According to Jayco your gelcoat will only last two years!

[Johnynorthland]

I own a 2019 25R Red Hawk. This is my third RV. I’ve recently noticed the gelcoat is starting to come off the front Cap little by little. Never had this happen before with any other RV I’ve owned.

My RV is meticulously taken care of, it’s professionally waxed twice a year, kept in an RV lot, in Florida, during the winter months, (about 7 months out of the year), it’s ALWAYS covered, with a UV cover, then 5 months out of the year, during the summer, it’s kept in Pennsylvania, at an indoor RV/boat storage facility. I have all my receipts, and I have proof of the RV being covered in the RV, lot as well as proof of my indoor storage. Jayco is telling me since I’m a year and a half out of warranty they will not honor at least half the payment for a re-spray.

I’ve taken my RV to an RV fiberglass specialist/body shop, and he has confirmed that this is a defect in the gelcoat on front cap, and stated that he sees this issue quite frequently. The re-spray will be $2,400 including decals and for a new urethane paint job. I’ve escalated it to a supervisor at Jayco and requested to meet me halfway and they’re even refusing to pay for half!.


Now besides the obvious, don’t you think your finish should last more than 3-4 years, especially if it’s taken care of, like I’ve mentioned above?


I’d love and welcome any comments!



I will be using my influences on social media, ill try to get the word out and hopefully get someone with a little clout to get behind me!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

Jayco is telling me since I’m a year and a half out of warranty they will not honor at least half the payment for a re-spray.

They buy the caps from a 3rd party as do most RV manufacturers. They have no control over each individual cap that they buy.

You are out of warranty, no different than when GM didn't repaint trucks that were out of warranty due to a bad base coat and the paint peeled, my son-in-law had one.

[EA37TS]

Might get better responses if you post this is the correct section.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Might get better responses if you post this is the correct section.

Where should I post it?

[muckinfuss]

Years back, I owned a factory that was based on pattern making and mold building and we used glass....a lot. Your fiberglass specialist is wrong, it's not a defect, it's a feature of what was used. He can't call it a defect and in the same breath say he sees it all the time.

Two types of gel coat: tooling (hard) and general purpose(soft) made from three types of base materials....epoxy, polyester, vinyl (separately, not mixed together). Thickness matters. Sheets used as siding is a product called FRP...fiberglass reinforced panel...the gel film is uber thin which is why you can see the glass chop telegraph to the surface.

What is on the nose is general purpose made with polyester base. No UV blocking inherent. It's all about the $$. If the suppliers are making the nose using molds, then the mold is sprayed with a release and the gel is sprayed onto that (again thickness matters) followed by the chop getting sprayed once the gel sets. I haven't pulled a nose, but if there's hand laid mat and/or cloth as a final step... that would be done for adding strength. The only way I know to stay the deterioration of the gel, that is inevitable due to UV, acid rain and the rest of the environment in general, is to coat with three plus coats of high solids, with UV blocking, clear urethane as soon as you pick up your rv. Even more $$$. Marine grade UV blocking waxes and other applications may help.....for a while.

Epoxy or polyester is used for tooling grade with epoxy the choice of champions since it's all about the mold being made. Vinyl is the choice for fiberglass gas tanks to keep ethanol from destroying the tank...it melts epoxy and polyester. One final thing: polyester is the same base used in Bondo, auto body filler. It's very porous and hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture and hold it. That's why cars that have been done with bondo repairs on clean and prepped metal rust directly under the bondo repair within a year or two.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by muckinfuss

Years back, I owned a factory that was based on pattern making and mold building and we used glass....a lot. Your fiberglass specialist is wrong, it's not a defect, it's a feature of what was used. He can't call it a defect and in the same breath say he sees it all the time.

Two types of gel coat: tooling (hard) and general purpose(soft) made from three types of base materials....epoxy, polyester, vinyl (separately, not mixed together). Thickness matters. Sheets used as siding is a product called FRP...fiberglass reinforced panel...the gel film is uber thin which is why you can see the glass chop telegraph to the surface.

What is on the nose is general purpose made with polyester base. No UV blocking inherent. It's all about the $$. If the suppliers are making the nose using molds, then the mold is sprayed with a release and the gel is sprayed onto that (again thickness matters) followed by the chop getting sprayed once the gel sets. I haven't pulled a nose, but if there's hand laid mat and/or cloth as a final step... that would be done for adding strength. The only way I know to stay the deterioration of the gel, that is inevitable due to UV, acid rain and the rest of the environment in general, is to coat with three plus coats of high solids, with UV blocking, clear urethane as soon as you pick up your rv. Even more $$$. Marine grade UV blocking waxes and other applications may help.....for a while.

Epoxy or polyester is used for tooling grade with epoxy the choice of champions since it's all about the mold being made. Vinyl is the choice for fiberglass gas tanks to keep ethanol from destroying the tank...it melts epoxy and polyester. One final thing: polyester is the same base used in Bondo, auto body filler. It's very porous and hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture and hold it. That's why cars that have been done with bondo repairs on clean and prepped metal rust directly under the bondo repair within a year or two.

Awesome explanation! I guess is all about the bottom line. If jayco can get away with keeping cost low and having their gelcoat last just long enough to go beyond the warranty period! I guess they have this figured out perfectly!


On another note, your reply reminded me that I forgot to mention that my cap has also been treated, twice, with Poli-Glow which is a marine grade fiberglass protectant!

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by muckinfuss

The only way I know to stay the deterioration of the gel, that is inevitable due to UV, acid rain and the rest of the environment in general, is to coat with three plus coats of high solids, with UV blocking, clear urethane as soon as you pick up your rv. Even more $$$. Marine grade UV blocking waxes and other applications may help.....for a while.

