End cap fading badly

[Pappydude]

The end cap - I guess that's what it's called (on the front end of the trailer) - on my SAB318 is fading badly - and it's only a year old. It's starting to turn white......any ideas what to do about it and why? I waxed the entire trailer last fall just before outdoor, uncovered storage and made certain to get all the wax off. I used a quality brand boat wax - recommended by my Cougar rep.
Pappydude (karl)

[davidjsimons]

My opinion, your best option is to have it painted. Nothing will restore a fading gel coat permanently.


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[chain_dogg]

http://forum.toyhaulnhooligans.com/s...ht=Front+clean

Here ya go !! The fix

Read down to post 10. I saw this trailer....looks brand new

[JRTJH]

pappydude,

Do a forum search on faded paint, faded end cap, etc. There were a number of members with this issue, seems to me that Keystone was repainting some of them. Which ones, how old, warranty or recall ??? No idea, but a number of people were getting them repainted on the Keystone dime.

Good luck

[Lack of HP]

Mine is also fading bad, finally after several calls (nice) and one not so nice keystone agreed to take mine down to the fiberglass and repaint and seal it.

I will stick with white from now on, I have seen alot of gray fade. Good luck.

[cathcartww]

After reading all the problems with the colored gelcoat front caps, I am sort of glad I got one of the last Outbacks with a white cap!

Coming from a background in fiberglass boats, colored gelcoat has always been tougher to keep looking good than white - you will notice most salt water boats are some shade of off white.

Typically, you can stay ahead of the oxidation for a while with frequent applications of a good UV resistant wax or polish. Light oxidation can be polished out with fiberglass polishing compound, but eventually the gelcoat becomes porous, and wax and polish won't do the trick. When that happens, the prefered solution is to apply a polyurethane paint (Awlgrip, etc.) and clear coat. If that is too costly an option, application of a acrylic finish (Polyglo, Red Max Pro) can do a nice job, but you will still have to keep on the horizonal surfaces that catch the direct sun.

If your unit is only a year old, I would pursue the problem with your dealer and Keystone as this seems to be a know problem. If you get no satisfaction that way, your options are to try to polish it out, pay to have it repainted, or apply an acrylic finish.

For now, I am applying NuFinish like crazy, keeping it covered, and hoping for the best ..

[Pappydude]

Thanks for the informaton. I'll be calling my dealer today. I've had the trailer since March 15, 2012.......this shouldn't be happening - we've had a pretty mild winter in Oregon........

[JRTJH]

Good Luck, Let's hope this doesn't turn into a 12 month vs 13 month issue

[Roller4Tan]

Last summer I took my trailer in for some axle issues, at the time I also told them about the front cap fade. They had the trailer for 5 weeks. My answer to the cap fade was that I had gotten roof sealer on it, thus the chalky appearance. I laughed and since they already had the trailer for so long and I wanted to use it, I let it go and brought the trailer home. Sometimes I think these people must think we are complete idiots. I've since used a magic eraser and protect all to remove the oxidation. The lustrous shine is gone, but at least it looks better than the chalky appearance. I will eventually try the red max pro route. I originally was very meticulous about waxing that cap once a month or so, but it wasn't enough to stop the oxidation.

[beamer]

I bought my Cougar in Sept 2012. The front cap was already faded when I took delivery and the dealer (CW) said Keystone would fix any issues.

Since the dealer I took delivery from was not close to my house, I took it to a local Keystone dealer and they sent in pics to Keystone and it was approved to repaint the entire front cap. They removed the existing decals, repainted, and applied all new decals. Looks fantastic. Could not be more happy with how Keystone handled the issue.

The dealer said that polishing the front cap would temporarily make it look ok, but within a month or two the cap would fade again. Paint was the only answer in their opinion. I am sure that they also want to do the paint because it means more money in their pocket from Keystone.

Actually all the warranty work that was needed was easily approved by Keystone and done by the dealer without issue. I had a leak with the freshwater tank and asked the dealer to not cut holes in the underbelly, but instead remove the entire thing. He said Keystone instructs them how to do the repair and that always includes cutting it. He noted on the work order not to cut and they did not cut. They removed and replaced the entire underbelly section pertaining to the freshwater tank.

Sorry to get off-topic.

[Pappydude]

I think this is going to be one for the long haul records......at least it's starting out that way! The dealer said "he'd get back to me!" That was only two days ago but still..........at noon today I'm calling him back. With my luck he'll already be gone for the weekend! Thanks to all who have responded so far.

