Is this Deformed Decal Indicative of Structure Issues?

[shorty73]

Hi All,
I'm looking at a used 2022 Cougar 22MLSWE and I spotted this "warpage" of the decals near the front cap on sidewalls, on both sides. Seems to me there might have been some movement in the structure. I asked the sales rep, who then asked someone from service. The answer was "no problem, just the decal shrinking. We can fix that easy." I'm not so sure about that.



Anyone experience this issues, or just have an opinion?

[dutchmensport]

Disclaimer: I am not an authority!

My thoughts: It does not look like frame damage or anything like that. If it were frame damage, breaking or stressing or bending, the side wall of the camper would be cracked.

I ("think") what you are seeing is simple graphic shrinkage due to changing temperatures. It could be due to UV sun light also. But of the 2, I pick graphic shrinkage.

If under warranty still, check with your dealership. At best, if under warranty, you might get new graphics.

Edit:
I see this is your first post! Welcome to the forums!

What year model is the camper?

[chuckster57]

That’s not the decal shrinking, it wasn’t allowed to “dry” before the sealant was put on. Seen it a LOT of times, it is NOT structural at all.

If the factory installs decals like we do it goes like this:

Surface is cleaned so no dust/dirt. Surface and back of decal are sprayed with water and additives allowing a little time to shift it into proper position. Decal is squiggied to remove liquid. Paper cover is removed and decal is smoothed out to remove any bubbles.

Should be left for a day before any sealant is used, otherwise it will pull/wrinkle decal.

[sourdough]

I agree with Chuck. That looks like a line created by a squeegee being used to flatten out the decal. You will find those lines on decals, wallpaper etc. at times. Nothing structural there.

[shorty73]

I'm still thinking about the unit. If we end up with it, I'll post an update on the results. I'll keep monitoring this thread in case someone else chimes in.



I appreciate the responses! Thank you!

[LHaven]

I'm wondering if a gentle application of a heat gun would make it better... or worse?

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by LHaven

I'm wondering if a gentle application of a heat gun would make it better... or worse?

BTDT, you have to use a razor blade (new) and cut at the seam. It may or may not lay down, it takes very little heat to curl/shrink a decal. We use heat guns to remove them.

[shorty73]

The razor blade repair is pretty much what the service tech said they would do. Cut it, lay it down, then seal it up. I think he said they could do that by removing the old sealant so the new sealant hid the cut. I'm sure it wouldn't visible, just wanted to make sure there wasn't a deeper issue.

[wiredgeorge]

When we bought our first house in the early 80s it was a cheap WW II box that was very low end. The interest rates were so high, it was all we could afford when we moved back to the states from overseas. It looked like a kid had tried to bounce a ball off the asbestos siding and quite a few were cracked. I wondered how anyone could live in a place with the cracked siding. I intended to fix that siing.

Bought the place and after 6 months I could no longer see the cracked siding. We sold the place after a year when interest rates dropped and I got the siding fixed to sell the place. If I were buying that camper with the messed up decal I would just leave it because after awhile you won't see it unless the dealer fixes it as part of the sale at no cost.

[jxnbbl]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

When we bought our first house in the early 80s it was a cheap WW II box that was very low end. The interest rates were so high, it was all we could afford when we moved back to the states from overseas....

First mortgage we were "lucky" 15.75%! I knew friends approaching 20%

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by jxnbbl

First mortgage we were "lucky" 15.75%! I knew friends approaching 20%

The mortage rate was due the policies of President Carter and I didn't really know what an interest rate was or the effect on a payment. We just asked how much a month. Our first house. Missus got smart on things and a couple years later the interest rates dropped like a rock and we bought our second place that cost about twice what the first one cost. Payments were actually about the same or lower (long time ago). I was on a foreign trip and missus and MIL went house shopping. I came back home and was handed a pen. Second house was dramatically nicer than the original. When we moved to Texas from MD suburb or DC we actually sold the place for a tidy profit after only a couple years. House prices had been risiing a bunch with interest rates falling.