace the sidewalls at a reduced cost (and repaint the coach) they strongly recommended that I take them up on it. I also talked to other people that have had the sidewalls replaced by Newmar and they were very happy with the work. My coach is currently at Newmar having the work done.

If the coach was kept in covered storage since it was built, the problem may never arise. I purchased the coach 3 years ago and it had been kept outside until I purchased it. I kept it in a garage but the basic damage must have been done and it still got worse when I owned it.

I am happy about having to have this done? Absolutely not. I wish I would have known that the checking would get worse and cause the clear coat to lift. I would have negotiated a cheaper price. However, we cannot replace the coach for the money we are spending to get the sidewalls replaced. We are also having other work done while the walls are off.

Fiberglass

Keep in mind, the Dynasty's and above got better paint jobs than the Knights, Diplomats and probably even the Camelots. I wouldn't expect to find many Dynasty's, Windsors, Signatures or Executives with as many issues.

Most of the issues with crazing or cracking appeared in the dark colors. Mine lasted 9 years before I started to see some crazing in the dark stripe where the sun hit it when the coach was at home.

Thanks for all the feedback. So I guess I am still looking to see when this became an issue and what year it resolved for the various manufacturers. Is this info available?