rv exterior shine

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Just remember, Richard, there is virtually no back-breaking labor involved.

  Start with a clean RV, wipe or brush on the solution ( a few ounces per pail of water). Then rinse it off, doing a section at a time, and that's it. No rubbing at all, the chemical just adheres the the fiberglas and other surfaces by itself. You can do the whole thing in 1/2 hour. Sure works for me.
  The new stuff should be better than StopWax, it is more concentrated.

  I'll be using it after I run out of the old stuff.

carson, FL





 
Carson - I know there's another thread on this, but since we're talking about it here... before you started using your regular applications of Stop Wax, you had your MH finish pretty cleaned up already right?  I know you had the bottom section repainted and the rest as de-oxidized as possible?  It seems that there's always some elbow grease involved in the initial oxidation removal, and after that maybe Stop Wax or a similar product can help the exterior stay nice looking.
 
Scotty and Richard, let me see if I can cover everything, as I know it.

  The product claims it can be used on any surface. In fact it contains material that is also present in ClearCoat. It contains no silicon, which was a bane of polishes of yore. It fills the pores in oxidized surfaces with a micro-film of the polymer.
  Re preparation: I simply made sure all the surface dirt was washed off first with just water. I hadn't used a typical car wash, with wax in it, for some time, so the surface was quite virgin. Every time you wash with pure water most of the oxidization washes off anyway. If your rig has recently been waxed (beautified)  there will be no need to rush into this project. I simply used a soft brush on a handle to apply the solution following the directions on the bottle. It can also be applied with a sponge (sponge mop).

  When I did mine, I actually missed a section near the top. That spot was highly noticeable after everything dried. Guess that is proof that the stuff is doing the job. Now after many months that spot is still visible. I'll get it next time, and that's in the Florida sunshine.

  I would not hesitate to use it (I have) on any of my cars, no matter how good they look. Best of all, after I did my roof, white streaks are a thing of the past. I think an application once a year should suffice.

Best I can do for now..

carson FL  88.3?



 
 
Every time you wash with pure water most of the oxidization washes off anyway.

You and I must be talking about something different with the term "oxidation", Carson. I've never seen it wash off with water.

Polymer-based polishes are widely available - the DriWash N Guard that many RVForum members use is one.
 
Good point, Gary  ...  but,

  Water does not restore the surface, just cleans it. When you see milky white stuff coming off, that is oxidized material (That's what causes the streaks when it rains). So it takes the surface stuff off and allows the polymer to penetrate better on what is remaining. That is all I am after.

  I'll bet that my stuff is a lot cheaper than DriWash. it takes 4 ounces per 2 gal pail. That pail will do the whole rig.

  Glad to get a counter-point. Was wondering when that would happen.

Good to hear from you.

carson FL

 
Water does not restore the surface, just cleans it. When you see milky white stuff coming off, that is oxidized material (That's what causes the streaks when it rains). So it takes the surface stuff off and allows the polymer to penetrate better on what is remaining. That is all I am after.

We are definitely talking about different stuff then. In my experience, the milky stuff on the surface that washes off is usually crud from the roof that has run down the sides. Trust me, actual oxidized fiberglass (or even paint, for that matter) does not simply wash off with water. It is part of the surface and has to be removed with an abrasive compound. Basically it is sanded off, though with a very fine grit polish.
 
I use this product for my fiberglass trailer and my cars. It is a little pricey, but nothing I have ever used can come close to the protection and durability. For my trailer I use just the "CS", for my vehicles I use the CS on top of the Z2 polish. What I like most is that it does not flash / haze, so no problem with it touching black plastic. As a matter of fact it is recommended for plastics, glass, rubber etc. And it works as advertised. For the trailer, I put one coat in the spring, and one coat in the fall. For the vehicles I put it between the spring and fall application of the Z2 for added protection. Application to the trailer takes about 30 minutes, and I cover everything including glass.
 
carson, tks for the info and website on lustrelab. I just looked at the product and want to give it a shot. How far will one bottle go, it's $19.95 perbottle and I was thinking about ordering two, to be safe. tks
 
Hi herd,

  That price is for is for a 32 ounce bottle. The old stuff Stopwax used 4 ounces per 2 gallon of water. I presume that the Lustrelab stuff will be the same or better; it is stronger.

