Proper care of RV decals . . . Is there such a thing?

[smokeylew]

Recently purchased a 5th wheel with most of the graphics replaced a year or so ago. Looks great but the rest of the surface needed a good waxing. Used Meguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax. Hand rubbed the wax on over decals and all. Now I've heard that I shouldn't have covered the decals with the wax. I was told the petroleum distillate in the wax will over time cause the edges on the graphics to curl up.

Well what's done is done. But what's the best procedure for shining up the RV without damaging the graphics?

[RAS43]

Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
For longevity of decals, the best thing you can do to them is to keep them out of the sunlight as much as possible.

I believe this too! My trailer is 13 years old and I wax it twice a year with Meguiars Flagship wax. The right side decals look like new with sharp edges. But the left side, which gets the afternoon sun, are faded and the edges are peeling.

[JimK-NY]

I used the Mcguires premium marine wax and was seriously disappointed. I worked and rubbed and applied two coats. After a few days I realized I had wasted my time. I got ammonia, Zep stripper and Bar Keeper Friend. It took lots of work to remove the wax and get down to clean and polished fiberglas. By comparison, it took very little work to apply 4 or 5 coats of Zep. Zep will not protect the decals against UV light, but I have not seen any issues after over 10 years.

[Hermes1]

I use McGuiars Flagship as well and I do not recall it containing petroleum distillates, will have to check. In any case I have not noticed a negative effect on my graphics. In answer to your question, I found a nice product on Auto Geek.com by McKee's a RV specific line of care products that is specific to restoring and protecting graphics. While Aerospace 303 is a great product and I use it a lot, I would not use it on the graphics> Reason being I spoke with one of their tech support people and he cautioned me, saying while it will work as intended on the graphics and indeed protect the graphics without harm, it will tend to remove or minimize the wax or sealant applied on the surface around the graphics. That is just too much meticulous work for me.

[jwolf55]

4 thin coats of Zep wet look floor polish. they were really flat and faded.




These before photos actually look better than the did in real life. This was after one coat of Zep.

[FrankShore]

X4 on the 303

[olfarmer]

I use "tire shine" on the striping on mine, it brings back the color and shine and hasn't damaged the decals on my last 2 motorhomes. It is temporary but lasts quite awhile. Some brands seem better than others. I tried WD 40 and it worked but didn't last long.

JMHO

[suprz]

jwolf55 wrote:
Our RV is 16 years old and my stripes were faded and washed out , Tried 303 it may have protected it but did nothing for the fading. I tried Zep wet look floor polish and it made them look almost new even softened the edges where it was cracking.

How many coats did it take?

[jwolf55]

Our RV is 16 years old and my stripes were faded and washed out , Tried 303 it may have protected it but did nothing for the fading. I tried Zep wet look floor polish and it made them look almost new even softened the edges where it was cracking.

[ford_truck_guy]

smokeylew wrote:
Cool! Thanks guys. I just ordered some 303 on Amazon. I'll have to wait for the wax to break down before applying it.

Great . .. look here -Aerospace 303 for more info on the product

[smokeylew]

Cool! Thanks guys. I just ordered some 303 on Amazon. I'll have to wait for the wax to break down before applying it.

[ford_truck_guy]

Another vote for Aerospace 303 . . The stuff is fantastic... When I had coached with decals, I would wax everything but the decals, than apply that to all the decals.. never a fade problem

[myredracer]

The best thing around for RV decals and also exterior plastic trim, covers, access doors, etc. is the Aerospace 303 Protectant. I use Mothers synthetic marine wax up to decals and trim then apply the 303.

Thanks for reminding me (not) - I've got to do a complete wash, wax & 303 job on the next decent day. 😞

[crcr]

missourijan wrote:
Yea, I've heard that too. There are a couple of products you can use on the graphics, one being 303 protectant. Others can chime in on their recommendation. Use wax only on the fiberglass/gel coat.

+1 on 303 protectant, it gives some UV protection. I used to just do the decals with it, but it brings back the finish on the non-decal areas so beautifully, I'm experimenting with it on the entire RV finish. I contacted the mfg of 303 and they said it is suitable for the gel-coat fiberglass finishes on RV's.

[Fresno_Tundra_D]

For longevity of decals, the best thing you can do to them is to keep them out of the sunlight as much as possible.