Cracked/peeling/faded Decals

[WaltBennett]

Just curious as to what other models than Montana have this problem. Ours is now six years old and they're all beginning to fade & crack, but not peeling much yet. There's many Montana owners who've complained of this, a few at only three years old. Any other Keystone owners have this problem?

[JRTJH]

WaltBennett,

There is a lot of criticism regarding the vinyl graphics on almost every RV, regardless of manufacturer. Some people complain (rightfully so) of faded, cracked graphics a year or two after manufacture, some owners fortunately don't have problems for several years. Much of that success depends on maintenance, protection and location. It's reasonable to expect "sun damage" on graphics to be greater in areas of the southwest and in Florida and less damage in the northeast and northwest, where the sun (UV) isn't as great.

Essentially, it seems that 5-7 years is about the best "warranty" any of the quality vinyl graphics producers will offer. Here are a couple of websites from some of the "better producers". There's a great deal of good information available on how to care for your RV graphics, what to expect and a lot of information to explain "why" they don't last longer.

https://www.signwarehouse.com/blog/outdoor-durability-or-how-long-will-my-vinyl-signs-last/
http://finelinegraphics.co/vinyl-wraps-myths-debunked/

There are a few threads on the forum that discuss the "short lifetime of graphics" and we have a few member who are "in the business". As best I can gather from their comments, if your graphics last 5 years, you're "ahead of the game"....

The only way I've ever heard of to eliminate the "limited lifetime of vinyl" is to go with painted graphics. That opens another "ball park" filled with different issues. What's best? What's most cost effective? What's to be expected?

Hopefully, you'll get some good "general discussion" with some actual experiences. I know that when we lived in Louisiana and our RV sat in the sun, graphics didn't last nearly as long as they have "way up here in the "upper Midwest" with it parked in a pole barn for much of the year.

[BOWWOW]

No need to beat this dead horse, just paint the damn thing.