C
CT2VT
Guest
Hi everyone-
This is my first RV and friends thought I was crazy to go from nothing to a diesel class A. I consider myself a very handy person and fix just about everything myself around the house so the notion of buying a 13 year old RV didn't even phase me. I wanted a project and I got my wish. My greatest concern was with the engine tranny and genset which I have 0 experience with. Once I ran it though the shop and it checked out, I was all in. The seller went through each other system to give me the level of comfort needed to seal the deal. That said, an RV this old will have all kids of little nuances to it and I'm tackling each one. This forum has been simply amazing in getting quick answers to questions along the way. My month long trip with the girls starts on June 10 and we are just about 100% ready. So a big thanks to everyone on their answers and feedback to my posts.
I wanted to share two things I've done that are cost savers. I've had a Jeep for a few years and like the RV, it has a very flat nose. Rocks pelt the front of the Jeep and within a few weeks I had rock chips. On the Jeep forums there are people that discussed using a product called Plasti Dip to not only use it as an accent to customize the look of the Jeep but also to prevent rock chips. I applied that same use for the front of my RV which had extensive rock chips. The rest of the RV paint was 100 beautiful, simply amazing for a 2003, but the nose was really bad. So I used Plasti-Dip just like I did with the Jeep. The Jeep has had Plasti-Dip on the front grill for 2 years and has zero marks on it. If I ever decide I don't want it anymore, it peels off. I'm not saying it acts like Kevlar, I'm just saying it has done a great job through two Vermont winters and lots of highway travel. Oddly, I was getting rock chips on the Jeep's door hinges so I applied this material to those as well with the same desired results.
back to the RV.....I got a quote to repaint the front and then apply a clear plastic coating like a 3M product. That quote was $1600.
I've included photos of the Jeep and the RV to show you how it looks. The RV cost me $18 in materials. I applied about 6 coats in 1 hour intervals on a warm dry day. After my 4000 mile trip I have planned, I'll report back on how it held up on the RV but wanted to share this as a possible solution for some people with the same issue and not so deep pockets to fix it back to original. Enjoy!
This is my first RV and friends thought I was crazy to go from nothing to a diesel class A. I consider myself a very handy person and fix just about everything myself around the house so the notion of buying a 13 year old RV didn't even phase me. I wanted a project and I got my wish. My greatest concern was with the engine tranny and genset which I have 0 experience with. Once I ran it though the shop and it checked out, I was all in. The seller went through each other system to give me the level of comfort needed to seal the deal. That said, an RV this old will have all kids of little nuances to it and I'm tackling each one. This forum has been simply amazing in getting quick answers to questions along the way. My month long trip with the girls starts on June 10 and we are just about 100% ready. So a big thanks to everyone on their answers and feedback to my posts.
I wanted to share two things I've done that are cost savers. I've had a Jeep for a few years and like the RV, it has a very flat nose. Rocks pelt the front of the Jeep and within a few weeks I had rock chips. On the Jeep forums there are people that discussed using a product called Plasti Dip to not only use it as an accent to customize the look of the Jeep but also to prevent rock chips. I applied that same use for the front of my RV which had extensive rock chips. The rest of the RV paint was 100 beautiful, simply amazing for a 2003, but the nose was really bad. So I used Plasti-Dip just like I did with the Jeep. The Jeep has had Plasti-Dip on the front grill for 2 years and has zero marks on it. If I ever decide I don't want it anymore, it peels off. I'm not saying it acts like Kevlar, I'm just saying it has done a great job through two Vermont winters and lots of highway travel. Oddly, I was getting rock chips on the Jeep's door hinges so I applied this material to those as well with the same desired results.
back to the RV.....I got a quote to repaint the front and then apply a clear plastic coating like a 3M product. That quote was $1600.
I've included photos of the Jeep and the RV to show you how it looks. The RV cost me $18 in materials. I applied about 6 coats in 1 hour intervals on a warm dry day. After my 4000 mile trip I have planned, I'll report back on how it held up on the RV but wanted to share this as a possible solution for some people with the same issue and not so deep pockets to fix it back to original. Enjoy!
