ZEP wet look...need UV protection?
I am doing the ZEP wet look treatment on our old class C...I doubt it has any UV protection in it, and wondering if it is needed. If so, what do you guys use?
Forum Discussion
I see these threads pop up every so often, and decided that it was time for me to weigh in once again. For those of you that don't know/remember, I am the one who posted the very detailed instructions on how to do this (Red Max) process way back when.
Back when I originally Red Max'd my 1988 class C, it was in really bad shape; faded, oxidized, etc. No amount of elbow grease, polish, wax, etc would do anything other than a temporary 2-4 week moderate shine at best. The Red Max did what I thought was not possible; made it look like a newly painted, clear coated, RV, and the shine lasted a long time with no additional work.
That said, here is my longer term view. First, I DID get yellowing; not bad, but it was in fact there. In fact, it darkened the color immediately. My RV was beige, so it was not a big deal, but I would not want the same on a white RV. Second, after a couple of years, the sides that were exposed to the sun the most (here in SoCal) did in fact start to flake and peel. I thought that I had possibly fell a bit short in prep on that part, but stripping, re-prepping, and re-applying was only a temporary fix; it again started to flake within 12 months. Not only that, but stripping in order to reapply was very difficult, and actually damaged my vinyl graphics. Eventually, the sides that were not exposed to the sun as much also started to flake. I finally gave up and let it all flake off. Oddly, the only part that didn't flake/peel was the metal painted cab, which remained amazingly shiny for years, although that was also the side of the RV that was facing north while parked, so it seldom was in direct sun.
So, would I do it again? I might consider it if my RV was in really bad condition (like my last one), but probably not if my RV was in decent condition (like my current rig is). For those of you who have had longer term success, great! Perhaps without the brutal SoCal sun, or with indoor storage, I would have had the same. Sadly though, that wasn't the case for me.
Back when I originally Red Max'd my 1988 class C, it was in really bad shape; faded, oxidized, etc. No amount of elbow grease, polish, wax, etc would do anything other than a temporary 2-4 week moderate shine at best. The Red Max did what I thought was not possible; made it look like a newly painted, clear coated, RV, and the shine lasted a long time with no additional work.
That said, here is my longer term view. First, I DID get yellowing; not bad, but it was in fact there. In fact, it darkened the color immediately. My RV was beige, so it was not a big deal, but I would not want the same on a white RV. Second, after a couple of years, the sides that were exposed to the sun the most (here in SoCal) did in fact start to flake and peel. I thought that I had possibly fell a bit short in prep on that part, but stripping, re-prepping, and re-applying was only a temporary fix; it again started to flake within 12 months. Not only that, but stripping in order to reapply was very difficult, and actually damaged my vinyl graphics. Eventually, the sides that were not exposed to the sun as much also started to flake. I finally gave up and let it all flake off. Oddly, the only part that didn't flake/peel was the metal painted cab, which remained amazingly shiny for years, although that was also the side of the RV that was facing north while parked, so it seldom was in direct sun.
So, would I do it again? I might consider it if my RV was in really bad condition (like my last one), but probably not if my RV was in decent condition (like my current rig is). For those of you who have had longer term success, great! Perhaps without the brutal SoCal sun, or with indoor storage, I would have had the same. Sadly though, that wasn't the case for me.
