Paint and wax

[Navy Flier]

Since I got to the GNR grounds a week early I spent some time wandering around. I noticed a coach in the south area that had a non-standard paint job and absolutely sparkled. Upon talking to the owner I found that the paint was two years old on his 2001 Horizon. Obviously questions followed.
After searching for some time to find someone to paint the coach he was at Forest City getting some work done and they suggested he talk to CDI, Winnebago's painter. He did and they did the work. He was able to sit down with one of CDI's graphic artists and work up a paint scheme. They have all of the necessary info on all Winnebago coaches and can bring them up on the screen. They will not use a Winnebago design but will help you select your own design and colors. They put your coach through the paint line with everything else. It takes five days and he said it was cheaper than anyone else he had talked to. Plus, everyone else wanted the coach for 30 to 90 days. One thing he requested was a second coat of clear which I think was a good idea. So, if you are thinking about a painting your coach talk to CDI.
I also asked him what he did about caring for the exterior. He said that CDI recommended Meguiars spray wax. They say you can use paste wax if you like but it is not necessary with their paints. I can say that after two years of Meguiars his coach looked like it was just painted. By the way his coach is never garaged as they are full timers.

[RickO]

Great info... thanks for sharing. I don't look forward to the day I have to get my coach repainted but it's good to know CDI will work with customers like this. Did he mention cost? I've assumed a 40' rig would be around $15K.

[munchie]

Thanks, Navy Flier, for the great compliments on our coach which is a 2002 Journey DL with about 43,000 miles on it. I would recommend CDI over all the other companies we researched and were able to see their end product. I will try to attach an image of the finished paint job. If you would like more details please contact me via private message.

[Ding-a-ling]

While at Lichtsinn's for a repair about ten days ago we were parked next to a 2001 Journey that had been recently repainted at CDI. That coach was absolutely gorgeous! It really sparkled!

With new slide-toppers it was hard to believe it was a 2001 model. It had a nonstandard Winnebago paint scheme but did have the Journey name painted on.

CDI is a top-rate place for painting.

FJF

Munchie - was that your coach I may have been parked next to? Sure looks familiar.

[denochs]

Would you mind sharing an approximate price range they charge for a 40' coach? I'm sure it comes down to length, graphics, and colors selected. We just don't have a lot to select from to get that kind of quality and flexability.

Dave

[smlranger]

No question that CDI does great work. If they can get it done in 5 days, they must have a small army of workers to do all the prep work. We considered CDI, Precision RV and one other out-of-state shop but just did not have time to travel so far to get the work done. We ended up using a great shop in Durham, NC. They did have the coach for 6 weeks but we weren't planning to use it during the time they had it. We also used a custom scheme and have no Winnebago markings other than a small Winnebago Industries badge on the rear.

We had four coats of clear and it is remarkable how slick it looks. I would highly recommend at least 3 coats of clear.