Full Body Paint, or no...?

[KQ2N]

I would think that a dark roof would be more apt to make the rig hotter. I just got back from a month in Florida, the only time I used the AC was on a cloudy hot and muggy evening, the sun wasn't a factor. Does dark colors absorb more heat than white, of course, that's a law of science. But besides this Spring's venture to Florida, most of my camping is/will be in the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Thousand Islands of NY in State Campgrounds which means dry camping, no electrical hookups. So... AC usually is not used. We have a couple battery operated fans strategically placed to cool on hot days and I do have the fantastic fan which I use often. On the rare hot day, I have started the generator and run the AC while doing the daily battery recharging, just to cool it down a bit. I guess the verdict isn't out yet, as I haven't gone through a summer with the full body paint rig, but in this part of the country, I don't anticipate a problem. I can't speak for the sunny and hot southwest.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by bodzcampers

Just a Q for future reference. Does the darker full paint vs. white make the rig hotter? I know I know there is A/C, but I prefer fresh air as much as possible.

You can now get full paint in light cream, tan etc colrs. Not sure the sun's energy would be that much inhibited by any color.

Other factor to consider is resale. Would you be interested in a tired white used to be glossy fibreglas or a till deep shine llike this stuff presents. I've seen 4 year old full paints still look great. The option isn't cheap but it can be worth it.

[tcbetka]

For the 3010DS, there are only two options for full body paint...as far as I can see. So if you like one of those, then you're good to go. Write the check, wait the extra time, and it'll show up painted. We have had white RVs, and others with full body paint. Generally the painted ones do look better, and are easier to keep (looking) clean. As for the black streaks, I didn't know other things caused them.

I guess it will all boil down to what options the DW wants to see in the unit. If the stock unit has all the options she wants, we'll probably go that route. However if not, then it makes sense to just order one. So if that's the case, then I would be hard-pressed not to go with full body paint. If you have to wait 6-8 weeks for a unit to be made, then what's another 2-3 weeks when it'll look that much better?

TB

[BigJohnD]

Our present rig will be our last full paint rig. Going back with white next time. If taken care of, a white unit will look great years down the road. They show scratches less, easier to make sealer look good when touching up, attract less heat, easier to match repairs. This is just a few of our reasons. We just had our main door replaced and repainted, and though it is acceptable, to the experienced RVer or paint shop, they'd know it had been replaced. Full paint looks great, I agree. Dark colors, darn right they're hotter. Our Tiffin was majority black, and you knew it in the summer. I didn't really want our present unit with paint, but settled as it was a lot lighter color than the last. I'm not aware of any RV that has a painted roof. That wouldn't be too smart. Everyone I've seen has been white from Tiffin to Winnebago to Forest River. All white fiberglass of some sort. That's a good thing. In my opinion, the bulk of the paint jobs you see on these new units are fair, not great. They sub out the paint to several different shops around Elkhart, so you never know what kind of results you'll get. Like mine, paint on the wiper seals, poor tape lines on the cab section, overspray on windows, insufficient clear coat where the rear fiberglass meets the roof and I could go on. Just stuff you wouldn't accept if it were on a car or truck on the lot. I'm a perfectionist, but have to keep a more open mind with the mass produced RV for sure. You can't expect a great paint job for $5-7k. It's an option for a reason, and they look great sometimes, but I'm going to put my money towards more useful upgrades next time.

[fbconsults]

YES, YES, YES!! Had ours over two years now, and it looks great. Unless you get into rain and get road grime on it, it looks clean almost all of the time. Wash the front to get the bugs off after each trip, and you are good to go. I keep it garaged when not in use, but I take a trip at least once a month, sometimes more.

After a wash it absolutely looks brand new. There are no decals, everything is paint. The roof is white fiberglass. The money is well spent!

Happy Trails, Forrest

[tcbetka]

John raises some good points actually. At this point, we were sort of thinking that if the RV on the lot did have the options we wanted, we'd just go with it. We reasoned that not only could we use the extra money to enhance the ride with Bilsteins and/or sway bars, but we could also install 3M guards on the front of the cab and the coach--and that would be money well-spent.

One of the other things to consider here is this: Say a guy buys a boat, and wants to pull the boat with his (matching color) RV. Which do you get re-painted? Seems to me it would be easier to get a white RV painted to match a gel-coated boat, like a Ranger, than it would be to go the other way. In all likelihood we'll be buying a boat in the next year, and I don't think I'll be buying new. So in that case, maybe it would indeed be more prudent to simply get the white RV as long as it has the options we like, and then deal with the paint later...if need be. The true is, paint is cosmetic and if you take care of the thing, the standard finish should do just fine.

Lots to consider, I'll admit...

TB

[BigJohnD]

The toad in the signature is metallic black, which matched previous rig. Actually selected the paint scheme on the rig since it matched the car. Quite a difference now, but I love the car and after looking back at my history of how long I keep an RV, we've decided to not worry about matching things anymore. However, a matched set whether it be truck / fiver, MH / toad or boat, just plain looks awesome. I guess you could compare the finish / upkeep with the RV and boat in a similar fasion. Though the boat probably has a better gel coat, leave it out in the weather, and it'll look terrible after several years. Keep it up, and it'll look like the day you bought it 5 years from now. Same goes for the RV. Garage kept, cleaned, waxed and all the other stuff we enjoy doing to them, and it'll look great for a LONG time, paint or plain white.

