This is the first time I've been able to read the forums in about a month and one issue that still seems to come up is about fading on the front and back caps of Dutchmen TT, toy-haulers,fifth-wheels.
I wanted to share a personal experience and if it's applicable I hope it will help. I've posted a bit about this in another thread.
We began noticing fading on the front cap of our 2013 Denali. We took it to a local dealership that sells Dutchmen. Before we could get a sentence out explaining our concern they were able to tell us exactly what was wrong and why it was happening: Dealerships began seeing customers returning- who were complaining about front & rear cap fading. It was discovered that Dutchmen had been using a defective brown paint which was causing the fading on 2012-2013 models. We were told that Dutchmen only realized the problem when they were swamped with complaints from very unhappy customers.
Dutchmen has assumed responsibility- so were able to have our Denali front cap repainted with a better quality paint & new decals applied -at Dutchmen's expense. We were the 26th repaint in this one dealership.
If this same set of circumstances applies,it might be worth a follow up to your dealer or Dutchmen.
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The Journey Not The Arrival Matters T.S. Eliot
I think ours is heading down the same road. Initially I thought it was dust/dirt but now it looks like oxidation. Thanks for the info.
We thought the same thing. It had to be dust,right? We couldn't believe that it could be fading after only 14 months. I would add that this repaint was after our 5er was out of warranty. The fact that they assumed responsibility for the repaint and decals shows how widespread this problem must be. Dutchmen isn't known for their customer service
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The Journey Not The Arrival Matters T.S. Eliot
It's nice to see they are finally owning up to something. Hopefully enough people will complain about the AC duct work to get them to do something, but I doubt they will bear the expense of it. Would you really trust the dealership to fix it right anyway?
I was shocked when my 2013 Denali Front Cap faded. After reading the posts on this site was encouraged that Dutchman would do the right thing and offer some relief. After sending an email with photo's I received a response from Jonathan Watkins, a retail advisor who informed me my warranty expired (which I already knew). Dutchman did not offer relief of any sort.
I have been uable to get help other than sorry it is not under warranty. I was even told that they did not know of any fading problems. I own a campground in Virginia and will absolutley spread the word about the lack of quality from Dutchmen. And because my 5th Wheel is right out front they will see the example.
I wonder if it is a lack of UV protectant from the factory. I have been using 303 Protectant on ours with the hopes that this doesn't happen in the future.
Cale
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TV: 2015 F-350 DRW, CC, 4x4, with 14k GVWR package, 98 gallon TransferFlow Aux Tank, Timbren Shocks
this was the reason i actually wanted the white cap on mine - because if i had to deal with the fading i would have gone nuts
on a side note try using "Rejex" i cant guarantee it will solve the issue but ive used it for years and swear by the stuff i even use it on my boat and its 5 years old and looks new
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2013 Duramax Silverado Ltz 3500 Srw short box
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2010 Silverado Ltz 1500 Wifes truck to pull the boat
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