Can anyone tell me where I should bring my 99 U270 for a fresh coat of paint and graffixs and an interior changeout? What about approximate cost for same? Any information will help.
Thanks
Well I have totally remodeled the inside of my coach. I would call David Flanigan at FOT and talk to him about what you want done. The sky is the limit. I would also talk to James at Xtreme and have him do the paint.
Prices depend on what you want done.
Interesting question. You will get lots of opinions. Issue is cost vs. value of coach. I had a 1999 36 foot u -270. Took it to James at Xtreme paint and graphics in Nacogdoches. He did "level one" on coach which was strip decals, buff coach and paint trim back on exactly where decals were. $7k at the time, plus $3K for headlight conversion, $10K total 5 years ago.
You can spend $25k and up for full body paint. Worth ever penny, but does it make sense given the value of your coach? Only if you don't care and want to keep it a long time.
Topic has been vetted before, search option on forum is your friend. some shops in Indiana do paint, and Mexico is a realistic option due to low prices and prior positive reviews.
Good luck !
I agree with Tim on the outside. The headlight upgrade is worth it. The inside, as long as you are using it enough ,I think a mojor renovation is worth it. You will not get the cost out but you will enjoy it much more. And to quote a friend who knew he was only keeping his coach a few years. (Jim and Sim). Life is too short to drive ugly.
As Jim (of Jim and Sim) said to me: 'Life's too short to drive ugly'... He bought his 98 U320, spent about $30K on paint, windows and headlights. Drove it all over the US for 18 months with his wife Sim (including some south of the border time). Before meeting Jim, Sim had lived 8 years in the US but never left San Francisco. He vowed she would see every part she was interested in. Then they sold it and moved to Thailand for another new adventure.
If you are heading to Xtreme for work, ask about the step conversion. THAT is money well spent, for sure. We don't drive at night, so the headlights are last on our list, but roof paint, and other exterior tweaks are what Xtreme does better than anyone. Interior fixes are really all personal preference ... but you don't even know what to ask for until you start talking to David Flanagan and the guys at the Remodel Shop. We have done everything from flooring tile and carpet to TV remodels to closet doors and extra shelving in the living room and upholstery recovering. They are just top notch. But it WILL take a few "Coach Bucks" to make your ideas reality!!
The headlight modification is done already to the high intensity xenon bulb lights.... Now it's time to redo the rest... Not sure if I should change colors completely or update same paint and just put on new graffics. Would love to change the color scheme inside and update a little. I have a 42 inch flat screen installed in the front and an 18 in the bedroom, but the coach needs updating a bit.....what are thoughts of totally changing colors, I'm thinking like something light, but flashy... Big graffics.
Think $25 grand at Xtreme, lots of pictures on their web site
Full Body Paint at Xtreme is my recommendation. Your no-slide coach would likely be around $20,000 by the time all deferred body work is taken care of including the roof (new windows excluded). While at Xtreme ask James to get you in touch with Mitch Holland. Mitch can get the interior redone (upholstery & curtains, lambrequins, etc.) while Xtreme works on the body. I've seen some of Mitch's work and it is as good if not better than the factory.
My vote is for Xtreme also. Wonderful folks and super quality work. We had our 99 U270 done in full body paint there, and we also had new headlights, new Peninsula windows, new step, new docking lights, new LED running lights, etc. We tell folks we had the outside re-manufactured, and it looks it.
Read your comments and concerns on updating your coach. We have a '97 295 and the decals are getting tattered; the pulls on the shades inside are breaking; age takes its toll. I have hit my head on the TV cabinet so many times that hopefully I have learned a few things. We currently have our coach at X-treme for a full body update--Not a lot of curlicues but a slightly different approach I saw on another coach and then added a few Foretravel twists. It was amazing to take it to X-treme--within minutes they knew right where to look for problem areas; found a few small ones and a couple of costly ones. Yes, it is a costly renovation but not a whole lot more than the sales tax on a newer one. We love our old non-slide 36 ft and hope we have a few more years to reap the enjoyment from it. X-treme has the rig from 4-6 weeks and will then take it to David at Foretravel for the interior work which will take another week to 10 days. Unfortunately, X-treme's website has been down since Spring and we're not able to follow the progress for what (to us) is a major exterior coach renovation. We feel we could not have left it with a more competent group and look forward to picking it up in a few weeks. We highly recommend X-treme--they are very caring and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to your motorhome. (We will post pictures when we get it back (and when we figure out how to do it!))
