Buffing out hazing RV

[arcsum68]

Hi all, once again on the hunt for some advice. Back in Jan of this year I decided it was time to tackle the front cap of my TT that has become really hazy and chalky and was just looking terrible. I used Meguires Ultimate Compound to do the stripping and then finished up with the Meguires flagship premium marine wax.

Here is a before.



And after.



And here we are just shy of 6 months later and the haze is already coming back.



Did I do something wrong? It seems like the products I used were highly recommended. Is there something I can do to keep it looking shiny? Looking for any advice anyone can provide. Thanks!

[JimK-NY]

arcsum68 wrote:


I appreciate the advice, but the second time around took a surprising amount of work to get it looking good, felt like should have stripped it first since the previous wax was gumming up my pads. I ended up going to the full rotary buffer and even then I was struggling. .....

I guess you did it your way and paid no attention to the advice of others.

First, good surface prep is an absolute necessity. You need to remove the old grime, any oxidation and certainly all of the old paste wax.

Second, using a mop to apply the Zep was a mistake. The best approach is to use a cloth dampened in Zep and apply thin coats. It should take several. Trying to slop on heavy coats with a mob is likely to result in all sorts of problems including drips, swirls, runs.

Lastly, if correctly applied, it is not necessary or advisable to use a buffer. Several thin coats of Zep should give you an even finish with a decent lustrous shine that will last for years.

[Veebyes]

arcsum68 wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
In the boating world we say that a boat can be any colour, as long as it is white.

Dark coloured gelcoat does not do well with sun. Once it has been let go it takes alot of work to bring it back. It also needs to be done much more frequently to keep it looking good.

Looking at your current state it is not as bad as when you started. A good going over with a cleaner wax, such as 3M cleaner wax, followed by the Meguires Flagship wax again should restore to the condition of your first highly successful efforts.

I have had saltwater kept boats since 1981. A tough environment to be in. There are many great products out there these days but time & sun will always destroy them without regular attention.

I appreciate the advice, but the second time around took a surprising amount of work to get it looking good, felt like should have stripped it first since the previous wax was gumming up my pads. I ended up going to the full rotary buffer and even then I was struggling. I am not about to put the same product on it that never went through a full NorCal summer and looked terrible in 6 months. Maybe I got a bad batch? I dont know, but you know how the saying goes, fool me once...

The Flagship is most definitely not a cleaner wax. Applied over chalking or a degraded surface is going to leave a less than clear deep shine.

My 5er is a late 2007. It is indoor stored in the winter but is outdoors & traveling about 160 days each year. That is an awful lot of bugs getting smashed into the front cap.

After all these years & miles I can't say that the front cap looks new when I am finished with it, using the 3M marine cleaner wax followed right behind with the Flagship, but it looks darned close to new.

[arcsum68]

Veebyes wrote:
In the boating world we say that a boat can be any colour, as long as it is white.

Dark coloured gelcoat does not do well with sun. Once it has been let go it takes alot of work to bring it back. It also needs to be done much more frequently to keep it looking good.

Looking at your current state it is not as bad as when you started. A good going over with a cleaner wax, such as 3M cleaner wax, followed by the Meguires Flagship wax again should restore to the condition of your first highly successful efforts.

I have had saltwater kept boats since 1981. A tough environment to be in. There are many great products out there these days but time & sun will always destroy them without regular attention.

I appreciate the advice, but the second time around took a surprising amount of work to get it looking good, felt like should have stripped it first since the previous wax was gumming up my pads. I ended up going to the full rotary buffer and even then I was struggling. I am not about to put the same product on it that never went through a full NorCal summer and looked terrible in 6 months. Maybe I got a bad batch? I dont know, but you know how the saying goes, fool me once...

[arcsum68]

I decided to go with the floor polish. The ceramic coating was going to be pretty prohibiting considering you cannot apply in the sun and it cannot get wet all at for at least the first 24 hours, not even morning dew.

The floor polish looks good from far but far from good. And I am being picky for sure, its nothing I am going to remove unless I start having issues. My problem was the mop I got seemed almost soapy and I was having to work out the bubbles, maybe it was whatever they treat them with to make them stay moist? Not really sure. If it keeps it looking good I will keep using it. If you have a white RV maybe thing twice since it does apparently get dirty and need to be stripped occasionally, but from the videos I have washed it cleans off easy enough and comes out looking great with re-application. In my case I am only doing my front cap, but if things look good in a year or so I will likely reconsider and make sure my mop head is nice a clean. Honestly I think a microfiber would do a much better job or even shooting it with a HVLP! Definitely research that before you do it, I have not at all.

