Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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checkmate wrote:I have a 34' DP and am considering doing a wax/polish job myself. Any problems to be alerted about? How much wax/polish should I buy?
I'm thinking this will be a task to do in stages!
Thanks,
Jerry
Only if they outlaw Red Max Pro #3 class of products.
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J-Rooster
Port Orchard, Wa. / Lake Havasu City, Az.
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Joined: 11/14/2004
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rvten wrote:I only wax the front end. Easy to keep bugs off. X-2 use the wax of your choice and do small areas at a time.
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Weathertodd221
FL
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Joined: 12/03/2009
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checkmate wrote:I have a 34' DP and am considering doing a wax/polish job myself. Any problems to be alerted about? How much wax/polish should I buy?
I'm thinking this will be a task to do in stages!
Thanks,
Jerry
get yourself a small scaffold so you can work comfortably on the top portion of the sides.
Also its best to work under a canopy of sorts but if that is not possible park the coach in an east/west orientation... that way you can work on the west side in the morning and the east side in the afternoon.
Also a jelly blade and leaf blower makes drying the surface area really quick.
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Executive
California/Arizona/South Dakota
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Joined: 02/07/2008
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rolnhome wrote:PAIRAJAYS wrote:If your Coach has a clear coat, you don't need wax to protect the paint. That's old technology. Waxing a coach, with clear coat, is a make work and feel good job.
Jim E
I respectfully disagree. Clearcoat is paint without pigment. It still needs to be protected from the elements. UV rays, salt, grim, etc will wear on the clearcoat same as it will on paint. You can put a sealer on clearcoat but eventually the elements will wear the sealer away.
I also disagree..waxing IS beneficial....Here's my routine:
DAY ONE
1. Start by liberally spraying the engine and tranny with Simple Green. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Power wash engine, transmission, rear end and undercarriage. Use lowest setting.
3. Clean radiator with Dawn liquid, flush and rinse throughly.
DAY TWO
I use Mcguires Ultimate. Start with the roof and both caps. Doing the roof eliminates white and/or black streaks. 
DAY THREE
Is the Driver's side.
DAY FOUR
Is the Passenger's side.
DAY FIVE
Then the interior with Old English. Next come the tires with 303 Aerospace. Lastly, I do the Alcoa rims with Alcoa PDQ.
Each stage is completed with a cold Margarita on the rocks..........Dennis
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bluebarry1964b
Homestead, Florida
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Executive wrote:rolnhome wrote:PAIRAJAYS wrote:If your Coach has a clear coat, you don't need wax to protect the paint. That's old technology. Waxing a coach, with clear coat, is a make work and feel good job.
Jim E
I respectfully disagree. Clearcoat is paint without pigment. It still needs to be protected from the elements. UV rays, salt, grim, etc will wear on the clearcoat same as it will on paint. You can put a sealer on clearcoat but eventually the elements will wear the sealer away.
I also disagree..waxing IS beneficial....Here's my routine:
DAY ONE
1. Start by liberally spraying the engine and tranny with Simple Green. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Power wash engine, transmission, rear end and undercarriage. Use lowest setting.
3. Clean radiator with Dawn liquid, flush and rinse throughly.
DAY TWO
I use Mcguires Ultimate. Start with the roof and both caps. Doing the roof eliminates white and/or black streaks.
DAY THREE
Is the Driver's side.
DAY FOUR
Is the Passenger's side.
DAY FIVE
Then the interior with Old English. Next come the tires with 303 Aerospace. Lastly, I do the Alcoa rims with Alcoa PDQ.
Each stage is completed with a cold Margarita on the rocks..... .....Dennis
Like Parajays, I thought that having a clear coat completely protected the paint, and since the body was aluminum it wouldn't rust. I thought I had it made. However, within a few years oxidation had really taken it's toll on the blue part of the back of our RV. It was also beginning to play havoc on the rest of the RV.
I ended up spending 3 weeks, in sections, completely stripping off the old wax, using Mother's polish, then Mother's wax. This included doing the roof. Although nobody sees your roof, I personally think that the quality of the roof as far as missing paint, fading, etc, can be used to determine how well someone's taken overall care of the RV. I mean, if they're willing to take good care of a part of the RV that nobody even sees, then there's a reasonable chance that they've taken pretty good care of the rest. No guarantee by any means, but a good litmus test.
Anyway, after doing all of the stripping, polishing, and waxing, I swore I'd make sure to not depend on the clear coat alone. I wish you were right though, Parajays, it sure would save a lot of work.
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The Weekenders
Harvey, North Dakota
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My 40' Montana fiver takes about 6 hours which includes scrubbing the rubber roof and treating it with Thetfords conditioner. The fiberglass is done with Meguires Marine and RV Pure wax. Wax on, wax off. Last year, my buddy helped me with him doing the bottom portion and me doing the upper sides. Took half the time.
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frederick w
Wenatchee, wa
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Joined: 07/16/2010
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My MH takes two days to do. When waxing, I have to keep the wax away from the decals. My Fleetwood Flair has large decals; very colorfull but alot of work. I use 303 on them.
My MH is parked on a sloping driveway and listing a bit to one side. So I add 2" blocks to one side of the ladder to keep it straight.
This spring I won't try to walk on the roof. I will just move my self along on my tail to clean the roof. I don't bounce well anymore when I fall.
If I had the big bucks, I would get a MH with full body paint, non-rubber roof, and a nice comfortable chair to watch someone else clean and wax my rig.
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Jerrybo66
AZ
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Joined: 10/07/2003
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If I were to think about waxing a RV I would consider size. We have a 28' toyhauler and I have a converted cargo trailer into a one man 6x12 toy hauler. I figure the 6x12 is too big to wax so no waxing for me..  Seriously, the larger trailer has been sitting in the AZ. sun since 2003 and when I wash it with a car soap I see no difference in the condition of the shine. The decals show some deterioration but the siding looks good. As for the 2008 cargo trailer the white paint still looks new....
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sowego
northwest panhandle of Nebraska
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Joined: 03/14/2006
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You can most certainly do it yourself with soem elbow grease and a ladder.
The 1st couple of things you need to decide...what kind of finish are you covering and how old is the coach/therefore condition of that finish.
If the coach is very dirty you will need to thoroughly clean it 1st, then you can keep it clean and dry/waxing in stages/a long as it takes without really burning you out.
One point most of know all too well...start with the roof. A clean/polished MH will be a black streak mess if the roof is black and icky.
Fullbody paint is usually easier to do than a gelcoat finish with decals.
I'd buy an industrial size bottle of whatever product is appropriate for your finish. We've used Gelgloss on our part gelcoat/part paint surfaces and it does ok. Other posters have recommended other products that will do great too.
I'd find some helpers-spouse, grandkids, neighbors, anyone you can drag into the project.
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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I did my 38ft DP with Red Max last year at the end of March and it still shines very well---plan on giving it another coat in a couple of months. I can put a coat on the whole thing in about 4hr. Could probably do it quicker but at 71 years old I am a little slow. Oh, I understand Red Max isn't available anymore but I have a little over a gallon left.
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