Waxed the camper this weekend. Any tips/tricks for future?

[RoyBell]

I picked up my Radiance last year and washed it a couple times. It stayed indoors over winter. Picked up some Meguires marine/rv wax last weekend knowing I had to wax this weekend. I started to apply with with my 6" orbiter but I felt like it wasn't applying that well with it. Tried with by hand and felt it was going on better, so I did the entire thing by hand and then used the orbiter to remove it.

I didn't time it, but I would say it took about 4-5 hours to wash and wax the whole thing. I noticed the passenger side was a lot dirtier, even after washing it. I applied the wax and saw dirt coming off. I was not impressed with the wax job as it appeared streaky so I am going to apply another coat this week.

Then it dawned on me, my exhaust exits out the passenger side. My dad was telling me how he was cleaning his soot on the boat this weekend. Does anyone find that their diesel truck coats the side of their camper with soot? It's a new truck so it's running properly. That's the only thing I could think of as the driver side washed easy and waxed fine. My dad needs to wash his boat after every trip because of the diesel soot.

I am debating stripping the wax and soot (dawn) and starting from scratch now that I know the problem, or just adding another coat of wax. Does anyone have any tips/tricks to speed the process up though? The worst part is moving the ladder every 4'. I did the whole top half (roof to bottom of windows) and then doubled back doing from the bottom of the window to the bottom of the trim. Doing it that way ensured I didn't mess any areas. I was thinking of making a scaffold out of some ladders and 12' planks of lumber or engineered beams. Then I could just work my way across.

What does everyone use on the window frames and trims? I will probably wait on cleaning the roof until after my music fest in July again. It gets so dusty there and coats the camper. Luckily I can walk out of the upstairs windows right onto the roof 🙂

2016-04-19_10-43-46 by RoyBelluomini, on Flickr

What find cleaning these things are 😄

[seaeagle2]

I have a fiberglass sided trailer so I use the same process I used on my fiberglass boat. 3M cleaner & wax. In the boating world the theory is use a quality (3M or Mcquires) buffing pad then you can use a Harbor Freight electronic variable speed buffer, or splurge and get a makita or porter cable. The 3M cleaner / wax takes care of mild oxidation and puts on a coat of wax in one step. After a day of fishing, I was able to just hose off the crystalized salt and fish blood off the boat and call it good.

[RoyBell]

I think I figured out why the door side was so much dirtier. That's the side the camp fires and grill is on! DUH! All that smoke coats the side of the camper. This weekend was filthy. Guess I burned some dirty wood.

[pickjare]

Yep, that's a real nice truck. That truck will not emit any soot. Just look inside the tailpipe and you will see clean, shiny silver colored metal. No black soot inside. It all gets trapped in the dpf. Perhaps your dads is different situation. Anyway, at least your taking good care of the trailer by waxing and cleaning whatever it had on it. Good luck whichever method you use.

[RoyBell]

pickjare wrote:
Well since no correctly operating "newer" diesels emit soot, are you sure it's soot? What tow vehicle do you have? Look inside the tailpipe of tow vehicle, if it isn't clean and silver, then the emissions control (dpf) isn't catching the soot correctly. Or it's an older tow vehicle. Pre-2008.

I am not sure it's soot. Just assumed since that side was way dirtier.

2016 Ram 2500 with Cummins.

[pickjare]

Well since no correctly operating "newer" diesels emit soot, are you sure it's soot? What tow vehicle do you have? Look inside the tailpipe of tow vehicle, if it isn't clean and silver, then the emissions control (dpf) isn't catching the soot correctly. Or it's an older tow vehicle. Pre-2008.

[phone_man]

Before today I have never waxed my trailer. It is a 2011 model and the fiberglass was pretty dull and chalky. I used a single coat of Mequiars Oxidation Remover with a DA polisher and followed up with Turtle Wax Ice spray. Took me 6 hours and about killed me, but the shine is back. I think next time I will just go with Nufinish once a year and let it be.

[westend]

Trailer gets waxed 2 or 3 times a year, which is probably more than needed, but hey, I'm also the guy that waxes my truck every month....so what do I know.....

