how do you remove watermarks on sides of rv

[brianseay1]

What do you all use to remove the watermarks from the sides of your rv? I have a black and gold finish on my coach and have the water runoff stains from the awning down the sides and can't seem to find anything to remove them. I have used the black stain/watermark remover stuff you can get at campingworld but it did not work. I have tried wax, wash and wax for airplanes and nothing has worked. Any help or info is greatly appreciated.

[ReneeG]

Thanks for your feedback. Let us know how the Meguiars does.

[brianseay1]

ReneeG wrote:
brianseay1 - what did you end up using and did it work? We just used the Maguier's that I mentioned to removed oxidation and saw waterspouts as we went. They too were removed!

I tried the totally awesome from the dollar store, it did not phase the water marks. The coach has been kept under a roof and now in a garage, so it has been out of direct sunlight since we have owned it. Going to try the Meguiars and see if that works.

[ReneeG]

brianseay1 - what did you end up using and did it work? We just used the Maguier's that I mentioned to removed oxidation and saw waterspouts as we went. They too were removed!

[kokopelli40]

I use 2 water to one vinegar to remove water spots

[irishtom29]

brianseay1 wrote:


What type of finish are you using it on (metal, fiberglass, gelcoat) ?

Painted aluminum.

[Blaster_Man]

If the water marks are not baked on, a wet chamois will sometimes work.

[JoeH]

brianseay1 wrote:

JoeH wrote:
I've had good luck with using a clay bar and detailing spray. You can find kits at most auto accessory retail locations. Spray the detailer on and rub lightly with the clay bar. It has worked well to remove spots on my cars and coach and really isn't much work.

Do you have a fiberglass body ? Mine is fiberglass with gelcoat finish.

Yes, but with a full body paint---
Here's one of many write ups on clay bars. Clay bar use.
The first time I was exposed to their use was in about 2000 when a driver hit my new truck's fender. About 6 months after the repairs were made, I took the truck into a detail shop and they pointed out the overspray from the fender repair. A few rubs with the clay bar and it was gone.

[brianseay1]

irishtom29 wrote:

wrgrs50s wrote:
"Totally Awesome" Cleaner from the dollar store is the cheapest and the best I've found for removing black streaks. At full strength they wipe right off on mine. I found out about it from another forum.

No lie, Totally Awesome cleaner from Dollar General. IME this stuff works very well and better than the overpriced, damned near useless stuff I tried sold by RV stores. There are several You Tube videos showing how well it works. I was most pleased with this simple (and cheap) solution to the problem.

What type of finish are you using it on (metal, fiberglass, gelcoat) ?

[Teako]

You know how Duct Tape is. 1001 Uses. Same thing can be said for Totally Awesome. That stuff will clean almost everything!!

[irishtom29]

wrgrs50s wrote:
"Totally Awesome" Cleaner from the dollar store is the cheapest and the best I've found for removing black streaks. At full strength they wipe right off on mine. I found out about it from another forum.

No lie, Totally Awesome cleaner from Dollar General. IME this stuff works very well and better than the overpriced, damned near useless stuff I tried sold by RV stores. There are several You Tube videos showing how well it works. I was most pleased with this simple (and cheap) solution to the problem.

[mc_cc]

brianseay1 wrote:
What do you all use to remove the watermarks from the sides of your rv? I have a black and gold finish on my coach and have the water runoff stains from the awning down the sides and can't seem to find anything to remove them. I have used the black stain/watermark remover stuff you can get at campingworld but it did not work. I have tried wax, wash and wax for airplanes and nothing has worked. Any help or info is greatly appreciated.

Most any degreaser will work. Try Simple Green. It should work like a charm.

[brianseay1]

JoeH wrote:
I've had good luck with using a clay bar and detailing spray. You can find kits at most auto accessory retail locations. Spray the detailer on and rub lightly with the clay bar. It has worked well to remove spots on my cars and coach and really isn't much work.

Do you have a fiberglass body ? Mine is fiberglass with gelcoat finish.

[ReneeG]

At the recommendation of another RVer's blog, I ordered Marine and RV Meguires One Step Compound Aggressive Cleaner Plus Polish to remove the oxidation on the sun facing sides of our FW. I have an electric buffer but the thing nearly beat the heck out of me, so I followed the hand polishing instructions, which I was leery of. WOW! To say the least WOW! The difference is amazing. I did the rear fiberglass end cap first and it is amazing. I've used Gel Coat wax in the past and for an already shiny surface, it works great, but it does not remove spots or oxidation. You may want to try the Meguires.

[rgatijnet1]

JoeH wrote:
I've had good luck with using a clay bar and detailing spray. You can find kits at most auto accessory retail locations. Spray the detailer on and rub lightly with the clay bar. It has worked well to remove spots on my cars and coach and really isn't much work.

Clay bars work great. I would start with a "fine" one, instead of a more abrasive one.