So my keystone camper is haveing some decal issues they are starting to peel off. Im thinking i will have to remove allot of them so was wondering what do you guys think of leaving them off? I thought I might just clean them off and wax it with out them. Any ideas or thoughts?

 

Fairly common, but does hurt resale. Some manufacturers, for example, Montanas shed their decals quickly. You can also contact the the manufacturer and see if they can supply replacements or you can have decals made at any place that does vinyl graphics although they are expensive. Depends on size, they are pretty simple to put on.

Steve

 

Well darn it I was hopeing you would weigh in on this but not what i wanted to hear lol. So I guess take them off but dont wax the camper till I get them back on then?

 

Hey Steve when you say hurts resale are we taking thousands or hundreds and its really only one side other side is perfect still I know it sounds kind of bad but would that work ��

 

Our '14 Montana had some fading on the nose cone so the dealer painted it - and of course, it needed new decals. I asked him to leave the ho-hum mountain scene off but put the Montana name part on. I have that left off decal nicely stored for when we buy our next last 5er so the new owner can make his choice. Personally, I (as well as my wife) much prefer it without that fugly mountain decal

As a note, there is usually a big yearly Keystone rally in Indiana and replacement decals are available either free or very inexpensively as this is very well known problem and your '10 might qualify for a freebie.

 

Thanks! I like the look of a shinny all white camper I think they look cool my wife on the other hand says they look like a FEMA trailor lol I guess ill just remove the decals and the glue try to source some free ones and have them applied coz me and sticker never got along lol

 

I can't quantify the dollar loss in resale. I know when I see an RV that has been modified, I always wonder what else was modified. Personally I think the lack of decals makes for a loss in curb appeal, but that is just me and my opinion. The decal thing is interesting because it is not a problem with all manufacturers and is commonplace with some. When you have vinyl decals made, you can choose the weight of the vinyl you want them to use. For manufacturers it is the same.

 

Hi,

I would like to insert one thing about the whole decal thought.

I work within the supply side of the wide format printing industry. I have access to the printers, the print media, lamination, and cutting aspects. About a year ago, I was planning bringing my trailer to work and replacing the decals. Since my trailer is made under the Dutchman name, I would have thought acquiring the decals or even the art work to replicate the decals would have been a breeze. I struck out on both. I got pretty far with the artwork though.

The artwork was handled by one company. They claim they could not release the artwork per contract with Dutchman however Dutchman had no problem releasing their name and number to me. Go figure. Next, I found out that a company was hired to produce the graphics. I call the number I was given and the number is no longer in service. Another strike.

Long story short. My trailer's artwork was around. No one was willing to release the artwork to me even upon my request that I would sign a release that it was for my own use. My boss offered to speak with them and explain the exact usage and replication methods. No dice.

As for my trailer, my decals are peeling off. I have to remove the front one this year as it looks like nothing anymore. I have seen a few other earlier Kodiaks. They are all about the same. Peeling edges. A couple of the trailers I have seen were completely stripped of their decals. I may have to create my own "special" trailer decals. However, one of the reasons why we bought this trailer was my daughter was simply attracted to the appearance and how unique it was.

Good luck with your quest.

 

My decals are cracking and peeling a little in some spots... If I thought I could get hem off and have the camper look nice afterward, I would - but I fear what all the UV radiation has done to the whole camper over the 7 years since its mfgr.

So my plan is to try and replicate in paint and also to paint the blue decals on the camper to be a complimentary color to my truck. I am hoping that these newer paints that bond to plastic are up to the task. I'll try a small localized test first..
I did find one olace onlilne that will do a decal package for a 36' fifth wheel, but it was $1200 as I recall.. I will try and find the name and get back gere with it..

 

Yeah, the darn stuff in proprietary, although you can find some manufacturer's stuff on eBay. I had just the front name done and the graphics designer who did the work was really good and it looks original, although the font is not a perfect match you can not tell it. The designer's time cost me more than the vinyl and decal, good work costs. The names on the sides are okay and I am just going to take off the other work and either paint or else use generic decals which you can buy in kits for not too much. I can't afford to have everything reproduced from scratch, although I know folks who have.

Given how much these things cost, in my opinion, the lack of quality in the decals is criminal as it has so much impact on resale. Grr!

Steve

 

Here is the $1200 place.. Back in a min with another link...

RV Graphics & Decal Replacement | Graphix Unlimited

Edit ----

This place may hold some promise, but the graphics appear to be not as bold (pretty narrow)

http://www.graphicsrv.com

 

I don't think you can get what you have off without fades in the filon where the decals are located, so you will need something in their place if you want it to look good.

If you move ahead with this, keep us posted as I would like to see how it turns out.

 

I stripped mine off a while ago and my plan is to go back with paint. My wife is not fond of the meth lab look and the vinyl stickers just don't seem like an economical long term solution. I'm thinking now about using an automotive catalyzed enamel although I sprayed my entry door and a couple of hatch doors with white Rustoleum as a test last year and it is holding up well.

 

I have seen folks paint them on with good results.

 

The dealer's body shop did our Montana's nose with DuPont (now AXALTA) ChromaBase and it really looks nice plus matches the color of the body exactly.

Just to throw this out - why not come up with a design you like for decals and have them made locally. Incorporate the trailer name in a similar style as the original but add your own touches. Then while you are at it, have it made to cover the area originally covered as that will be a different shade. Not an inexpensive 'solution' but any decent size local sign company can do the job and with better quality materials and guarantee their work for a period of time