Forum Discussion

Bigimac's avatar
Bigimac
Explorer
May 17, 2014

I do not like dead, bloody, sun baked, bugs

Thinking about having the detail shop apply a 3M paint protection film to the front cabover & area facing the cab.

Supposedly this would protect against rock dings & make cleaning bugs easier - cost is around $1,100, which is quite a bit to pay for the small bit of satisfaction easier bug cleaning would bring.

Anyone have experience having a protection film applied on the camper?

19 Replies

  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Everytime we would get close to the MISS River the bugs gets bigger and bigger... Always stop after we clear the River and do some elbow grease work haha...

    On my OFF-ROAD Camper trips I finally figured out 53MPH was the correct speed to keep the grasshoppers going over my cab and not slamming into the truck haha... This is for the TEXAS road trips... When you have grasshopper then you always have turtles on the road eating the killed grasshoppers... even a bigger bump when you hit one of them...

    Roy Ken
  • We had 3M on the front of our 2004 Country Coach and had to have it removed just out of warranty. Cracks formed in the film and turned brown behind. We would never put that **** on a vehicle of ours. It's very expensive or time consuming (2-3 days) to remove and then no guarantee you won't have to have the vehicle repainted.
  • let the rv sit in the rain after rain presure wash the rv. the rain soften,s the bug guts ,
  • MORSNOW's avatar
    MORSNOW
    Navigator III
    Bigimac wrote:
    Thinking about having the detail shop apply a 3M paint protection film to the front cabover & area facing the cab.

    Supposedly this would protect against rock dings & make cleaning bugs easier - cost is around $1,100, which is quite a bit to pay for the small bit of satisfaction easier bug cleaning would bring.

    Anyone have experience having a protection film applied on the camper?


    I have 3M film on the entire front of my truck and full rocker panels. It is great to prevent rock chips, but I will have to disagree with it helping with bug removal. Bugs and greasy road grime stick to the film pretty good, and are still a chore to remove.

    I am following the ZEP thread (floor wax) hoping to hear if it also helps with exterior cleaning.
  • Spray/wipe silicone spray on there before you take off.
  • Fabric softener sheets, makes cleaning easy. Wash-then wash again using the sheets-I generally, well at least annualy, wax the camper nose.
    Briefly reading linked threads previews kinda confirmed my first reaction to applying film. Long term more trouble than it saves. Only experience Ive had is where used as rock sheild on car wheel wells lead surface- though it works- after a while yellows, pocked-looks pretty bad. And if it matters you still will be washing bugs.
  • Thanks gbopp - read those - lots of mixed reviews ...

    downtheroad - that's exactly my problem, spending a week or so on the road & in the summer heat of the remote SW really bakes those critters on - seems I can never really get them off completely - supposedly (according to the folks who sell this stuff for $1,100 a pop ...) a little soap & water & they'll literally slide right off ...

    This TC forum has turned me into a caveat emptor sort of person, just trying to figure out if putting a 3M bib on really makes any difference when cleaning things - thx
  • From what I have learned (disclaimer: no first hand experience)...all you will be doing is cleaning dead, bloody, sun baked bugs off the $1100.00 3M film.

    The key is to clean them off each day after a long haul. Don't leave them to get baked on and stain your cap. The longer they are there, the harder they are to remove.