Back Home To Newly Painted Rig - (Bremen, Indiana)

We were anxious to get back and see our rig, so we got on the road around 8:30 this morning.

Most of the roads in Ontario are very well maintained and it was a pleasure to drive on them.  After we got into Michigan and Indiana, we appreciated them even more.  :)

Also, I love that the speed limits are low on the back roads and we traveled at a nice, slow, stress-free pace.  Most of the time we were on 80 kph limit roads (which is about 50 mph).  Even the four lane highways were 100 kph which is only about 62 mph.

Of course the Canadians tend to drive at 10 - 15 kph over the speed limits, and since we were in a bit of a hurry, we adopted that practice as well.  We made it to the border crossing at Sarnia/Port Huron a little before 11:00.  It took us 15 - 20 minutes of waiting in line to get back into the U.S., but the time at the border agent kiosk was probably only about a minute.

Once back on I-69, it seemed like we were flying at the 70 mph speed limit.  It was one of the few times since 2005 that we were really hyped up to get to our destination.

We arrived at Mike's Custom Painting just before 4:00 and could see our rig in the parking lot as we approached.  Beautiful.

I scrambled to get some photos before the heavy rains came.

 

 

 

 

No more peeling decals, they repaired minor body damage, they painted the steps, the kingpin, the hardware, the edge of the roof, and the vents and air conditioner shroud.  They also replaced all the rubber gaskets on the compartment doors.

I wish the lighting and setting had been better, but we'll be posting lots more pictures later.

In addition to the new color scheme, the painting of the slideouts really makes the rig look "rich".

 

 

 

 

 

And the truck matches.  :)

 

 

Of course, the truck now needs a good wash and wax job to match the glossy look of the RV.  :)

Okay, here are some details.

Paint Job Includes:

• Clean all old caulking off
• Remove decals and glue
• Sand coach down with 280 grit
• Apply 2 coats of primer on side walls
• Sand with 400 grit
• Minor repairs and body work
• Apply 2 coats of gray sealer
• Apply basecoat color
• Apply up to 4 additional colors
• Apply 2 coats of clearcoat
• Resand with 500 grit
• Apply 2 more coats of clearcoat
• Recaulk unit
• Paint AC covers, refrigerator vents & awning arms
• Paint slide out stripes
• Replace all sealing gaskets around compartment doors
• Remove, paint, and replace slideout topper hardware and NON-electric awning hardware; They will paint electric awning hardware on the coach if necessary

There are also other included touches depending on the coach.

You can choose your own design, modify a design they already have, or use the original design and change color schemes (that's what we did).  For copyright reasons and matching issues, they can't do exactly the same original design, but they can get close.

We sent in photos of all sides of our rig and supplied our color choices to get mock-ups done.  Then we tweaked things a little here and there.  Final color choices were made the day we arrived (there are an overwhelming number of color options).

They ask for four weeks to complete each job.  We picked up our rig exactly 30 days after dropping it off, but it was completed almost a week early.  Sometimes it takes an extra week. 

Pricing

Mike's originally quoted us a figure that was far less than their competitors in the area ($3,000 - $5,000 less).  Of course, we negotiated the price in exchange for some advertising and publicity, but here are their base retail rates.

$9,500 - Fifth Wheel (35 - 40 feet)

$12,000 - Motorhome (35 - 40 feet)

Striping/Painting for two slideouts is included;  $200 for each additional slideout

We also added the optional "chip protection" for the front, lower section below the cap - $250. 

Most of their jobs fall into the above categories and rig lengths, but call or email for a quote if your rig is shorter or longer or you have a different type of RV.

Here's a coupon for $150 off a paint job.  Just click on the coupon below for a printable version. 

 

 

 

We're thrilled with the look and can't wait for everyone to check it out in person at the upcoming rallies.

We thought our rig looked pretty good before - not so much upon closer inspection after nine years.  But there is no comparison to the new finish.  I'll put together a "before & after" group of photos soon.

 

We'll be staying in the parking lot tonight, and then we'll be moving over to the Elkhart Campground tomorrow for a week.  Then we have a visit to Mor/ryde planned for inspection of our suspension and kingpin.  Then we fly to North Carolina for an RV show, and then we'll be at the Elkhart Country 4-H Fairgrounds through the first week of October where we will host our Fall Rally and work a couple of rallies being held there afterwards.

After a month of playing in Canada, we've got a lot of work to do the next month and a half.  :)

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Comments

[Sue Brown]

New paint job looks really great! I know you must be pleased with the new colors. Wish we could be at the fall rally to see it, but can't.

Sue

[Kyra Miller]

I don't remember - Did they paint your roof? If so, what about your satellite dish, solar panels etc? Mask them off and paint around them? Your new paint looks wonderful!

[J.C. Webber III]

Gorgeous!

-- jc

[Bill and Linda]

That is a great looking paint job! - and a lot for the price. Happy for you to have it completed and with other work now done almost a new trailer - but still the same home.

[Bill and Nancy]

BEAUTIFUL!!!

[Esther]

Howard, the rig looks fabulous. Best investment ever!

You couldn't have timed your departure better, one day more and you would have had a shovel in hand, lol. Shed project nearing completion, washer and dryer first load in tonight...

Yes!!!!

[utiful]

WOW! That is beautiful.

[Steve and Dianne Colibaba]

Wow...your home looks spectacular!
Congrats.

[Bill and Jodee]

Wonderful color choices - and the matching slides really do make it look amazing! We look forward to seeing it up close at the Spring rally!!

[Carol Beckman]

Your paint job is AWESOME. I'm so jealous. We took our 5th wheel in to Specialized RV in Sacramento to measured for new flooring. We were very pleased with the quote we got and it looks like we will be replacing all the flooring and getting a receiver put on the back for a bike rack. We're schedule for Oct.
I mentioned your paint job and asked what it would cost...ballpark...to have done. It was considerably more than the prices listed by Mike's....YIKES!! I guess we will wait until we are out of CA and in the Midwest area before considering a paint job.