Community Forums

falconman · 06-24-2019, 02:02 AM

Mine was 14 years old when removed due to cracking/ mold. Front looked like new. Never replaced it and now it’s beat up in need of a paint job. You rarely here back from folks who have removed it and rely on wax to protect the paint. Repainting is not cheap.

dl1035 · 06-26-2019, 03:01 PM

I was a DS installer for a few years and I do believe that the product can work very well for some IF they are prepared to maintain it by applying 303 Aerospace Protectant on a REGULAR basis.

However, I have also had to replace a lot of DS in high humidity areas like southern Texas and Florida. And I can say that if you see mold starting to develop under the shield, get that stuff off the coach as fast as you can. It's only going to get worse and eventually may only come off in small pieces.

So if you only travel through the high humidity parts of the country and don't live there year round, and IF you are prepared to use 303 to protect it, I would say that it is still probably one of the best alternatives to naked paint out there.

Flyer 516NG · 06-27-2019, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dl1035

I was a DS installer for a few years and I do believe that the product can work very well for some IF they are prepared to maintain it by applying 303 Aerospace Protectant on a REGULAR basis.

However, I have also had to replace a lot of DS in high humidity areas like southern Texas and Florida. And I can say that if you see mold starting to develop under the shield, get that stuff off the coach as fast as you can. It's only going to get worse and eventually may only come off in small pieces.

So if you only travel through the high humidity parts of the country and don't live there year round, and IF you are prepared to use 303 to protect it, I would say that it is still probably one of the best alternatives to naked paint out there.

How do you recommend the easiest/quickest way to remove it? Mine is starting to mold pretty bad underneath it.

dl1035 · 06-28-2019, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer 516NG

How do you recommend the easiest/quickest way to remove it? Mine is starting to mold pretty bad underneath it.

The key to getting DS off is using heat to loosen up the adhesive under the shield and allow you to pull it off.

A heat gun will work on shields that aren't too moldy. But the best thing I used for removing DS was a detailer's steamer like McCulloch makes. It doesn't have to be the fancy ones as long as it produces good steam. You can find them on Amazon or you might be able to just rent one locally. Harbor Freight also has a cheap one that I hear works well.

Plan on investing a considerable amount of time in the project though. Also you may find that when you remove the shield there will be chips that come out of your paint with the shield. This is because some rocks that hit the front end do so with a lot of force (there usually aren't many of these) and the shield just holds it all in place until you remove it. But if you put another shield on the coach just touch up the chips on top of the new shield. It usually looks better than putting the touch-up paint in the chip under the shield.

If you go back with another shield, and you live in a high humidity area, I would recommend applying a polymer sealant or synthetic wax to the shield right away and then layer the 303 on top of it. If you continue to do this regularly, it helps create a barrier to moisture getting underneath and causing mold.

Dav L · 06-28-2019, 07:08 AM

Wax does nothing to protect paint from rock impact damage.
Adding hardener chemical to the paint while mixing does.
Even paint with hardener isn't as robust as paint that is covered.
Giving lots of room from vehicles up front certainly helps.
Removable / cleanable front mask does help. Just a question of appearance.

MrsChilerick · 06-28-2019, 07:20 AM

We just bought a new coach with DS. It has a small rip or tear on one of the panels. It should be under warranty, but DS won’t cover it so far. And we are still arguing with the dealership. Based on my read of the warranty, the only thing the warranty covers is installation of the product. Since we can’t prove it’s related to installation, we’re getting the run around.