Community Forums

gwarshawsky · 06-23-2011, 02:23 PM

I own a fleetwood revolution 2005.

I had it in for body work and where they sprayed the black stripe it came out looking very speckled.

They told me that nothing could be done because of CHECKING, It was the clear that I was seeing, I don't see this anywhere else on the black stripes of the RV and all the other colors came out fine (mostly grey)

They said it was due to the dark color on the fiberglass and that this is very common to fleetwoods fiberglass being exposed to to high heat and cracking of the fiberglass, I find this very hard to believe.

Has anyone ever heard of
this,and if so is there something that can be done?

I am new to this forum,and I hope I am posting this properly.

If anyone has heard of this,I would appreciate your input.

I have a picture,but cannot figure out how to attach it.

Regards

Gene Warshawsky

deandec · 06-23-2011, 04:05 PM

Paint Checking is a common problem on motorhomes of recent years. I now have it on my 16 year old rig in the dark color areas.

I would be surprised that the paint checking happened so soon after the bodywork was done if that is what your post implies. The checking (like chicken scratches) is said to be caused by the fiberglass used in many coaches. It appears first in dark colors which have been subjected to heat.

There have been several discussions of the problem and remedy (expensive) on various RV forums.

Sorry to bring bad news on your first post.... :(

gwarshawsky · 06-23-2011, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deandec

Paint Checking is a common problem on motorhomes of recent years. I now have it on my 16 year old rig in the dark color areas.

I would be surprised that the paint checking happened so soon after the bodywork was done if that is what your post implies. The checking (like chicken scratches) is said to be caused by the fiberglass used in many coaches. It appears first in dark colors which have been subjected to heat.

There have been several discussions of the problem and remedy (expensive) on various RV forums.

Sorry to bring bad news on your first post.... :(

So this should not be prevalent on a brand New paint job?

deandec · 06-23-2011, 05:29 PM

I do not know the answer to your question.

But...I would think that your repair included sanding down to/through the base coat to the gelcoat and then new base coat and clear coat layers. That should hide the checking for a short time, I would think.

The checking would eventually reappear. It is the underlying fiberglass/gelcoat product that is causing the checking, or so I read.

Corning was one of the manufacturers.

figallegro · 06-23-2011, 05:53 PM

The problem seems to originate from the fact that the resin did not fully cure and is now off gassing. This happens when the resin gets hot such as a dark color paint sitting in direct sunlight. Most of the fixes now are done by grinding down the sides, heating the sides to a high heat for 24 hours, applying new resin/fiberglass, heating it for 24 hours, applying gel coat, heating for 24 hours, then painting. There are a few shops in Ca. and Indiana that follow this process. It can happen on a new paint job just as well as on an older paint job as the gas from the resin has to escape and it does through the paint job. Not the fault of the paint jib, but the resin curing process. Now that this has been established, fiberglass companies are corrected the resin mixture to cure faster and other processes.

mavric65 · 06-23-2011, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deandec

I do not know the answer to your question.

But...I would think that your repair included sanding down to/through the base coat to the gelcoat and then new base coat and clear coat layers. That should hide the checking for a short time, I would think.

The checking would eventually reappear. It is the underlying fiberglass/gelcoat product that is causing the checking, or so I read.

Corning was one of the manufacturers.

You are partially correct I am a painter by trade for the last 28 years and I deal with this on a almost daily basis. They probably primed over it to fill the cracks and then when painted the solevnt in the paint travels down into the substrate and then back up and out of the surface which creates what we call shrinkage and that's when you will start to see the checking and some colors show it worse than others.
Hope this helps some

DRBARBER001 · 06-23-2011, 06:27 PM

Sorry 2 say, all 2 common, no cheap fix

Gary RVRoamer · 06-24-2011, 08:40 AM

The micro-cracking problem in the fiberglass is well known (I have some of it in the black areas on my '04 American tradition) and occurs on several brands of RVs that used sidewall material from the same supplier. But I see no justification for the cracks reappearing immediately after the paint job. Were there micro-cracks there before? The sanding and filling should have eliminated them at least temporarily (but they would re-appear sometime).

Repairing the fiberglass surface deeply enough to eliminate cracking is very expensive. American Coach recommends actually replacing the sidewalls, which is almost more expensive than the coach is worth. Grinding down the sidealls and refilling and re-painting should work for at least several years, but you are still talking about job that costs many, many thousands of dollars.

And no, there is no warranty coverage for it.

MKelley · 06-26-2011, 07:52 AM

Figallegro,
You mention that there are few shops that follow the recomended fix for this paint (fiberglass) problem in the So. Cal. and Indiana area. Can you name them?
Thanks Mike