Montana Decals vs SOB's

[JandC]

I had pealing decals with my 2008 Montana. From information on the MOC I knew that this was a very common problem. What I couldn't understand was that I had just sold a 1990 boat that sat in the sun 8 months a year and the original decals/stripes on it were almost in new condition.

In a recent conversation with my neighbor that details RV's and now boats, he claims that in his experience most of the older SOB RV's have decals that are NOT pealing but all the Montana's he details have pealing decals.

So what's the deal? Does Keystone use a cheaper decal vender than anyone else?

[8.1al]

I have seen SOB's of the same vintage with the same problem. We have a Carriage across from us right now like that.

[BB_TX]

I don't know if Montana peeling is more common, but it is a problem on others as well. There are two SOBs in storage near mine, both different brands, neither Keystone, and both have graphics that are badly peeled.

[grayghost03]

When you go to any dealer that handles used rigs or any storage lot, you will see that almost all brands peel, eventually. Some earlier then others. And I think some has to do with temps, UV, and humidity. I have seen some from high humidity areas, that appear to last longer.

[Phil P]

Hi

We have had our trailer to several vehicle wrap and vinyl sign companies in several states and all of them say the same thing. The material used by the low end builders is not warranted by the manufacturer for more than a year.

The boat builders and a few of the trailer builders are using a material that is warranted for 5 years and they say you will commonly get 7 to 10 years without problems except for fading on material that is not UV blocked.

I saw a 2005 Montana in a county park in South Florida that was owned by the original owner and had the original graphics on it. They were faded some but still looked good and you could tell just by running your finger nail over the edge that they were much thicker than the ones on our 2009.

Phil P

[gjetzen]

Phil P, I have a 2005 that started to shrink and peel/lift when the Monty was 8 months old. Keystone would do nothing about it. After every washing I have "decal gut" littering my driveway. Every year the is a new spot that starts to peel or crack. There is no rhyme nor reason, the reds/browns don't fade just peel. The greens fade, the blues fade then turn to alligator hide then crack then fall off but only on certain surfaces, like the gel coat but on the slide flanges (same decal) they are perfect. So in my experience thickness of the graphic material ( and mine are thick) made no difference. On the rear cap the sunrise/mountain scene was the first to go bad and is completely gone now but the Montana on the rear cap is perfect. Still looks pretty good from 100 yards though.

[jcurtis934]

mine are still pristine...but then i keep it clean and waxed and it isn't all that old yet. there is a high country a couple of sites over from us here in florida and the front graphics are pretty much trash...and it isn't that old either. hope the factor is how well the rig is kept clean and waxed that is the factor here. most of the crappy graphics i see during the winter when this place is full are on montanas, but i don't know how old the rigs are. john

[DQDick]

Keystone's problem, according to Mike Mack, came about when a reliable company introduced a new "better" fabric and then sourced it from a place that didn't produce it correctly. By the time the problem became apparent several years of Montana's had it. The company was replacing decals for folks, but then Keystone changed companies they were using and the company that made the original mistake no longer felt they needed to step up and so, no more free decals. Funny, my feeling was, if Keystone wanted to change companies they should step up and supply the free decals. Of course I wasn't consulted on that decision.

[BB_TX]

Dick, free graphics are still available. I had heard they were not. But I thought what the heck, I will call Keystone customer service.

Me: graphics on the front and rear of my '07 Montana are peeling and I would like to get replacements.
Rep: you need to call your dealer.
Me: (pulled out my hole card) I am a long time member of MOC and have read numerous times where you provided free graphics. I understand I would be responsible for installation.
Rep: Oh, OK, send pictures of your graphics and I will send a numbered diagram of replacements.

So after a couple e-mail exchanges and a month wait I received new graphics.

Graphics are still baffling. Mine just really started looking bad this year after 7+ yrs. Just front and rear, sides still look good.
There is an identical Monte that has been in storage near mine since about the same time i bought mine and the graphics look like they just came off the showroom floor. And they have not been replaced.
Good friend with a 2008 model (different floor plan) peeled front and sides after 2 yrs, had them replaced, and they started peeling again after another couple years.
All same environment. No rhyme or reason.

[DQDick]

Interesting.

[richfaa]

06 400 began to look bad at year 6 and at year 7 they were all cracking a peeling. We have seen bad graphics on many other brands. Montana was not alone.

[Emmel]

I did the same as BB_TEX and got new front graphics for our 2010. Not a big problem if you use sweet talk.

[davidaf]

My Decals on my SOBs are approx 10 years old. One ("top of the line" truck camper) is cracking and fading the other (mid to low end 5th wheel) mostly just fading. Neither are peeling.

[winter texan]

I have a 2007 and graphics started peeling the 2nd year. Keystone stepped up when were at one of the National Rallies and I have replaced all but 3 graphics on mine. Laura and I lost a lot of sweat getting the old graphics and glue off in preparation for the new installation. My friend had a 2006 with identical graphics to mine and they started to peel at 7 years.