  I pail will do my whole RV easily. That means you could get 8 treatments out of it. Not a bad deal.

The cost is 19.95 plus a shipping charge from the factory. Maybe it is available locally in some areas. They told me that it is not available in stores in my area (zip 34461).

  Go for it.

carson FL

 
Starbrite is a brand name for a variety of different cleaner and polishing products as well as accessories for boats and RVs. Which one of Starbrite's products are you referring to?

http://www.starbrite.com/catalog.cfm
 
I once used aircraft polish #90116 on very faded and chalked red and blue on an aircraft.  The finish came out almost like new.  I recently purchased some RV #75732 for my fifth wheel, and although I have tried only a small area, seems to work just as well.
 
With all the talk about restoration, what is one to do to keep a new finish looking new?  I wash every month and have just completed a full paste wax of the entire body/roof (ouch...my arms are killing me).  My rig is mostly white and brown with colored decals, although I assume the white fiberglass is gel-coated given that it is a 2009 model.  Is that a safe assumption?

Christian
 
We use DriWash N Guard on the Eagle and did so on the Bounder.  The Bounder looked like new when we traded it in and the Eagle still look like new.
 
Christian, just my input here.  If your coach has a full paint job, covered with Clearcoat, I wouldn't worry too much.  I happen to have an old Minivan, 1996 with Clearcoat and it is just like it came out of the factory. I only wash it once in a while, when I get ambitious with ordinary carwash soap.. I don't know how to improve on it.

  If yours has gelcoat, that may be a different story, but I doubt that is the case.

Waxing Clearcoat ain't helping at all.  Modern technology at work.

carson

 
carson said:
Christian, just my input here.  If your coach has a full paint job, covered with Clearcoat, I wouldn't worry too much.  I happen to have an old Minivan, 1996 with Clearcoat and it is just like it came out of the factory. I only wash it once in a while, when I get ambitious with ordinary carwash soap.. I don't know how to improve on it.

   If yours has gelcoat, that may be a different story, but I doubt that is the case.

Waxing Clearcoat ain't helping at all.   Modern technology at work.

carson

It definitely isn't full body paint.  There are sections that are painted, but the rest looks like white fiberglass.  I am not sure, however, if it is gelcoated (I assume it is).  I'll dig up some pictures...

it is the top color shown here:

http://www.winnebagoind.com/products/winnebago/2009/sightseer/graphics.php


 
Christian, Gel coat is not the same as Clear-Coat.. Gelcoat is part of the structure of the panels when they build the coach.. Think sailboat, made in one or two pieces and gelcoat is applied before they actually manufacture the hull, the first layer in the mold. I don't think that happens in RV's often. I may be wrong. Chances are that even the white area is painted, with ClearCoat added after all the paint is applied.

  Someone please step in and tell me I'm all wet.

carson FL


 
I understand the way gel-coat is applied to the "template" or mold for the panel, usually with the color embedded so the final product is "bonded" to the fiberglass (or more accurately, the fiberglass is embedded in the gel).

I had assumed that all modern fiberglass panels were made this way, with some getting paint after the fact.  I could be wrong (wouldn't be a new thing)...the Winnebago web site says that the standard surface for my unit is "Premium Smooth High-gloss Skin" which means nothing to me.  Anyone able decipher that sales-speak?
 
The sidewalls in most RVs are constructed onsite with a vacuum-bonding process using panels and a skin supplied by an outside vendor, mostly one or another subsidiary of Corning Glass. They are not molded fiberglass like a boat hull, so there is no gel coat per se. I've watched the process once at the Tiffin factory, but it was never clear how they get the smooth skin on the sidewall even though it is built up from synthetic panels roughly the size of plywood sheets.

On the other hand, the front and rear caps and bay doors typically are molded, either onsite in the factory or at a nearby molding shop. They do have gel coat.
 
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