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cleaning the outside of the 5'er

md_procouple
Explorer
Explorer
After a couple of years being dormant, our 5'er has developed oxidation problems. I have been removing the peeling decals and everywhere where the decals were, the "finish" is still shiny and pristine looking. But everywhere else developed the oxidation issue. I saw an "oxidation" remover from Meguires for fiberglass boats and campers. Which I was told would work from the salesclerk. Although I did not feel comfortable with his answer. The other option is I have a pressure washer and would that work as well. (It would be a lot Quicker for sure.) But I am not sure it would be the correct way of doing it. I would NOT use it on the roof. Just the sides and front Cap. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Vickie, Me, and "Scruffy" our dog make THREE
:W
23 REPLIES 23

Fisher_Bill
Explorer
Explorer
Thinking back to my boating days I had an old bayliner that had probably a half inch gel coat that used to be robin egg blue, I used a product called Penitrol and scotch brite to remove the oxidation then a buff with the 3M polishing compound and then a buff of McGuire's boat polish. Sold well...
2006 Chevy 3500 Dually 6.6 Duramax Diesel & Allison Transmission
2010 Northshore 28RK by Dutchmen
Our first fifth wheel!!!

RAS43
Explorer III
Explorer III
Veebyes,
Would you explain your reason for using Maguiars POLISH in the final step instead of their wax/protectant. Just curious as they recommend a polish ahead of a wax which seals the surface.

NamMedevac_70
Explorer II
Explorer II
On my partially faded trailer and decals I just used a wash and wax cleaning solution with long handle sponge mop and after good drying and removing any streaks with terry cloth towels I then applied a generous coat of liquid white 303 protectant all over with long handle sponge mop and then did extra waxing/buffing of certain areas by hand as needed. Made the trailer look nice and clean and white and shiny in some places but of course I still had a few faded decals that I lived with. They weren't too bad. Did this several times a year just for fun.

Veebyes
Explorer II
Explorer II
As a saltwater kept boat owner since 1981 I have learned a thing or two about gelcoat & the maintenance of it.

First of all, there is no such thing as EASY. The more oxidation, the tougher the job to restore & the tougher it is to keep it looking good.

Lots of products will make it look better, not good, for the short term. You get what you pay for. Your labour will be the same so you might as well pay for the quality product that will last first time around.

Keep that pressure washer far far away. It will do more damage than good.

Start with a good wash to remove long sitting road grime & bugs on the front cap. Easy step.

Next is the tough one which depends on the deterioration of the gelcoat. For relatively minor chalking of gelcoat either 3M Marine cleaner wax or Maguires Marine cleaner wax does the job. The work is in working the stuff in to remove the chalking. You will need a proper polisher to remove the product. One of those two handed cheap automotive buffer won't do the job. I carry a Makita polisher around. One of those buy it for life tools.

By now you are at the end of day two, maybe into day three, & looking pretty good but not finished yet.

The last step is the Meguires Flagship POLISH. This goes on easy but does absolutely nothing to remove chalking or stains, hence the importance of doing a proper job with the cleaner wax. The Flagship produces a visibly better shine & gives the protection for longevity of the shine.

My Alpenlite spent it's first 2 years of life in a storage lot in CO. I got it before the chalking set in. Eleven years later, it is looking almost new after many thousands of miles use.

The method here is frontcap cleanerwax & Flagship twice a year, mainly because of bugs. The rest of the trailer Flagship once a year. Every 3 years or so cleaner wax then Flagship.

Two weeks ago it got the full cleaner wax treatment then was put into indoor storage. Next spring it gets a wash off then the full Flagship treatment before it goes travelling.

Regarding ghosting, the original frontcap decal took a beating so I replaced it with a custom photo. The difference is in the quality of the material. Over three years & thousands of bugs beaten into it & it is looking like new. You have to look really really hard to see any evidence of the originl


Click For Full-Size Image.
Boat: 32' 1996 Albin 32+2, single Cummins 315hp
40+ night per year overnighter

2007 Alpenlite 34RLR
2006 Chevy 3500 LT, CC,LB 6.6L Diesel

Ham Radio: VP9KL, IRLP node 7995

Thermoguy
Explorer II
Explorer II
Edd505 wrote:
Used this on 3 5W's and all my vehicles, about $7. Apply by hand and buff off with a random orbit buffer:



X2 - works great on my trailers. Especially when they start to show a little oxidation. My 5th wheel is a 2006 - I cover it in the winter. It looks great and many people complement me on how clean the trailer is. People think it is much newer than it is. My horse trailer is all aluminum, white. I use the same product twice a year, it also still shines like new, no cover on it.

