Community Forums

Gadget Man · 08-11-2017, 07:54 PM

I plan on having my coach repainted this winter. The California sun has done a number on my clear coat. I'm sure this will cost me a fortune, but it will be less than buying a new rig and starting all over again. I know very little about RV paint. What kind of questions should I be asking potential paint shops? I'm mostly concerned about the clear coat process for obvious reasons.

Thanks.

Rkesselus · 08-11-2017, 08:05 PM

If you are going to a professional Auto Body Paint ask for some references and go look at some of their work. See what paint they will be using and what clear coat. Then google the product they will use and also come back to this thread and ask again based on the information you get from the painter.

Dutch Star Don · 08-11-2017, 08:11 PM

You can spray the coach and then spray with clear. They can also spray the coach, do some prep work and then clear coat (more expensive). The more clear, the more expensive the job. If you're going to have stripes done, you want the clear coat thick enough that you can't feel where the stripes overlap the paint underneath.

I see you're listed in So. Cal, but not where (big state). If you're anywhere near Santa Clarita, there is a place called Final Touch. It's a pretty nice place and capable of doing a nice paint job. The owner's name is Joel.

Waiter21 · 08-12-2017, 06:17 AM

I'm in the process of painting my 1999 Soutwind right now. I'll paint it myself, and will be using single stage (not clear coat) >>

If you're contracting the job out to a shop, they should know how to deal with poor adhesion on the existing clear coat. Make sure you ask them that question; " the old clear coat is peeling, how are you going to deal with this?"

I suspect the answer will be to sand it off. Its a big job, but theres no other way to deal with it.

Painting 1999 Southwind – 1999 Southwind 35S

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luckyd · 08-12-2017, 07:20 AM

If you are doing two stage the clear coat has to be applied within 20 minutes
otherwise it will peel off again.
Some shops paint, let it set overnight and then clear coat.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 08-12-2017, 08:03 AM

Gadget Man-

Before I owned an RV, I had already figured out which in our area was the best body/paint shop and used them several times for our cars (In the Northeast, rust gives you the "opportunity"). So, when I took this coach to them for clear coat repair, it was just a matter of discussing why it was happening, where I might want the masking lines to fall (or colors to change, as Don did), and what paint to use. The shop had not used the BASF Diamont paint that Monaco calls out. But, they purchased some from their supplier and applied it without problems- as I would expect with professionals.

It helped me to know the body/paint shop had rebuilt and painted vehicles of many types: big-rig trucks, classic cars, etc. They didn't bat an eyelash at doing some structural repairs on our former Class C coach. Just last week they put the finishing touches on a restored, tricked-out three-wheel Good Humor powered ice cream cart!

Ask for references, check them out and look at some of their finished work. A company that really likes what it does and is proficient at it will want to educate you and inform you, to make you part of the process.

The auto paint business has changed a lot in the past 25 years. I'm fascinated by the technology and skill to use it. Maybe that helps with the shop folks, too.

c_oneil · 08-12-2017, 09:09 AM

Top end RV's use the same paint as cars, they are two part urethane base/color coat and two part urethane clear coat on top (multiple coats). They may need a seal or prime coat as well. These paints are expensive and it takes a lot. Painting something as large as an RV and making it look as good as a car is virtually impossible with the challenges of coating time limits, having a dust free room large enough, having scaffolding to reach the whole thing and on and on. The prep and detail work takes way longer than the actual painting. There are numerous ways to screw the job up at any stage but not nearly as many ways that work well. Its going to be expensive if you want it to look like your car.

Gary RVRoamer · 08-12-2017, 09:40 AM

c oneil gave good advice. I'd look for a shop that had a paint booth big enough to hold a motorhome, but they are rare in most areas. If they have a 45-55 ft long paint booth, you know they are seriously in the large vehicle paint business and have the experience to deal with them. While the paint is standard automotive base+clear, the huge size scale makes it more than just a big car.

Figure $14k-$18k for a decent job, with $15-16k being typical.

I'm not familiar with California shops, so cannot recommend one there. If you were east of the Mississippi I could help more.

Gadget Man · 08-12-2017, 11:19 AM

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have two RV body shops near me, McBride's RV Repair and a place called The Paint Department. They are both in Chino CA and they both have RV paint booths. The Paint Department seems to have a better reputation, so I am leaning towards them at the moment. There is another shop in Garden Grove called Pacific RV that has a good reputation as well. All of the shops will be at the huge California RV Show this October. I plan on talking to each of them in depth there. I'm taking my RV to the show, so that I can get written quotes while there. I'm also hoping for a show discount, although I already know in advance that McBride's won't offer one.

Dutch Star Don, you probably don't remember me, but we retired from the same organization. Thanks for the info on Final Touch in Santa Clarita. Not terribly close to me, but worth the drive if they are better than the aforementioned shops.

Thanks again.