Thor Forums

[Chateau_Nomad]

This is why I wax the entire gelcoat - including the decals. Old fashioned carnauba based wax is essentially a "sacrificial coating" which takes the beating from atmospheric contaminants and the sun's UV radiation. The wax will deteriorate over a few months, and MUST be re-applied. Otherwise, you will get what you see... the vinyl decals will dry out and crack, and the gelcoat will quickly begin oxidizing - exhibiting a dull chalky white coating on the surface. Factory caulking will get dirty, but if the RV is washed on a regular basis the dirty looking caulk can be minimized.

Just looking at those pics, I'm guessing that rig has seen VERY few washings, and probably NO wax or protective coatings. It looks like it was driven off the lot and hit the road running... with little to no upkeep. Has the oil ever been changed? If that's the case, what else has been neglected? Ask the owners how often it's been washed... and what brand of wax they use. That will tell you all you need to know.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but motorhomes require - DEMAND - a LOT of maintenance. Think of it as a hobby. A motorhome that's as little as two to three years old with severely cracked vinyl decals is an anomaly - while vinyl decals will gradually "die", they'll suffer an early death from lack of protection from UV damage... which is what you're looking at in those pics.

Bottom line... these things are "indicators" - they tell me a bigger story of a motorhome that has not been maintained. Two years old? Wow... I'd walk away. There are currently TONS of lightly used "Covid RVs" hitting the market.