Community Forums

Nhtome · 11-14-2013, 04:38 PM

Not sure how all this works but I am looking for info on how to get this mess called Diamond Shield off my coach!
DS has told me that they can send a guy over for $600 but there was no guarantee that the affected area would not have to be painted again.
It is an absolute mess and while I tried everything to solve the problem on my own, the warranty expired so they have cut me adrift. Wonderful!
Any help out there?
Thanks, Nhtome

tyka · 11-14-2013, 05:24 PM

Had the same issue. If you do a search in iRV2 you will see you are not alone with this problem. Ours was cracked, burnt and awful looking. I took most of it off with plastic razor blades in the hot burning Florida sun and stuff to remove the glue. I'm on the road and don't remember what I used to remove the glue but it was a decal adhesive remover. I also took the "hood" cover in my shop and used hot towels to soften the Diamond Shield and plastic razor blades. Good luck. It cost almost nothing to do it yourself.

mcbrian · 11-14-2013, 05:41 PM

I used a heat gun and plastic razor blades. Paint will more than likely come off in some areas especially if they were hit by stones etc. It took me two days. Most of the time was spent on removing the adhesive. I bought CrystalTek Vinyl off and it worked ok on the glue but it's a job. If you use the google search on IRV2 you will find many threads dealing with this.
If you have the time you can save the money but I don't think the 600 is a bad investment.

Shade Tree · 11-14-2013, 06:02 PM

Here is another link within irv2. http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/how-...ly-175876.html

I also recently spoke with a fellow rver who had the old removed by manufacture for about 700 dollars, paint repair 350 dollars, and new life time shield put on for 1400 dollars.

Good luck.

tom chelbana · 11-14-2013, 06:19 PM

We have an 04 Essex with the Diamond Shield and live in Southern California and we think the thing to do is use 303 every time we clean the front end. Had new paint in 2011 but coach was already 8 years old and it looked great when we went back to factory for fiberglass and paint. Tom

djbmsu · 11-14-2013, 07:32 PM

I have seen horror stories and have seen two 2010 coaches that are taking DS to court over the mold and cracking of the product. Some will swear by and some swear at it. I have had two coaches with DS. One a 2005 the other a 2011 and both were cracked and had mold underneath. On our new 2014 Phaeton we specifically left it off and went with a front Bra that can be installed for travel and taken off when not. I had a 1995 Endeavor for 7 years with a Bra and the front looked like new in 2002 when I sold it.
There is a place in Sarasota FL that removes it and it is not that expensive and having Wade RV custom make and install a Bra was $599.

michaelpatri · 11-15-2013, 05:11 AM

My wife and I are currently trying to peel that 'stuff' off the front of our MH -- Mold showed up, I contacted Diamond Shield....they wanted $1,000 to replace this defective 'stuff' with a new non-defective (according to them) layer of 'stuff'. I said no thanks. We are using a heat gun and wallpaper steamer on it. It is coming off in small pieces....truly an aggravating project that should be unnecessary. I sincerely hope that Diamond Shield soon goes out of business....putting out a defective product, then refusing to correct a 'sticky' situation caused by the defective product.

Ramets · 11-15-2013, 06:11 AM

My Diamond Shield is 6yrs. old and still looks OK. But I'm checking it all the time for the first sign of trouble. I saw a coach with the 3M covering having it removed at Alliance Coach in Wildwood, FL. I will say when they were done you couldn't tell it had ever been on. They used little steam guns to soften it, and then plastic blades of some kind to take it off. Just as a side note, I saw a coach that had LineX applied to the front that looked great. They were even able to match the color. I believe that's what I'll be doing if I ever need to replace the Diamond Shield.

redbaron73 · 11-15-2013, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramets

My Diamond Shield is 6yrs. old and still looks OK. But I'm checking it all the time for the first sign of trouble. I saw a coach with the 3M covering having it removed at Alliance Coach in Wildwood, FL. I will say when they were done you couldn't tell it had ever been on. They used little steam guns to soften it, and then plastic blades of some kind to take it off. Just as a side note, I saw a coach that had LineX applied to the front that looked great. They were even able to match the color. I believe that's what I'll be doing if I ever need to replace the Diamond Shield.

I wonder how easy it is to clean bugs off the linex?

Mac99 · 11-15-2013, 07:30 AM

Some of the issues with the 3M films are related to environmental issues,
care and proper maintenance, and perhaps other factors such as storage
and sunlight etc. But the product is capable of performing well.
Here is a recent photo of a 2008 DP with 55,000 miles on it. Cleaned
and treated with 303 protectant, some stains taken out with white
polishing compound. The 303 gets used every 3-4 weeks.

"007" · 11-15-2013, 07:39 AM

DIY spray but not much on a large RV did see trailer.

Clayobx · 11-15-2013, 09:30 AM

I agree that if the DS is maintained properly you'll not have a problem. I use 303 every where the coach is exposed to direct UV. Follow up with Rejex every couple of months works for me and we live on the Gulf of Mexico.

AFChap · 11-15-2013, 09:40 AM

Quote:

new life time shield put on for 1400 dollars

That was apx the going price for the original stuff when we bought our coach in 2003. We had 3m and had to remove it after 5 years. If they paid ME $1,400 I might agree to let them put it on my coach ...absolutely no way would I pay for it again, nor would I believe there is a "new life time" version. They are presuming you will sell the coach in 3-4 years, and I doubt their "lifetime" stuff is warranted beyond the first owner. Pardon my cynicism ...

benge1 · 11-15-2013, 03:10 PM

I am with you brother. Heat gun & plastic razors plus stickum remover. Finally repaint where the paint lifted off. Both DS and Newmar make it sound like you are the only one with the problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFChap

That was apx the going price for the original stuff when we bought our coach in 2003. We had 3m and had to remove it after 5 years. If they paid ME $1,400 I might agree to let them put it on my coach ...absolutely no way would I pay for it again, nor would I believe there is a "new life time" version. They are presuming you will sell the coach in 3-4 years, and I doubt their "lifetime" stuff is warranted beyond the first owner. Pardon my cynicism ...