Faded Front Cap RV Travel Trailer problems and solution
You clicked here because you are experiencing the same problem that hundreds of RV and travel trailer owners are experiencing. You probably have a 2008- 2014 Travel trailer made by Keystone, Winnebago, Dutchmen and others. Owners of these RV’s with dark colored (often brown) front caps experience very pre-mature fading of the paint. This actually stems from a defect in the paint used by the manufacturers that often does not manifest itself until the Trailer is long out of warranty. Perhaps you even purchased yours used just before the pigments started to break down.
Over the years, a couple of manufacturers tried to place the blame on lack of maintenance by the owners in an effort to forgo any warranty work. Unlike certain build-defect areas such as cabinetry, plumbing or electrical systems, paint issues can fall into one of those gray areas where it is often hard to directly trace the issue back to the manufacturers. That is, until hundreds of owners begin to experience and complain about the same issue.
The switch to the brown cap was the first attempt to add a bit of color to the front caps on the Keystone Outback line. It replaced the first generation of fiberglass / gel-coat caps which were white. Many owners have attempted a home repair using the oxidization removers only to find that they make no noticeable difference. Customers who have contacted Keystone (and other manufacturers) typically will receive the following response: “as your unit is out of warranty, we respectfully decline to offer any assistance”.
The front cap fading issue
The problem with the fading of the front cap comes from the pigments used in the gelcoat of the front cap. They had no UV protection. Even though the gel cap itself can offer some UV protection, it is not sufficient to prevent the pigments underneath to keep from oxidizing. The first signs of trouble will begin with a slight fading of the color and can continue into a series of spider webbing and more fading until some areas appear to be almost completely white.
Even with a potential warranty claim on your hands, oftentimes the aggravation, hassle and costs associated with just getting the unit to a warranty center are not worth it. Factoring in your time, and fuel costs, it is often better over all to simply tackle the problem yourself and have a good repair shop do the work out of pocket.
So how much does a faded brown cap repair like this cost?
We are offering a special where we will correct the problem with a fully life time warrantied and perfect color matched repaint for just $2,499 plus any graphics costs (will vary by brand). We will prepare the surface, repaint, clear coat and reapply new decals with a very quick turn around time.