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Old 04-03-2008, 08:40 AM   #1
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I have owned 2TT's and 1 5th wheel. None of them had full paint. By covering them, they looked as good as the did when they were new. No fading, no yellowing, etc.

The new motorhome does have full body paint and I am concerend that the slight movement of the cover by wind will rub the paint and potentially make the coach look worse. Any suggestions to cover or not?
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Old 04-03-2008, 08:40 AM   #2
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I have owned 2TT's and 1 5th wheel. None of them had full paint. By covering them, they looked as good as the did when they were new. No fading, no yellowing, etc.

The new motorhome does have full body paint and I am concerend that the slight movement of the cover by wind will rub the paint and potentially make the coach look worse. Any suggestions to cover or not?
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Old 04-03-2008, 09:18 AM   #3
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The RV community seems evenly split on this issue. Some have had wear problems from flapping covers and others swear they have kept their finish looking like new. We don't cover ours - just wash regularly wax it once or twice a year and it stays fine.

If you decide to cover it, I'd get a good quality cover and make sure it is snug. Especially so if you live in an area subject to frequent winds.
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Old 04-03-2008, 10:31 AM   #4
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The manufacture of my cover says not to fasten it tight to avoid wearing off the finish. When pulled tight there is still some movement which is just like rubbing hard with a piece of sandpaper, with it loose fitting the soft cloth should not wear on the paint. A good wax job would also help reduce any friction.
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Old 04-03-2008, 04:37 PM   #5
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We have a fair amount of wind in our area so I chose not to cover mine. Our camping partners covered theirs and had rub spots after first year, so no longer now cover theirs anymore. Seems it is a gamble. Some have good luck with covers and others do not.
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Old 04-03-2008, 06:05 PM   #6
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The quality of the cover makes a difference too, never use a regular tarp or one of those blue Katrina roofs as they will rub the paint off quickly. Use a breathable cover also so any moisture collected in the RV on humid days can evaporate.
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Old 04-04-2008, 12:43 AM   #7
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My first choice is to cover with a good polish with a UV protectant. Second choice would be in a building. Third under Carport. Fourth choice would be not to use a cover. Ours still looks very good after 6 years of full timing around the country.
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Old 04-04-2008, 03:57 AM   #8
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Thanks for the input. For 8 of the past 9 years, I used an ADCO tyvek cover. I went through 2 of them on the 5th wheel, but they kept ripping along the seam between the tyvek roof and grey siding. For the past year I used a "Classic" cover from National Discount Cover. IT has a vent along the seam.

But, all of the edges and corners seem to have rub marks from the grey siding. It happened on both TT's and the 5th wheel. I was able to clean the grey marks off, but I am afraid it will rub the paint off the MH.
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Old 04-04-2008, 08:00 AM   #9
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">...and make sure it is snug </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bad choice of words on my part - tying it tight against the corners can indeed induce rubbing. I meant to avoid loose flapping, but the opposite is a problem too. Covers can be more problem than they are worth in windy places. That's one of the reasons we don't use one.
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Old 04-04-2008, 11:56 AM   #10
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The big problem with covers is that dirt will blow up under them and then as the cover moves around on the MH it will act like sand paper on the finish. The sole exception to this is if you can find a car capsule that your MH will fit in. The MH is driven into the capsule and the capsule is zipped up then you plug it into a 110V, the capsule inflates and your MH is sealed in filter air and is kept in perfect condition. I've used this system for one of my Corvettes for the last 5 years and it is the perfect system for my cars. The last time I checked they made capsules for motorcycles, cars, and boats (up to 45 ft...I think).

Just did a search to see if this product was still available...it seems that they have stopped making the one for the boats. I think I will contact them about making one for motor homes. If there was enough interest they might do it.....[http://www.car-capsule.net[/URL]
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Old 04-05-2008, 06:42 AM   #11
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One vote here for a cover. The summer sun can get intense in my neck of the woods, and will quickly deteriorate a gel coat finish.

Hillbilly2 is right about the quality. I used CW's Adco covers on my old motorhome. They were not the best quality. They ripped easily and the sun's UV rays still managed to do some weathering on the sides of my coach.

My 2005 rig has full body paint and I wanted to keep it looking nice, so I tried a different cover. I went with Camco's UltraShield, and it has held up very well so far. Minor tears that I have easily repaired, but no heavy damage. Unlike the Adco, it has prevented almost all weathering.

I washed and polished my MH before covering it up for the winter, last November. I just uncovered it last weekend, and it has no stains, marks or abrasions from the cover. It looks almost as clean as it did when I put it down for the winter.

Lastly, one of the beauties of keeping it covered, is that if we decide to take off for the weekend, I uncover it and we go. No washing required and no annoying black streaks. When we return, I wash it at my leisure, and cover it back up until the next trip.

The downside: They can be a PITA to put on and take off. It is a two person job, and can be dangerous if you lose your footing, so it definitely is a personal decision.

Just my 2 cents...

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Old 04-05-2008, 08:09 AM   #12
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Craig P.:The downside: They can be a PITA to put on and take off. It is a two person job, and can be dangerous if you lose your footing, so it definitely is a personal decision.

Just my 2 cents...

Craig </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do you ever foresee a time where you'd forgo a weekend trip because it would be too much work removing and replacing the cover??

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Old 04-05-2008, 10:14 AM   #13
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom N:
Do you ever foresee a time where you'd forgo a weekend trip because it would be too much work removing and replacing the cover?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hasn't happened yet, but there have been times that I have been lazy and waited a while before I washed it and re-covered it...

I suppose that might change, the older I get...

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Old 04-05-2008, 04:49 PM   #14
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We covered our MH for the first time this past winter (prior we rented indoor storage space) since it was the first time having full body paint on an rv we owned. Tomorrow, we're headed out to where we keep it to uncover & have a look see around & inside. Based on previous comments about covers, I'm a bit nervous on what we might discover once the cover's off. We seemed to have more than the normal amount of high wind days this past winter. I guess I'll know tomorrow. I'll post our findings when we get back home.

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