Leaderboard

OK, as promised here is the follow-up report on "Custom Shield Coating". As I mentioned, I traveled from the mountains of Western North Carolina to the mountains of Colorado and back. Prior to leaving I knew that I would be traveling some dirt/gravel roads once I got the Colorado. This year the weather was not the best . Sometimes that can be good news in that it can help cut down on the dust from those dirt roads. However, the rain did such a good job of cutting down on the dust that the dust turned into mud! I know that I should have taken a picture, but, at one point the front of Twist was covered in an inch coating of mud and rock. Several of these roads were badly "wash boarded" too. I've found that there are two ways to deal with this type of road - either go very slow or very fast. Assuming that it can be done so safely, I generally choose the "fast" approach even though I know that this kicks up more dirt and stones. Below are a couple of pictures of the removal of the coating (note that the instructions on the can say that the coating is only "good" for up to three months. I'm guessing that the elasticity of the coating tends to diminish after that time making it more difficult to remove and less effective protection.). Note that I had already washed Twist (twice) prior to removal. I did remove this coating fairly slowly as I looked for dents, dings, and scratches but the total time of removal for both sides was less than 10 minutes. In places where there was a "nick" in the coating I had to take my time, but basically the coating came off in a sheet. There were no additional dents, dings and/or scratches in the finish of the Oliver and the gloss of the surface was unchanged from the adjoining non-coated surfaces. Given the "textured" nature of the coating when applied, bugs, road grime and dirt are a bit difficult (or impossible) to remove when the coating in in place. However, in removing it all of the dirt, grime, etc comes right off. Certainly this is an added benefit in that I used to spend a fair amount of time re-polishing these areas after each trip. Bottom line - I'll certainly use this stuff again when I plan on being on dirt roads. It is fairly easy to apply, easy to remove and protects the front of the Oliver from dirt, grime and small stone chips. Having said this, I do not think that it would be a good substitute for more serious protection when it is projected that the Oliver will be spending huge amounts of time on roads that are less than paved (I'm thinking Alaska here and/or those owners that spend a majority of time on dirt/gravel roads). Bill The above shows the difference in sheen between the coated area and the rest of the Oliver. It also shows some of the left over "road marks" after I'd already cleaned twice. Above: the start of the big peel. All finished peeling with the ball of coating showing the gloss surface of both previously coated and un-coated sections of Twist.

I've just returned from a fly fishing trip in Colorado. On the way back to Western North Carolina I stopped at the Mothership and had the guys at the plant "do" a couple of things for me. One of those things was seeing if I could get the "new" mod done on the fresh water tank. Jason told me that it would be no problem and would not take them very long to complete. When the work was done, Jason gave me my total bill and I noticed that the "Fresh Tank Modification" was billed at $47.50 but was marked "N/C". Certainly it is possible that since the rest of the bill totaled almost $1,000 they just threw this mod in on the deal, but ... So, not only did I get the mod, but, they did not charge me for it! Talk about great service at a great price! So, if you are near Hohenwald and/or are planning on getting some other work completed, you might want to ask (nicely) if they would do this "mod" for you. Finally - once again I simply can not say enough kind words in regards to the work and helpfulness of these guys at Oliver. Jason, Richie, Justin, Dustin (and others) not only work their butts off doing great work in a hot and humid plant, but, they are simply great guys and more than willing to do whatever is in their power to help. Its simply amazing to me what these guys will do for a couple of donuts and a can of soda! Thanks to them for all they did for me. Bill

The vent pipe on top of the black tank was lose. It was easy to access from under the sink. I had it fixed at my local RV repair shop, Oliver paid the bill. Nothing to get nervous about - pretty rare. Mike