Decals Lifting

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I'm a bit puzzled by the notion of removing wax before applying decals.

In my case, it's information I got from a sign shop. They said to be sure to remove all wax and then to 'clean' the area where the decal was to be applied with rubbing alcohol.

[Fender]

For decal longevity are there any thoughts about avoiding the decals when waxing a trailer or would it help to wax over them?
Or as an alternative could 303 Protectant applied to the decals perhaps help life expectancy?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Fender

For decal longevity are there any thoughts about avoiding the decals when waxing a trailer or would it help to wax over them?
Or as an alternative could 303 Protectant applied to the decals perhaps help life expectancy?

I wax right over the decals on trailer and boat. It gives them a nice luster and I assume some protection.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I wax right over the decals on trailer and boat. It gives them a nice luster and I assume some protection.

Ditto.

Ron

[Centex]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I wax right over the decals on trailer and boat. It gives them a nice luster and I assume some protection.

[LatLongJohn]

Originally Posted by marsman

Our 2019 5.0 started losing some of its front decal within 1 year of purchase. Always wanted to do something about it but in the end I simply removed all of the decals on the nose and cleaned/waxed the trailer.

You can see in the picture below that at the right angles you can see the ghosts of the old decals; I actually don't mind it, looks cool

Attachment 60584

I also have a 5.0 TA with front graphics that were getting tattered after 3 years or so. The combination of sun plus the wind blasting into the front of the trailer while driving down the highway just takes its toll. I also removed the decal on the front and left the rest on the sides and rear of the trailer (they are still in super shape). I keep all remaining decals well polished and waxed along with the rest of the trailer. As stated, there is a "ghost'' left after the decals are removed, but I think it will become unnoticeable with the passage of time.

[SageRpod]

Did the decals leave a residue or did they come off cleanly?

[LatLongJohn]

After the graphics were removed, you could still see the protected, shiny image of where the decals used to be. I cleaned and re-polished/waxed the front end of the trailer, but you could still make out the "ghost' of the old graphics. After a year or so of washing and re-polishing the area, it's becoming less noticeable. I think it will be just a matter of time until sun, wind and moisture make the ghost image go away totally.

[LatLongJohn]

Originally Posted by LatLongJohn

After the graphics were removed, you could still see the protected, shiny image of where the decals used to be. I cleaned and re-polished/waxed the front end of the trailer, but you could still make out the "ghost' of the old graphics. After a year or so of washing and re-polishing the area, it's becoming less noticeable. I think it will be just a matter of time until sun, wind and moisture make the ghost image go away totally.

To better answer your question, the decals/graphics came off pretty cleanly with a heat gun and sharp, plastic scraper. Some residue was left in a few places, but easily removed with a glue remover product. I thought about replacing the graphics, but don't think they'd last any longer than the first.
I hope this has been helpful.

[iamunique127]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I wax right over the decals on trailer and boat. It gives them a nice luster and I assume some protection.

Me too.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

Did the decals leave a residue or did they come off cleanly?

When I removed some of my OE decals as part of this mod there was virtually no residue remaining, but I did use a bit of acetone on a microfiber towel to successfully absolutely clean the area before re-waxing.

Given how new your trailer is you may find they will peel-off intact upon lifting a corner with a fingernail as mine did, with no 'shadow' since the exposed areas haven't had much time to 'age'.

[SageRpod]

I ask only because of the experience we had with our previous trailer. The decals became brittle and faded and looked terrible. We knew we would be selling it once we placed the order for the 5.0, so we spent the money to order new decals and restore the exterior. I remember going through two bottles of Rapid Remover and spending three days of painstaking detail work, but in the end it was worth it. I don't want to go through that again so I do think about removing the decals while the finish is relatively fresh. The good news is the Escape had about 1/3 the decal surface the Rpod did.

[brroberts]

Some people don’t like the look, but this is the reason we chose no decals.

[John in Santa Cruz]

fwiw, I'm firmly convinced black decals last the longest.

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

fwiw, I'm firmly convinced black decals last the longest.

I believe this to be true as well based on my experience removing the decals from our previous RV. When removing larger, multicolored printed decals, the darker portions were in good shape and came off easier. The lighter the color, the more brittle the decal and thus harder to remove.