Paint disaster on '04 wildwood - need your help!

[walk_the_walk]

This past weekend, my wife was helping clean the exterior of our 2004 FR Wildwood 37BHSS aluminum sided trailer. It had a lot of mold/algae buildup, so she thought she would try this new cleaning product that had worked so well on our condo for kitchen counters and tile. It quickly became a disaster.

The product she used is a Tough Stain Remover, that is chemically similar to Scrubbing Bubbles, (which works fine by the way) and has di-benzyl ammonium chlorides in it and no bleach, but it ALSO has another ingredient that is called "Glycolic Acid 3.0%". She put some of this gel on the white aluminum siding, let it sit for a minute, then used sponges to scrub the green mold/algae off the front of the trailer.

INSTEAD, the paint came off right down to the metal in places. It literally removed the paint when she hosed it off.

I was out mowing at the time and was really shocked when I saw what happened. I wanted to vomit. An area about 2-3 feet wide by 4-5 feet high looked like it had been scrubbed bare with steel wool. The damage was all chemically induced.

**********

NOW, HERE IS WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP: I cannot find any paint codes on this trailer anywhere. Not on any label in any cabinet. Not on the exterior, or the storage area doors. Nowhere. I do have all the documentation, and nothing there either.

So, I called the great folks at Forest River on Monday and begged for their help. Explained the cock up with cleanser. They advised me that the touch up color is "NEW FORD WHITE", but did not have a paint code. They said it should be available at "Autozone", but they did not have it, nor can I Google that color NAME and find anything remotely like it online.

FR recommended the trailer be re-painted at a dealership or auto paint shop, but the trailer is "ship-in-a-bottle" parked in the deep woods, 'neath some live oak trees, and I would have to hire a tow truck just to move it to a repair shop. And, there are no mobile RV paint and body outfits in the area.

I think if I am careful, I can prime it and touch it up and make it look OK for now, until I do get it to a repair shop. I could file an insurance claim, but it would likely die from the embarrassment, and I think its a $1000 deductible anyway.

SO, HERE'S WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP:

IF YOU OWN A 2003, 2004 or 2005 Forest River Wildwood Travel Trailer with white aluminum panelized siding (the old style aluminum siding), could you please look at your trailer and see if it has a paint code on a label on the outside front or inside one of the kitchen cabinets. The paint code is supposed to be on a paper label inside the kitchen cabinet door, but as prior postings on our trailer have detailed, OURS WAS BUILT ON A FRIDAY, so no such label exists.

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. The exterior color is white, with a slight hint of bluish tint. It was probably a "bright white" originally and actually looks much better than my dreadfully dingy cell phone pics depict. Forest River says they used a white paint also used on Ford cars that they call "New Ford White". It may now have another name.

CAN ANYONE OFFER A PAINT CODE FROM THEIR WHITE WILDWOOD?

[walk_the_walk]

This is the correct thread with pics. Please post any replies here.

[walk_the_walk]

NEVER EVER EVER USE THIS Product, a Tough Stain Remover, on the exterior of your trailer. It works great on tile and sinks, but will EAT UP YOUR PAINT. It is likely the Glycolic Acid in the product.

Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Tough Stain Remover | drugstore.com

[jawga]

Check out "YZ" paint code ford uses it for most of their white vehicles. Its oxford white

[uhduh camping]

For the lack of a better word there are "color cameras". It takes a picture of your paint, computer analyze the color, to create color formula. They have similar devices at Lowe's or Home Depot. But it is for automotive uses, any body shop can easily repair this damage, especially shops that work on large vehicles.

[walk_the_walk]

Thanks Jawga. Oxford White is readily available in both Autozone and Advance Auto as a Ford touch up color. It might be a decent match, but I am unsure, so I was hoping someone with an older Wildwood ('03-'05) might see if theirs has a paint code.

Thanks also Uhduh. I will check into the color camera idea, which might work even better for the match, given that whatever color it originally was is now faded from the Florida sun.

[Iwannacamp]

It is called a spectrophotometer... Most professional automotive paint supply houses and some body shops have them. I used to use one at NAPA and they used to cost 7k. Prolly cheaper now. Downside is...you will have to take a piece to the shop and have it tested or talk them into bringing to you. It can be done.


