How to Restore Faded Decals on your "classic" RV

Рет қаралды 170,348

Күн бұрын

Over time the decals (swoops and swirls) on our 2004 Fleetwood Southwind motorhome had become faded and gray, making our otherwise beautiful RV look shabby. Frustrated after trying many restoration tips from the internet with no improvement, I finally found the answer, and it's a product almost everyone already has in their home!
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Пікірлер: 94

@jamesspikes3786 9 күн бұрын

Hey Jeff , I just got through detailing my entire Travel Trailer. I used Mcguires 67 buffing compound with a wool buffing pad. It took me a couple of weeks to do the entire rig . After buffing with 67 compound I used a fine foam polishing pad, then wiped off the excess with a microfiber towel. The whole rig and decals shined like show room finish. It is a 2015 Jayco Eagle Premier. It had a lot of oxidation from the previous owner. I keep it under a shed now, but it looks great.

@hayeswildrick 9 күн бұрын

That’s awesome! Hard work pays off😊

@TheRoadsWeRoam 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info! We have an older rig and found this very helpful:)

@jonlatino9964 3 жыл бұрын

Great job young man !!!

@1SouthernAurora 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks we just tried this and gave our decals two coats, they look so much better, not new but better. Hopefully you are still putting miles and smiles on! Thanks!!

@MilesandSmiles4U 3 жыл бұрын

We've got more coming. Thanks for the encouragement.

@JustinJohnsonRealtor Жыл бұрын

Trying tomorrow's. I have the same rig in green. Southwind 36E love it.

@gypsybelle4757 4 жыл бұрын

Great detailing info! Thanks for sharing the magic combo. It’s hard to find straight forward information on what really works. Happy travels!

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Gypsy Belle you’re welcome. Hope it works for you!

@chrischapman276 4 жыл бұрын

Well. This comment isn't fake as someone questioned. I've got an 33ft 06 Terry that I've been trying with different products working my arse off trying to get pretty again. Just when I started to wonder if I'm going to have to remove these decals from the year mentioned and attempt to remove them entirely, (just imagine the 14 years of sun baking of the decals that wasn't stored in any shade the entire time) I found this with a few more ideas/videos to attempt. I'll be giving this a shot as soon as this So Cal rain stops. (should be a couple of more minutes now.....) Thank you for the video and look forward to meeting you out on the road and shaking your hand in person.

@greengay4924 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! We got a 2000 southwind storm and it made it look better than ever!

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Great! These older rigs can be awesome.

@AuntieMoMo05 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Thank you!

@craiggibson1521 Жыл бұрын

Hi Jeff, thanks very much for the advice. Worked a treat on my trailers decals. It was looking a bit unsightly especially where the water runs down either side of the windows. Looks like new again. Thanks again

@MilesandSmiles4U Жыл бұрын

Thanks Craig. As it happens I’ve just ordered another box of the wipes for another refresher.

@HaleyFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video!! good information looking forward to watching more of your videos.

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Please let me know if there's any special topic you'd like me to do a video about. Right now I'm working on two: Big Bend National Park, and How We Plan our Travels

@thetravellingtaffs Ай бұрын

Great info, thanks 👌

@Anonymous-hy8oz 3 жыл бұрын

Used the same product in liquid form and got great results, thank you!

@hayeswildrick 3 жыл бұрын

Great! So glad to hear it. Time for me to reapply!

@Anonymous-hy8oz 3 жыл бұрын

I was skeptical at the beginning, but now I am a believer. On one of the heavily cracked decals (black color) I used a light coat of Walmart cheap acrylic paint then sealed it with the liquid rejuvenate. It looks a million time better. Time will tell if this work, rained on it one night and so far so good! Thanks again

@horsesarebetterthanpeople 2 жыл бұрын

Sir you have a wonderful RV here. Also great work with the decals. Thank you for the video it was really helpful. Hopefully I can get some results with mine later using your water technique.

@hayeswildrick 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you and good luck. It can’t restore cracks but it did a great job of removing old built up wax and grime and give them a new shine.

@garvingann9659 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much for sharing this...It was very helpful to me...It did exactly as you said

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. So glad it helped.

@Yenko1992 4 жыл бұрын

Super informative video definitely appreciated

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@JC.Journey 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Jeff, thanks so much for this informative video. We have some oxidized decals on the trailer and are looking forward to trying out this technique! Great video, we are new to the channel and look forward to more of your videos & traveling along with you. Have a great day - Happy travels! -Jody

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I hope it works as well for you as for me. And welcome to the channel.

@patriotofgod9827 4 жыл бұрын

Hi, do you have any idea how to get the yellow out of the sidewalls?

