The Peeling Graphics Gathering

[RJI47]

I had my entire front cap graphics replaced once by the dealer. They seem to still be in good shape, but the rest of them, especially on the bed slide are peeling and falling off. Montana sent me a set of replacements at no charge, but so far, I have not been able to find anyone who will replace them. I'm not going to do it myself. So as the "mountains" peel off the bed slide, I just toss them in the trash.

 

[mtpocket]

We have owned two Montana's purchased new. We just got off the phone with Keystone. Called nicely to inquire about the graphics. Their first response, very rudely, is that Keystone has no obligation to us since it's out of warranty. When we asked to speak to a manager she said no. Asked again and when she returned she stated management refuses to talk to us. We both decided at that point that there will never be another Keystone RV in our lifetimes. This is not the first time that we have been treated poorly by Keystone. Another time was an item under warranty they wanted to replace wit something of considerable less quality. It is unbelievable that a company who manufactures a "nice to have" commodity treats customers like that. No one has to have an RV and can keep their money in their pocket, which is where mine will stay as far as Keystone is concerned. I also plan to write to their parent company and let them know there will be nothing sold by them in my driveway. I just may have a graphic made for the front cap which truly represents my feelings for Keystone.

 

[WaltBennett]

Our new/old 2010 3665RE's are all there, but there's some cracking in the mountains on the sides. After seeing what most of you have gone through, I really like the idea of just getting rid of all of them and putting on something custom. We had a small cargo trailer for our business for about seven years that had logos, company name, web site, etc. on both sides and the back door. They still looked new when I peeled them off to sell the trailer - almost everything came off in single pieces as well.

 

[triplehorn]

quote:Originally posted by WaltBennett

Our new/old 2010 3665RE's are all there, but there's some cracking in the mountains on the sides. After seeing what most of you have gone through, I really like the idea of just getting rid of all of them and putting on something custom. We had a small cargo trailer for our business for about seven years that had logos, company name, web site, etc. on both sides and the back door. They still looked new when I peeled them off to sell the trailer - almost everything came off in single pieces as well.

I have seen that comment made on many more than a handfull of forums. Why do the RV's seem to have high failure rates?

 

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by mtpocket2

We have owned two Montana's purchased new. We just got off the phone with Keystone. Called nicely to inquire about the graphics. Their first response, very rudely, is that Keystone has no obligation to us since it's out of warranty. When we asked to speak to a manager she said no. Asked again and when she returned she stated management refuses to talk to us. We both decided at that point that there will never be another Keystone RV in our lifetimes. This is not the first time that we have been treated poorly by Keystone. Another time was an item under warranty they wanted to replace wit something of considerable less quality. It is unbelievable that a company who manufactures a "nice to have" commodity treats customers like that. No one has to have an RV and can keep their money in their pocket, which is where mine will stay as far as Keystone is concerned. I also plan to write to their parent company and let them know there will be nothing sold by them in my driveway. I just may have a graphic made for the front cap which truly represents my feelings for Keystone.

Unusual treatment by The service center. I hope you got some names so they can be reported up the line. They are supposed to be "customer service" and if they do not service the customer they need to be reported. Posting on this forum will not help solve the problem. When I speak to keystone customer service I always ask for the persons name first. I would call back and ask the same questions again this time knowing the service persons name.

 

[GreatWhite]

Friend took a trip to N.Mexico with other RV'ers. He got his RV cleaned of all decals and had stripes, etc painted on down there as well as a mural on the rear. Guess they did an excellent job and they said it was very inexpensive.

 

[mtpocket]

Richfaa
I did not expect any resolution posting on this forum. Just sharing my experience so others may take what they read here into consideration before spending their hard earned money. We have called twice and been treated badly twice. I wouldn't call that unusual. Seems to be standard procedure. By accepting this treatment from a company and not sharing we are not helping other people. I think people deserve to know. I think we encourage this behavior by accepting this and buying more of a company's product, these days writing it off as everybody is like that now. There not. There are companies that go further than they have to to make people happy. I prefer not to reward those who dont. When I receive excellent service I go out of my way to tell others. Didn't know this but O'Rileys Auto Parts makes hydraulic hoses while you wait. The guy stayed after for us to get there to make us a hose for a slide out that blew. They now get all my auto parts business. We went looking at some other brands and the quality difference between Keystone and other brands is negligible in the higher models of their lineup. Customer service would have made the difference on the next RV.

 

[richfaa]

On the other hand we and many others have had excellent service from the folks at the service center on the Graphic issue and other issues. They sent me all the bad graphics that we needed for our 06 3400 at no cost and out of warranty many others had the same experience. What I said was this was unusual treatment by the service center and if treated rudely that treatment should be reported to keystone. We on the forum can do nothing about it. The only way less than desirable service can be corrected is by reporting it to those who can do something about it. If you have names , dates, etc I will be happy to provide you with the E mail and phone numbers of those up the line. PM me for the information.

I am as we speak in conversation with a Service center Tech who is co operative, professional and working with me to have my concerns resolved.

