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Old 05-05-2018, 09:33 AM   #1
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Repainted front caps

Can some of you show me your repainted front caps? Did you have the decals replaced? I am going to bite the bullet and pay to have ours repainted since it makes me sick to see it fading and FR and my local dealer are no help.

The shop I will be taking it to recommended not putting front decals back on because they will fade out. Then when you remove them, there will be a "ghost" of where it was. I thought it would look odd without the decals. Anyway if you guys have pics of your repainted caps with or without decals, I would love to see them. Thanks!
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Old 05-06-2018, 02:46 PM   #2
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Nobody has had their front caps painted?
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Old 05-06-2018, 02:52 PM   #3
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I'm surprised a 2-3 yr old front cap would be fading already. What kind of UV blocker are you using and how often is it applied?
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:01 PM   #4
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I would rather deoxidize and buff out the gelcoat than get it painted. But as far as decals, I would leave them off if you are planning to keep the RV, but that is just me. I have removed all the small accent decals on the front leaving only the big one. That one is coming off next year. And yes, there is ghosting underneath but most of it buffs out on gelcoat.

My friends had their dark brown cap repainted under warranty, it soon faded. Then second repaint (not covered) cracked badly. They are on the third repaint now, so far so good. They replaced the decals every time.

Hopefully someone that has repainted will answer you.
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:09 PM   #5
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New cap before decals
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:17 PM   #6
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Hi,

This is a paint job from two years ago, done under the extended warranty. Decals are solid and the color is equally fine.

The paint and decals have been through two Quartzsite winters, several other long trips out west, and the rest of two years in the usual variety of northern Illinois weather.

I have a suspicion some portion of customer satisfaction on these front cap paint jobs hinges on who you select to do the work.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:29 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by AudiDudi View Post
I'm surprised a 2-3 yr old front cap would be fading already. What kind of UV blocker are you using and how often is it applied?
Several of the dark gray front caps from FR faded fast, like in under a year, which were covered under warranty. They had bad gelcoat that was not UV protected and caused them to bleach out and look ugly as can be. Unfortunately, I am the 2nd owner and FR won't even talk to me because of it. There are a few threads all over the net about it. The only way to control it is buff it every few months and coat it, or paint it. Guys that buff them say it does not last, no matter what you use.

The front cap on our Wildcat 262RGX is very curved and is impossible for me to buff or apply any coating to it, especially being short and 65 years old. I simply cannot reach it without some elaborate scaffolding. Automotive base/clear will last many years without having to worry about it. The paint on my 12 year old Dodge still looks new.
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:36 PM   #8
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New cap before decals

I like the “no decal” look !
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Old 05-06-2018, 03:42 PM   #9
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I like the “no decal” look !
X2. I'm seriously considering ordering our next RV naked (the Rv, not me).
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Old 05-06-2018, 04:08 PM   #10
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SeventyGTX - makes sense. It's just too bad that you get stuck with the repair!
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Old 05-06-2018, 04:20 PM   #11
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SeventyGTX - makes sense. It's just too bad that you get stuck with the repair!
Like I told my wife, we bought a year old RV that was like new for $20k under the factory sticker. So, we will consider the $2k price to paint it as part of what we paid for it.

The shop that will paint it has done lots of them for different dealers, so I'm confident it will look great. They told me $2k, but I will have them two-tone it like the 2018's are. So, it will most likely be somewhere under $2500. The price will hurt initially, but will be worth it in the long run.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:03 PM   #12
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Hi,

This is a paint job from two years ago, done under the extended warranty. Decals are solid and the color is equally fine.

The paint and decals have been through two Quartzsite winters, several other long trips out west, and the rest of two years in the usual variety of northern Illinois weather.

I have a suspicion some portion of customer satisfaction on these front cap paint jobs hinges on who you select to do the work.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips
I agree that who does the work makes a difference, but even more important is the material you paint on. The labor is basically the same if you use good paint vs cheap paint. The difference is in how long it lasts.

I have what I think is a Very Good solution using a Very Good paint.

Most aircraft sit out in the sun all day long. Take a drive through your local General Aviation section of yoru local airport...............see any faded paint jobs, NO you won't.

