Forum Discussion
D_E_Bishop
Jun 02, 2014Explorer
Okay, I'll get in on this one. I don't know about the ZEP preparation that jonbushr talked about but I used Barkeeps Friend, washed first, washed after BF and them washed with clear water after that. Applied to filon using three or four thin coats, looked great.
Three or four years later with washing and touch ups and long exposure to sun and tens of thousands of miles and I'm redoing the whole thing. The front cap is the worst looking. I tried the ZEP remover, forget that. It would take ten years to remove the RMP. I am using 800 grit wet and dry on a HF Jitterbug sander to remove the worst or all and on inside radius using 3M 800/1000 grit w/d sponge pads. Not sanding blocks, pads. I'm not getting any orbital sanding marks but even with well used wet and dry its sort of shiny but still dull.
It is a lot of work. Of course my rig is almost 25 years old and never housed under cover or inside. The decals are shot, even the scotchlite which is designed for extended UV exposure is cracked, faded and no longer reflective.
Most of the painted stripes look great, while an inch away the filon looks like c**p.
There are several places where the factory workers forgot to seal or didn't use enough sealer(butyl tape) and I have extensive water invasion. I am making repairs and using the butyl tape and dicor non-sag caulking, wet sanding and painting to match the color of the filon.
I really don't know why I'm going to all this work. I'm hoping that we will buy another rig this summer and just wholesale this one off. It is a great rig, design wise and feature wise, it just has a few leaks. I sure hope that when we find a new rig that the owner will understand when I remove a few screws and check for water damage below the surface. I have had it with mild steel screws that rust and plastic trim that falls apart. I want to be able to wash and dry the rig when we get home and not go around repairing six new things the DW found wrong while I was driving.
Okay my rant is over and I hope I didn't get too far off topic. I love the life style and will not leave it until I have to give up my drivers license. RVing is fantastic and the best way to see the wonders of this fantastic country.
Three or four years later with washing and touch ups and long exposure to sun and tens of thousands of miles and I'm redoing the whole thing. The front cap is the worst looking. I tried the ZEP remover, forget that. It would take ten years to remove the RMP. I am using 800 grit wet and dry on a HF Jitterbug sander to remove the worst or all and on inside radius using 3M 800/1000 grit w/d sponge pads. Not sanding blocks, pads. I'm not getting any orbital sanding marks but even with well used wet and dry its sort of shiny but still dull.
It is a lot of work. Of course my rig is almost 25 years old and never housed under cover or inside. The decals are shot, even the scotchlite which is designed for extended UV exposure is cracked, faded and no longer reflective.
Most of the painted stripes look great, while an inch away the filon looks like c**p.
There are several places where the factory workers forgot to seal or didn't use enough sealer(butyl tape) and I have extensive water invasion. I am making repairs and using the butyl tape and dicor non-sag caulking, wet sanding and painting to match the color of the filon.
I really don't know why I'm going to all this work. I'm hoping that we will buy another rig this summer and just wholesale this one off. It is a great rig, design wise and feature wise, it just has a few leaks. I sure hope that when we find a new rig that the owner will understand when I remove a few screws and check for water damage below the surface. I have had it with mild steel screws that rust and plastic trim that falls apart. I want to be able to wash and dry the rig when we get home and not go around repairing six new things the DW found wrong while I was driving.
Okay my rant is over and I hope I didn't get too far off topic. I love the life style and will not leave it until I have to give up my drivers license. RVing is fantastic and the best way to see the wonders of this fantastic country.
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