New paint, fresh stripes in 2013. Have always kept it waxed. This is on 'the sunny side'. Only thing I know different, is, we came through a near hurricane coming down in October with sand and rain blowing hard. It almost looks like claw marks and can only be seen when the morning light is right. I'm going to E the guy that did the stripes on Monday, but any of you got a clue? :facepalm:
gel coat flex? Paint is harder than the gel coat? cold? I have seen perfect paint on the chevys ..in the warm weather all was well.. 1 trip to colorado in the winter and the paint popped off the hood in chunks..
Only a guess
Mike I'm thinking of the sand was heavy enough with the high wind it scratched the striping. The paint should be tougher than the vinyl. Can you apply some was to see if it helps. You may get to vanish with several coats of wax.
Those look like stress cracks .. thinking they wore out? What brand of paint? and did you see them use the brand they said they were using? Just asking.
As soon as it warms up, I'm going to hit it with my tried and true. The trip down from Gila Bend to Ajo was THE WORST storm I've ever driven in!
Hi Mike! Sorry this happened to you. It looks like someone keyed your new paint job. Are the scratches only in one area?
'Scratches' are in other areas, all on the 'sunny side'. I thought about it being 'keyed', but this is strange!
Thermal expansion & contraction of the harder, darker paint.
Cute. So a $3,000.00 re-stripe lasts six years? I can't wait to hear the installer's excuse for this one! I will post it.
Truly very strange. I am curious as to what your painter/striper has to say.
Are there any similar marks outside the stripes?
Cheap beer you use for the top coat😆
I use guinness.
To me it does not look too deep and maybe the polish has hardened and cracking in that hot sun.
Time to go back to Cascadia.
JohnH
Irish made in Dublin.
That link did not work for me
JohnH
It's known by this: and becoming one of the most trashed areas for wildlife (and humans) in the world.
Jeeeezzz Mike
Jeeeezzzzz Mike ....we discussed this before.....Pacifico First..!!
Nope: when it's freezing outside, the smart cookies only drink Jamesons and stay inside!
Mike,
Did you have someone wash your coach and they used a very dirty brush? Some of the scratches look like that may have happened
No, I washed her after the hurricane; 30 years of Airstreams have taught me to 'go with the grain', that is, sideways. It's starting to warm up here, so I'm going to try the heavy-duty Megulars wax.
Could you elaborate on that statement? I'm surprised to hear this.
After being away from home the past 3-1/2 months still feel pretty lucky to live and play where I do...1st. morning back home.
The cities of Victoria, B.C. (who dumped raw sewage into the Straight for years), Vancouver, Everett, Seattle and Tacoma have been pollutng Puget Sound since he beginning with industrial wastes. The once plentyfull fishing in the Salish has reduced, as have the whale populations. 'Fish Farming' of Atlantic Salmon has done great harm because of the additives in their feed getting into the wild species' food chain. Our once large Cod population has been so decimatated that my favorite Fish & Chips place up there is charging $5.00 a piece! Yes, it looks beautiful up there, but underneath the Salish, there is trouble! :'(
Actually the problem with the salmon is not the food additives but sea life that latch onto wild salmon and cause the young to not mature properly and have sores on the skin.
Victoria is the only one that has the sewer problem and they at last have the engineering done for a treatment plant. Vancouver does not dump untreated sewer into sea and has not been doing it for a long time.
The Beach's around Vancouver are used by millions every year and if there was a big problem I am sure we would have heard of it on the news, as the city is very concious about these sort of things due to being many times in the top 10 of best places in the world to live etc.
I am sure I have it right on these facts the big issue with dead whales is being hit by cruise ships and tankers, along with the noise underwater.
JohnH
Are we still talking about stripes ?? Or digress
How about that Warriors game?
And the train leaves the tracks. Oh well.
Train tracks are two steel stripes that expand and contract alot. Wish my gelcoat coach was totaly naked white but it's stripes have stained the gelcoat, so there's no going back to the durable ultra classy naked look. Jmo. Going to have to wrap the front cap due to stains.
Have you considered shooting gel with duratec additive on the front cap? Those wraps don't have great durability especially on the front.
