First time fifth wheel owner. I bought a 2011 Copper Canyon. I am sure it sat outside for 3 years. I have washed & waxed it & it looks great except for the front. The front does not appear to be fiberglass & looks like plastic? The decals are fine but the plastic cap just does not look clean. I can rub it with my fingernail after washing & remove the dinginess down to a clean white. I have scrubbed & used several soaps & still can't get it off. I used Meguiars cleaner wax & the marine wax. It shines it but does not remove the dinginess or grime. Anyone have an idea what I can do to clean this before I wax it?

With your vin, bet you can call the mfg. or go online to their website and they may be able to give you the info 'straight from the horses mouth' :) :)With a new toy, always good to snoop around the mfg web site to see what you can find to help with your ownership experience !Is this your rv?others will be along to help with your particular model's finish type as I don't know it :) good luck !

I am surprised the Meguiars did not help since I believe it contains a petroleum distillate. That will usually cut through grease based dirt. A couple of cheap things to try would be lighter fluid/charcoal lighter/kerosene/diesel oil (whichever you have handy). Or, if that does not sound like something you want to try, go to a Dollar Tree store and buy their de-greaser for $1.If it is somehow minerals or chemicals from the rain, try a little vinegar.You could also try a Meguiar polishing compound. I saw a guy mix equal parts of Meguiar's cleaning wax and polishing compound that he applied with an ordinary (not high speed) buffing wheel. It did a heck of a job in one step.Just some thoughts off the top of my head.Let us know what finally does the trick.

Meguire's Ultimate Compound will probably remove the oxidation "scuz" on your front cap.Follow that up with a couple coats of RejeX.A random orbital polisher will do a much better job than you can do by hand.Go to AutoGeek.com for tips, tricks and products to solve your problems (no commercial interest).

Hope it is not plastic. Over the years plastic can turn very brittle. Not good.Try a small area with a fiberglass cleaner wax. If that works to deep clean & restore the finish, continue & then complete the job by giving it a coating of a good pure wax or sealant.

The Meguiars M4965 Fiberglass Restoration System is what I used to clean the cap on our trailer. It had a haze at the very top and has been waxed every spring and fall for 6 years .This stuff worked pretty well if you do the three steps. I think the haze in my case was from the sun. Not sure you would want to use a compound on it if it is fiberglass may put deep scratches in it.

Front Cap Cleaning | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

Veebyes
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2013
Looks like you might need a bigger hammer. If the cleaner wax combo did not do the job you may be needing to use a pure compound. They come in various grades of aggressiveness. I'd avoid the most aggressive. It is more for old neglected boats with thick gelcoats. RV gelcoats ten to be very thin so treat accordingly.
Rascally_Road_W
Explorer
Oct 06, 2013
The only way to tackle these oxidized caps is with a rotary polisher. If you haven't used one before, there's a learning curve to it. A rotary, some Presta Super Cut Compound or some Buff Magic will get the job done.

Follow through with some Megs #105 with a orbiter and you'll see your reflection in no time.
ksg5000
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2013
You might try using bar keepers friend and a little elbow grease. BBF is a non scratch cleansing powder used to clean old RV's prior to application of Red Max Pro - my experience is that it cleans just about anything.
pjtracer
Explorer
Aug 14, 2013
I tried some of the options mentioned last evening. Still nothing worked. It's only 3 years old but I am starting to think it's oxidation from the sun. I purchased a Griots orbial buffer & I am going to try the restoration system mentioned by Devo. I was hoping for something easy but nothing ever is :(
Thanks for all the suggestions.
ScottG
Nomad
Aug 13, 2013
I finally had mine painted. Not cheap but it looks better than new and the finish (2 part epoxy paint) is tough and easy to keep nice.
pjtracer
Explorer
Aug 13, 2013
Wow! Thanks for all the replies & advice. That was a lot very quickly.

JohnBoy that is my RV but that is the 2013 model & mine is 2011.
ksg5000
Explorer II
Aug 13, 2013
Suggest you use forum search feature and use term Red Max Pro - lots of threads. Great stuff for restoring finish. Key is to do good clean job on front end using Bar Keepers Friend.
Devocamper
Explorer
Aug 13, 2013
The Meguiars M4965 Fiberglass Restoration System is what I used to clean the cap on our trailer. It had a haze at the very top and has been waxed every spring and fall for 6 years .This stuff worked pretty well if you do the three steps. I think the haze in my case was from the sun. Not sure you would want to use a compound on it if it is fiberglass may put deep scratches in it.
Veebyes
Explorer II
Aug 13, 2013
Hope it is not plastic. Over the years plastic can turn very brittle. Not good.

Try a small area with a fiberglass cleaner wax. If that works to deep clean & restore the finish, continue & then complete the job by giving it a coating of a good pure wax or sealant.
drfife
Explorer
Aug 13, 2013
Meguire's Ultimate Compound will probably remove the oxidation "scuz" on your front cap.

Follow that up with a couple coats of RejeX.

A random orbital polisher will do a much better job than you can do by hand.

Go to AutoGeek.com for tips, tricks and products to solve your problems (no commercial interest).