I'm sure this has come up before, so maybe someone has a source on where to get replacement graphics for my 2004 Wildnerness by Fleetwood. A local vinyl sign company said he could probably make up new ones if we made patterns from the old ones but warned me it would be expensive:(Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I tried looking some 5 or so years ago and I couldn't find any.. Fleetwood has been out of the "Travel Trailer" manufacturing business for some time.The front graphics on my 2003 Prowler died 5 years ago.. I just peeled them off and live with a blank front.Once the sides go, I'll just do the same and eventually have a "white" trailer with no graphics at all.. ;)Good luck!Mitch

Locally I have noticed quite a few people completely stripping their trailers of any exterior graphics and lettering. Kind of unique seeing a totally white trailer.

We have the same problem with our 1998 Southwind. Graphics are really bad and it is difficult to find anyone to replace or re-do. We are thinking of having them removed and then replace with paint, just like the new ones, but that will be expensive also.

Same problem with the vinyl decals on the doors of our not quite 4 year old Hideout. I peeled of the crackled ones from the back door, the front door is looking OK so far. The doors seem to be fiberglass, whereas the rest is aluminum and the decals stick better. Would be nice to get a custom paint job, but that is probably going to cost more than we paid for the trailer. I guess eventually all the decals will peel off and we will end up with the FEMA-trailer look :B.I keep telling my wife as the trailer gets older we'll just replace the 'T' in 'Hideout' with an 'S', thus having the first Keystone Hideous!

We replaced our faded and cracked decals over the last few weekends. I started by making a trace copy of one of the decals on paper. I transferred the paper copy onto a piece of 1/8th in smooth paneling. I cut out the paneling and sanded the edges. I got new vinyl from a local sign shop, by the foot. I taped the paneling on the vinyl and cut it out with a snap off razor. I removed the old decals with a 3m decal remover mounted in a drill. I washed the camper with dish detergent to remove wax, oil and dirt. Wipe the application area with alcohol. I Sprayed the application area with water mixed with a little soap to make applying the vinyl a little easier. It came out good for first timers. The following weekend I spent 9 hours waxing the rest of the siding. I need to upload after pictures from the camera and post on here. It was a lot of work but my labor is free to me. We spent less than $100 for the entire project.

Travel Trailer graphics faded | Good Sam Community

24 Replies

RichieW
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
KevSchofield wrote:
RichieW wrote:
KevSchofield wrote:

I spent a weekend with a heat gun and WD-40 removing the old graphics, then did a simple racing stripe (ebay vinyl),
a few new Coleman stickers, a small 'scene' graphic (again from ebay) and some vinyl lettering for "Coleman Caravan"..

Cost was right around $100 for all..

May not look as fancy as it did new, but it looks way better than the cracked, peeling graphics did..

How did you keep the stripes so straight?

The stripes came in 8 foot lengths and had a backing on both sides..
You peel the backing from the side that is going to stick to the surface,
then mist the surface with water and put the stripe on..
Once it was in place you squeegee out the water and peel the protective
backing off leaving just the stripe in place.

It takes a little patience but trust me, putting on the new stripes
was way easier than removing the old ones :)

Looks good. I'm not sure if I want to remove my graphics yet. I'm afraid I'll just make it worse.
KevSchofield
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
Tom Trostel wrote:
The original vinyl stripes on our 1980 Bigfoot were orange and olive green. The green was faded and the strips did not go over the door or frig vent. I masked the edges and used Krylon Fusion hunter green on the olive and Rust-Oleum seafoam spray can on the orange. Five year in the Texas and they still look good.

original

new

Nice idea that looks great!
Tom_Trostel
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
The original vinyl stripes on our 1980 Bigfoot were orange and olive green. The green was faded and the strips did not go over the door or frig vent. I masked the edges and used Krylon Fusion hunter green on the olive and Rust-Oleum seafoam spray can on the orange. Five year in the Texas and they still look good.

original

new
KevSchofield
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
RichieW wrote:
KevSchofield wrote:

I spent a weekend with a heat gun and WD-40 removing the old graphics, then did a simple racing stripe (ebay vinyl),
a few new Coleman stickers, a small 'scene' graphic (again from ebay) and some vinyl lettering for "Coleman Caravan"..

Cost was right around $100 for all..

May not look as fancy as it did new, but it looks way better than the cracked, peeling graphics did..

How did you keep the stripes so straight?

The stripes came in 8 foot lengths and had a backing on both sides..
You peel the backing from the side that is going to stick to the surface,
then mist the surface with water and put the stripe on..
Once it was in place you squeegee out the water and peel the protective
backing off leaving just the stripe in place.

It takes a little patience but trust me, putting on the new stripes
was way easier than removing the old ones :)
chr_
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
We peeled three sides, fourth will be done this winter. Being all white, we call it the "Fema Trailer" but I will probably paint new graphics on it where they were, as no matter how much polishing you do (in a filon walled unit) you can still see where they were...

I wish they just left them off from the get-go!
facory
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
Very professional job. Looks GREAT!
RichieW
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
KevSchofield wrote:

I spent a weekend with a heat gun and WD-40 removing the old graphics, then did a simple racing stripe (ebay vinyl),
a few new Coleman stickers, a small 'scene' graphic (again from ebay) and some vinyl lettering for "Coleman Caravan"..

Cost was right around $100 for all..

May not look as fancy as it did new, but it looks way better than the cracked, peeling graphics did..

How did you keep the stripes so straight?
facory
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
I bought graphic vinyl from this seller on eBay. It is sign vinyl good for 9 years. I have cut the pattern from it and applied it to the trailer. It went on easy and is beautiful. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271009649460?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Tequila
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
Had the same problem with my old RV. Camping in Mexico there was a body shop coming around and stripping off graphics and hand painting new ones. i shoudl have gone for it. They charged less than $200 and I have seen the same RV's 3 years later and they still look great.
NHDad
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
beg4mercy wrote:
KevSchofield wrote:
I bought a 2001 Coleman Caravan last August that was priced really nicely, mostly due to the graphics looking poor.

I spent a weekend with a heat gun and WD-40 removing the old graphics, then did a simple racing stripe (ebay vinyl),
a few new Coleman stickers, a small 'scene' graphic (again from ebay) and some vinyl lettering for "Coleman Caravan"..

Cost was right around $100 for all..

May not look as fancy as it did new, but it looks way better than the cracked, peeling graphics did..

Nice work!! Looks great!!

I agree, nice job!