@mandosandradios 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@MikeJordanUnCamplicated Жыл бұрын

WOW! I have watched a bunch of these oxidized decal videos. I think you showed the best results. I was going to use 303 (a little different type than you had) . But I think I'll try the scrubby. Then the 303 after, to protect the decals better after cleaning

@hayeswildrick Жыл бұрын

I hope it works for you. Remember to be gentle with the scrubbing

@joeestepp308 9 ай бұрын

Thank you that was useful! Most just apply product and say it looks great but don't show you it looks terrible a few days later

@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 2 жыл бұрын

Thumbs up on the hard work & effort! But the better and correct way to do it is to get it buffed out with a good compound, polish it then add a good wax & better yet sealant to protect it. I notice that there is no shine after you were done with your work. That's where the Buffing and polishing comes out to have that mirror shine.😎

@robertpapich Жыл бұрын

Wax vinyl decals? Uh how about No!

@anotherjoe5675 4 жыл бұрын

With all due respect... We recently took our 2001, 38 ft Cat powered, Freightliner chassis Winnebago, Ultimate Advantage to an RV repair shop in San Bernardino that specializes in restoration to have our faded decals professionally removed, upgraded and replaced... It was not especially cheap but they removed the original decals, completely detailed and polished out the entire coach, redesigned (to some extent) the stripping to our specifications and color scheme and did a completely professional job... The coach looks brand new.... I'm a totally capable and competent do-it-your-selfer but there is absolutely no way I would consider undertaking this task on my own... Just too big a job... Somethings are better left to professionals...

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

That sounds fantastic! I wish I could see a picture. You're right, what we've done is to a completely different scale and as you can see in the video there are still cracks and uv damage to our decals. But before we found this cleaning method the coach just looked shabby, and now it's so much better than it was -- still is even a year later! Congratulations on your complete restoration. Maybe someday we'll opt to go down that route too.

@rudeman1914 4 жыл бұрын

How did it cost to replaced all the decals? I’m thinking having mine done. Thanks

@anotherjoe5675 4 жыл бұрын

@@rudeman1914 Well... We had some other work done, etc... But I would say the starting cost to think about was about $4,000... A lot depends on the condition of your coach as far as the siding, gel coat etc... And whether or not you want an elaborate upgrade or to just replace existing... Some people want a completely new look on an older coach... Okay... My thought was to restore my coach to original with a flourish... Did not want to make something out of it that it isn't... I appreciate well cared for older things... If you know what I mean...

@anotherjoe5675 4 жыл бұрын

P.S. We were quoted $17,000 to remove vinyl and replace with paint by one RV repair company... I'm totally happy with the vinyl and have a shelter to store the coach in to protect it from UV...

@rudeman1914 4 жыл бұрын

Larry Nielsen wow It’s expensive! I have a 2017 class C 22 I got quoted just for one sticker 4’ long for $500

@drlong08 4 жыл бұрын

What you will find is that the white "paint" or gel coat on the fiberglass panels chalk up and bleed down over the decals. This causes a lot of the fading that's actually the pigment that is running down the side. If you use a scotchbrite pad with a sealer it may help a lot.

@mal15102 4 жыл бұрын

We have a 1993 Winnie Warrier. Rustolium clear coat did a great job in very little time. We masked the area above and below about 1/2 inch away so that the glossy area looked right. The clear coat should protect the decals well. We painted one stripe that was peeling badly. We just scraped, masked and dabbed the paint on. My daughter mixed spray paint to match. We then masked the whole thing and cleared it like the decals. This method id amazing. It doesnt wear away the decals, freshens them and should keep them fresh for years.

@MilesandSmiles4U 4 жыл бұрын

Wow. That’s awesome. I may try that on some areas that are deteriorated more badly. Thanks.

@chrisao1987 3 жыл бұрын

It just needs a good buffing and it would bring them back to life. There is a lot of oxidation on this rig.

@lucianfrederick6007 2 жыл бұрын

i guess Im asking the wrong place but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost the account password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me.

@Garagemonkey11575 2 жыл бұрын

Instead of your scratchy pad I used 240 wet dry sandpaper and a squirt bottle of Dawn soap enough Dawn soap to make it slick that’s all you need squirted the Dawn soap on the decal Gently in a circular motion seem to remove all discoloration better than the scratchy pad for me and then after I’m done to keep the decals in good shape I’m going to use Maguire’s marine vinyl restoration comes in a blue squirt bottle squirt on a shop towel rub in . I have now changed over to 600 grit wet dry sandpaper leaves less scratches on decal and I’m using protect all rv wax gallon size it darkened silver, brown and black decals to a better to a more uniform look very impressed with protect all

@hayeswildrick 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I may give that a try.

@Garagemonkey11575 2 жыл бұрын

@@hayeswildrick Thanks for your comment and I added to it and discovered 600 grit wet dry sandpaper and protect all seems to work better thought I would just let you know

@Mi_Tony Жыл бұрын

Stumbled across your video while look for how to do this very thing and what works. I’m going to try your method. This video is a few years old. So my question is this. How does your method hold up to everyday weather and rv washes. Great video! Safe travels!

