2013 Vista Protective coating

xlthompson · 04-01-2019, 11:52 AM

I have a 2013 Vista. Has anyone tried to remove the protective coating that is on the front of the motorhome? Mine has some dark spots on it that won't come off , also where bugs have stuck and the sun cooked them before I got them cleaned off , have damaged the coating . It looks like it should peel right off.

JBP · 04-01-2019, 07:25 PM

I saw an owner at our RV park spend most of the winter removing his with hair dryer. Not very easy job.

Oldchinahand · 04-01-2019, 09:37 PM

We removed our 3M film a few years back. Lifting edges. "bubbles" here and there, little spider webbed impact areas, etc.

Requires a heat gun, stiff plastic scrapers and the patience of Job. We tried a variety of solvents recommended by a variety of folks. We were most satisfied with that milky white low VOC paint thinner. We found that pieces of broken CD/DVD's made the best scrapers.

The alternative to our removing the 3M was to hire the job out. Quotes killed that alternative. The lowest quote to replace the 3M was north of $1200. We had the front cap shot with clearcoat for about $400 including a few chip repairs.

Here we are deep into 2019 and about 10000 miles later with no noticeable chips. Doubt we will go back to film products. As the joke goes, 60% of the time, it works every time.

Fair Winds and Following Seas