trailer cap turning white

Double post others are answering here;
http://forums.motorhomemagazine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27976473.cfm

Oxidation. Try to get it removed as soon as you can, because the longer you wait the harder it will be. Don't know if that would be a warranty issue or not, but it shouldn't be so bad on a '13.

they told me at the dealer it was bad gel-coat that it needs to be redone the company put on cheap gel-coat

The only "Real" fix is to have it painted. Heartland has gone to this after many of their front caps and sometimes rear caps did this. Mine was painted with a base coat clear coat finish under warranty and the problem is gone. It's not necessarily cheap gel-coat. Most RVs are white and you don't notice it.

B.O.

B.O. Plenty wrote:
The only "Real" fix is to have it painted. Heartland has gone to this after many of their front caps and sometimes rear caps did this. Mine was painted with a base coat clear coat finish under warranty and the problem is gone. It's not necessarily cheap gel-coat. Most RVs are white and you don't notice it. B.O.

This is correct! Our previous 2011 Big Country developed "fading" gray caps. Something about no UV protectant in the gel coat. There is nothing that can be done except painting the caps. Heartland sent us new graphics and $800 but that was not nearly enough to cover the expensive job. We no longer have that rig and opted for a white one this time.

Having lived in South Florida most of my life and observing what the sun does to boats with hull colors other than white, I can tell you that all gel coat will oxidize. The only preventative is constant cleaning and waxing. The only fix is to paint and clear coat it. Most RV manufacturers have finally figured this out and are now painting, which by the way costs more than colored gel coat.

We spend 4-5 months in SW Florida, another 3-4 months in warm weather up north, and another 3-4 months traveling. Our FW gets a lot of sun all year. I wax the entire thing once a year but the cap gets a wax job two or three times a year. Over time constant sun will suck the oils/moisture out of almost any gel coat and it has to be protected.

SH wrote:

B.O. Plenty wrote:
The only "Real" fix is to have it painted. Heartland has gone to this after many of their front caps and sometimes rear caps did this. Mine was painted with a base coat clear coat finish under warranty and the problem is gone. It's not necessarily cheap gel-coat. Most RVs are white and you don't notice it. B.O.

This is correct! Our previous 2011 Big Country developed "fading" gray caps. Something about no UV protectant in the gel coat. There is nothing that can be done except painting the caps. Heartland sent us new graphics and $800 but that was not nearly enough to cover the expensive job. We no longer have that rig and opted for a white one this time.

X3 - non-painted Redwoods had the same issue. The only fix is paint because the color has already washed out. Original Dealer attempts to buff and polish only lasted a few months and only recovered the shine, not the color.

I had this issue on my 2013 Kodiak. I learned from a boat owner to use polishing or rubbing compound to remove the oxidation and then use a good carnauba based wax to bring back the shine. It worked very nicely. The downside is that it needs to be done frequently to keep it from reoccurring and the upper areas are VERY hard to reach. And avoid using the compound on the graphics.

I contacted the manufracture and they said to wet sand and polish but they would not help anymore with price I called my local body shop to come and look at it to give me a price to fix I told keystone that im going to put a sign on front that said keystone paint jobs how can you sell with that kind of front cap without taking a big hit