 

[mtpocket]

I sent my concerns to Thor. Thanks for the offer but I do not feel further communication with Keystone would be productive. I hope they continue to meet your expectations and your experience is a good one through out your time with your RV.

 

[LuckyNichol]

Our 2011 Montana High Country, front decals, mountain graphic and Montana graphic has turned red. Very ugly. We like the idea of just getting rid of all of them and putting on something custom. After A 2013 year of cross country travel.

 

[FL-Joe]

Our 08 3400 has the decal disease on the front cap and right side also. The previous owners obtained all new decals from Keystone so we have those. I have to agree with most suspicions posted here that it is a quality issue with these vinyl letters and decals. Our business has used vinyl lettering on construction trailers that I installed which have never cracked and peeled. Based on everyone's experience here I will be getting prices on having someone paint my lettering and decals for replacement. I guess if it is really expensive I can have it done a section at a time, but for sure Keystone provided decals are not going back on.

 

[Carole-MOC]

Wouldn't be surprised if decal vinyl was made in China.

 

[azranger]

We have an '07 Montana 3475RL that was manufactured in October 2006, bought in April 2007. We live in Arizona and it has been stored outside since arriving in the desert. The graphics started failing in the fall of 2007 and over the next couple of years Keystone, through our dealer, provided new ones a side at a time each time outside the factory warranty period. We had to provide photo documentation to the Keystone customer care department for each claim. The replacement decals are still in the original shipping boxes and I have no plans to apply them. I will transfer them to a future owner for use at their option.

I removed the old decals myself. From my experience I have some tips for anyone thinking about taking on a DIY project. First, if you don't remove decals soon after they start to peel/shrink and some of the adhesive residue is left exposed more than a few months, it becomes baked on and is very difficult to remove.

Tip #1: If you choose to remove the decals you need to start the process at the first sign of peeling before the vinyl becomes brittle and any exposed adhesive gets baked on.

On the front cap decals, which were the first to go (both the mountain scene and the word "Montana"), I used a heat gun. It was a tedious process peeling the vinyl off (small pieces at a time) followed by removal of the adhesive using Goo Gone. This was done in cool weather. It took several hours over two or three sessions to make the front cap graphic-free.

Fast foward to the right/curb side a year or so later in warmer weather. It only took a couple of hours to remove the much larger mountain scene graphics.

Tip #2: Forget the heat gun! Let the sun shine directly on the side to be worked on for an hour or so in 80 degree plus weather. Then the decals will peel off much easier in larger pieces.

Tip #3: Use Super Goo Gone (I used regular Goo Gone on the front cap). Apply liberally on a small section at a time, let sit for a few minutes, and use a plactic putty knife to lift off the residue in large clumps.

The left/driver side was the last to go after another year or so. I made another time-saving discovery this time. On the first two sides it was a two step process, peeling the vinyl decals off followed by removal of the adhesive residue.

Tip #4: If you peel the decal off at just the right angle and just the right temperature (both at about 90 degrees) much of the adhesive will come off with the vinyl making the Super Goo Gone cleanup quicker and less messy. Some experimenting will be necessary to get the right combination of angle and temperature.

I hope this helps some of you who are thinking about removing your decals.

On a side note, I am looking at the possiibly of buying a 2013 Montana 3150RL. After reading these posts I am seriously thinking about making a condition of any deal that the dealer remove all graphics. That way I will not have to worry about having to go through the hassel again. If they refuse to do it as part of the deal I will insist on getting the price discounted by at least $1K (after agreeing to a final purchase price) to cover the cost of having it done myself. In addition to making washing and waxing a lot easier that will deprive Keystone of free advertising for an inferior cosmetic job at my expense.

 

[Icehouse-MOC]

Interestingly, my 2007 with original decals looks almost new. There is just one spot that has peeled about 1/4 inch but this little piece was also in a section that had ice form and stick to the rig several winters back. I wonder if the cold weather is keeping ours in such great shape? Since we purchased new in 2007, she has never been above 80 degrees. Just wonderin'.

 

[bigred715]

I guess living in Alaska is the answer. Our 2001 2880, after sitting outside year round started peeling after about 4 yrs. My new 2010 sits under coverd storage most of the year except for our 3 or 4 months in Arizona. Hopefully I will get better life out of the graphics being out of the weather for most of the year.

 

[gkerlin]

The total UV annual exposure in Anchorage is 13% of what it is in Phoenix. It would take over 7.5yrs in Anchorage to receive the same amount of UV radiation as one year in Phoenix.

Compare that to the Northern Montana Border. Vs Phoenix it has 47% of the annual UV. It would take a little over 2 yrs to receive the same UV on the border as you would in Phoenix.

 

[triplehorn]

So the answer to the billion dollar question is we all need to live in a community of our Montana in the great white north.

 

[Icehouse-MOC]

There you go! Y'all come on up!

 

[Carole-MOC]

Sorry, I love visiting up therein, but I'm a Southern Gal through and through.LOL.

 

[Carole-MOC]

Up there. I hate these spell suggestions.