To Replace Decals or Not

[Ol' Herb]

I’ve read through many of the posts about peeling decals and seen few comments about “going naked” (removing all OEM decals).

I am sorely tempted to do this myself, but I’m concerned that there may be unintended consequences and how it might affect resale.

So, I pose the following questions to those of you who have gone “naked.”

Do you have any regrets about having done so?

Were there any unintended consequences? (E.g., being turned away from an RV park or being mistaken for an old FEMA trailer.)

Have you sold a “naked” trailer, and, if so, how did the lack of decals affect the deal? Which is worse: trying to sell a fifth wheel with peeling decals or a stark-white fifth wheel without any decals at all? (When it comes to selling my trailer, I know I could always replace the graphics through a local sign company, if necessary.)

[hankpage]

The front of my Cougar is bald, like me. I did not have much of a choice as the peeling was terrible.(the trailer I mean) The sides and rear still have decals but the entrance side is getting bad. I'm not sure what I will do. If a CG wants to turn me away for being bald, I don't want to stay there. A lot of guys debadge their trucks and they don't turn them away. Bald is beautiful, Hank

[rjsurfer]

My door side decals are also getting old (already replaced nose decal) I'm on the lookout for for some Ebay decals, I don't care what what brand name they are. I'm not concerned about different decals on one side compared the other.

Another option is to ditch the brand name part of the decal (Cougar/Keystone) and tape off the swoops and just paint them, I could use different colors to add some style and they would last forever. The nice thing about that solution is after you pull bad decals off you are left with a faint outline that you can use to tape it off.

Ron W.

[f6bits]

My front graphic decal is peeling. I plan on ordering a replacement and sticking that on. It's about $40 or so, so it's a no-brainer. I'd go bald, except I'm pretty sure the outlines will be pretty visible.

[maxx1963]

I just got done replacing my door side decals and front and rear. I am the type of person who could not stand to see peeling and I could never go bald. Only cost me about $300. It took a lot of time to get the old crap off, I used plastic razor blades with adhesive remover then finished smooth with rubbing alcohol. Putting the new ones on was a piece of cake. WELL worth the money when I stand back and see it look like brand new! Oh and I built a 48x48 shop so it does not sit outside anymore.

[chuck&gail]

Do you have any regrets about having done so? Nope

Were there any unintended consequences? (E.g., being turned away from an RV park or being mistaken for an old FEMA trailer.) Nope

Have you sold a “naked” trailer, and, if so, how did the lack of decals affect the deal? Which is worse: trying to sell a fifth wheel with peeling decals or a stark-white fifth wheel without any decals at all? (When it comes to selling my trailer, I know I could always replace the graphics through a local sign company, if necessary.) Hard to answer, however we've sold three TT's, all of which had some decals removed, and had paint or maps put on. In all three cases we asked for, and got, over book price. Planning on removing some more on my Outback soon.

[Bushman512000]

Love the new look and no way I will get a new glue on again ...paint ??...not White in the in thing lol...Bushman

[Two Shepherds]

My decals burned off in the first 18 months. Keystone gave me a new front which I labored to replaced. Now the sides are gone and they replied with a crappy email stating the decals have a 1yr warranty... That is so bad to tell a customer. I thought Keystone was a decent brand until these experiences. Who in their right mind would sell a product like an RV that looks like crap in a couple years when the decals rot off in the sun... Heck, 3M makes 7 year film for this purpose. So I have started removing the worst decals. I thought about buying a set to keep fresh for resale.