I don't think that would work on my cap, since the stains are coming from underneath. It MAY work on my 'cat scratches' on the sides, though. I'll check when I call the installer today. ^.^d
Hey Mike did you call the guy that did your stripes?
The suspense is killing me.
I sent the pics this morning, have not heard from him back. News at eleven (I hope!) ^.^d
Humm, what do you all think about this? I know I'm going to have a tall glass of Jamesons. :facepalm:
are they decals or paint? the product he mentioned is supposed to be the latest and greatest .. should have lasted longer I would think with the award winning techno used but what do I know.. Doubt you have cracks under the paint/decals ..
Mike I don't make much of his reply. When you applied polish did it help? That might tell us the lines are on the surface. If not then it would suggest that maybe it's under the graphic striping. I have owned thirty corvettes and have never seen stress cracks like that. It's hard to imagine cracks over that large and area showing up all at once, unless during that storm the body of the coach was under extreme stress. Maybe they will become less over time. Does this problem exist where there is no graphic?
Weather is getting perfect. Tomorrow I'll get the Megulars out and see what can be done with the 3M Decals. I see nothing wrong with the white body. Ya, six years is bothersome, because I think the PO had it stored undercover most of the time. So THIS, and my front cap problem have happened in only the past four years! :headwall:
Keep us posted. This is unique.
Just got this: I think what he means, without admitting responsibility or suggesting a repair, is, I'm 'screwed, blued and tattooed'. :thumbsdown:
We use 3M control tack materials for the graphics on our 400 trucks. Seem to be about the best there is. Looks to me like the Az sun is starting to get to your stripes.
Looks like the storm you drove through accelerated the aging of your decals. Waxing may slow cracking down. To much time has passed for installer to offer you anything. Time for a six pack. I wish you well.
Yup, and as picky as I am, I'm not going to blow 4CBs for fresh stripes! The only positive thing the guy said, was they USUALLY don't get any worse. We'll see.
That's about it, I'll hit it with Megulars and see how it works. I agree, the hurricane wind/sand storm I hit coming down could have had a lot to do with it! Six pack in the fridge. b^.^d
When the prior owner spent all that money to paint the coach, it seems like it would have been money well-spent to paint on the stripes - instead of using decals. I can't quite understand the logic there.
The white paint and stripes were both done in Phoenix by two different firms, one would think that they would know how to do it right! I never got to know the PO, could be painting the stripes was too expensive, in which case, I would think the stripe guy would refuse to do the work, I would of, had I known what heat & u.v. do down here!.
Mike,
Please verify with 3M before using anything on them. Most vinyl is HARMED by wax and petroleum products.
303 Aerospace is about the only product I now that has a positive effect on vinyl, offering is some UV protection.
You gave me that suggestion a while ago and I asked the installer about it. He said, 'any good wax, the 3M is improved from the old decals'. Hmm, I WILL check with 3M, thanks, Brett. ^.^d
The plot thickens:
Talked with very helpfull 3M just now, will check to see if 303 is what I should have been using all along:
Yup, the middle screen shot says specifically NO wax....
Again 303 is all I have ever heard of using, but suggest you get 3M confirmation.
3M just told me:
Mike,
All those products are for CLEANING.
What you are looking for is something that will PROTECT them.
Totally different job.
If you read the specs for 303 Aerospace, you will see it specifically mentions vinyl as one of the things that it works on.
303 Products - 303® Automotive Protectant (http://www.303products.com.au/product-range/automotive/303-automotive-protectant)
Yup, I was just looking for what to clean the wax off that was suggested to me by the stripe installer. 303 is my finish!
This thread is about done, except someone explaining to me exactly how all this happened in the first place? As usual, the beancounters have advised everyone to not admit guilt. I remember Jim Rockford's lawyer telling him, "never say you're sorry." This is from my conversation with 303: And, how do I know if I've got a gel coat finish or a automotive finish? it never ends,
Mike,
You have told us your coach has a painted surface. Suspect you know what what used when the previous owner had it painted. It certainly will not be gel coat, as it has been professionally painted.
So, given 303's reply, the best/safest advice is to use 303 just on the vinyl.
Actually, that is what I did, even with gel coat. Compounded and waxed the gel coat and 303'ed the vinyl.