A reader from one of The Motley Fool`s discussion boards has a question about repairing the decal on his RV, and I asked him for permission to post his letter here. He agreed, so here`s his post:

From "GoofyHoofy":

While in storage my RV sits in the hot Tennessee sun all season. As it turns out, this year the big swoopy decals are starting to curl and pull away from the fiberglass shell and look downright slummy.

One guy at an auto store suggested that I take an exacto knife and cut away the curling part, as it will continue to curl and pull up ever more of the decal, and I have done that. I guess I`m not a great exacto knife artist, however, because it isn`t the most perfect job ever, and worse, there are a few "pits" where the decal pulled away a bit of the fiberglass outer layer, and a few places where the decal "cracked" as I pulled the offending part away.

Anyway, I am thinking of getting some "pinstriping" and trying to cover the rought edge(s), but I`m wondering if there`s something I should do prior to applying it. (As I understand it, it`s basically mylar tape in different colors with adhesive backing.)

For instance, is there a way to "level" out the pits in the fiberglass? These are very small, perhaps the size of a few grains of sand, but are certainly visible to the naked eye, and I would think visible after the pinstriping goes on as well.

Second, does anyone have any experience using this stuff, and are there any tricks for making it follow a curve, as these decals are nothing but curved - not a straight line to be found. Most of the curves are rather big and gentle, but there is one tight corner I`m also concerned about. (Total linear footage: maybe 8 feet. Most of the decal is still OK, but there are these pesky parts that are failing.)

Thanks.


If anyone here on DC has expert advice on effecting this sort of repair, I would appreciate your response. I will forward the link to this thread to "GoofyHoofy". Thanks guys!

Charles