Today’s RV Paint Schemes

[Waiter21]

I have to say you did a fantastic job updating to the new century.

SHUSH - Don't tell the owner of the RV park that its older than 10 years old...

[CentILRVer]

To each his own. We wouldn't have it any other way!

[CountryFit]

Originally Posted by CentILRVer

To each his own. We wouldn't have it any other way!

did you repaint it or it's stock?
like a tour bus, nice.

[Mr_D]

My rig has lots of swirls and some black. Luckily the roof is totally white but you can't see it due to the awning cases.

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by Gadget Man

The DW & I went to the California RV Show this week. My motorhome is in need of a new paint job, so we entertained the idea of investing the money into a new DP instead of a paint job. That idea quickly evaporated.

My current coach has some fiberglass thermal checking on the side of the coach that see’s the most sun. I have been told that dark colors are more susceptible to thermal checking. This seems to be true, as my checking seems to be limited to areas that are my RV’s darkest color, a chocolate brown.

What I found odd, is that almost every single DP we saw had a paint scheme that included a large amount of black paint. I would never own a black painted RV. Not only because of the potential thermal checking issue, but anyone that’s ever owned a black vehicle can tell you how they attract heat. Living in Southern California, that is the last thing I want to do.

In the end we have decided to keep what we have. I just don’t understand the broad use of black paint by almost every DP manufacturer.

Good observation!!
A new paint job can cost nearly 50K, unless you go to Mexico.

[ArmandV]

I also went to the California RV Show and noticed many black or dark colored rigs.

Some pix:

[brokenrule]

Our new to use 1996 has the original stripes repainted with current color scheme. Was done by the dealership. The coach was clear coated also.
No idea what it cost.

[Gadget Man]

Originally Posted by ArmandV

I also went to the California RV Show and noticed many black or dark colored rigs.

Yep, we were there as well. We were looking at the new Tiffins. The front and top halves of them had a ton of black. The Phaeton we were initially interested in, also had black window and patio awnings. It got pretty warm standing under that black patio awning.

[BFlinn181]

I think many of the paint schemes are copied from WW I navy camouflage paint schemes.

[hohenwald48]

I was in Phoenix last week in full sun. I checked the RV surface temp with an IR gun. White parts were around 120 and my dark green stripe was 185. Glad that stripe is only about 4" wide.

[Electra 225]

Originally Posted by CentILRVer

Attachment 180259

To each his own. We wouldn't have it any other way!

Attachment 180263

I wondered who bought that DS, and if it was someone here. I watched it on RV Trader......nice coach. The original owner didn't keep it very long.....or are you the original owner and decided not to sell after all?
.

[marjoa]

Being in marketing for the last 28yrs. I know why manufacturers use dark colors and it's called "Contrast".

These—design/marketing—principals applies to everything we buy. Interior design, clothes, make up, jewelry, department store displays, hair coloring, all sorts of packaging that you see everyday in stores, cars......everything.

Consumers buy with their eyes. To increase sales, you create a rich, luster look, and that's done with using contrasting colors.

Use a dark base / back ground color and then highlight it with lighter ones.

So for our example here in this discussion.
Let's take 2 coaches that are exactly same. One with primarily dark colors and one with primarily light colors. Now, let's add the highlights.
Chrome wheels, mirrors, storage bay latches, lighted entry handles, accent exterior lighting, awning hardware, chrome headlights and taillights, etc. You get the picture. BTW...the same is done on the inside. Dark cabinets, light furniture and so on. It's using low lights and highlights to create luster and richness.

Now step back and look at these exact two coaches. Which one looks more pleasing? Richer? Has more luster? Has the more WOW factor? The darker one with highlights or the light one with highlights? It's almost always the one that has the more contrast. It just has more pop to it. This is not my opinion, it's a proven marketing design technique. In many industries, they run focus groups to show them several contrasting designs to narrow down which ones are more popular and pleasing to the eyes.

Consumers really like this look. Especially American consumers. If you're really honest with yourself, you like it too. It just looks really cool. All of us here on this discussion are discussing these dark colors from a practical usage point of view. Even some experienced RV users will overlook the draw backs of these dark colors because, well, they just like the look. For the rest and the majority of American consumers, the reality is, they do NOT look at products from a practical POV. Using contrasting colors to create richness, luster and a high end look, gives them a good feeling that they are getting a lot for their money, it looks very high end and at the end of the day, it increases sales.

Whether it causes checking, attracts heat, shows all the dirt, hard to keep clean, difficult to see at night time on the road, reveals the smallest imperfections like swirls & scratches etc, is not the manufacturers concern.

Their concern is, what can do we do to make our product more attractive to increase sales. PERIOD!

[Electra 225]

Marjoa, you're right on the money. As you said, your explanation applies to just about everything sold. Take produce, it's no accident that specific types of lighting is placed above the oranges and apples.

[Gadget Man]

Originally Posted by marjoa

Whether it causes checking, attracts heat, shows all the dirt, hard to keep clean, difficult to see at night time on the road, reveals the smallest imperfections like swirls & scratches etc, is not the manufacturers concern.

Their concern is, what can do we do to make our product more attractive to increase sales. PERIOD!

Exactly! By the time checking occurs and clear coat fails, the manufacturer warranty had almost always expired. Only those left with those issues know not to go down that road again. But then again, a lot of people at the RV show didn’t seem to care.