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[MOODMAN]

The problem you are going to have is that even with the right paint color, because of age, your current color won't match a new paint mix.

I second the idea of taking a paint chip to a paint store. Lowes or Home Depot paint department have them. It's a free service, and they will mix the paint color to match your need.

How you apply the paint will make all the difference. Use a HPLV paint sprayer if possible (High Pressure Low Volume). It will give you the best finish. Is painting aluminum, you definitely need a primer coat. Otherwise the new paint won't stick properly, if at all.

[DickiedooFlagman]

This is probably a bit far out. Have you considered removing all the paint and having an all aluminum finish? Kind of what the Airstreams look like. Then you'd have to find out how Airstream finishes / seals the raw aluminium. Or if it is just on the back of the trailer, only do the back side.

[walk_the_walk]

MYSTERY SOLVED: I called Forest River again, begging for help, as no paint supplier was able to do anything with "new Ford White". Luckily, this time I got Julie, who was kind enough to research this further for me, using my VIN number.

Turns out my paint color is Dupont Chromabase "Polar White", paint code #F0513K. Now, thats something I can track down.

Also, found out there is a local guy who does mobile RV painting and repairing. Lives only 15 mins from the site. Does nice work based on the pics on his Facebook page.

[Dabmeb]

Just as an FYI for everyone, be very careful with bug spray around the paint as well. The grand kids where getting sprayed and the deep woods off removed the paint to bare aluminum on our last trailer. Blistered and wrinkled and wiped right off the siding.


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[Ddubya]

Bug spray can also destroy plastic as I found out when my grandkids sprayed their legs in front of the TV cabinet in my Wildcat several years ago.


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[walk_the_walk]

One more thing I uncovered: While the factory paint is Dupont Chromabase Polar White, which is a more complicated two stage paint process with a base coat followed by a clear coat, something best done in a factory setting, you can also use Dupont ChromaOne paint, which is a single coat process, easy to do and blends in well with existing colors. Does not easily run and can be reworked if needed (if you were to get a run or have a spot that does not look right).

It's more expensive and apparently fairly toxic, so its best done by a pro and not by us DIYers. But if one does it oneself, using a real respirator mask is essential.

Here is the data sheet:

http://blueridgepaint.com/pdfs/Autom...12_COAcryl.pdf

[AGFazio]

Originally Posted by MOODMAN

The problem you are going to have is that even with the right paint color, because of age, your current color won't match a new paint mix.

I second the idea of taking a paint chip to a paint store. Lowes or Home Depot paint department have them. It's a free service, and they will mix the paint color to match your need.

How you apply the paint will make all the difference. Use a HPLV paint sprayer if possible (High Pressure Low Volume). It will give you the best finish. Is painting aluminum, you definitely need a primer coat. Otherwise the new paint won't stick properly, if at all.

I believe you meant HVLP ( high volume low pressure) reduces over spray so you get more product on the vehicle instead of the air.

[AGFazio]

ChromeOne is a quality single stage paint. Yes on the respirator. Just do the whole front and color matching shouldn't be an issue.

[walk_the_walk]

I am pleased to report that I hired a mobile paint guy who really did a nice job on repainting the entire front side. The color code FR provided was a Godsend, too.

As others suggested, doing the entire front makes the color match/fade issue less noticeable, and in fact makes the trailer look newer- maybe we should all get them reprinted at the 10 year mark!

The paint work set me back $775, but was worth it. Also, to keep the cost down, my wife and I prepped the surface with Preps-all, some kind of solvent that removes wax and residue. We also took a 12X20 King Canopy out to the site in the deep woods and installed it with 10 ft extensions made from gray PVC conduit, and tied it off to nearby trees. The tarp of the canopy kept the leaves and bugs and acorns off the new paint for the first week while it cured.

As soon as I can I'll post some "after shots".

Thanks to all for your ideas and suggestions!

[Bama Rambler]

This is a great outcome despite a bad situation. Glad you were able to get the right person to give you the paint code and then find someone to come to you to fix it.