Waxing

ferndaleflyer wrote:
They used to call the Zep stuff "Red Max 3" at Lowes. I did my 38ft DP with it 3 years ago and it still shines very well and I drive it 5000mi+ every year and it sits outside all the time.....You got to put at least 4 coats on it for the near perfect shine taking your time to not have runs or bubbles. And it must be perfectly clean, no streaks, before you start.....The trick is to take your time and do it right. You will be amazed at how easy it is and how good it looks when done. Damn a bunch of sanding, polishing, waxing, buffing. I'll take my easy shine any day.

Yeah, right.

Heard from a couple of ZEP folks about when they had to strip the old ZEP off.

Seems that the stripper was designed to be applied to FLOORS, so when it's used on RVs, the stripper has to be applied several times (because gravity makes it flow off the sides of an RV). A real PITA.

Also heard that if applied too much, the stripper is powerful enough to start dissolving things.

Easy shine? I think not. I'll stick with Meguiars.

They used to call the Zep stuff "Red Max 3" at Lowes. I did my 38ft DP with it 3 years ago and it still shines very well and I drive it 5000mi+ every year and it sits outside all the time.....You got to put at least 4 coats on it for the near perfect shine taking your time to not have runs or bubbles. And it must be perfectly clean, no streaks, before you start.....The trick is to take your time and do it right. You will be amazed at how easy it is and how good it looks when done. Damn a bunch of sanding, polishing, waxing, buffing. I'll take my easy shine any day.

I'm doing my cap now. I had the ZEP, won't do that again. I started with 600 grit wet sanding with a continuous water spray, then 1500 grit wet same way. You'll start to see the shine once it drys after the 1500. Polishing compound and I'm applying it by hand with a 1/2" thick dampened white felt pad. At this point it beaded up in a rain we just had. Next step I'm going to apply Meguire's Synthetic Sealant which I use on my truck.

The sun kills GelCoat. But only the outside layer. As a fiberglass repair tech for Dixie Boats. I brought many faded boats back from the dead. And the easiest way to do it. 400 grit water paper.

Get some 400 grit water paper, and a soft wooden block. Balsa wood works great. Cut the paper to wrap part way around the wood. Dip it in water and rub. Not too long in one spot. Don't go thru the gelcoat. Its only 1/8 inch or so thick.The Gel Coat will begin to shine. Then buff with a super fine compound, and wax. It should look like new once you get the top layer od oxidation off.

Do NOT use just your hand behind the paper. You will sand finger prints into the glass. Have to use a block to keep it smooth.

Consider the Zep process. I know its a floor treatment, but myself, and several others here have done it on older fiberglass that has oxidized, and the shine is amazing.

Edit: Lots of naysayers, as above, but I honestly don't recall anyone here who has done it that wishes they hadn't. Your call.

I would have an experienced RV detailer come out and take care of it.

Then it's easy for you to maintain from then on.

We did that with our RV 4 years ago, he was able to bring it back to life. It looked like it did when it was brand new.

I've used the spray car wash solution with wax each year since and it still looks new.
http://www.turtlewax.com/shop/products/turtle-wax-quick-easy-zip-wax-car-wash-wax-64-oz

There are many products made for boats that work well but that is if it is a gel coat fiberglass with decals. If it has a full body paint than I would use a clay bar to remove any oxidation/debris and then a good quality CLEAR COAT safe cleaner/polish to bring back the shine. Do it in the shade and only do a few square feet at a time.

I am sure that the interior floor wax proponents will be here soon to tell you everything good about floor polish on your RV.

buffer and rubbing compound maybe?

Check out what guys do for Corvettes, should be safe for us. That's my plan but my 2 cents isn't worth much.