We have a 1995 U300 in very good condition, however, the decals are somewhat faded and the front decals have been hand painted over. I wish to eliminate the front painted area and bring out the colors of the the side decals. Any thoughts?
No kind of "treatment" will bring aged, dried out, and cracked decals back to life. I know - our coach is in similar condition. If travel to Nacogdoches is not out of the question, then the "Paint and Printed Graphics" package at Xtreme would be my first choice. They are the Foretravel paint and body experts. Nothing they do is cheap, and everything they do is worth the price.
Xtreme Paint & Graphics Home (https://www.xtremegraphics.net/services/motorhomepaintoptions/)
PS: We have been through Fallon on Hwy 95 several times, on our way up to Oregon. Must be a very nice area to hang out (as long as the nearby mountain forests are not on fire).
We have been removing the old curled ones. I like the less swirly look
If you want Xtreme to repaint the stripes they prefer to remove them as they will outline the old graphics with tape to make it easier to match the old. They use a steamer and plastic razor blades to remove the graphics. If you decide to remove them yourself prepare for a long, long task. Beware of heat guns, the owner of Extreme says too easy to damage fiberglass. I've used eraser wheels, plastic blades, steamer and a well recommended adhesive remover. Twenty five year old graphics do not give up graciously. Still fighting them though most are gone but certainly not forgotten. That requires sanding, compounding, and polishing. You will eventually curse the day you began this thankless job and wish for whoever thought vinyl graphics belonged on a Foretravel should spend at least a year in Purgatory removing graphics.
I've been there before Patrick.... On my 280 there was no peeling them off from to many years sitting in the Texas sun. No amount of everything I tried would budge an inch of the old cracked vinyl. I ended up sanding them as smooth as I could as they were consumed with cracks. Sand, putty, sand again, about 3 weeks worth then painted over, Didn't turn out to bad and did improve the looks of the coach.. When I took my 270 to Antonio in Rocky Point Mex to be painted the vinyl peeled off easy. He and his dad probably spent a couple hours removing every inch of vinyl on the coach with no heat gun but they were in much better shape than the 280 I did. Like you said, vinyl is a terrible product for stripes in my opinion.
It is possible to get the decals removed just takes work.
Gel Coat Maintenance- Aqua -Buff Compound? (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=45008.msg457004#msg457004)
It's just patina.
That's beginning to be a thing. Here at this RV park with 700 spots I've seen a few rigs with newer paint jobs and they were done with a checkered and blotchy paint design. Looked kind of original compared to the rest.
Some of our decals are badly checked but I continue to treat them. A portion of them were painted and some of the clear coat is flaking off but I remove it and keep treating.
Think about it this way, it would cost plenty to recreate the same look. I see it this way, if you keep your rims polished, the rubber (windows) black and the gel coat buffed, polished.... Your good.
If the RV park doesn't want you, there's plenty that do.
I went to Antonio in Mexico, like other on this forum. He removed old decals, painted on the same design and added the cool Blue Angle on the back. It was done in 2020, still looks like new. I am real happy, the trip there and back was good. I don't know if I would do it now. You CANNOT beat the price.