[Pappydude]

Beamer said Keystone repainted his end cap and applied new decals. I am happy to report they will be doing the same to mine. I submitted pics and Keystone has authorized the repair. I contacted the service dept. where the rep works (local) and was advised they have ordered the decals and are awaiting their arrival. I'm headed to the Or. coast for two weeks this Wed and when I return the decals should have arrived and I'll be calling to set up the appointment for repairs. Good news finally!!
Thanks to all who responded. Good info was provided for perhaps a future repair......
Pappy

[koda13]

We just bought a 2014 with the colored front cap. Mfg date was May 28, 2013. Wonder if Keystone has done anything different in the mfg process to help with the fading issue or should I expect the same? Should I go ahead and apply 303 or some other product? The owners manual mentions a product called Poli Glow. Does anyone have experience with this product?

[cathcartww]

Originally Posted by koda13

We just bought a 2014 with the colored front cap. Mfg date was May 28, 2013. Wonder if Keystone has done anything different in the mfg process to help with the fading issue or should I expect the same? Should I go ahead and apply 303 or some other product? The owners manual mentions a product called Poli Glow. Does anyone have experience with this product?

PoliGlo is an acrylic based coating similar to a floor wax. I have never used PoliGlo, but have used similar products on older fiberglass boats with good results. Many RVers use Red Max Pro or Zep Floor Finishes with good results.

These products seem to work best on old fiberglass that has already oxidized to the point that polishing cannot bring the finish back to a good shine. The acrylic "fills" the rough surface, and builds up a new smooth finish.

IMHO, for a new trailer, is to do your best to prevent the fiberglass from oxidizing in the first place. Blocking the UV rays from the sun is important. Many owners have had good luck with protectorants like Aerospace 303 or ProtectAll, others have a good luck with high quality waxes like Meguires or NuFinish. The less vertical the surface, the harder the sun hits it, so the front cap takes more of a beating than the sidewalls. Dark colors also seem to age more quickly than light colors - or maybe it is just more noticeable?

At any rate, it seems like some manufacturers, including Keystone have had some quality control problems with the new front caps. A good automotive grade paint with clear coat should hold up better than a fiberglass gelcoat, so repaint jobs should work out OK.

[Kenworth]

My 293SAB had a fading front cap last fall, as it was less than a few months old, I called my dealer. He scheduled it in, and had it repainted in December. If they weren't going to pay for it, your best bet is base coat clear coat, then you'll never need to wax again...at least for a long long time.

[Pappydude]

I'm still waiting for mine to come back. I took it in June 11th - today is June 19th. I was told a week or less - now I'm being told June 21st. Oh well, I had cancelled all my RV plans for these two weeks anyway.......and it's being done under warranty so as long as they do it right.....the inconvenience will be worth it! When I pick it up I will inquire what to put on it in the future. It had at least two coats of Meguire's marine wax - more for the fiberglass coating.......but I'll post whatever they tell me.

[Bob Landry]

Originally Posted by Lack of HP

Mine is also fading bad, finally after several calls (nice) and one not so nice keystone agreed to take mine down to the fiberglass and repaint and seal it.

I will stick with white from now on, I have seen alot of gray fade. Good luck.

White would be my color of choice also. I've also read some threads about the dark colored encamps absorbing heat and making the bedroom area hard to cool.

[Pappydude]

My Cougar was returned on June 21 - but it's not done. The body shop did an excellent job at returning the end cap to the original color and it appeared to buff out nicely (as observed by the buffing swirls). However, the service shop ordered the wrong decals......what they call "fangs" were the wrong ones. I've been told a week to a month - basically "unknown"...... before the new ones arrive. I'm trying to convince them to send the guy to my house to put them on...less than 10 miles one way and it will take him less than 30 minutes for both. Takes me longer than that to load/drive the rig to the dealer. Probably a while you wait - but I'm hoping to be able to do that in my driveway! Could be interesting and a pain in the arse! But it's done otherwise - and looks great. (so far)

[jje1960]

Unfortunately, our SRX is suffering from the same. I'm going to call the Dealer however have no idea what I'm going to hear considering this is our 3rd year of ownership.

[jerrykrenning]

Purchased a 2013 Outback 6 weeks ago and it is fading ....call the keystone rep, talked to the dealer, and called Keystone customer service. It has to do with the brown gel coat. The white below it is coming to the surface according to Keystone. The fix is take it to the dealer and have it repainted. They are saying that once it is painted again this problem will not reoccur