Full Body Paint vs Decals

Wadosan

Member
I've posted this question in another forum and some of you belong to that one as well. I wanted to widen my pool of knowledge because although I received good responses, I haven't been able to get to the details of the why. So here is my question, with a little more added detail compared to the other post. Perhaps I could get Heartland's feedback on this.

Why do the full body paint? It is a significant expense and while it gives the rig a higher-end look, I can't understand what the protection/maintenance benefits are. The answers I received have mostly centered around ease of maintenance but I haven't been able to get a more specific reason why it is easier to maintain. Here is how I'm looking at this: Whether the rig is painted or has the vinyl decals, both require some type of application of a wax or fiberglass protectant. The amount of work required is the same in either case. So what is the difference if ease of maintenance is the primary reason?

Some things I wonder about:

Is the waxed paint less prone to degradation from the outside elements when compared to waxed gelcoated fiberglass? If both are waxed, why?
Does the paint make it easier in the application of the wax compared to waxing gelcoat e.g., less resistance when applying so the work involved is less?
Does the paint require less frequent applications of wax when compared to the gelcoat? If so, why?

I think I'm struggling with this because a buddy of mine has a rig with decals that is going on 12 years old. The gelcoat and decals are still pristine. However, he waxes his rig at least twice a year. He keeps a cover on the rig when not used and we live in the Pacific NW so sun isn't a major factor. He works pretty hard keeping his rig looking good and well protected. If it was painted, would there be less of this needed to achieve the same results?

If the answer is you're paying the extra $$ so you have a higher-end looking rig, so be it. For some this is enough justification but I'm personally on the fence. The look of the rig is important to me but I think I need that little nudge justifying it from the protection/maintenance perspective.

Thanks.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Full body paint - 6 years old - waxed once, in 2013. 4.5 years sitting in intense Texas sun. 6 extended winter vacations in the Colorado mountains. Never been covered.

Still looks great.
 

jayc

Legendary Member
Decals will degrade over time. so if you plan to keep your trailer for a longer time, you will need to plan on keeping the vinyl treated with 303 Protectant or another similar product to keep them looking good.
 

Wadosan

Member
Thanks for the input. So to Jayc's point, if I protect the decals will they not last as long as paint? That's the key point I'm not sure of. If I do protect the decals the same way I would protect the paint (let say wax both with 303 Protectant or similar once per year), is there really any benefit to having the full body paint? :confused:
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Our previous Landmark had decals. After 5 years they were cracked and pealing. Our current Landmark is full body paint. Still looks new after 3 years. Both sit in the weather 24/7/365. Both were waxed. Decals deteriorate over time.
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Similar to others. Our prior trailer (Keystone Outback) had a lot of decals (Front/Side) and after just 2-3 years, they were all bubbling and pealing off. I went to far as to completely remove the front decal as is looked horrible. Yea, full body paint is a big expense, but worth it to us for keeping the trailer beautiful for years to come.

Here is how our Outback looked after I took the front decals off....we joked that we were pulling a naked trailer. :)

IMG_1315 (1).jpg
 

Wadosan

Member
Thanks Oregon Camper. So your current Heartland Bighorn has the full body paint option? If so, are you satisfied with the quality of the paint? I ask this because I had a suggestion that a $10K paint job isn't a good quality paint job. Although a blog I follow, who had their 5th wheel painted after owning it for several years, was charged just about $10K back in 2014. It appeared to be a very good quality paint job based on the several coats of paint and clear coat they applied.
 

SLO

Well-known member
I wanted the full body paint cause it looks good. I was able to justify to DW for other reasons (will look better longer, no decals to peel). Maintenance wasn't a concern to her cause I do that. I figured I would have gotten front cap painted anyway. After figuring cost of front cap paint and the discount we were getting when we ordered, the full body paint really only cost us about $6000 to $6500 (another good justification to DW). She didn't really to spend on full body paint. She's so glad we did now. She loves it more than me I think. Spend the money. You're kids will use the money for something foolish anyhow.


