ZEP/Red Max Pro

I would be curious of the age and condition of the exterior surface of the MH's that Zeps was applied to and folks had problems with peeling. Acrylic as well as most materials do not adhere to very smooth or non porous surfaces. The strongest adhesives on the market need to have the surfaces sanded and solvent cleaned to get the adhesive to adhere. A highly oxidized porous surface of an older MH is a good surface for the Acrylic to soak into and adhere well. That why folks say it needs 3-4 coats, If one coat makes it look shiny it is probably not porous enough to adhere well. I read about folks putting it on a 5 year old MH and think unless it has not been taken care of it is not ready for the Acrylic floor wax.

The material underneath is completely irrelevant. ZEP is sticking to the paint, not the aluminum. My coach is painted with acrylic paint, which is the same thing gel coat is made from. Acrylic is a pretty popular paint on an older coach and probably a safe bet.

I did mine about 2 years ago and it is fine.

If you do a search you will find that many users have had very good luck using it. Its not the only product that will give great results, its just one of the products that will give great results. But in answer to your question. I applied Red Max Pro to the basement doors on my 2001 MH 3 years ago and they came out looking great and still do look great.
With your MH being primarily metal, I'm assuming you've tried a good wax application? Meguires is a very good product that should give very good results. Thats all I used on my '57 Ford for years and of course it was inside all its later life, I couldn't have been happier with my results. Suggest you try a small panel for a self test and make up your own mind as to its worth. Do a similar panel close by with a good wax/polish and compare after a period of time.

I just bought the RV and know my Sgt waxed it last year but it looks rough again. I'm not opposed to doing the unit once a year I just want the most bang for my work. It's going to be an all day affair I'm sure so I want the absolute best results. I've had very good luck with Meguires in the past and it's my first choice for my car and truck. I've done a little research int NuFinish also and am considering that.

My mother hated it when the floor wax turned yellow and we had to strip the floor and rewax it.

Just warning you- it is a bit*h to get off.
Mine yellowed and starting pealing and didn't adhere to the vinyl striping.
I'm now trying to get it off after removing the striping and it ain't coming off easy.

I guess like anything else you have "experts" that know how bad it is that never used it. On the other hand, just like about any product, some like it and some don't. Not worth getting your shorts in a knot over. I got good results and I like it better than the alternative----a lot more money and a lot more work. But prep it right.

robsouth wrote:
I called the company (Zep) and a rep told me that the product is NOT designed to be used in an outdoor environment on any surface and specifically did not recommend it on fiberglass or metal that would be exposed to the weather. It is for various types of indoor floors that can be "heat" buffed regularly. Then he said, read the bottle for directions for use and they would assume no responsibility for any use not prescribed. I know a lot have used it, but, down the road somewhere, they will probably wish they had not. JMHO!

BINGO!! Ive never in my life have I seen to many people want to use a product for something it was never intended for. FLOOR WAX on the outside of an RV.

Dont on my coach for sure........Use a product that was intended for "autos"

FWIW, I used the RMP3 4 years ago,(before ZEP) still looks good, no yellowing and only flaking was on the top of the front cap. My fault- it was hard to get to and prep. That area has now held up nicely for 3 years..

One of the reasons people like ZEP is that it is a harder finish than any other product you can buy including those products designed for automotive use. Because of the hard finish, it washes off much easier.

I would also suggest that if anything is turning yellow, it is probably the aging of the paint below the surface. The primary ingredient in ZEP is Acrylic. The scientific properties of Acrylic is that it is completely transparent to UV, which means that it can not be affected by sunlight. So, there is no reason for ZEP itself to turn color. Now the other aspect is, since acrylic is 100% transparent to UV, it does not protect the surface below from UV damage.

There are other scientific factors that will affect bond. Acrylic expands and contracts with temperature at a different rate than fiberglass. We know this, because when you install acrylic boat windows, you have to allow for expansion, otherwise the windows will shatter. (I just bought a sailboat with that exact problem). If you read on the boat forums, you also find out that many of the cracks in gelcoat are a result of putting the gel coat on too thick. Where it is too thick, it is not able to stretch with the expansion and contraction of the fiberglass. So translate this into using ZEP, it is a temperature sensitive product. So if you have dark colors and live in a hot climate, the expansion rate of the fiberglass will cause the ZEP to crack.

So one solution is don't put it on so thick. You all get so excited about that deep shine that looks like a million coats of clear, but you are asking for trouble, especially on dark colors, and hot climates. I only have 2 coats on my RV and it does shine pretty well. If I want more shine, I can wax over the ZEP.