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Old 07-28-2017, 06:59 PM   #1
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Baggage Door Catch

Our trailer sits front-to-back in an east-west direction, which means that drivers side is facing south. That side gets the sun most of the day. Because of that, the baggage door latch and cable box have turned yellowish after only 1 year. This after I applied Aerospace 303 about 4 times in the past year. It kinda surprised me that way up near the arctic circle in Maine (poetic license taken) the UV rays would have worked so fast.

Anyhow, my question is this, has anyone swapped out those type of plastic parts with stainless steel replacements? The only catches I could find are these, which are rather boxy. If you have found a more rounded metal catch, I'd love to know about it. Also, is there a "tougher" plastic kind that won't presumably get damaged so soon? Thank you in advance!
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Old 07-28-2017, 07:31 PM   #2
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Might try some acetone, I had good luck whitening the yellowed plastic trim of my last trailer with it. It dries fast, you need to keep flipping the rag to a clean part and try to keep the rag wet. Sucks all the juice out of your skin too.

Edit: Found this a article, has other chemicals you can try.
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Old 07-28-2017, 07:39 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by nathanj04011 View Post
It kinda surprised me that way up near the arctic circle in Maine (poetic license taken) the UV rays would have worked so fast.


Quote:
Originally Posted by nathanj04011 View Post
Anyhow, my question is this, has anyone swapped out those type of plastic parts with stainless steel replacements?
...
Also, is there a "tougher" plastic kind that won't presumably get damaged so soon?
I haven't changed anything to stainless steel, but on three RVs (all with fiberglass exterior body material) I have noticed the difference in fading between materials. Most moulded polymers ("plastics") fade much more rapidly than fiberglass gelcoat, and gelcoat fades much more quickly than paint. I think the real solution is not a treatment such as 303, but rather an opaque coat of paint... although my only painted parts are those that came from the factory that way (my motorhome has optional full body paint). Krylon Fusion for Plastic spray paint is designed for plastic parts; it's just a matter of picking the right colour. The Escape body colour has been described as matching Krylon's "Dover White" colour; a search of the forum for "krylon fusion dover white" provides a bunch of previous discussions.

A more radical solution to the baggage door latch fading is to eliminate it entirely, using a gas strut to hold it open instead. That takes some planning and installation of a couple of brackets, takes some room in the opening, and of course costs much more than paint... but it's more convenient to use.
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Old 07-28-2017, 07:52 PM   #4
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Thanks Brian! I did spray the outside stove vent cover with the Krylon plastic paint spray, but those catches are pretty small. In looking further, the stainless steel catches they appear to fold flatter than the plastic ones that are on it.


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Old 07-28-2017, 09:31 PM   #5
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Thanks Brian! I did spray the outside stove vent cover with the Krylon plastic paint spray, but those catches are pretty small. In looking further, the stainless steel catches they appear to fold flatter than the plastic ones that are on it.


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I have installed and used these . In fact have one waiting in garage right now . You just need to figure how you will install . 3m tape or ? Like everything else that is plastic you change out , is a great improvement . Pat
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Old 07-29-2017, 11:16 AM   #6
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Thanks Pat! The metal catches don't scratch the doors do they?
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Old 07-29-2017, 11:22 AM   #7
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Thanks Pat! The metal catches don't scratch the doors do they?
Never noticed any scratches Nathan . Pat
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