Removing vinyl graphics and restoring finish?

[Mike_Schriber]

We've just finished removing the cracked and shrunken vinyl graphics from our 2006 Damon Daybreak. These were known to have a bad batch of graphics and the company that supplied them sent us a new set for no charge.

I'm debating on replacing them or just trying to restore and even out the finish. As you'd expect, you can see where the graphics were since the covered fiberglass isn't faded like the rest of the coach.

Does anyone know if there is a way to even out the finish or do you just have to wait for the sun to do it's job?

Thanks!

Mike

[Pirate1]

JD38 wrote:
Pirate.....6k sounds kinda expensive unless there was extra work. Can you elaborate, including removal of old? length etc

1. There is only 1 place around me to do this work.
2. It included removal. It looks great and I would say money well spent.
3. 37 feet long.
4. You have to pinstrip all the painted on decals because the paint is thicker and would have left an unsightly edge where painted.
5. I asked them to remove/replace vinyl. Putting vinyl back on was real expensive too.

[topflite51]

I am slowly removing the vinyl graphics on our FW. It is a royal pain, someday I will have them all removed. DW asked what I was going to do when I was finished, I told her I had no idea, and I still don't. Right now it looks better than when I started, that's how bad the vinyl graphics were. So I might just do NOTHING! 😛

[my996duc1]

Anyone try a vinyl wrap ?
I have seen it advertised locally and with my graphics cracking I have been wondering about different options also....


_

[JD38]

Pirate.....6k sounds kinda expensive unless there was extra work. Can you elaborate, including removal of old? length etc

[rgatijnet1]

Professional painting is expensive and if done right there is a lot of labor involved. If you are physically able, you can save some money by removing the old graphics and preparing the surface for paint. You can also save some money by doing whatever the paint shop will allow you to do including masking, etc.
I have painted numerous cars, boats, airplanes, and a motor home, and you can do the same thing.
There were pictures posted on this website several months ago from a poster that had painted his own coach.
Spray painting is a skill that most people can learn if they have the desire to follow directions. It is also a skill that many people already have that would be glad to come to your location and spray your coach/stripes. There are a lot of people that would love to earn a few tax free bucks and an ad in Craigslist will probably give you several to chose from. Some may even have their own equipment.
From experience I know that you can purchase the air compressor, the dryer, the spray gun, and the materials to paint your own motor home for under $1000, not counting the cost of paint. The quality of the paint, and the color chosen, determines the paint cost. Most paints can be wet sanded and polished to a high gloss, even if the application is not perfect.
If you really need to paint your motor home, think outside of the envelope and you will see that there are many options out there from doing it all yourself to buying the tools and materials and paying someone else to apply the paint.

[Jim]

You're in Utah it seems from your profile. Not that much of a drive to go down to San Carlos, Mexico for stripe removal and painting. I've heard that the painters there are very good. I had my 37' Bounder done in Mazatlan. Removed all the vinyl stripes (which were all cracked and faded) and repainted them on, painted the entire bottom of the RV...all the basement compartment areas, wheel surrounds, front and rear bumpers, the mirrors, the steps, the trim going up to the roof on the very back, and the rear view camera assembly. Oh, they also washed and waxed the whole thing too. All for around $900.

When I looked into buying the vinyl, it was over $3600.

[lacofdfireman]

I called Damon (Thor) today and told them I was looking for Graphics for an 06 Damon Daybreak 3276 and they told me they are obsolete. The said that they only keep the current 5 years of graphics so 2009 and newer coaches. That really sucks. I can't afford $4500 for new painted on stripes. Anyone have any other ideas of what to do? I wish there was a way someone could just duplicate the graphics somehow. Mine are cracked very bad and look terrible..

[wny_pat1]

horizon36 wrote:
As far as restoring the finish I have used the Wade Maid Finish Restorer with Wax on mine and it works great! You can get it on line for 10% off if you use coupon code "rvweigh". Here's a link to their videos on how to polish your rig. Scroll down to the last few on the page. Link to Wade Maid videos

Since you have the decals already you may as well put them on.

Pure marketing hype! They claim use of PTFE. At one point, even DuPont stated that PTFE offers no benefits to car wax. It's just another marketing hook. PTFE requires a properly prepped metal surface and about 700 degrees to actually bond. The PTFE helps the product go on nicer and also come off much quicker.

[J__J_]

Did Chuey paint your MH for you at Playa Bonita?


J. J. Griego

[Mike_Schriber]

So, I've been doing some research and the reports I've gotten indicate that the replacement graphics are also cracking and shrinking after about two years.

That sucks.

I think I'm just going to leave them off at this point. Now I need to figure out the best way to try and polish the gelcoat in order to even out the finish.

Any suggestions?

Mike

[Mike_Schriber]

I'll post a picture when I can. The ghosting is pretty obvious. Just a follow up on removal... the side we were able to use the heat gun on was still a major pain. Removing the adhesive was an all day job. What a mess.

As an extra added bonus, something is fishy with the rear cap. It looks like it's been painted. We've damaged the pain in a number of spots too which will make things even more complicated. I'm not sure what the scoop is. It's possible the previous owner damaged in and had it repaired. I should know more once I figure out the extent of the pain.

Fun fun!

Mike

[jbraun29]

I was able to buff the fiberglass back to a glossy finish on my old KZ toy hauler after I removed the vinyl. There was a very slight difference in color under the graphics but you have to be looking for it. It was a 2002.

[randallb]

Mike,
What about the ghost graphics? How do they look? I was planning on removing my graphics in a few more years, the RV would have been 7 years old, and then just give it a good wax job. I sold the RV instead. Post a picture with the vinyl off and let us see how it looks.
Randy

[TEO]

If your unit is fiberglass, I don't think you will ever get the surface as smooth as the part under the decals. On my 2002 Winnebago Journey, I took the decals off and had a full body paint in Puerto Pañesco for $4500.00 . It looks great, is easy to care for, and it's holding up very well.

Paul