ZEP with or without decals? Before or After?

I used the ZEP as a last resort last spring. No amount of polishing then waxing with a buffer would last more than a few months on my badly faded front cap. The local body shop was too busy to paint it before we left on a long trip so I tried the ZEP...3 hours and 5 coats later the front cap still looks awesome. In my situation I had nothing to lose by trying the ZEP and I'm glad I did.

I'd like to see some pictures of the Zep product /fails from those who say it /fails in those various states of failure, please?

I agree on not using ZEP wax. At least not in the desert southwest. The sun causes the zep to peel off badly making your motorhome look terrible. I am in the process of removing it now and it does not come off easily even with the ZEP stripper. I wish I had never applied it in the first place.

dacostadesigns wrote:
I guess, I was concerned that the decals would "over adhere" to the porous dry gelcoat, and that the decals would look weird if I applied zep over them, or have a bonding issue to the surface of the decals. I suppose, I could avoid applying the zep to the surface of the decals.

The Zep will go over the decals just fine. Just sponge on a coat every year to keep your unit and decals looking fresh. Apply decals to bare fiberglass, then sponge on a couple three coats of Zep, and you're good to go!

If you're worried about Zep, you can always use PoliGlow- made for that use.

For my decals (on filon) I used a razor in a blade holder. I scraped about 1/4 to 1/2" of the stripe at a time. Dont try to remove the whole width of the blade at once, it will cause it to bite into the surface. A heat gun may help soften the vinyl, but I found it wasnt necessary. Then the best for removing the remaining glue was xylene.
I have a c class and did use a rubber wheel on the painted cab surface, but it is more of a PIA. It was messy and time consuming. It did work on the softer paint, but I cant imagine doing a whole rig with one - or several wheels. I still used the xylene to clean up the residue.

For the OP; I'd be interested in hearing more about how you got your decals off. I need to redo mine soon but I have an aluminum trailer.

Use a 3M eraser wheel on a cordless drill and a heat gun. I did a 34' Coachmen this way last year and it worked great.

OFDPOS wrote:
Some have had a good experience with the zep others haven't.

I'm sure robatthelake and myself will get flamed here, BUT I totally agree with not using it !

Alot of times the gelcoat shine can be brought back with a good DA buffer !

Go on youtube and type in removing/replacing decals alot of good advise and of coarse some lame ...

I've never worked with the Zep before , but I would think you would still have to clean/prep the surface to put it on.
Doing that your half way there , might as well just put the decals on then put a couple coats of wax on and your done.

I could just see the Zep turning yellow or peeling after awhile !

Why do you think you would get flamed for having a different opinion? Buffing the old finish is obviously a proven way to get back to the original shine. My position is: Some people aren't able to use a buffer anymore and you can certainly damage the surface with a power buffer very easily if inexperienced. An orbital buffer might be a better way to go...slower, but still effective and alot safer. The Zep method is a safe way to achieve a really great shine also and most anyone can apply it. Preparation is the key to achieving success with the Zep application. Different strokes.......

OFDPOS wrote:
Some have had a good experience with the zep others haven't.

I'm sure robatthelake and myself will get flamed here, BUT I totally agree with not using it !

Alot of times the gelcoat shine can be brought back with a good DA buffer !

Go on youtube and type in removing/replacing decals alot of good advise and of coarse some lame ...

I've never worked with the Zep before , but I would think you would still have to clean/prep the surface to put it on.
Doing that your half way there , might as well just put the decals on then put a couple coats of wax on and your done.

I could just see the Zep turning yellow or peeling after awhile !

There are plenty of really good Marine Gel Coat products out there that are good for your RV. Use them.

For the OP; I'd be interested in hearing more about how you got your decals off. I need to redo mine soon but I have an aluminum trailer.

My experience having used a machine buffer and the Zeps is try to bring back the oxidized gel coat surface first with a buffer. If you can't then use the Zeps. The Zeps will adhere to a rough surface much better than a smooth surface. It will want to peel and flake if the surface is smooth or applied to thick. Up until my MH was 16 years old I could still hand polish it with a lot of effort. Two years ago I applied the Zeps and it still looks good. Some folks in AZ for example say it is effected by the hot sun and will yellow and flake. Machine buffing is a lot of work to bring back the shine and you have to be careful not to burn through the gel coat. The front and rear caps have a thicker gel coat maybe .020. The sides especially older Filon are very thin, you can actually see the fiber pattern through the resin. You don't want to expose the fibers buffing the surface. My conclusion at 68 years old and two repaired rotator cuffs the the Zeps was easier. If I was 48 I would try machine polishing with a good cutting compound first then a polishing compound followed by a good wax.