"to put a layer of clear coat over them at the factory."
That is exactly what this stuff is, clear coat for decals.
Since I played in a band with one of his close friends back in the 90s, and my wife knows his Mom and sister, if there was something "wrong" with the Marabu stuff, why wouldn't he simply sell me the decal for $160? Why would he then sell me "at his cost" $25 worth of the Marabu stuff to protect my decals? I know the guy, I know where he lives, I know where his shop is. Why would he want to generate a bunch of trouble for himself over a $25 sale at zero profit? My older brother is a lawyer, if you get my drift. Since he is NOT going to sell this stuff online or otherwise, what could possibly be his motive to sell me something that had a serious downside? I trust the guy enough to put it over all my decals, since that is what it was manufactured for.
Part of his business is making decals for RVs.
As far as why the decal cost so much, it was because the decal was a bear destroyed by the sun, his head and legs were gone. He had to artistically recreate the original decal from some photos we took back when the trailer was new, and match the colors to fragments of the decal we peeled off and took to him.