@hayeswildrick Жыл бұрын

That's a great question. The white streaks and fog on the decals have not returned. I find that I want to renew the decals yearly with the Renew pads to restore a bit of shine. As many comments have mentioned, this does not fix cracks in the decals, but I do believe that it extends their lives. Good luck!

@bayhi1fatz 2 жыл бұрын

Penetrol Flood. I use this on my 76 f350. It makes it shine like fresh clear coat. It will slowly wear off in about 6 months if left in the elements though. Just wash good and wipe on with a nano towel. I put it on metal on paint on rubber tires n rubber trim on vinyl dash n seat on marker lights. Just wipe it all down but glass. I seen videos on KZfaq. Lots of guys use this on rat rods and old petunia vehicles. Hope this helps someone.

@tbsomerville5798 3 ай бұрын

We have used Penetrol for years on many projects from show cars to boats … great stuff

@michelleparlier6646 3 жыл бұрын

Try Murphy's Oil Soap

@kicker3d 3 жыл бұрын

Tried this and it pretty much ruined my decals. Once they dried they look all scratched and more faded. I am going to give a black restorer a try and hopefully fix the damage that was done.

@TS-fr7ch 2 жыл бұрын

You may be able to use some 1,000 grit wet sand paper to take out the scratches... they told us to spot test first when doing stuff like this. I sometimes forget lol.

@georgekane1985 3 жыл бұрын

In my opinion, this spruce up reminds me of plastic headlight Lens restoring. You remove the outside oxidized layers with successively Finer grit wet /dry sandpaper, Starting at 400 or 600 grit and working up to 2000 grit. Where can you get this product you ask: at an automotive paint supply retailer. The deterioration of the decals in this video don’t seem that severe, Sometimes there’s severe cracking and shrinkage.

@MilesandSmiles4U 3 жыл бұрын

You're right. Our decals do have some places with cracking which this won't help. But it sure did/does make the rest look so much better!

@zenseed75 3 жыл бұрын

The cheap way! Thanks!

@moodberry 2 жыл бұрын

Wonder if its possible the factory has your original decals in stock. If so, can new decals be placed over the old ones and how cost-effective would it be?

@MilesandSmiles4U 2 жыл бұрын

Great question. Having a 2004 I’d be surprised.

@noonan3800 Жыл бұрын

Did a small trial run. This will leave faint scratches in your vinyl decals that can't be buffed out. Don't take a scratch pad to vinyl.

@joecraft4409 Жыл бұрын

Sometimes the white haze is lime scale build up. Using hard water to rinse a washed RV will leave a haze. Try to use a product called Lime Away (off the store shelf) that is home grade product. Just a thought. As always, use any cleaning product in a less conspicuous spot first is case it's not what you like.

@hayeswildrick Жыл бұрын

That’s a great idea. In my case, I believe that the white was wax buildup from other attempts at polishing up the RV, but lime could certainly be the problem as well.

@VeteraJimScarborough 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. I just purchased a 1992 Winnebago Minnie Winnie with original paint and decals which are in amazingly great shape except for the hood decals which have oxidized and faded a bit but still have no cracks or other defects. I think your process is all I need to bring them back to life but have a question. When you talk about a scrubby sponge, is it just a sponge or did you use one with a non-scratch scouring pad on one side. I'm thinking that it's just a sponge but they say that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Thanks again.

@MilesandSmiles4U 3 жыл бұрын

I used a sponge with a green scrubbing pad and it was the pad that scrubbed through the oxidation and built up wax. I didn’t have a blue pad at the time, which is less abrasive, and plan to start with one of these next time I do a similar cleaning.

@VeteraJimScarborough 3 жыл бұрын

@@MilesandSmiles4U Thanks again. I'll give it a try.

@Irisseesall 3 жыл бұрын

Now get some Brand - 303 protectant and your golden!

@MilesandSmiles4U 3 жыл бұрын

Great idea!

@Greg_P611 17 күн бұрын

Mikes never ever spray the surface with your 303 or you will have permanent drip marks. Just spray into your towel

@hayeswildrick 17 күн бұрын

That’s a great tip’

@jaegermah 3 жыл бұрын

Deeee-Kal

@urbraveheart48 3 жыл бұрын

wax remover

@kathrynblaine8493 Жыл бұрын

Hair spray

@airman64 Жыл бұрын

I would take them off all together no decals just paint

@hayeswildrick Жыл бұрын

Many people do!

@bmkolb Жыл бұрын

Rap it

@robgrune3284 3 ай бұрын

scrub is worst idea possible. most decals are vinyl. restore by applying heat. prevent by applying uv protection.

@HarmonicaMikesStuff 3 жыл бұрын

It's not a decal It's painted on!

@MilesandSmiles4U 3 жыл бұрын

While many higher-end RVs have full body paint, older RVs and most low to mid-cost RVs have decals over a fiberglass surface. These are definitely decals :-)