Diamond Shield has mold

I just bought a 2013 PC 3100. It's in awesome shape except for the certain areas of the Diamond Shield on the front cap and mirrors.

When I bought it I taught it was the usual bug splatters. When I went to clean it I realized it was brown spots between the paint and Diamond Shield adhesive. I called the Diamond Shield representative and he told me it was mold caused by improper maintenance.  In doing some research on Diamond Shield I found that my mold had nothing to do with maintenance. It was caused by moisture getting between the glue and paint. It takes 5-8 years and there seems to be no reasonable way to prevent it. Sun damage can be prevented with continuous use of UV protectant. But mold prevention is much more difficult. The only answer the I've found is to remove the old Diamond Shield. That removal is time consuming and costly. And on the front cap it is almost impossible to get ladders in a safe position for removal of the Diamond Shield

Any advise would be appreciated from anyone on the forum in helping me solve my problem would be appreciated.

Mine to on a 2014.  Did they deny the “life time warranty”?

Hi zolman,

The Diamond shield is extremely hard to remove once it has dried, cracked, and turned brown.  But yours still being soft, should come off a lot easier.  I would call Diamond Shield again with their recommended removal process.

As far as reaching the front cap, what comes to mind is renting or buying scaffolding.  Check out Menards and Home Depot.  I recall Menards selling a home-owner version reasonably priced, but be mindful of the dimensions for bridging over the van hood.  You will need to brace one side of the scaffolding to fit the van under it so plan on a chain or cable across the bottom (maybe also the top) to keep that long side proper.

Not the same problem, but close. I have mold spots in and under the silicone caulk on the fender joints and the bottom of the slide.  Not sure I want to tackle trying to remove and replace silicone from painted surfaces.  The worst part is our RV is only a year old and is hand washed at least once a month or more.  It just looks tacky.

Ours had mold growing under the silicone on the wheel well. Looked bad.  When we went to the factory last year I mentioned it and they fixed it. They removed the moldy silicone, cleaned, and reapplied.
Well now I see more mold growing on the silicone that's on the doors. The area that they fixed is still looking great.  This tells me that it's an issue during construction. 

Just a follow up on my mold issue with diamond shield.

I just got a bid from Diamond Shield in Elkhart to remove all the Diamond Shield for $480.

Good to know. Thanks for the update.
I wonder if it's even worth having Diamond Shield put on when it's built.

Just a follow up on my mold issue with diamond shield.

I just got a bid from Diamond Shield in Elkhart to remove all the Diamond Shield for $480.

That sounds like a good deal as long as they clean everything up right and buff the paint to a good shine.

I wonder if that price is for removing it from every surface, everywhere on the vehicle, or just from the B+ cap.

The bid from Diamond Shield included the mirrors, hood and front cap. I've already taken it off the smaller areas around the door handles. The mold is the worse on the lighter grey areas that was directly facing the front of the RV.

What will be interesting is how they will remove the Diamond Shield without effecting the Phoenix Cruiser decal (I'm assuming it's not painted on) on the front cap

Here is a picture that you can zoom in on to see the mold. But to see how bad it really looks refer to my original post.

So, did they say anything about the “lifetime warranty “?

No one mentioned a lifetime warranty. I first called the Diamond Shield main office in New York and later sent them pictures. They claimed that the previous owner did not follow the proper maintenance procedures??? There is no proper maintenance for mold like there is for sun damage. My Diamond Shield has no sun damage

Being the third owner I'm just glad it will only cost under $500 dollars to get the "crap" removed. From reading about it on other forums after 2-3 years it is nothing but trouble. The company claims proper maintenance is using their pricey sun protectorate once a month. That's not a simple job on the front cap of a RV like the Phoenix Cruiser. And there is no suggested maintenance for mold. Most forum owners claim it was is a improper gluing application that allowed moisture get between the Diamond Shield and the paint.

No one mentioned a lifetime warranty. I first called the Diamond Shield main office in New York and later sent them pictures. They claimed that the previous owner did not follow the proper maintenance procedures??? There is no proper maintenance for mold like there is for sun damage. My Diamond Shield has no sun damage

Being the third owner I'm just glad it will only cost under $500 dollars to get the "crap" removed. From reading about it on other forums after 2-3 years it is nothing but trouble. The company claims proper maintenance is using their pricey sun protectorate once a month. That's not a simple job on the front cap of a RV like the Phoenix Cruiser. And there is no suggested maintenance for mold. Most forum owners claim it was is a improper gluing application that allowed moisture get between the Diamond Shield and the paint.

The "Diamond Shield" on our PC has mold and is also peeling off in places. Is Diamond Shield related to Tru-Coat?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2LLB9CGfLs

Is Diamond Shield related to Tru-Coat?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2LLB9CGfLs

Ha, Ha, Ha!!!!!!!!

"Tru-Coat" in the movie, "Etched Security Glass" in our case with our 2014 Nissan Altima.  Funny that it was the exact same $300 too.  The price on the phone versus the price in-person had an identical storyline.  Change the names and faces and it's the exact same scene.  In my case, Irene broke down and accepted paying the extra $300.  It was my turn to give that "owl stare" at her for a change.  I should have sent her to the waiting room during negotiations.  OTD was supposed to be $25,000, instead it was $25,300.....and it took an hour of negotiations to get it down to that originally quoted price +$300.

Buying our PC was a totally opposite experience, a real joy to work with East Acres RV back in 2007.