Decals

Does anyone have advice / tips on bringing the Decals on my Kingham back to life, they are so dull that they spoil the appearance of the van

Thanks in anticipation

Trevor

I posed this very question a short time ago. There was one response who had success with Fenwicks Black streak remover. I’ve purchased a product myself, which hasn’t arrived yet. It’s called Chemical Guys Wrap Detailer Gloss Enhancer & Protectant. I’ll report back when I’ve tried it, 



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Unfortunately I can’t help with your request to bring them back to life, but just to let you know that you’re not alone. 

Mine faded and also shrunk !  They’re paper thin and absolute rubbish. My dealership agreed with me and tried to get a replacement set under warranty from AutoSleeper, only to be told that they are not a warranty item.

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Personally cant wait for your experiences Milvus! Our Warwick xl 2o17 came with all decals looking sorry for themselves.  I thought they had perhaps been cleaned with strong traffic film remover as part of dealers van prep as they exhibit vertical streaks which  look like water marks and general dullness.
      I have tried my usual favourite waxes/ polishes which bring them  back to life for a day or two but they soon revert back . Silicon lubricant worked for a   week or two but then faded again. 
    I have never suffered any issues with decals on a motorhome in the past and can only assume that the decals used by A/s around 2017 are just not up to the task. Going from past experience with A/s in the case of internal locker film peeling I suppose they will run for the hills if we dare mention this to them !

That's the look Kingham! No peeling on mine yet but how A/s as a business professing themselves as a marque of quality can   be happy seeing their Van's being driven around looking decidedly tatty defies logic! They will be buying in decals in bulk for pennies compared to the overall  van cost.
         They should man up , replace decals on Vans with issues and TAKE IT UP WITH THEIR SUPPLIERS! Time and time again they show contempt for their loyal customers while burying their heads in the sand. Bet you they profess to  deny having ever even heard of the issue........

Best to go to a vinyl signs company. I had a minor scratch on my previous MH and went to my local paint guy who looks after my vehicles. He told me he'd have to respray more or less the whole side to guarantee a colour match and my van wouldn't fit in his spray booth anyway. He sent me off to a vinyl graphics company just across the road the guy in there designed then made the graphics for me, they can usually copy from what is there accurately Sorry re the repeat pics, don't know how to fix that!!! Total cost £50 btw
IanH
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Exactly what Ian has posted, get a new set from a vinyl sign company, it is a common problem on yachts as well, If I recall the last set I bought for a 32 foot yacht were less than £100 and transformed the look of it. They should be able to copy what you have or why not give it a little personal twist?

Thanks Groundhog
I was thinking about this earlier in my thinking chair in the workshop (probably the most dangerous place on the planet!!) and though, get the graphics guy to add to your new graphic in one corner, a very small postcode, yours, almost so small you need a magnifying glass to see it, you then have traceability of your vehicle should it be stolen
Free option!!!
IanH

IanH wrote:Thanks Groundhog
I was thinking about this earlier in my thinking chair in the workshop (probably the most dangerous place on the planet!!) and though, get the graphics guy to add to your new graphic in one corner, a very small postcode, yours, almost so small you need a magnifying glass to see it, you then have traceability of your vehicle should it be stolen
Free option!!!
IanH

My Medallion has a huge code number on the roof in bright red.  It was on it when I bought it.  I presume the code number is logged with someone or is so that a poice helicopter could spot it.

Our sons Laika has that too, he has no idea why either

Thanks to all for your replies, its just a shame that my otherwise gleaming van looks shabby because of the poor quality decals.

I await with bated breath to see if Milvus has any success.

Mine always has our postcode on the roof in very large letters. This allows the police from motorway bridges to see the roof and then apprehend the robbers, biggest possible if you want to copy.
Dont get mad, get even!!!!!

Tried several compounds from my  garage today from rubber restorer to Bilt Hamber speed wax. All restored the decals back to deep rich colour. I shall monitor them over the next few weeks and report back if any prove to be a lasting solution. 
           This is the first van I have owned that has suffered this type of  degradation, especially  at only 3 years old.
         Even our first small  caravan which was around 20 years old had decals that were as bright as the day applied and only cared for by a couple of applications of wax per year. No doubt more penny pinching on materials and we are left to pick up the pieces.

Having googled the problem and found lots of suggestions on US forums and YouTube etc, it would appear the worst are silver/metallic grey decals. Certainly not only an AS problem, many complaints on Autotrail vans with similar colour decals.

Funnily enough Paul last 3 Vans had silver/wine and silver /green without issue. Will have a look as you suggest but it seems to affect the brown colour the worst.

During my googling, one product regularly came up amongst the RV community but unfortunately not available in UK....

McKees graphic and decal restorer.

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My order has now been despatched, so I should get it in a few days. Hopefully will update on this product soon, which I bought from Euro Car Parts :

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A lot of these products are designed to protect vinyl decals and will allegedly in some cases put a uv layer on to stop them fading.
Problem is of course if they are faded or cracked before you begin the process. once they are gone they are gone and no amount of snake oil will bring them back.
The same with black and mouldy silicone, it can be improved but the only 100% way of repairing it is to replace it.

It must be worth taking a van to the local graphics company for a quote, nothing to lose surely?

Milvus wrote:My order has now been despatched, so I should get it in a few days. Hopefully will update on this product soon, which I bought from Euro Car Parts :

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I have used chemical guys products and rate them highly, never tried this stuff so interesting to hear the results.

The Chemical Guys product arrived today, for which I had high hopes. This is a product that will perform well on new vinyl and decals. As mentioned above, it’ll certainly protect and from UV,  but it won’t restore. Ours are not that old, and in parts the decals responded well. However, where there are the usual roof runoff marks, and some light oxidisation, It didn’t touch it. For anything other than new or nearly new decals, I personally wouldn’t recommend it.

We had similar issue with graphics on our Kingham, we use Auto Glyn Bumper and Trim Gel, just wipe over once a month keeps them as good as new.

Likewise Milvus I tried various cans lying  around the garage and the Gummi pflege and others I tested  died a death in a couple of days . Looked Ok after application but returned to that beautifully stained dullness.   The Bilt Hamber speed wax restored to a deep rich colour and still looks ok but at 2 days since application they should do!  Real Test will be after / if we ever get any rain! 
      It is definitely a quality issue as the decals on our Kemerton from 2014 looked 100% as new when we traded it in. This van is under half that age and probably been faded for some time. I tried a light restorative polish on one section and it did not leave colour on the cloth so it does appear that it is not just oxidised  inks on the surface of the decal.

Oh well back to the drawing board thanks Milvus for your report and everyone who responded.
Van is due for its Hab check at AS Willersey in September I will raise the issue with them again.
Cheers

Corgi,  I will persevere with the BH wax and give it a chance to see how long it lasts and report back. You may wish to check out 303 aerospace protectant. My friend swears by it on his boat.  It dries non greasy and restores plastics, decals , pvc covers and  sail bags etc in a marine environment so looks a possibility. Hopefully will get some easing of lockdown soon and I will borrow some from him to experiment with!