She sure looks gorgeous Dave! Do you have any pictures of your step conversion? I'd be interested to see it in as much detail as possible both in and out... We plan on heading for the mothership in October for the ladies driving school and maybe doing some upgrades on the coach while there.
Don
Agree on the Xtreme treatment, all exterior painted, all light upgrades, like them all, but for me the very best was having Rance redo the engine cover into a hinged upper and easy remoable lower for access to the air filter. Very easyc to open & close wiyhout the dangers involved with the heavy door.
All good folks, eay to talk with.
Bushwacker
You will be extremely pleased with the work at X-treme. Can't wait to see pictures of your coach when X-treme gets through with it.
And you will have no problems with the work by David at Foretravel. He knows what he and his team are doing when it comes to renovation.
We were glad to meet you at Foretravel in July and look forward to meeting again.
James will treat you right and David is amazing. If they ever opened a shop together, watch out.
I would not rule out paint be the company who made your coach. I and many others have had it done and I certainly am very happy. See attached photo
Don't have any pictures of the step conversion underneath, but here are two outside views. Rance took the old step box completely out and built a new frame that allows the step assembly to be removed with 4 bolts. New steps are also moved more to the rear than the old step (as you can see in the photo), since that's where you want to step when you exit the door. I had installed a switch to allow the old step to stay out or come in when the engine is off, and Rance just connected the new step control to that, so we can have the step in if desired when parked. Always comes out when the door opens, of course.
While at Xtreme about 17 months ago I watched Rance do the step conversion on Jeff and Carol's coach. I am sure Don can do his own as there is not much framework added just a couple of sq tube frames either side welded on to bolt steps too. It takes time and of course the fibreglass surround panel is cut to fit and painted. Once you have the step blocked up and sitting in the correct position after removing the old set-up it is easy to see what is needed as a frame. Of course you need to be able to weld and fit it all together.
Painting it all would be my problem as that is something I have never really tried and mastered.
I agree they do very good work there and attention to detail is apparent. Nice people, and should I need our coach worked on (body paint) I would be there in a flash.
John H
We had that optional switch installed when they did our step conversion. there are times (such as when you pull into a very tight fuel bay or near a curb) when you don't want that new, improved step to extend. No problem. It also allows the step to remain extended when you are parked and the engine is off. Xtreme is REALLY good at what they do. The framing is only a part. There is considerable fiberglass, paint & electrical work involved, as well. But the finished result is seamless. the step unit itself is VERY solid, and if you have ever tried to carry a tray of dinner items out to a picnic area with both hands ... or haul groceries into the coach ... or missed a step or slid with wet feet and half broken a leg ... you will appreciate the safety and beauty of these steps. There IS a reason why the steps on the big, expensive coaches are more like these. When we had our conversion, I think the price for just the step unit itself was about $1800 ... then add installation.
I think I was quoted $3,000 for step conversion complete when I had my roof painted and the LED tail lights put in. WIll be getting the step in the next year or so, (Along with a new Ernie floor) since Dave Head expects it perfect and fully optioned when I turn it over to him!
Thanks for the pictures! That looks really nice... I'm definitely putting that on the list of our possible future upgrades. I don't know if we'll get to that this time since the list is just so long, but I've been curious about that since I first heard about the step conversion. The pictures on Xtreme's website don't do them justice.
Don
Edit: question... Are the steps still air powered or are they all electric after the upgrade?
We are in the process of upgrades ourselves. We had our decals redone in Apache Junction AZ. Full body paint wasn't in the budget. New flooring goes in next week. We were fortunate to find a company here in Whitney TX that is knowledgable with RV's and very reasonably priced. We have seen his work and were very impressed. October will be new upholstery month. Then we can set back and enjoy our new decor and replenish the FT fund. :D
Coleen, I'm interested in your new decals. Did they need to pretty much go where the old ones were, or was it a totally different scheme? Was the original paint touched up? Would you mind sharing a rough cost? Last, pictures would be awesome...
They are all electric now, so no issues with air pressure.
Looks low for any use with dips or deep gutters. Almost stop if approaching that kind of elevation change. Scraped off many similar mounted steps.
Carefully driven into nice campgrounds no problem I guess. I still like dry camp adventures.
Just me.
Bob
We don''t do nice campgrounds much :)) . Turns out that our generator muffler on the other side sticks down more than the new step, and we haven't dragged it more than a couple of times. I think you could have a problem with a high curb or a very deep ditch, though. I go slow and lift the front (HWH) if there is a bad hump or drop ahead.
