Faded gel coat help

Paint...key item with paint: It's all about the prep work. Get all the wax off and fix any dings or it will show up after you paint.

Check with body shops or boat yards if you want to farm it out.

You can DIY, we did our boat several years back used Interlux Brightsides. 3yrs later when we sold, it was still shiny with no waxing or buffing. There are more durable paints (awlgrip is the most popular) but they aren't very DIY friendly. Interlux had the advantage that it was really easy to touch up if we did get a scratch.

jgrassano wrote:
Good evening. New member here. I have a 2013 Montana high country and I just recently had it buffed and it still doesn’t look as good as I was expecting. Is there anything I can do other than painting to get it looking nice again.

Many times when an old paint systems are buffed they will remove the clear coat. it can be replaced. 600 wet and dry sanding to prep the surface and reapply.

If you have a real gel-coat finish and it doesn't look as good as it should, have some who knows how to refinish gel-coat re-do it.

Gel coat just doesn't hold up. In time it all fades. Try a big truck repair shop. They will usually have a large enough paint booth to do the work. I've had two of my fivers painted. Front cap should cost under $2,000. anything more is a rip off.

B.O.

jgrassano wrote:
Good evening. New member here. I have a 2013 Montana high country and I just recently had it buffed and it still doesn’t look as good as I was expecting. Is there anything I can do other than painting to get it looking nice again.

If your color is the gray finish they had back then you can forget ever cleaning it up. I had that finish and wax and buffed the unit till I was blue in the face and the oxidation came back in 3 weeks time. Finally sold the High Country cause I was just tried of dealing with it.

Not enough info. Was it simply buffed with a cleaner wax or was it done in two stages by compounding to get the chalkiness off then sealed with a high quality wax or sealant?

Due to cost & weight of gelcoat I can't say that I have ever seen a good gelcoat on RVs as can be found on upper end boats.

Paint an entire 2013 5th wheel that is valued @ in low $20K range?

Taking into account what having a car or pickup painted costs done by someone who knows what they're doing, I sure don't think I would go down that road. That is unless this guy is still around.

My buddy decided to have his RV wrapped versus painted and got some custom design work included. It was a small fraction of painting cost.

Are you saying you had the entire thing buffed, or you talking about just the front cap?
We have the same 5th wheel. It is a total POS regarding the finish. Mine sits outside and the south side will oxidze within 4 months. I have literally about killed myself trying to keep it looking halfway decent. I've tried all Meguiars producets, Starfire one step, anything anyone suggested might work. I bet I have $500 worth of polishes and waxes.
The only thing I have found that works for me is 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax from Amazon. It is a mix of compond and wax. I have been using a Porter-Cable random orbit buffer with a twisted yarn wool pad. It gets heavy quick. I found that my little cheap 6 inch $30 random orbit with a microfiber over the foam pad works pretty well on less damaged areas. I have all the different color Chemical Guys foam Hexlogic pads but the wool works better for me. If you have an area that's not too bad the old reliable Meguiars clean and wax (dark red bottle) will work. I have gone over the trailer with Klasse one step (red bottle) but really can't say it helps.
Good luck with it. Take a handfull of Ibuprofen with a bourbon chaser, then a hot bath after. May as well line up a massage as well.
The front cap is not a problem for me. Only issue has been what looks like mountains decal that developed some mildew on it. All my decals are good. I used that 3M on them and no problems. Actually I'm about to go out and put something on the cap. Probably the red Meguiars with a spray of Carnuba wax over that. Leaving for a road trip next week.
If there is a new one it will be full body paint.

Used a product called Gel-Gloss on mine 2 years ago. Used buffer and when done I waxed it. It has held up very good

OP....I've been through the faded gel coat issue. A lot of the 2013 and 2014 front caps had serious fading issues. The problem seems to have been solved by the Front Cap manufactures with the 2015 and newer models.
I tried buffing and waxing over and over again with only temporary results. I was told by Northwood that I should wet sand the cap and then apply wax. I just coundn't bring myself to start sanding on my 5th wheel that was just a little over a year old. I finally decide to have it painted with a base coat and clear coat and never looked back. It cost $1700 to get it done but was well worth it. Now I simply wax it 2 or 3 times a year and it always looks great.
I know you want something that will work instead of having to have yours painted but I'm afraid painting is your only real option if you want long term results. Good luck!!