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752 20th Ave., Paterson NJ 07504 T: 973-278.1444 F: 973-278-8332 |
Marge Joy is just that: a joy! Coming into a room, into a campground or a repair shop, she brings life with her. Her posture and her attitude are erect and positive. After many years as a bookkeeper/controller for a major local freight carrier she understands the difference between a low price and a good value. But Marge was less than happy with the front end damage to her RV so she turned to Valtek for help. Could they replace the no longer available bumper and restore some luster to the RV where she had spent so many happy hours?
With her late husband, Charlie, she had enjoyed traveling around in their deluxe Monaco coach. As RVers, they put on lots of miles and made lots of friends. Early on, they had a fender bender in the 40 foot long coach but had no idea where to have it fixed. A relative, Jody Joy, knew they would be concerned about quality and value, so he recommended Valtek in Paterson. The construction equipment Valtek had painted for him two years before had proven the lasting quality of work well done.
Specializing in large vehicle repair since 1992, Valtek is famous for fixing and repainting fire truck bodies. Valtek also repairs luxury coaches as well as commercial trucks, cranes and other equipment. Five years after that first fender bender, Charlie was gone, and after a year of worrying about learning to drive the big rig, Marge decided to resume enjoying life on the road. Now she travels regularly to RV rallies in the Mid-Atlantic region. She’s got a friend riding “shotgun” and they are known as the Grand Dames of the RV rally set. Like Charlie, she’s had a few minor mishaps while learning the dimensions of her RV. Eventually the fiberglass bumper in the front gave up, the air dam had been scraped and she wanted things repaired.
Valtek knew there would be more minor bumps and dings that normal RV use can bring. The front bumper and lower nose trim are often the first items to announce a motor home has made contact with debris, a rutted road bed, stump or pole.
Marge’s damaged bumper couldn’t be replaced; it’s no longer made. Valtek could repair it structurally, but a full cosmetic repair would be very expensive and would still leave it prone to new damage. While newer coaches often have a transparent plastic film applied to the front face of the coach to reduce minor appearance damage and wear from bugs and pebbles, that material must be applied to an undamaged, almost new surface.
Valtek suggested that she consider Abuseproof™ to minimize appearance faults and to strengthen and protect the repair. A tough polyurethane material, Valtek has used Abuseproof™ as a truck bed liner, fender and battery tray protector and on other vehicle surfaces where scuffing, paint chipping or heavy wear are a problem. Remaining flexible and wear resistant, Abuseproof™ stands up to fingernails, flying gravel, many corrosive chemicals, tossed tools, and can even provide a nonskid surface or a complimentary color if desired.
Blending in with Marge’s original black front grill, Valtek reconstructed and strengthened the bumper, then applied black Abuseproof™ to extend the theme to the areas in the front most likely to be harmed. It gives extra durability to the bumper and lower nose, makes for easy maintenance and looks pretty sharp.
With her improved RV, Marge headed off to a weekend rally, taking her own brand of “living large” on the road.