It seems most RV manufacturers tell you not to wax decals. I have seen an apparent new product called Graphix Wax. Has anyone tried this product. I am on my 7th and hopefully last 5th wheel/trailer and I have had trouble with decals on most of them. I am keeping my current camper covered. I wax the camper, but not the decals. I use aerospace 303 on the decals. I hope I have better luck with my current camper than in the past. Has anyone ever wondered why you never have trouble with decals on cars and trucks with OEM decals, but RV decals are usually garbage? I have contacted both decal manufacturer and RV manufacturer and they all say do not put anything on them. Well to me that is not a proper answer. Without anything on them they will still fade, crack and peel also. What are we to do?

rwess wrote:... I have contacted both decal manufacturer and RV manufacturer and they all say do not put anything on them. ... Without anything on them they will still fade, crack and peel also. ... THAT is exactly what they want to happen to the decals, fade, crack, and peel. Then you, the consumer, has to buy new ones. It guarantees them repeat business and repeat sales for them. Build a lightbulb that can last for 100 years, and you'll only sell one to each person and then your business is over. Sell a lightbulb that last 100 hours, and you are guaranteed to have a meal ticket tomorrow!

DutchmenSport wrote:Build a lightbulb that can last for 100 years, and you'll only sell one to each person and then your business is over. Sell a lightbulb that last 100 hours, and you are guaranteed to have a meal ticket tomorrow!This sounds a lot like the RV industry. ;)

I waxed all the cheap graphics on our last TT at least twice a year for the 13 years we owned it. The graphics still looked like new. Unless you bear down in one place and keep rubbing, your not going to hurt them at all.After 13 yearsIf you want to keep it nice looking, wax it and keep the sun off it.

DutchmenSport wrote:rwess wrote:... I have contacted both decal manufacturer and RV manufacturer and they all say do not put anything on them. ... Without anything on them they will still fade, crack and peel also. ... THAT is exactly what they want to happen to the decals, fade, crack, and peel. Then you, the consumer, has to buy new ones. It guarantees them repeat business and repeat sales for them. Build a lightbulb that can last for 100 years, and you'll only sell one to each person and then your business is over. Sell a lightbulb that last 100 hours, and you are guaranteed to have a meal ticket tomorrow!No, the problem is the BUYERS of the RVs are too darned CHEAP to be willing to pay for PAINTED "graphics" and the vinyl stick on decals are the cheaper, lower cost way to add a few accents.Also does not help that a lot of RVrs seem to "trade up" every few years, bet most only keep their rigs 3-4 yrs then trade up to bigger RVs with more bells and whistles.Vinyl decals DO have a short life expectancy of 3-5 yrs to which there is NOTHING you can do to make it last longer. They are going to eventually fade, crack or peel.At the most if you keep the rig out of the sun (IE garage it) for most of the RVs life you might squeak out 10 yrs or so before fading and cracking starts showing badly..The main reason that decal and RV manufacturers state to do nothing is not for return replacements but because pretty much EVERY auto wax contains PETROLEUM BASED (CRUDE OIL BASES) materials which WILL EVENTUALLY ATTACK the vinyl..If you really want those "swooshes" then take your rig to a auto paint shop and have them PAINT on replica "swooshes" in automotive paints, it WILL outlast your RV.. Expensive, yep, permanent, absolutely!As far as 100 yr light bulbs goes, yeah, they could be made but to do so they HAVE to be designed to burn extremely dim.. It is simple and easy to do, take a 100W incadescent bulb, run through a dimmer, set the dimmer down as low as you can get it and just make a slight glow of the filament ( think nightlite bright). It WILL last 100 yrs but at the cost of brightness and efficiency..Folks WANT bright bulbs and doing so manufacturers HAVE to trade off IN A SHORTER LIFE SPAN to make that happen..

Gdetrailer wrote:No, the problem is the BUYERS of the RVs are too darned CHEAP to be willing to pay for PAINTED "graphics" and the vinyl stick on decals are the cheaper, lower cost way to add a few accents.No, the problem is both manufacturers and buyers think they need/want gaudy graphics, for unexplained reasons.If someone doesn't want problems with decals, remove them or special order a unit without them. Really, they're all butt-ugly.

Decals | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

ScottG
Nomad
Feb 05, 2018
I waxed all the cheap graphics on our last TT at least twice a year for the 13 years we owned it. The graphics still looked like new.
Unless you bear down in one place and keep rubbing, your not going to hurt them at all.

After 13 years

If you want to keep it nice looking, wax it and keep the sun off it.
gbopp
Explorer
Feb 05, 2018
DutchmenSport wrote:
Build a lightbulb that can last for 100 years, and you'll only sell one to each person and then your business is over. Sell a lightbulb that last 100 hours, and you are guaranteed to have a meal ticket tomorrow!

This sounds a lot like the RV industry. ;)
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Feb 05, 2018
rwess wrote:
...
I have contacted both decal manufacturer and RV manufacturer and they all say do not put anything on them. ... Without anything on them they will still fade, crack and peel also.
...

THAT is exactly what they want to happen to the decals, fade, crack, and peel. Then you, the consumer, has to buy new ones. It guarantees them repeat business and repeat sales for them.

Build a lightbulb that can last for 100 years, and you'll only sell one to each person and then your business is over. Sell a lightbulb that last 100 hours, and you are guaranteed to have a meal ticket tomorrow!

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Decals

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