Help 2006 Keystone Montana

[Matthew Boatman]

2006 keystone Montana 3400rl ?????? Would like to pick someone's brain!

[jsb5717]

Welcome aboard! The 3400 was a very popular model. But there are many similarities and shared components with most of our trailers so start asking your questions. Someone will chime in with an answer.

[Matthew Boatman]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

Welcome aboard! The 3400 was a very popular model. But there are many similarities and shared components with most of our trailers so start asking your questions. Someone will chime in with an answer.

Thank you, just figured out it's got electric water heater as well!!?!

[Matthew Boatman]

Interested if anyone has painted over decals or is it cheaper to buy new as mine have shrunk up and faded?

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by Matthew Boatman

Thank you, just figured out it's got electric water heater as well!!?!

Yes, it does have an electric side to the water heater. You turn it on via the switch inside the outer cover (a black rocker switch in the lower left corner). There is no inside switch for the electric side. If it doesn't work, then we can help you figure out why.

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by Matthew Boatman

Interested if anyone has painted over decals or is it cheaper to buy new as mine have shrunk up and faded?

I would *NOT* try to paint over the decals! You can remove them yourself, many here have done it and there are Posts about the process. Replacement decals are available but likely not ones that match what you have currently.

[Matthew Boatman]

Thank you very much,I'm sure I will keep you in mind.

[Mikendebbie]

Matthew - youtuber channel RV Street has a video where he demonstrates a method for making cracked stripes and decals look better. Here is a screen shot from that video (sorry - it is not a link!)

[BB_TX]

Here is a link to the video Mike referenced above.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PSzhSks0PG4

I replaced the front and rear graphics/decals on my 2007. But the trailer was only about 5 years old and Keystone provided replacement original decals for free (after some amount of pressure from me). But I don’t know if you can get exact replacements now. I know there are on-line sources for similar, in not exact, decals. But I don’t have links to any of them.

I will say replacement is doable, but a lot of work getting the old decals off, all the old adhesive removed, and the new decals installed. And again I only did the front and rear as the sides still looked very good even after over 10 years. But the new decals did make the trailer look great again, just like when new.

[Hblick48]

I removed my decals with scotchbrite disk:

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-...9a445e1d8174f8

I purchased decals on Ebay from DB_Graphix. They had decals that were very close to the originals.

Edit I forgot to mention it was A LOT of work.

[GregN]

You will be surprised how much it would cost to paint the RV. You can do a Google search to find decals that will come close or get some that are a newer model and replace them.
Remove old decals, buff out, apply new decals. Thats what I did with mine. I did have someone do the whole process.

[scattershot]

I had a 2006:2955 RL. My decals were terrible, as they al were at that time. I had one side replaced, and it was $600.00: several years ago. DON’t paint over them! You will not be pleased with the result. You can strip them, but be aware that there will,be ghost marks where they were. . Best bet is to replace them, either yourself or professionally. Not cheap, but you will be happier in the long run.

[Karanmatt]

Currently in the process of replacing the decals on our 2007 3295RK. Heat gun and plastic razor blades to remove the decals. Rapid Remover and plastic razor blades to remove the residual adhesive. Going over the entire exterior with a rotary buffer, wool pad and cutting compound to remove the oxidation. Have found decals on internet and eBay that are about $250 for a full set. It is quite a bit of work, but I refuse to pay someone for something I can do myself. The fifth wheel will look great when I’m done.

[Kfinnert]

Good afternoon -

As mentioned by Carl n Susan, there is a hot water heater switch on the exterior tank. That will control the electric heating element. In my 2008 Montana, I have an interior switch on the panel where I may choose between electric or gas. If I am on electric, then the exterior switch must be in the on position. If I am on gas that switch can be either on or off! I leave my on all of the time so I don't need to mess with it.

Decals are another adventure. I absolutely agree that you do not want to paint over the decals. You can remove the decals and have new ones painted on, but that is very expensive, and the outcome will not be as you envision. Here is why...

