There is nothing like an RV trip, unless it is a second RV trip. An RV owner puts his/her vehicle through a lot of abuse: long highways, Arizona heat, sunlight, wind, rain, trees, road debris, and even years of outdoor storage. And after some time, RV exterior starts showing its age.
You may find out that fiberglass has started to fade, you may spot cracks and scratches, or the clear coat has started to peel. All these issues are either cosmetic or may point to more serious problems that are hidden underneath the surface of RV.
Professional RV fiberglass repair can restore your vehicle, without requiring replacement of the entire vehicle. Moreover, professional RV body shop technicians can figure out whether the problem with the RV exterior lies only in the surface.
RV Renovators in Mesa, Arizona provides RV fiberglass repair, body repair, paint, collision repair, delamination repair, roof repair, and other restoration services for motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers, campers, and other RVs.
How Does RV Fiberglass Change Over Time?
There are a number of reasons why RV fiberglass exterior starts to change with time. First of all, fiberglass is great choice for manufacturing RV body panels as it is very light and durable, but still, it is not indestructible.
Arizona sun is especially harmful for RV exterior surface: UV rays destroy gel coats, clear coats, paint, decals, and other exterior coatings. Thus, a glossy RV exterior surface may start to fade and become dull, chalking, or even uneven.
Secondly, road trip also creates its share of exterior problems. Road debris, small rocks and branches scratch the surface and create cracks and chips. At the same time, vibration caused by long distance travel on highways makes the existing cracks grow.
Finally, water is also a main cause of exterior problems. Any cracks, failed seals, roof leaks, window openings, or damaged body joints may allow the water to penetrate into the inner parts of the wall and cause RV sidewall delamination.
So an RV exterior inspection shouldn’t be limited to a visual surface check.
Common Indicators of Problems with RV Fiberglass
All these issues are pretty common, but there are also some signs that your RV fiberglass needs repair.
Typical signs include cracks, chips, scratches, punctures, faded surface, peeled paint, bubbles, damaged corners, loosing panels, or wavy and delaminated sidewalls.
At first sight, small crack may seem to be quite harmless. However, water can pass through even tiny cracks.
Similarly, bubble in the sidewall may not be just a cosmetic problem. It may be caused by the separation of the fiberglass skin from the underlying materials.
Thus, timely repair of the exterior may prevent from the more serious repair in future.
Is RV Fiberglass Repair Possible in Case of Fading?
Yes, it is possible, but in order to choose the correct method, you should find out why your RV fiberglass has started to fade.
Some problems can be fixed by means of professional surface restoration and refinishing. Other may require sanding, surface preparation, paint application, clear coat, or other types of refinishing.
However, painting is not the solution for every exterior problem.
If the RV exterior panels have cracks, delamination, collision damages or other problems, then painting may not solve the problem at all and may even increase it. It will be covered by new paint and will continue to get worse underneath it.
Thus, the repair of the RV exterior should start with the state of the vehicle, and not the state of the paint job.
How Does Professional RV Fiberglass Repair Work?
First of all, the RV fiberglass damage needs to be evaluated by a professional.
RV body repair technician measures the size and depth of the damage, as well as looks for signs of the moisture, delamination, structural damage, or any other problems in the area of windows, roof edge, slide-outs, and body seams.
Then, the damaged fiberglass area is prepared for the repair. It may require removal of loose materials, grinding or sanding of the damaged area, rebuilding of the fiberglass layers, and surface preparation.
After that, the damaged part is prepared for painting. This is an important step as your RV has large panels, stripes, graphics, and different colors that should flow naturally from one place to another.
Final step of the process is application of the finish and protection to the repaired area.
Exact steps vary as it is very different to repair a small crack and a sidewall after the collision.
Fiberglass Damage Might Be Deeper Than You Think
This is one of the most important things that owners of RVs should know about fiberglass damage repair.
Damage that you see on the surface is not always the whole damage.
For example, damaged corner may indicate structural damage of the frame under the fiberglass surface. Cracked roof-to-wall joint may mean the moisture intrusion. Wavy sidewall may point to the delamination. Collision damage may shift the panels and structural components even in case of small crack.
Thus, RV body repair shop should evaluate the whole area instead of just fixing the visible damage.
This is especially important in case of older RVs or RVs that were exposed to Arizona climate for many years.
RV Fiberglass Repair and Delamination
Delamination is the process when the layers within RV wall start to separate.
Usually, first visible sign is the bubble, bulge, ripple, or soft area in the sidewall.
Water intrusion is one of the common causes of the delamination. However, there are also such factors as adhesive failure, age, or heat.
Simply covering the problem area with paint will not help to fix the issue.
At first, the technician has to determine extent of the delamination, moisture, or damaged materials inside the wall. Depending on the severity of the problem, the repair process may involve removal of damaged materials, restoring of the structure, bonding of the materials, replacement of the sections, and refinishing of the exterior surface.
Thus, Arizona heat is a serious factor that may cause delamination.
RV Paint Repair as the Part of the Restoration Process
RV paint repair often goes hand in hand with the fiberglass repair.
After repairing of a crack, damaged panel, or collision damage, the restored area has to be matched with the original one.
It might be difficult in case of an older motorhome or trailer as many years of sun exposure have already changed the original color.
Professional paint matching is needed to compensate for these changes. Instead of using the original color code, the technician matches the current color of the coating and blends it into the surrounding area.
RV Renovators performs all kinds of fiberglass and paint repairs, ranging from touch-up to exterior restoration of the RV.
Collision and Insurance Damage
Wear is not usually the same thing as collision damage, but still, repair methods may be similar.
Collision may damage RV exterior panels, paint, roof, create structural problems, damage slide-outs, etc.
In this case, an RV repair facility which has the experience in both collision and fiberglass repair, is able to evaluate the damage and repair it.
RV Renovators is a preferred repair facility for many insurance companies, and provides free insurance estimates. The company repairs both minor and serious RV body damage.
Coverage depends on your policy and circumstances of the collision, thus, you need to clarify it with your insurer.
Importance of Experience in RV Body Repair
Repair of the RV is very different from repair of the passenger car.
Motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and campers are made of large exterior panels, laminated walls, roof-to-wall joints, slide-outs, special sealants, fiberglass components, and different construction methods.
As a result, the technician has to know the structure of the RV.
Repair that looks fine but doesn’t address leak, structural problems, or bad bond, is incomplete repair.
RV Renovators has decades of experience in repairing of RVs in Arizona. From its RV repair center in Mesa, Arizona, the company repairs fiberglass, paint, collision damage, delamination, roofs and slide-outs, water damage, and other RV services.
Don’t Neglect RV Fiberglass Damage
It is easy to postpone fiberglass repair of your RV when it works fine.
However, exterior problems do not disappear with time.
Sunlight, vibrations, weather, and water make small problems larger. For this reason, it is better to inspect suspicious areas sooner than later.
If your RV has fading fiberglass, cracks, peeled paint, damaged sidewalls, delamination, collision damage, or other exterior problems, RV Renovators can inspect the damage and propose the appropriate repair.
Located in Mesa, Arizona, RV Renovators serves RV owners throughout Phoenix, Arizona, and the Southwest.