I use F10 on my cars and truck, but they have better paint to start with.

TxGearhead
Explorer II
Explorer II
3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax with a Porter Cable Random Orbit was the best thing I found. I tried the the Meguairs and Chemical Guys and everything else.
Traded it on the Landmark with full body paint.
2018 Ram 3500 CC LB DRW 4X4 Cummins Aisin Laramie Pearl White
2018 Landmark Oshkosh
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4
2014 NauticStar 21 ShallowBay 150HP Yamaha
2016 GoDevil 18X44 35HP Surface Drive

Edd505
Explorer
Explorer
Used this on 3 5W's and all my vehicles, about $7. Apply by hand and buff off with a random orbit buffer:

2015 F350 FX4 SRW 6.7 Crew, longbed - 2017 Durango Gold 353RKT
2006 F350 SRW 6.0 crew longbed sold
2000 F250 SRW 7.3 extended longbed airbags sold
2001 Western Star 4900EX sold
Jayco Eagle 30.5BHLT sold, Layton 24.5LT sold

Fisher_Bill
Explorer
Explorer
I have a similar issue with the decals peeling off but it's leaving the adhesive which is not pretty at all.
They even put some of the decals over some of the windows, why I don't know but the adhesive is not going anywhere until I find a solution.
2006 Chevy 3500 Dually 6.6 Duramax Diesel & Allison Transmission
2010 Northshore 28RK by Dutchmen
Our first fifth wheel!!!

cummins2014
Explorer
Explorer
fx2tom wrote:
The only way to actually remove the "ghosting" effect is to wet sand the entire trailer. 1500 grit and then 1800 grit. Even then it's not 100%. The best way is to remove the decals when new and wax it right away, along with every 9-12 months going forward. Once it is ghosted it is not likely that you will ever be able to get rid if that.


I tried , and after 12 years of ownership I gave up on my 2008 Montana that I bought new .

fx2tom
Explorer
Explorer
The only way to actually remove the "ghosting" effect is to wet sand the entire trailer. 1500 grit and then 1800 grit. Even then it's not 100%. The best way is to remove the decals when new and wax it right away, along with every 9-12 months going forward. Once it is ghosted it is not likely that you will ever be able to get rid if that.
2002 Ford F250 Lariat 7.3l 4x4 CCSB
2007 Forest River Sierra Sport M-26FBSP

cummins2014
Explorer
Explorer
bpounds wrote:
Just use a wash and wax to clean as usual. The decal ghosts will become less defined over time, and before you know it you will have low luster all over. Just as an older RV, like mine, should look.


I disagree, we have friends that leave their fifth wheel in Arizona all year, and the shadows have yet to disappear on their 2009 Montana fifth wheel. They had some replaced , others not, and you can still see the shadows after baking in the Arizona heat ,and sun for several years.

bpounds
Nomad
Nomad
Just use a wash and wax to clean as usual. The decal ghosts will become less defined over time, and before you know it you will have low luster all over. Just as an older RV, like mine, should look.
2006 F250 Diesel
2011 Keystone Cougar 278RKSWE Fiver

mielock
Explorer
Explorer
I put a heroic effort last year with a cutting compound then wax, and although it didn't look like new, it looked pretty good. The next year it was almost back to the way it was before my big effort, so I give up. Does it bug me? Yes. But no way I'm putting that much work into the exterior every year.
2006 Dodge 2500 Diesel
2011 Sabre 31RETS

JAC1982
Explorer
Explorer
We were never successful at restoring the finish on our last 5th wheel ourselves. It was a dark gray color and oxidized very quickly sitting outside in the sun. We tried all kinds of products, and hired a guy who said he could fix it, and he gave up (and cost us around $500).

A neighbor of ours had the same problem with his boat. He took it to a boat place and it was around $2500 to fix. We fixed it by trading it in and building an outbuilding to store the new one in ๐Ÿ™‚
2020 Keystone Montana High Country 294RL
2017 Ford F350 DRW King Ranch
2021 Ford F350 SRW Lariat Tremor