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Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Thanks Oregon Camper. So your current Heartland Bighorn has the full body paint option? If so, are you satisfied with the quality of the paint? I ask this because I had a suggestion that a $10K paint job isn't a good quality paint job. Although a blog I follow, who had their 5th wheel painted after owning it for several years, was charged just about $10K back in 2014. It appeared to be a very good quality paint job based on the several coats of paint and clear coat they applied.

Yes, I have the full body paint....and love it. The paint seems to be of high quality, but we've only had it for just under 2 years. Shown below is what it looked like after being delivered to our dealer. We still get people complimenting us on how the trailer looks. :)

2015-01-29 16.14.01bb.jpg
 

Wadosan

Member
I wanted the full body paint cause it looks good. I was able to justify to DW for other reasons (will look better longer, no decals to peel). Maintenance wasn't a concern to her cause I do that. I figured I would have gotten front cap painted anyway. After figuring cost of front cap paint and the discount we were getting when we ordered, the full body paint really only cast us about $6000 to $6500 (another good justification to DW). She didn't really to spend on full body paint. She's so glad we did now. She loves it more than me I think. Spend the money. You're kids will use for something foolish anyhow.

Yes the wife is less interested in the paint option due to the cost while I am on the fence. Although I could probably convince her, the justification is more for me.

Yes, I have the full body paint....and love it. The paint seems to be of high quality, but we've only had it for just under 2 years. Shown below is what it looked like after being delivered to our dealer. We still get people complimenting us on how the trailer looks. :)

Beautiful coach Oregon Camper! That is also the color the wife likes best of the two choices. I assume you're in the Oregon area, did you buy from Guarantee RV or Curtis Trailer or ? And how was your experience with that dealer?
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
....did you buy from Guarantee RV or Curtis Trailer or ? And how was your experience with that dealer?

PM me and we can chat about that process. If you want to also PM me your phone number I can call you and talk about this...story is long. :)
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
Our 09 Landmark has gel coat with body paint on the lower section.Its a constant struggle keeping the decals fresh looking and have changed many of them.The gel coat is well ,lets say annoying , as after full waxing and polishing,depending on the lighting, it still looks terrible.Pay the 8 or 10 k for the full body paint it will save you a lot of grief.
 

Nuclearcowboy

Well-known member
We just ordered a 2017.5 Big Horn 3970RD with full body paint - we researched this option for a long time and was fully convinced it is worth the extra $6K or so it cost us, mainly for many of the reasons discussed in this thread. If you only plan on keeping your coach for a few short years, you may want to opt out of this cost, but if you plan on having the RV for many years, it will be worth it!
 

alwaysbusy

Well-known member
Our old coach was decal. We had it for 10 years. I religiously waxed and cared for the exterior and covered during winter months. Without fail, as with all decals they eventually split, faded, broke and curled at the edges. There is just nothing one can do to stop this as they age. I'm not sure with Heartland; however, our coach was made by KZ. After three years, the decal manufacturer ceased to manufacturer the model sets. If my needed decal was not carried over to a newer model coach in production, I was out of luck. For us, the only option was to order a new but different decal set, strip and restick. $$$$$. Our current unit is painted, we love it and will never go to decals again. In addition, it looks awesome compared to.
 

SLO

Well-known member
1077180e81ab79ef6a732a1c876ab5e5.jpg


When we ordered ours this color was brand new. We weren't able to see it on a trailer yet. Took a chance. I do like this color better myself but I would have been happy with either color. One thing nice. The full body paint comes with the metal wrapped awning.


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Nuclearcowboy

Well-known member
We also are having full body paint put on our BH 3970RD and it is my understanding that the metal wrapped awning is standard with that. We are also having the dealer install metal wrapped slide covers on all 5 slides as well.
 

travlingman

Well-known member
We have full body paint and wouldn't have one without. To me full body paint is easier to maintain. Use regular car wash and wax to maintain. I think the full body is easier to get the wax off of, don't know if it is the clear coat or what, but doesn't take as much elbow grease. Since I use a buffer to apply the wax, you have to be careful around the decals as you can pull up an edge.

Finally, I haven't seen a full body paint that has yellowed or oxidized yet.
 
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