Decals peeling

Debadge that bad boy, UNLESS the company, is paying you to advertise for them...
-Repo

JBarca wrote:

rwess wrote:
On my latest camper (which I plan on keeping for eternity) I keep covered. I also only use Aerospace 303 on the decals and wax the rest. I have seen a new product on the market called Graphix Wax, does anyone here have any experience with it?

I 120% agree on using the 303. It really helps but you have to almost get it on day 1 of a new camper and keep after it. Our first TT' we bought brand new and I 303'ed the decals 4 times a year. It really helped. However we sold it after 3 years so I do not have data beyond 3 years on only using 303.

We bought our current camper used, 2 1/2 years old. The prior owner did not do any UV protection on anything. And I had to replace every plastic part on the roof short of the tank vents due to it. When I bought it in 2007 I started the 303 treatment on every vinyl, plastic or rubber part. And it for sure helps. However it would not stop the decals from peeling. This could of been because the damage was already done from the prior owner. But, my post above shows that I could save the decals on a smooth flat surface. I still 303 them even with the protective film on them.

Hope this helps

John

After thinking about this, I do have a data point on using 303 on new decals and how long they last.

My rear decal was toast around between year 4 to 5 but again the first 2 1/2 years it never had a 303 treatment. The last 2 1/2 years before replacement it was 303'ed but the damage was already done. The camper lived outside all the time.

I replaced that decal with a factory supplied one and have been using 303 on it since new. This decal today still has not peeled at the edges or blistered, however it has shrunk some over the corrugating creases and slightly lifted in the shrink area. But not blistering or peeling.

Here is the material if this means anything to anyone.






That replacement decal today is 7 1/2 years old on the camper. The actual decal was about 7 to 9 years old in the package before being installed stored away from sunlight. The camper lived outside non stop for 4 of those years and stored inside a barn now for the last 3 1/2 years when not camping. There is no peeling or blistering. I 303 it 4 times a year. It has outlived the originals close to 2 1/2 to 3 years so far on the camper starting with 7 - 9 year old decals when applied and starting the 303 treatment on day 1 of the install. At this point I will keep the experiment going... There is no clear tape on this rear decal due to the siding. It may be the shrink gets this one rather than the peeling/blistering.

303 really works

Hope this helps

John

rwess wrote:
On my latest camper (which I plan on keeping for eternity) I keep covered. I also only use Aerospace 303 on the decals and wax the rest. I have seen a new product on the market called Graphix Wax, does anyone here have any experience with it?

I 120% agree on using the 303. It really helps but you have to almost get it on day 1 of a new camper and keep after it. Our first TT' we bought brand new and I 303'ed the decals 4 times a year. It really helped. However we sold it after 3 years so I do not have data beyond 3 years on only using 303.

We bought our current camper used, 2 1/2 years old. The prior owner did not do any UV protection on anything. And I had to replace every plastic part on the roof short of the tank vents due to it. When I bought it in 2007 I started the 303 treatment on every vinyl, plastic or rubber part. And it for sure helps. However it would not stop the decals from peeling. This could of been because the damage was already done from the prior owner. But, my post above shows that I could save the decals on a smooth flat surface. I still 303 them even with the protective film on them.

Hope this helps

John

I actually found a method that does work. However it will "depend" if the decal is on a smooth surface like a fiberglass rock guard or cargo door etc. The method I am going to show you does not hold up on corrugated aluminum siding.

If you look here, you can see the main decal curling up on my front rock guard.


There where other edges doing this too. I first started with a high flash cleaner (home rubbing alcohol will work), VM&P Naphta, 3M adhesive remover or other cleaner to go around the edges and clean up all dirt that was sticking to the border of the decal.

Then using a heat gun or hair dryer, very gently heat "warm" the rolling up edge and press it down flat. You have to be gentle on the heat and keep the heating device moving. You only need a little warmth to get the decal to stick back down. If there are crusty corners, trim then off if they will not stick down.

Next is to cover the decal with helicopter tape. At least that is what the box called it, not me. This is clear tape used on cars/trucks to cover abrasion areas to not beat up the paint. In my case I used this one from Jeg's. http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/75023/10002/-1

I'm sure there are other brands and most auto parts stores may have it. I went with the 6" wide tape and I cut the piece that hung out over the decal to be about 2" wider than the decal and it has the shape of the decal. This way it can bond the decal edges down and no water can get in under it.

If you look close you can see it one here in strips. Hard to see the strips but you can see the outline shean of the tape.




I did find the tape was a little cloudy so to speak for the first week or so, then it turned totally clear and still is. See the clouding I'm talking about.


I used this method on other decals on the camper and it still in intact.


While it looks OK on day one, do not do this over aluminum siding decals. It cannot bond going over all the humps and bumps and then water gets in and it is down hill from there.


So, as you can see by the dates on those pics, that we the day I put the tape on. All the decals I treated this way on a smooth surface are still in perfect shape today and I expect for a good number of years more. I see no more deterioration. Yes, the protective tape cost some money, but I saved my decals that are on a flat surface. Any decals that are on the corrugated surfaces are now gone long ago.

Hope this helps

John

The big problem is that the RV manufacturers use the lowest grade of vinyl they can get away with that will last through the warranty time in order to save a buck. Cheap calendered vinyl that cost about $70 for a 50 yard roll has a 3 year outdoor rating (mid America average exposure condition), mid grade calendered vinyl has a 5 or 7 year rating runs about $90 per 50 yard roll, high quality cast vinyl with a 12 year outdoor rating costs about $325 for the same size roll, there are also specialty vinyls that can last even longer, but they cost much more and are harder to work with due to ultra aggressive adhesives.

Note I owned a sign shop for about 7 or 8 years back around the turn of the century.

When my decals started curling on the edges I carefully trimmed all those edges away. No good. They soon started curling again. Only solution was to replace them.

The Graphic wax sounds like a good option, may give it a try. Thanks!

No, there is not. It all has to do with sun/uv exposure. Have you ever wondered why the OEM decals on your car and truck last forever and the decals on your camper fades, curls up and looks bad after only a few years. cheap inexpensive decals used by RV manufacturers. I am on my 7th fifth wheel/travel trailer (which will be my last). Any one of my previous campers which I kept for any length of time had decal problems. On my latest camper (which I plan on keeping for eternity) I keep covered. I also only use Aerospace 303 on the decals and wax the rest. I have seen a new product on the market called Graphix Wax, does anyone here have any experience with it?

There's not much you can do besides what you already came up with.
If that area is getting UV exposure then that's what's doing the damage.
Our last TT 13 y/o graphics looked perfect with the exception of the front, which would get the full afternoon sun. They only lasted about 5 years before I had the front cap painted. The rest looked like new when we traded it in.