Faded gel coat help

[jgrassano]

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.

[Veebyes]

Gelcoat is like fiberglass resin. It is heavy. Over the entire outside of a unit gelcoat, coloured or not, adds a lot of weight. Builders are always looking to minimise weight so specs on gelcoat thickness will be minimal.

You can see the difference between RVs & boats. Weight is not so much of an issue in boats & foot for foot boats cost far more than RVs.

Basically, if you buy new, keep it looking like new with regular maintenance of wax or protectants. Once the surface is faded & chalked you are now removing already thin material to get a shine back.

[jgrassano]

Really discouraging as I just bought this rig and thought it would clean up nice. Ughhhh

[TxGearhead]

remdog*1 wrote:
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

Did you use the Gel-Gloss on gelcoated fiberglass or Filon, whatever that is?

[jgrassano]

I did have the whole unit buffed. It is better but I was hoping for a little more out of it

[TxGearhead]

8ntw8tn wrote:
We have a 2006 Carriage that was becoming oxidized. Last year we used a product made by Ibiz that cleared it up very nicely. Easy to use; wipe on,wipe off. Still looking good.

Do you recall which Ibiz product you used?

[8ntw8tn]

We have a 2006 Carriage that was becoming oxidized. Last year we used a product made by Ibiz that cleared it up very nicely. Easy to use; wipe on,wipe off. Still looking good.

[TxGearhead]

jgrassano wrote:
I had the entire rig 3 stage buffed and ceramic coated. It is that gray color.

Hmmm...do you know what products they used?
And tell me more about the ceramic coating please.
And...I assume your "leather" recliners are disintegrating like mine? I bought a couple of slip covers but haven't put them on yet.

[Curly2001]

Just reading this makes me crazy as far as how it seems like we have been taken advantage of by the RV Industry. It seems like we are guinea pigs for the RV makers to try new things on and if they don't work, they really don't care. Paint and finish is one of them and the interior fit and finish is one of the others. I wish we could all band together and stand up the the manufacturers and demand better quality. The car makers went through this years ago and now it seems like RV manufacturers should go through it also. The new RV buyers really don't know what they are in for until they go through it like some of us more seasoned owners. It's a shame that they will face the same thing down the road. Off my soapbox.....sorry for the mini rant.
Curly

[jgrassano]

I had the entire rig 3 stage buffed and ceramic coated. It is that gray color.

[Bayley]

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!!

[remdog_1]

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

[TxGearhead]

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.

[Super_Dave]

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.

[Ralph_Cramden]

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.