Wax or Polish?

We have a new Winnebago 31KE, the dealer provided an "exterior sealant" of some sort to protect the finish and graphics as part of the deal.  Sounds a bit like snake oil, but FWIW, will this really protect the coaches exterior from sun damage?

We're not really sure what this is and in conjunction with the "protection" should we be able to polish or wax the exterior of our coach? If so, which is better a polish or standard car wax?

 

NuFinish for ease of use.  McGuires RV marine wax for long lasting shine

Last spring Mar 2017 we used NuFinish on our 9 year old in good shape TT, it cleaned all the oxidation off and shined it up like new and the we left it over the summer and fall in Yuma AZ and when we came back in Nov it was still looking like new. 

We had it washed and polished in spring 2014 and took it home to Iowa for a year and a half and only washed once just prior to coming back to Yuma in Jan 2017. 

Try Poli Glow. Originally for boats, great for rv's. More work than some but lasts a long time.
John

"exterior sealant" basically means they "waxed" it, but nearly all vehicle & marine wax products these days are synthetics rather than actual wax. If they are a liquid, they are surely synthetic and qualify as a sealant.  If you wanted 100% real wax, it would be paste-like and you probably to buy a specialty product to get it.  The coating the dealer applied should be good for the coming season at least, and may be one of the "5 year" products (take that with a grain of salt, though).

I'm guessing you have the vanilla Vista coach, which does not have full body paint. Is that right?  The surface is basically fiberglass with decals for trim.  Since your rig is new, you don't really need anything with "polish" in it because there is nothing that needs to be polished off [yet].  Just use a good grade of automotive or marine "wax" in a bottle.  I like Protect-All, but there are many excellent products e.g. Meguiar's RV/Marine Wax, NuFinish or Turtlewax Ice.

The "Exterior Sealant"  Is likely something like a Gel-Coat or Clear Coat.

WAX is a product that sticks to the RV (or Floor) it makes it slippery. Improving MPG, (YOu might be surprised at how much) and making it look shiney.

POLISH is a mild abrasive. IF you have any kind of Sealant or Clear coat or Gel coat.. Kind of contraindicated. 

That said. Many products are Mislabeled.


Gary gave good advice.. I use either Constitutional comments email! or Turtle Wax ICE. I kind of like ICE Most folks do not think my RV is 13 years old (and that included a technician working on it recently) as I wax it spring and fall. In about 3 weeks in fact. Full wash and wax.. Then an 800 Mile Trip (Did I mention MPG improvement). Then in six months.. A full wash and wax and another 800 mile trip back to where I am now  (See how I time it).

I use either Constitutional comments email! or Turtle Wax ICE.

What, pray tell , is Constitutioal comments email? Does it leave a high gloss shine on your coach?

ChasA said:

I use either Constitutional comments email! or Turtle Wax ICE.

What, pray tell , is Constitutioal comments email? Does it leave a high gloss shine on your coach?

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X2 !

To answer your question if you, and it sounds like you are particularly on a new unit a good marine or RV sealant or wax is the correct product to use.  You will only want to use a polish to rid the surface of minor imperfections and very minor oxidation.  Because polish offers no protection, you would need to follow up with a sealant or wax.  As Gary said sealants and most liquid products are synthetic including waxes, though some include Carnuba which has been used in waxes for years.  With sealants there are sealants and then there are sealants on steroids.  The typical over the counter sealants will typically last, depending on environmental conditions, 6-months to a year properly applied.  Then there are what are sometimes referred to as permanent sealers, which really is a misnomer and can be misleading.  The difference is they have very expensive chemical - synthetic chemistry, are a little more tricky to apply requiring a fair amount of prep work and while not permanent, will last 2-years plus.  I applied a permanent sealer on my truck 2.5 years ago and it is still holding up very well.  If your dealer is honest and indeed applied what they said and it was expensive, it is likely a so called permanent sealer.  Permanent sealers do not require any follow up sealing and or waxing, until they begin to wear off, though you can apply a sealer or wax of your choosing without any harm, but frankly is not worth the effort because they are so good.  I would ask your dealer for the name of the product, how long it is expected to last.  Better yet, find out the name of the product and do some Google searches to learn what the product consists of and how long it is expected to last.  For my rigs the two products I have had the best and outstanding performance from are MeGuiars Flagship Marine and also Collonite, both have not only produced outstanding shines but the protection has lasted longer than other products I have used.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

I'm guessing you have the vanilla Vista coach, which does not have full body paint. Is that right?...
...I like Protect-All, but there are many excellent products e.g. Meguiar's RV/Marine Wax, NuFinish or Turtlewax Ice.

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Yes, we have the tupperware, um, fiberglass vanilla coach.    We like it, got a great deal on it, meets our needs and provide much more room vs. our previous Class C.  I do have Meguiar's on board and did the front and part of a side today, looks good.  Always been happy with Meguiar products.  Thanks.