Keystone used a darker colored decal when the unit was first produced. Overtime, the fiberglass beneath the decal begins to generate small cranks, which is due to heating of the fiberglass as the sun's rays pass through the darker color of the decal and the heat not dissipating due to the decal covering the fiberglass. These small cracks cannot not be repaired and will be noticeable if the rig is painted.

I visited no less than 7 RV body shops in California and Oregon and discovered the best solution is to remove the decals and then reinstall them. I did the majority of the work at removing the decals myself. I used the Rapid Remover Vinyl Letter Remover, Plastic Razor Blade Scraper, a Car Decal + Car Sticker Remover, and a heat gun. The items are found on Amazon at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rapid+rem...l_7t2b5u8deu_e

The decal removing is a long process that should be spread out over the course of a week - check Youtube for the videos. My decals were so baked on that the end cap took me the better part of a week. The others came off in a few days! Don't rush it, just take your time.

You may buy decals that are similar to yours from RV Graphics in San Diego, CA. Their webpage is https://rvgraphicsstore.com/. My cost for my 2008 was a bit over a $1000. I was very pleased with the product because they covered the old decal shadows and were resistant to the UV Rays from the sun..

Once they are off, wash the RV, but DO NOT Wax it - you have to fight this urge to do so! Wax will cause the new decals to slide downwards when they are applied. I hired Bish RV in Junction City Oregon to replace my decals; I did the grunt work and had the new decals, which I delivered to them.

Once I had the decals replaced, then I had the RV waxed with a marine ceramic coating. I used ABC Detailing in Sacramento, CA. The Marine Ceramic Coating is not cheap, but worth the expense! My RV's appearance is like new and we are very happy with the outcome!

Best of luck with the remodel. I have remodeled ours and it was a labor of love for me! I learned so much from my experiences, from this forum and from other RV'rs I met along the way! Enjoy the journey...

[Keith Schweizer]

I have looked at rvdecalsdirect.com, they are not cheap but they look like a more durable product than the original graphics. I have just started seeing some of mine starting to crack, so I will need to make a decision.
rvgraphicsstore.com is another possible choice.
Rapid Remover is a spray on product ( Amazon) that is designed to remove graphics. I have used it on a pool border and it worked really well at removing all the adhesive. when I start removing graphics on 5er i will start with this .

[dcowie]

Is your front decal the same as the one on my 2005 Montana?

If so, I have the front decal that Keystone provided many moons ago.
It is in storage in Maine.
Not sure if there are any other decals in the box, but I could find out.

If you want to pursue this further contact me offline.

doucow@gmail.com

[JimKrieger]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

Yes, it does have an electric side to the water heater. You turn it on via the switch inside the outer cover (a black rocker switch in the lower left corner). There is no inside switch for the electric side. If it doesn't work, then we can help you figure out why.

I love my 2006 3400RL. Last year the electric side of my water heater quit. Being too busy with community service research, I decided to only use the propane side, turning it on for a short time, each morning instead of immediately changing out the heater's electric element. The heater's great insulation keeps it very warm all day. For an evening hot shower, I just turn it on for a short while. The propane water heater switch is on the stairway wall, next to the switch for the pump circulating water out of the 60 gallon water tank for use when there is no shore water hookup. I have learned a ton about this year and model over 4 years of ownership and would be happy to share anytime.

[Wheelhouse]

What do you need?? I have a 2007 3500RL

[3 fingers]

Originally Posted by Matthew Boatman

Interested if anyone has painted over decals or is it cheaper to buy new as mine have shrunk up and faded?

we ended up removing our decals and spent the money for new ones. Went to a sign shop and they took pics and compare generated same design with different colors. The made the decals 3/8 of an inch bigger so it would cover the fading of paint from 2006 to 2014. Was better than what I had and looked good other than the colors were off but that was our doings.
Buy from Montana you get the same crap they came with and they would have to be right on to cover the faded paint. good luck.

[Derby6]

Interesting thread. Full body paint is pricey, but maybe worth it when buying new units.
If not I still feel better since that’s what mine came with. LOL
I’m sure that assisted in momma saying that’s the one. Buy it now.