2009 Forest-River Touch Up Paint (3 OEM Colors)

The 2009 Forest-River Vibe

Back in 2009, if you were pulling into a campsite in a Forest-River Motorhome, you weren't just vacationing-you were making a statement in "Earth Tones." This was the year of the sophisticated neutral. We've focused our collection on the true survivors of that era, the shades that defined the high-end highway look: Gold Metallic, Light Brown, and the ubiquitous Gloss Trim Black that held the whole aesthetic together. It was a time when your coach was meant to blend into the landscape, usually while you were parked by a lake trying to figure out how to work the new-fangled GPS.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the "Thin Paint Era." By 2009, the factory robots had gotten a little too good at their jobs, spraying layers just thick enough to pass inspection but thin enough to make a salty painter weep. On these Forest-River rigs, the clear coat is usually the first thing to surrender. You'll see it starting at the roofline or the front cap-what we call "delamination" or just plain peeling. Because these coats were applied with such "robot efficiency," once the clear starts to lift, it doesn't just flake; it sheds like a lizard. If your Gold Metallic is looking a bit "dusty" or white in the sun, that's not dirt-that's the clear coat waving the white flag.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up these 2009 finishes, remember the golden rule of the thin-coat era: build your layers slowly. This isn't the thick lacquer of the 60s where you can just slap on a heavy coat and call it a day. If you "blob" the paint, it'll stand out like a sore thumb against the factory-thin profile. Use light, surgical passes to build the color, especially with that Gold Metallic. If you're dealing with a peeling edge, feather it back with a fine abrasive first; otherwise, the new paint will just highlight the "shelf" where the old clear ended. Patience is your best friend here-don't try to win the race in one coat.