They are all painted with a two part Polyurethane Enamel. The paint is strong, flexible, won't hip, fade or crack. It looks "Wet" all the time.

There are several brands, Dupont makes "Imron" and Randolph makes Ranthane. the price for both is similar except with Ranthane you get nearly twice as much of a n equal material for the same price, making it a better deal.

The only down side is the colors are not, to the best of my knowledge, tintable. The colors they make are the ones you have to choose from.

It is not a short process and will take about 10 days from start to finish. That includes 7 days in between spraying on the last of 3 coats of primer to allow the primer to fully cure.

I will take some pictures before, during and after to let you see the results.

Since I will be doing the work myself my total out of pocket expense should be around $160-180, including masking tape, visqueen etc.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:19 PM   #13
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I was wondering if Dupont still had Imron. I sprayed it back in the early 80's when they had just come out with metallics for it before two-stage paints had come out. The body shops I worked at didn't use it too often because it did not come in automotive paint codes. But we did on occasion for completes to get a super hard, shiney finish. Surprising that single stage paint like that holds up as well as good base/clear paints.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:24 PM   #14
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I was wondering if Dupont still had Imron. I sprayed it back in the early 80's when they had just come out with metallics for it, but before two-stage paints had come out. The body shops I worked at didn't use it too often because it did not come in automotive paint codes. But we did on occasion for completes to get a super hard, shiney finish. Surprising that single stage paint like that holds up as well as good base/clear paints.
I have read on here about people having their end caps repainted only to have the m fade a year or two later. CRAPPY PAINT!

That WILL NOT happen, as I am sure you well know, with these paints. And, since they are designed for aircraft, which flex one heck of a lot more than our fiberglass caps they will stay put without cracking, chipping or peeling.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:28 PM   #15
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I was wondering if Dupont still had Imron. I sprayed it back in the early 80's when they had just come out with metallics for it, but before two-stage paints had come out. The body shops I worked at didn't use it too often because it did not come in automotive paint codes. But we did on occasion for completes to get a super hard, shiney finish. Surprising that single stage paint like that holds up as well as good base/clear paints.
Man I really hope not I hated spraying Imron. It would look good but a nasty concoction of dangerous chemicals. You could not beat it when painting school buses or tanker trucks compared to two stage.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:54 PM   #16
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Man I really hope not I hated spraying Imron. It would look good but a nasty concoction of dangerous chemicals. You could not beat it when painting school buses or tanker trucks compared to two stage.
I lived in California when I painted it and I seriously doubt it is even legal there any more. If so, it's not the same stuff we used in the 80's that's for sure. In fact last I heard the only thing legal in California is water borne paints.
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Old 05-26-2018, 04:56 PM   #17
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Remember that some of the Dupont aircraft paints can go 300 plus per gallon and most do contain hazardous byproducts when sprayed. Based on first hand knowledge.
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Old 05-26-2018, 05:13 PM   #18
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X2. I'm seriously considering ordering our next RV naked (the Rv, not me).
I have considered peeling mine before it has time to ghost. Not a fan of stickers anymore. What are we, 11 years old?
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Old 05-26-2018, 05:39 PM   #19
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Remember that some of the Dupont aircraft paints can go 300 plus per gallon and most do contain hazardous byproducts when sprayed. Based on first hand knowledge.
Before I retired from the collision trade 3 years ago, the boss was constantly complaining about $300 clear. We were using Sikkens and Lesonal.
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Old 06-21-2018, 10:48 AM   #20
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Painted front cap

We bought our 2015 Silverback 29 IK after the front cap had just been painted. The decals had been ordered and the dealer installed when they arrived. The first set were not OEM and were put on crooked. The second set looked ok when 1st installed. The new decals have been on less than 6 months, the trailer is kept under a shelter, and not used very often. The new decals are already cracking and look bad. The dealer has agreed to order and install another set. I am going to try 1 more time and if these are no good just give up. Saying this to let you know to question the quality/installation of the "new" decals and that you may be starting a thankless project. After this time if ours fail again, we are just going to work on liking it without decals!
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