Waxing

Hershey beat me to it, but I agree that if someone had to remove the Zep/rmp then it wasn't applied correctly in the first place. In my case, my fiver was moderately oxidized when I purchased it used. I tried for 2 years to get a shine on thethe cap and back, using various waxes, oxidation removers, buffers, rubbing compounds, etc. without lasting results. After seeing pictures of results of red max pro (now Zep) I decided to try it, preparing the surface meticulously and applied 4 coats of rmp. I'm on my 4th season with it and have done nothing but wash it. It still looks much better than anything else I tried previously. It is due for a refresher coat or two.

I'm not trying to convince anyone; only sharing my EXPERIENCE with it. I've seen how it looks on my fiver. If you've not done the process or seen the results you really have no basis for knocking it. If your finish is in great shape and looks good, then obviously there is no reason to consider the process. Stick with your wax. I would too, but my finish was damaged, and it sounds like the op may be in a similar situation. Better to go with experience instead of 'heard from a friend of a friend the stuff is no good'.

I did the the whole Zep thing including the Bar Keepers Friend, TSP wash. It's just OK on the sides but the front cap is now horrible.

hershey wrote:
Meguires is an excellent wax and all I would ever use on my '57 Ford. But for a 14 year old dull MH, the Red Max (now Zep) process is the only thing left to give showroom results. Mine is on now for 3 years and I've had to redo the front cap twice (I;m pretty agressive on the bugs) and the entry door once (poor preparation on first attempt).
Suggest you do a search for Red Max Pro on this forum and decide. The only people who poo poo it is the people who haven't tried it.
I would not use it on a full bodied RV. Common sense should prevail.

What a load of BS.
Here we have a fiberglass repair tech posting the right way to bring the shine back to a new finish and still the floor wax people think that their coating is better than the "real thing."
You talk about how you have had to redo some areas and about poor prep and here is an expert telling you how it should be done, and you still say he has no common sense because you have used an interior floor product instead of doing the job right.
The facts are that common sense does keep SOME people from making a mistake. In your case, common sense failed, and you went with what you thought was the easy way out and you had to redo it twice in the last three years. Do it right....do it once.

I use 3M #3 rubbing compound and a variable speed buffer I wheel the entire coach until I get that like new finish at this point you need to seal the shine and I use Gel-Gloss to do that. It is a product made to specifically work on gel coat finishes. The Gel-Gloss needs to be reapplied after about 6-8 weeks but it is a simple wipe on wipe off product. My 22 year old MH shines like the day it was new with no wax on it so I have brought it back to the original finish. I have used nu-finish in the past with good results doing the same thing. The wheeling out only took place because I used the Red Max and after 2 years the coach started to yellow. I had to get the s**t off and the finish back it was a big job.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

hershey wrote:
Meguires is an excellent wax and all I would ever use on my '57 Ford. But for a 14 year old dull MH, the Red Max (now Zep) process is the only thing left to give showroom results. Mine is on now for 3 years and I've had to redo the front cap twice (I;m pretty agressive on the bugs) and the entry door once (poor preparation on first attempt).
Suggest you do a search for Red Max Pro on this forum and decide. The only people who poo poo it is the people who haven't tried it.
I would not use it on a full bodied RV. Common sense should prevail.

What a load of BS.
Here we have a fiberglass repair tech posting the right way to bring the shine back to a new finish and still the floor wax people think that their coating is better than the "real thing."
You talk about how you have had to redo some areas and about poor prep and here is an expert telling you how it should be done, and you still say he has no common sense because you have used an interior floor product instead of doing the job right.
The facts are that common sense does keep SOME people from making a mistake. In your case, common sense failed, and you went with what you thought was the easy way out and you had to redo it twice in the last three years. Do it right....do it once.

I don't think those that have used Zep or Red Max think it is better than going through the fiberglass restoration process. I believe that reading some of the solutions such as 400 grit, then 1500 grit, then rubbing compound then wax is way beyond what many would do. A 40' RV
is roughly 1000 sq ft of surface area. To do the 4 step process described here would require 4,000 sq ft of sanding, rubbing, polishing, and finally waxing vs., Zep which is simply wash and remove wax (TSP) then wipe on three or four coats of the Zep. I have done the Zep treatment, and it really does work well, IF you prep properly. If not, and there is residual wax on the RV before applying Zep, then it will flake off.

For what it is worth, the Zep stops water spotting and reduces "Bug" adhesion as well.

4,000 sq ft of sanding is simply too much for many.

2bzy2c wrote:

4,000 sq ft of sanding is simply too much for many.

I agree, but those that use the ZEP process never know until it is too late whether or not their prep was sufficient. If it wasn't, they get to do it all again. Also, the prep is a process that must be done, and must be done right, so it is not just as simple as putting on a coat of ZEP and you are done.
I have no doubt that some people are happy with ZEP but it is still not the right way to take care of a fiberglass gel coat. Of course, if people took care of their gel coat from when the coach was new, they would not have to worry about the oxidation to begin with. The oxidation and dull finish is what is left after years of neglect.
You may want to check your math again as a 40' coach has more like 1300 sq. ft. of surface IF you plan on doing the roof. For sanding the fiberglass sides, front, and rear caps, then you are closer to 900 sq. ft. Three or four coats of ZEP adds up to 2700 to 3600 sq ft of work also, plus the prep so there is not much of a labor savings.

I used the ZEP on a 24 yr old Motor home. Preped with Mr. clean magic erasers. It looked brand new. Kept the shine for three years till I sold the unit. I would do it again in a second. In fact I plan to do it to my new to me 2004.

Jeez, rgatijnet1, why the crusade against the Zep process? What's it to you? OP asked ."Can anyone recommend anything?" To deal with his finish problems. Zep is a process some like, as is the process of which you're a proponent. The OP has some options. Just like me, just like you. He'll decide what will work for him. Who cares which he chooses, as long as he's happy? Lighten up.

Protectall oxidation remover followed by a waxing

rgatijnet1 wrote:

hershey wrote:
Meguires is an excellent wax and all I would ever use on my '57 Ford. But for a 14 year old dull MH, the Red Max (now Zep) process is the only thing left to give showroom results. Mine is on now for 3 years and I've had to redo the front cap twice (I;m pretty agressive on the bugs) and the entry door once (poor preparation on first attempt).
Suggest you do a search for Red Max Pro on this forum and decide. The only people who poo poo it is the people who haven't tried it.
I would not use it on a full bodied RV. Common sense should prevail.

What a load of BS.
Here we have a fiberglass repair tech posting the right way to bring the shine back to a new finish and still the floor wax people think that their coating is better than the "real thing."
You talk about how you have had to redo some areas and about poor prep and here is an expert telling you how it should be done, and you still say he has no common sense because you have used an interior floor product instead of doing the job right.
The facts are that common sense does keep SOME people from making a mistake. In your case, common sense failed, and you went with what you thought was the easy way out and you had to redo it twice in the last three years. Do it right....do it once.

Me, I don't care. there is a reason I wax my vehicles, and take care of the GelCoat and paint.

However. For $100.00 per hour. I'll make the OPs look like new. It really blows my mind that people pay all this money for a nice RV, and then never take to the time to care for it, Or want to do it the "EASY" way. Got more money than sense I guess. But then. That's why the repair guy has a nice house, and his stuff always looks like new. Last summer I sold a 10 year old TT. And it looked as good as it did the day it was built. First people I told about it bought it. Their friends accused them of buying a brand NEW TT. Taking care of things ain't all that tough. Fixing them is way tougher.