Do Not Wax Decals

The decal on the front window cover smeared when I waxed it. Took awhile to clean up. Never did it again :S

I use a polymer based polish, not wax on my fiver (nu finish). I apply it to all surfaxes includingthe decals with no problems or peeling. They look great after 3 years.

Dave Pete writes "Does anybody have experience or knowlege with exactly...

Why is waxing the graphics bad?"

The materials that the graphics are printed on (IE VINYL) are made from the same PETROCHEMICALS base that nearly all waxes will have. In other words the base of all vinyl products is from OIL (AKA CRUDE OIL).

Most nearly all automotive waxes will CONTAIN products or byproducts from CRUDE OIL and will be listed as PETROCHEMICALS on the container.

Once vinyl and auto wax meets, the PETROCHEMICAL byproducts in the wax start attacking the vinyl basically speeding up the breakdown of said vinyl graphics.

"How do you easily wax the wall without getting it on the graphics?"

Not an easy feat by any means, a little care and patience along with using a lot of clean unused rags around the graphics to clean up any place that you accidentally touched with wax quickly.

"Is avoiding waxing the graphics realistic?"

Yes.

Some folks here are going to have a heart attack on this one... DON'T WAX it at all.

Simple as that, I have NEVER EVER WAXED a travel trailer and the finish has not gone bad. Granted the factory shine will fade a bit over 20 yrs but with a good wash once or twice a year it looks good once again (although not a mirror shine it still has plenty of luster).

If you MUST have that "mirror" like shine then perhaps look into what some folks are doing with Zep "Red Max" floor wax. Keep in mind that folks have been doing this for a SHORT TIME (IE 2-3 yrs) so it is an experiment work in progress and no long term results are known as of yet..

Keep in mind that your vinyl graphics in a few years WILL start fading, peeling or cracking on their own. At that time peel them off and either forget about them or have new graphics PAINTED on (the only real solution if you want the graphics to be permanent).

Vinyl is not forever (I should know since I have delt with antique cars with vinyl roofs), basically 3-4 yrs is typical life...

I have waxed all of mine since new and the TT still looks like new. No fading, peeling or damage of any kind. The only exception to this is the front which is bathed in sunlight all after noon (sides and back are always shaded). Those front graphics started fading very fast and the gel coat dulled along with them so I rarely polished this area. It just didn't do much good. The front has since been painted.
So my experience has been that it's the sun's UV that does all the damage and not the waxing.

ScottG wrote:
I have waxed all of mine since new and the TT still looks like new. No fading, peeling or damage of any kind. The only exception to this is the front which is bathed in sunlight all after noon (sides and back are always shaded). Those front graphics started fading very fast and the gel coat dulled along with them so I rarely polished this area. It just didn't do much good. The front has since been painted.
So my experience has been that it's the sun's UV that does all the damage and not the waxing.

UV does fade vinyl and can't be helped, even if you had coated the front with auto type waxes it wouldn't have helped. It IS the nature of the beast..

The majority of auto waxes really don't block UV and the ones that state they do, really will not block enough since it would take so many coats to build up enough layers to fully block it.

Auto waxes are more all about the SHINE.

Just like folks used to tend to think a deep dark tan via sun bathing is "healthy" a very shiny rig does not really mean you are "protecting" the finish.

In fact often times you will cause very tiny scratches or abrasions on the surface. This over time does more harm than good.

Even modern day auto finishes waxing is not NEEDED to protect the paint, but many do it solely for the SHINE it gives when done.

Each to his own, different strokes for different folks but myself I have too many other things to do than waxing my 26ft TT which by the way is 476 SQUARE FEET of surface (not taking in account the windows) :E

This is a product I use. Once you wash and get it clean, spray this on and wipe it down. After your initial cleaning, just spray and wipe. It cleans also. It will actually remove wax but it puts down a protective layer against UV that most wax does not have. It is great on vinyl, and other surfaces also. It is NOT a silicone and does not contain petroleum products
http://www.btsproducts.com/

I guess some decals are not wax friendly. I've been waxing my decals since i bought it. They still look good!

"Performance 303" is specifically designed to protect surfaces like the mylar of the "decals". I don't purposely try to not wax over the "decals/mylars" , but I always cover with "Performance 303" before I start. I'm not associated with this product, but have started carrying it in our marina store because of its reputation and how it works. Check it out, available in lots of places. Works good on lots of vinyl/plastic surfaces like Jeep hard tops and also tires and tire covers.

I wash the entire rig with GelGloss Wash and use 303 Aerospace Protectant on the front only due to the constant sunlight at the summer site.

I would advise you to use 303 Aerospace Protectant - it is a UV blocker and is meant for vinyl and rubber. Sorry you have to be so careful with the decals. I am another one that has been waxing my entire trailer - decals and all and the decals are still like new. I do believe they have gone to cheaper material or something 'cuz we also have some older vehicles with decals (stripes) that we have always waxed over with no problems.

Good luck!