Peter what they did is use a wide decal of multiple colors to cover where the original decal was. Here is their website RV Stripes & Graphics (http://www.rvsg.com/). The owners name is Dale. The cost was $2500 we did most of the prep work ourselves, and had it detailed after we finished before the decals were applied. We did not require any paint touch up. I think my husband has the photos on his computer. I will have him post them for you to see.
We do not dry camp much, and very seldom "off road" ... but even some "nice" campgrounds can have some hairy potholes! We have NEVER scraped the step on anything. I looked, just to be sure. There is also an automatic "stop" incase you are caught next to a curb or your leg might be between the step and a curb. Mr. Wonderful tells me that he tried stopping it with his hand, just to see if that feature really worked. There is always the odd disaster, however. I believe that Steve & Michelle dipped into a rain camouflaged pothole when leaving a campground that almost swallowed their front end ... and there was some damage to their step when it caught the edge.
All, there is a lot of good information here. I was seriously thinking about just removing the graffics and having the gelcoat refurbed and just painting on new graffics, but the paint job that I saw on here have kind of changed my mind... I really am thinking hard about it. I would be willing to do the 25 for the paint and 10 or so on the interior............. I appreciate all the information
Remember ... you do not have a "budget" ... you have a MOTORHOME!!!
"10 on the interior" .... Bwhahahahahahahaha!!!! My Mr. Wonderful is now rolling his eyes and wondering how to keep me out of Nacogdoches.
Well you gotta start somewhere....... I don't think I need to do much inside, but this is all Greek to me...... How much on average would anyone spend on the interior?
Unless you are Carol ten should cover it, probably.
Bwhahahahaha, too funny Carol!!!
Greetings,
We had ours done in Jan 2013 in Apache Junction at A&M Graphics.
Cost for ours was $2800.
It included; strip of old decal, buff entire coach with compound and apply our designed 3-M graphic.
They have the ability to "wrap" the entire coach but I bet it is costly.
Had to add the photos: 1988 Grand Villa ORED (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=18904.0)
A&M Graphics | Specializing in quality vehicle wraps, banners, wall murals, RV (http://aandmgraphics.com/)
well, I replaced the Driver and CoPilot seats and that was 10K alone. I also replace the couch and that is another 5K and then put in a dining bar replaced carpet and put in a wood floor in the front and replaced the fridge and that all would be about another 10K. Put in MCD Blinds all around but I forget that cost. So you can spend about 20-40K on the inside.
I don't do it all at once ... but I get IDEAS, see? I visit people in the parking lot and see what they have done ... or I visit Gary Omel and see the big, honkin' TV he put in his coach ... and then I NEEEEED it! So, now we have a 46" 3D Smart TV (smarter than we are) in the coach and a new Bluray DVD player. Next, I want to get rid of the dinette bench seats (Thank you, to Jeff & Susan Punches) and a better sofa. We also are thinking about the fridge ... but I could go on and on. Interior upgrades are like potato chips ... or tattoos. You never stop with just ONE!!
Last time I let Carol loose in Nac it cost me $12K...Then I let her loose in Tucson and she bought a house...
I tricked her this time....We are going to Oregon Motor Coach next Tuesday...hopefully, I can keep her out the remodel shop....right, wish me luck...
I spent 3 K on my 1999 U/270 in NAC with Flanigan 5 years ago, depends on taste and tolerance :-)
Upgrades, where or when do you stop ? For us, the Samsung refrig, ceramic flooring, 32" Samsung LED TV, are well worth the cost of admission, now am leaning toward removing the Heavy ceramic and replacing with the cork laminate, noise & weight considerations, had to visit Lowe's to get a grip on quality. Could have a local installer do it, but think FOT or MOT is a better choice, they know the little things the local would not for longevity.
Otherwise the rear door that Xtreme did, is the best change yet, way better than the FBP and LED lights. We all have opinions ;D
XTreme Paint & Graphics (http://www.XtremeGraphics.net)
Check them out. Many have used them with great satisfaction.
I will call and set up appt. I am currently out of the country, working in Kazakhstan so I cannot really call them as i would like. I will set something up for when I am home.....
I really appreciate all of the feedback all....
Regards,
Ron
Have Ernie do it,
Talk with FOT about the Karndean vinyl flooring - the Nimbus got that. It's glue down, amazing wear quality, and available in an amazing array of options - wood, stone, iconic, etc...
Flooring for homes | Wood and Stone effect floors - Karndean (http://www.karndean.com/en/floors)