You probably know about waxing :B

FWIW, I used to be a fanatic about it, had a small fleet of black vehicles (still have three in the fleet, ... hmmm). Anyway, I was at them all the time with clay bars and polishing sprays, waxes, buffing, etc. I still polish them up on occasion. IMO, a good Carnuba wax gives a high gloss and a fairly durable finish, especially when buffed. The synthetics are also good with Klasse being foolproof and Meguiars 26 (has some Carnuba) giving a durable finish.

As the auto-painter said above, a good job takes time, it ain't a race. That's why they call it "detailing".

For the guy in a hurry, the spray on Parfe liquid I linked to earlier is about as fast as it gets.

[kevden]

I use lucas slick mist.http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001JT5JVQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

[gmw_photos]

I've done my trailer by hand, with the DA orbital, and with my rotary polisher. By far the "easiest, best, quickest" is using the rotary.

I use whatever wax I have around which is usually a Meguiers product, although I did buy a bottle of good 'ol cheap Turtle Wax also just for the trailer.

To reach the curved front cap, I have a folding harbor freight table that is made to hold a power miter saw. It's legs are spread enough, and it's top is tall enough to straddle the propane tank covers. Safe enough to stand on and reach all the way to the top.

Unlike some, I don't take any special precautions for the decals. I wax right over them with the buffer, and they are fine after almost five years.

Trailer gets waxed 2 or 3 times a year, which is probably more than needed, but hey, I'm also the guy that waxes my truck every month....so what do I know.....:)

[eDUBz]

Theres a company here local that makes product in house that i use . I am an Auto painter i do alot of custom paint work and i use there products. Pm if you want info. Use micro fiber clothes by hand to put on and one to wipe off. I normally use about 2-3 new micro fibers on my trailer thats 19ft. Do it sections at a time and dont do it in the sun. Theres no way to speed uo the process to get it done correct and ensure every spot got waxed. I learned to just enjoy it and take my time. I also wax my windows.

P.S I hand wax my trailer about every 6 months and it feels silky smooth

[myredracer]

There ain't no easy way out and you've gotta do it the old-fashioned way unless you can find some cheap help. I use Mothers synthetic RV/marine wax and don't use a buffer, just a rag to wipe it off. I bought a buffer a couple of years ago and tried it for a few seconds and decided it's not for me. You aren't entering a concourse event and the wax is there mostly for protection. Those aerodynamic curved front caps look sexy but they sure are hard to reach to wax.

Many, including me, use 303 Aerospace Protectant on decals, trim and plastic. It does an excellent job of UV protection.

We've tried in the past to find some neighborhood kids to wash and wax our TT but these days they don't seem to want to do manual labor. If you happen to know of any, please PM me... :W

[LVJJJ]

Protect-All works good for me and is quick and painless. Come to think of it I do have some Nu-finish sitting around somewhere, maybe I'll try it next time.

I don't wax and polish all on the same day. I'll do a section, a side, back or front on one day, another one the next, etc. Got arthritis in my shoulder and two new knees, so it doesn't hurt so much by doing a section at a time.

[Community Alumni]

You guys got to get moving lol. It's not that hard really and I do it by myself. Sometimes I can get it done even faster than 45 minutes. Get one of those cheap foam mops. All you have to do is lightly moisten it up, squirt on some NuFinish on it, and mop away. I normally can cover an entire side in just a few minutes while avoiding the graphics. For the tight areas or where a mop can't get then I'll apply it by hand. After that I'll take it off by hand with microfiber towels. Don't bother putting it on thick. It won't give you any more protection and it takes more effort to remove it. Put it on thin and you can easily wipe the excess by hand. No buffer needed. Typically to wash, wax, spray the decals, and clean the windows I'm normally done around 2 hours.

[2012Coleman]

RoyBell wrote:
it takes me 2 hours just to do my cars. How can you do a whole camper in 45 minutes? Is it 4' tall and no windows?

Maybe he had help?

So there is your answer - get some help! 😛