I would like to mention one more thing that contributes to gel coat loss.

It's someone using a power buffer without knowing for sure what the buffer will do.
People have to be really careful of the wax formulation, there are different "grits" for different purposes. With a power buffer heat, pressure and speed are factors. You can "burn" through the gel coat in a heartbeat.

[muckinfuss]

A howdy to ya from 1987.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBg0j5ikj3A

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by muckinfuss

A howdy to ya from 1987.........

LOL, I'm from the Ishpeming area and knew a couple of the band members. Pretty much most folks knew a few. Lots of fun in the local bars up here. Anyone comes up this way, stop at the Yoopers Tourist Trap.
Just a fun place right on U.S. 28.

[conocean]

Regardless of your RV being kept in pristine condition….if you’re out of warranty then why would you think Jayco is going to help you fix the cap? I hope it happens but can’t see why Jayco would set a precedent to fix yours then possibly hundreds of other cheaply produced caps out of warranty!

These units only need to look decent until the warranty runs out so Jayco keeps the wheel turning. You should see my 2020 gelcoat, or should I say, whats left of the finish. I can see every imperfection in the cheaply made walls & they’re all hazey. The haze comes back after a few weeks of waxing/polishing. Waste of time. My cap is fading slowly, even with cleaning & sealing it every 3-4 months. I think the sun will have its way with it by the end of next summer.

Ultimately I’m going to wrap my cap when the finish is totally gone. The uv film lasts many years. You can pick your color & artwork. I’ve seen some cool ideas!

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by conocean

Ultimately I’m going to wrap my cap when the finish is totally gone. The uv film lasts many years. You can pick your color & artwork. I’ve seen some cool ideas!

Any idea what that may cost you? One of the reasons I bought an aluminum sided trailer was the deterioration I've seen on RV fiberglass. My wife has informed me that our next RV will be fiberglass, so I'm starting to research my options.

Our RV will be covered by a carport at a minimum, but I'm hoping for a fully enclosed garage for the RV, tractors and my truck. That should help substantially, but not forever.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by conocean

Regardless of your RV being kept in pristine condition….if you’re out of warranty then why would you think Jayco is going to help you fix the cap? I hope it happens but can’t see why Jayco would set a precedent to fix yours then possibly hundreds of other cheaply produced caps out of warranty!

These units only need to look decent until the warranty runs out so Jayco keeps the wheel turning. You should see my 2020 gelcoat, or should I say, whats left of the finish. I can see every imperfection in the cheaply made walls & they’re all hazey. The haze comes back after a few weeks of waxing/polishing. Waste of time. My cap is fading slowly, even with cleaning & sealing it every 3-4 months. I think the sun will have its way with it by the end of next summer.

Ultimately I’m going to wrap my cap when the finish is totally gone. The uv film lasts many years. You can pick your color & artwork. I’ve seen some cool ideas!

Because the body shop said it’s a defect, should not have happened, especially in that time frame.


And a buffer was NEVER used on any surface of my rig.

[dxrobertson]

Is this the fiberglass FADING problem seen on many trailers and fifth wheels? Or is the fiberglass actually chipping off or something else?

The fading problem started years ago, I had a 2012 Eagle that the nose started fading after a couple years. This problem was common back then. Would think this problem would be fixed by now/2019.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by dxrobertson

Is this the fiberglass FADING problem seen on many trailers and fifth wheels? Or is the fiberglass actually chipping off or something else?

The fading problem started years ago, I had a 2012 Eagle that the nose started fading after a couple years. This problem was common back then. Would think this problem would be fixed by now/2019.

Not just fading, patches of gelcoat are missing and pealing off!

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Any idea what that may cost you? One of the reasons I bought an aluminum sided trailer was the deterioration I've seen on RV fiberglass. My wife has informed me that our next RV will be fiberglass, so I'm starting to research my options.

Our RV will be covered by a carport at a minimum, but I'm hoping for a fully enclosed garage for the RV, tractors and my truck. That should help substantially, but not forever.

$2,400 includes new decals

[Johnynorthland]

P.S., my side walls and rear are just fine!

[conocean]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

Because the body shop said it’s a defect, should not have happened, especially in that time frame.

The Jayco warranty clearly states it covers substantial defects in materials or workmanship that are attributable to Jayco but they’re basically done with us once our warranty expires.

[conocean]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Any idea what that may cost you?.

Based on the cost of boat wraps, I’m guessing a custom front cap wrap will be $1,500 - $2,000.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Any idea what that may cost you? One of the reasons I bought an aluminum sided trailer was the deterioration I've seen on RV fiberglass. My wife has informed me that our next RV will be fiberglass, so I'm starting to research my options.

Our RV will be covered by a carport at a minimum, but I'm hoping for a fully enclosed garage for the RV, tractors and my truck. That should help substantially, but not forever.

There are some RV’s that have only the front cap painted, the integra esteem class c is one of them!

[foglght]

Originally Posted by Yooper906

I would like to mention one more thing that contributes to gel coat loss.

It's someone using a power buffer without knowing for sure what the buffer will do.
People have to be really careful of the wax formulation, there are different "grits" for different purposes. With a power buffer heat, pressure and speed are factors. You can "burn" through the gel coat in a heartbeat.

That used to be true back in the day when most everyone used a rotary buffer. I still do if I want it done quickly and yes in that instance you do need to watch, but most people use DA buffers. The dual action ones, especially ones without direct drive make it almost impossible to burn through any paint/clear/gel.

Though depending on where the OP had his rig done "twice a year" they very well could have burned through the thin coat most caps get. I'm curious if the same people who are professionally waxing it are the same body people that said there was a defect. Sounds more like some newbie with a rotary burned through something and the shop wants to lay blame with Jayco knowing full well that is a losing battle.