Decal life

gpshemi

Well-known member
Been seeing some posts on decal's peeling and cracking on Fuzions and Keystone products. Been wondering myself how long to expect on the Cyclone decals. Especially the front one. I know I read about someone who had their front cap clear coated to seal in the vinyl. Sounded like a decent idea if you used a PPG like paint to withstand the bug impacts.

Thoughts? How's the 07 and older ones holding up?
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
05 Landmark wth shrinkng and peeling decals. Starting to look like crap. I have to find someplace to make new decals for me or have it painted, not likely on either one. I was told because of the age of my trailer HL no longer has decals.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
No authority here but I have seen a lot of older Heartland products. Seems the front cap decals hold up well, aside from color fading. The decals on the sides of the coach are affected the most from what I have seen. Especially the side that gets the most sunlight. Heat and UV really seems to be harsh on vinyl decals. What is the expected life of them? I really don't know. I have seen owners of some of our early produced Landmarks (2005 / 2006) going through the process of stripping the shriveled side wall decals. Some have replaced them and some have left decals off altogether. Consider contacting Performance Graphics in Elkhart as they produce RV graphics. Also, I think our current RV graphics supplier is BGS. Maybe make a call to them to gain further insight. Please share with us what you learn :)

Jim
 

mikeandconnie

Well-known member
I have a problem with my Gold Decals, they have bad black spots, I plan to peel them off this winter and use polyurethane finish. Poly is use on aircraft 600 mph and will withstand bugs, chemicals, and you don't need to clear coat for a shine. Dupot Emron they say is the best. But I used them all with good luck.

If you clear coat your decals, I would not use polyurethane over white. It will fade yellow over time.

Mike
 

archbarb

Member
We have a 2011 BC, so hopefully I won't have any decal problems any time soon. But when I do there's a company here in town called Sign-A-Rama that can make decals. We've had them do some other stuff for us, and have been very pleased with the outcome. I have a John Deere Gator that needs new decals and John Deere is very proud of there products ($$$$$). I contacted Sign-A-Rama and they said they have the templet with the size, style, color and font already set. There quote was much less and they are local here with stores thru-out the country. http://www.signarama.com/
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
We used a product called "Coach Guard" on our front cap when it was new. It is a 3M clear product similar to lamination. It is guaranteed for 5 years. We got it in Elkhart on SR19 (going north it is just north of 20 on the left). So far it has maintained it shine and protected the decals from fading. The down side is there are a couple of spots where a bug hit it hard enough to penetrate the product and is now stuck beneath it. Also it has a couple of places at the edge where dirt got beneath it. I am basically pleased with it because it does also help protect it from damage from minor rock or other debris hits. This product is used on the front of many motor homes. It is not cheap. (about $1200-$1500). It is heated during application much like shrink wrap to give it a good seal. More info here http://www.coachguardinc.com/
 

Vtxkid

Well-known member
I have the 2011 Cyclone HD and was concerned about past decal shrinkage/ pealing on my 07' Outback so I have been looking around for something that would protect the entire RV without damaging the decals/stickers as regular car wax would do over time so I been told. I found this product called "Protect All" which I picked up from Walmart and noticed that Camping World also carried it. I started off applying it just over the front cap but found it to be so easy to apply, that I continued to go around the back side to the rear door when darkness settled in... Darn! Oh well, It says it has UV blockers of 100%. Time will tell... All I know is I don't want to get to the time where I have to do something about the decals because the sun has "broke them down"!!!
 

SJH

Past Washington Chapter Leaders
One of the first things I did when our Big Country was delievered was to wax the rig and coat the graphics with 303. I put 303 on the graphics every couple of months! Time will tell if it helps!
 
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