[Veebyes]

In the boating world we say that a boat can be any colour, as long as it is white.

Dark coloured gelcoat does not do well with sun. Once it has been let go it takes alot of work to bring it back. It also needs to be done much more frequently to keep it looking good.

Looking at your current state it is not as bad as when you started. A good going over with a cleaner wax, such as 3M cleaner wax, followed by the Meguires Flagship wax again should restore to the condition of your first highly successful efforts.

I have had saltwater kept boats since 1981. A tough environment to be in. There are many great products out there these days but time & sun will always destroy them without regular attention.

[ferndaleflyer]

MAACO won't paint a Smart car for $1000 around here. Its work but the Zep deal will make it shine!

[Grit_dog]

B.O. Plenty wrote:
You can buff that til the cows come home. It won't last. The only real cure is to have it painted. I've had two fifth wheels painted. If you shop you can find places that will do it for around $1,000. Forget the RV dealers. Go to a big truck bodyshop.

B.O.

Partly true, partly false.
True part is, if you just do a quick polish to gelcoat, you can get it looking decent and it won't last. If you do it right, it is essentially a new surface and will take roughly as long as it took the first time to oxidize and look chitty, again.

You and arcsum68 obviously aren't paint and body guys and are both somewhat mistaken.

[Grit_dog]

arcsum68 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

arcsum68 wrote:
To be honest I highly doubt they would guarantee anything anyway since I could just go home and apply a stripping agent to the work just to screw with them.

Well, you obviously don't know much about detailing, as you can't "strip" the polished look off of a surface.

This is 100% false. You can absolutely strip wax/polish off a vehicle and that is often the starting point for many detailers. There are even specific products sold just for that purpose as you will see in one of the first videos. HEREare many videos of that exact process on youtube.

Link This is a product link on Amazon, gets great reviews and specifically removes old waxes and sealants.

Wax remover doesn't dull the paint, chief....
Sandpaper will, if that's your goal....

[B_O__Plenty]

You can buff that til the cows come home. It won't last. The only real cure is to have it painted. I've had two fifth wheels painted. If you shop you can find places that will do it for around $1,000. Forget the RV dealers. Go to a big truck bodyshop.

B.O.

[ReneeG]

arcsum68 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

arcsum68 wrote:
To be honest I highly doubt they would guarantee anything anyway since I could just go home and apply a stripping agent to the work just to screw with them.

Well, you obviously don't know much about detailing, as you can't "strip" the polished look off of a surface.

This is 100% false. You can absolutely strip wax/polish off a vehicle and that is often the starting point for many detailers. There are even specific products sold just for that purpose as you will see in one of the first videos. HEREare many videos of that exact process on youtube.

Link This is a product link on Amazon, gets great reviews and specifically removes old waxes and sealants.

Every once in awhile, Woot (a subsidiary of Amazon), but with deep discounts, has Chemical Guys products on sale. Because Woot is every evolving, I check it about twice a week for deals.

[arcsum68]

Grit dog wrote:

arcsum68 wrote:
To be honest I highly doubt they would guarantee anything anyway since I could just go home and apply a stripping agent to the work just to screw with them.

Well, you obviously don't know much about detailing, as you can't "strip" the polished look off of a surface.

This is 100% false. You can absolutely strip wax/polish off a vehicle and that is often the starting point for many detailers. There are even specific products sold just for that purpose as you will see in one of the first videos. HEREare many videos of that exact process on youtube.

Link This is a product link on Amazon, gets great reviews and specifically removes old waxes and sealants.

[ferndaleflyer]

I did the Red Max (ZEP) deal to my old DP. Took about 3 coats being real careful about the prep and then the application making sure there are no runs and no bubbles. Once done it was still shining 3 years later when I sold it. That stuff is floor wax and made for flat surfaces not vertical so be careful of runs.

[JimK-NY]

Most paste waxes last a few weeks to a few months at most. You can do a little research and will also find that the UV protectants they contain are minimal and do not last. My Zep finish has lasted over 5 years. No yellowing, no peeling, no oxidation. Water still beads and dirt just rinses off with little or no soap needed. Zep seals the surface from oxygen and the acrylics are natural UV protectants with no additives needed.

[gbopp]

Try the Zep Process.
You'll be happy with the results.