Cleaning the outside of RV

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Conquest aka Robert

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Joined
Apr 24, 2011
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613
Location
IL
Does anyone know a good product to put some shine on my graphics after the TX sun beat on them they are very faded. Also what would work for the awning it has a white strip near the top and it looks like its been rolled up since 1996 kind of a brown color.
 
There isn't much to be done with the graphics - they are just plain faded out and there is nothing underneath to buff up.  A nice "showroom" wax may put a shine on them for a day or so, but it won't last much longer than that. You  are looking at removing the old decals and applying new custom ones or better yet, painting on new striping.
 
So BIG bucks for pin striping or just leave well enough alone. Thats going to be a tough call. Well Faded it is then.
 
This probably won't help.  But I started washing the cars and motorhome with that new car wash stuff with nanobeads in it.  I also add some jetdry to the water.  They look like they have been waxed after that.  Wax might help some.
 
I have an uncle named Nano.  I shall contact him and see if he invented it.  I betcha he did but won't admit it 'cause he'd have to share the profits. Uncle nanobead?
 
We use Turtle Wax ICE (Liquid Synthetic Car Polish) on the plastic cladding on our Chevy Avalanche with fantastic results. It unifies the color and actually makes it shine as where no other product I've tried accomplishes the task. I realize your decals are not the same material but if it can revive plastic cladding maybe it can revive decals?
 
Dar;

Any product I try will be less costly than replacing the graphics, Off to wally world for some ICE.
 
conquest said:
Dar;
Any product I try will be less costly than replacing the graphics, Off to wally world for some ICE.

Good point. Let us know how it works. I did just check the bottle and it does specifically mention vinyl and plastic so just maybe.......

 
Gary RV Roamer said:
There isn't much to be done with the graphics - they are just plain faded out and there is nothing underneath to buff up.  A nice "showroom" wax may put a shine on them for a day or so, but it won't last much longer than that. You  are looking at removing the old decals and applying new custom ones or better yet, painting on new striping.
Tried removing the graphics once myself believe me it is a job from hell that no one in their right mind would want to tackle. JMHO
 
Conquest,

I have an '83 coach and the stripes are way past tired and done on it. We bought the '83 to get into RV'ing as inexpensively as possible with plans to upgrade later. So, it made no sense to me to pay thousands to have the stripes replaced. On the other hand, I didn't want to have the faded/chipped/peeling stipes to look at every day. A while back I read on here a suggestion of spray painting over the existing stripes. Hmm, hard to imagine it could look worse and a can of spray paint was a cheap test.

I taped the edges of the stripes with blue masking tape and bought a couple cans of spray paint. I lightly sanded the stripe with 220 sand paper, wiped it down with acetone and sprayed it with about 5 light coats of paint.

The results are not bad - not as good as a couple thousands dollars would have done, but not bad at all. I am very happy with the way it is going. Once I finish I will put some before and after photo's up on a thread. The main investment in this is time - it took me about 4 hours to tape one side of the coach - I figure about 16 hours of taping before I am done. Paint, tape, sandpaper and acetone will run about $35.

Frank
 
FrankNSharon said:
I have an '83 coach and the stripes are way past tired and done on it. We bought the '83 to get into RV'ing as inexpensively as possible with plans to upgrade later. So, it made no sense to me to pay thousands to have the stripes replaced. On the other hand, I didn't want to have the faded/chipped/peeling stipes to look at every day. A while back I read on here a suggestion of spray painting over the existing stripes. Hmm, hard to imagine it could look worse and a can of spray paint was a cheap test.

This is exactly how we started as well mine was a 84 southwind.
 
Here are some photo's of my "in-progress" painting of the stripes.

A series of the side not yet done and the side in progress. I have not done the caulking or trim and the smaller stripes yet, once I have all the larger stripes done those are next.

I also painted the fiberglass (?) wheel well trim pieces that had faded badly.

 

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I've got a '96 Foretravel that the vinyl graphics were badly faded and beginning to peel. Didn't help the peeling but a product called Polly-Glo out of Ft. Pierce, FL did the trick on the fading. It's been on over a year and tehy still look good. Get the kit with  the cleaner etc. and follow the directions. I mixed the cleaner 3 to 1. Should have mixed it 2 to 1 this first time to get rid of all oxidation. Totally satisfied. One kit did our 35 foot coach easily.
 
PolyGlow sound like the perfect thing to put some shine in my decals. Now I just have to convice the wife that it will. Maybe I can ask Santa to bring me a kit for Christmas.
 

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