If I were to ever want another painted RV and intended on keeping it a long time, I'd go with TB's comment about dealing with paint later. Get it white, specify no decals and have it painted like I wanted it. I don't much care for 4 colors and all the crazy stripes. Seems all manufacturers have the same "similar" idea of a paint job. Buy a blank canvas and let your imagination take over. Seen a couple at Nexus done in off the wall colors for a class c. Solid metallic red, cadillac white just to name a few. Solid colors, no stripes. Definitely unique to the owner.

[tcbetka]

My friend bought a 2005 Sunseeker a few years back, and had it repainted to match his boat at the time. He says it looked incredible...right up until he sold that boat, and bought another. LOL.

Maybe it would be best to simply get the white one?



TB

[Displaced2]

In many cases full body paint comes on next step up models which also have standard features that you pay extra for on lesser models.
Had that choice on my recent purchase. Choose the higher priced model with full paint and was rewarded with many interior extras at no additional cost.

[mwebber78]

The partial paint is about as much paint as I want, the Forester is a standard partial paint. I found the paint to be very brittle at the storage door hinges and along the front lower skirt exposed to road rashing. I can only imagine on a fully painted unit how much extra work it is. For the price, I'd buy every possible option in place of the paint.

[bclemens]

Just an FYI, we are the only Class C manufacturer that installs 3M diamond Shield on painted units as a standard feature (at least we were last time I checked). We had too many dealers skimping on it...so we just add it now on everything.

This plastic shield covers the nose of the cap, wing walls and the nose of the chassis.

[mwebber78]

Good to know, wish the Forester had it on the lower wings, it really needs it. I'd still like to see a different door (maybe a slam baggage door) that didn't have the large exposed continuous hinge that chips every time it's opened - not being critical just offering an owners perspective.

Cheers.

[ATVer]

Originally Posted by mwebber78

Good to know, wish the Forester had it on the lower wings, it really needs it. I'd still like to see a different door (maybe a slam baggage door) that didn't have the large exposed continuous hinge that chips every time it's opened - not being critical just offering an owners perspective.

Cheers.

I noticed the hinge on my compartments chipped the paint as well the first time I opened one. I got some clear packaging tape and placed it at critical places where the hinge rubs to prevent the chipping.
As Brian indicated the Sunseeker full paint option includes protective film on all the leading surfaces including the front of the rear wheel flares.

[HappyGuy]

I was very pleased to see the 3M shield on our 3011. We got the paint option by default since the unit we liked on the lot happened to have it. I did not notice over spray or missed clear coat. However I do see orange peel. Nothing a few hundred hours of wet sanding with 1000 grit and maybe another coat of clear won't take care of but that's why the option is 5K and not 15K. The dealer pointed out that if we lose any of the covers or damage a door paint matching could be a bear and I agree. That is a major downfall of painted models. I would not have opted for the paint had it not already been there. If you want to protect your decals and make your rig shine pay a good shop 2 -3K to clean clear and sand your rig for you. Opt for at least three coats with sanding in between for good results. Then if you lose a panel etc all you'll have to do is get the replacement clear coated and you're done. Trust me. MUCH cheaper than attempting to match paint and harder to detect a replacement panel.

[tcbetka]

We just got back from the dealer. Our visit was delayed a few days due to foot surgery I had last week, and during that delay they actually SOLD the unit on the lot! So we have to order one...

As it turns out, we went with the standard exterior and did not opt for the full body paint. Looking at the unit in person, the standard exterior is VERY nice. So we saved about $5200 on that, lol. In the meantime, we changed to the 4-door refer, added the 3M shield to the front of the unit, and are going to add Bilstein shocks. We also had some little odds-n-ends added like magic vents, another hand rail at the door and that sort of stuff. We also opted for the seat sliders that seem to be growing in popularity--although they are pretty low to the floor, it still beats losing all that space up front. We also got the Arctic and the Safe & Sound packages, as those had been included in the base price of the unit they had on the lot (but now has sold).

Overall though, I was very impressed with the look and feel of the unit. We thought about going with one of the other units (the 3170) they have on the lot--but both of us really preferred the 3010DS, all other things considered. So 6-8 weeks from now, we should be in a new RV. It felt good to get back behind the wheel of a Class C unit again--it's a pretty big difference to the Class A with a 400hp Cummins Diesel coach!

TB

[MikeRP]

I'll be interested to hear your comparison between the two rigs, we love our 3010 but there is always the temptation to go bigger.

[tcbetka]

Don't!

It's just like boating--very easy to get "two-footitis" with RVs. We've been there, done that...and are now going back. Things are MUCH less complicated with a 30ish-foot Class C, than with a 40ish-foot Class A Diesel pusher. No comparison. Sure we'll have 8 fewer feet to live in (we are moving from a ~40-foot Winnebago Ultimate Freedom), however we simply weren't using the coach like we should have been. We were paying lots of money to maintain the thing (and store it) when we really didn't have to be.

I'm very happy to be going back to a Class C. The unit we had 10 years ago was great, and we had many great times in it. While our lives have certainly changed since then, it feels very good to be going back down in size.

If you've got a good thing going with a Class C unit, I'd stick with it.

TB

[MikeRP]

Thanks appreciate the advice!

[BigJohnD]

We moved from the 36' class A to the forester. As mentioned, lots less complicated. Sometimes miss the open space of 4 slides on rainy days, but we like the price and comfort of the C. I find myself looking at the A's at RV shows and on lots, but then I have to remind myself of why we switched to begin with.