Polish for motor home body (1 Viewer)

[sean]

As above looking for some good polish as my my is going a bit dull cheers

 

[sallylillian]

Autoglym HD, expensive but the best, IMO, lasts for months in aggressive conditions.

 

[sean]

Cheers

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[GeriatricWanderer]

Ciato samochod kempingowy

 

[TheBig1]

MER been using it for years. puts a protective coat on the paintwork so dirt doesnt stick

 

[Eddystone]

It may depend on the type of body-work, ie fibreglass

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[Lord Mac]

I am thinking before winter on G3ing my van. After that what should I use?

 

[Eddystone]

I am thinking before winter on G3ing my van. After that what should I use?

A good quality wax polish. I try to complete the job but by the time I have cleaned it, with G3 where necessary, I'm tired and want to be off in it so it never gets the full treatment.
However, it is a lot easier to keep clean if I do manage to polish it.
I find that the side in direct sunlight, when parked at home, suffers more than the shaded side and always takes more time to do.

 

[Cossieg]

Showroom Shine gets my vote!

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[Bobby22]

Turtle Wax Ice..........clear synthetic wax with brilliant results....no need to polsh beforehand.

 

[shunter]

I have been using premium marine polish for fibreglass a lot easier to get the black streeks off

 

[peterc10]

I have been using premium marine polish for fibreglass a lot easier to get the black streeks off

Hi Nev, thanks for that tip. Would be interested in the name of the product then I will buy some over the internet. Fed up with having to scrub the black streaks

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[Bobby22]

I have been using premium marine polish for fibreglass a lot easier to get the black streeks off

I use Fenwicks motorhome cleaner to wash my van followed by Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler. I have no problems with black streaks as they come off when the van is washed......no hard scrub.

 

[shunter]

It's called star brite premium marine polish with PTEF I had my van buffed up and then I polished it .
And when I next gave it a wash the black street just washed off so far seems to work

 

[vwalan]

autosmart new image for me . over the years i have found it to be the best all rounder .used on classic ,custom and mini artics .
you have to track the van though as its a trade only job . but they will sell to public .

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[Charlie]

Autoglym HD is a wax not a polish.. Mer is a low cut polish so cannot offer protection.

 

[barsteward]

So, as confused now as when the thread started, or is it just my old age? Doh

 

[movan]

So, as confused now as when the thread started, or is it just my old age? Doh

Thank God I am not alone....

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[TheBig1]

So, as confused now as when the thread started, or is it just my old age? Doh

its simple....>
wash it ->
tee cut any imperfections ->
seal the paint ->
polish it

or take the shortcut and pay a Polish chap to do it for you

 

[ianandkath]

premium polish, found it on ebay, £21 a bottle but pick up from argos.
dear but good stuff
ps, used 8 bottles on mine.

 

[DanielFord]

I am lazy. I wash the van using autoglym bodywork shampoo. Then put Zip wax in the dispenser of my extendy brush and go over the van with it. It comes out looking pretty good, and doesn't take hours to finish!

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[Charlie]

So, as confused now as when the thread started, or is it just my old age? Doh

Polish
To remove light scratches like oft seen swirling marks or light scratches often inflicted by tree branches or bushes a Polish is required.

Polish is basically a cutting compound . It will remove a very very slight amount of the surface we are polishing and that is how it removes the scratches.
Polish has no ability to protect the finish. It is for removing defects like scratches and to add clarity to the finish.


Waxes and sealants do the same thing but in a slightly different way. These products are designed to add a shine and gloss to your finish. They also protect the finish from the effects of the sun and rain and UV light.
Wax has NO ability to cut so will simply not remove scratches.

So in effect to restore the finish whether it be ordinary automotive body work or the composite panels or fibre glass finishes we first polish to remove all defects then we wax in order to protect the finish.

There are other stages that we Detailers do such as claying.
I will explain claying if you like but I have been criticized in another thread for getting to technical..

 

[Charlie]

premium polish, found it on ebay, £21 a bottle but pick up from argos.
dear but good stuff
ps, used 8 bottles on mine.

An ordinary automotive polish will do exactly the same as any of these so called specialist products. Also at a fraction of the cost.

Sorry but most of these specialist products are re branded re marketed ordinary products. Just far more expensive.

 

[peterc10]

Charlie, thanks for that. I have reached an old age without realising that polish and wax or not the same things! Can you recommend a good polish and a good wax that would stop these pesky black streaks, or at least make them easier to remove.

I now wonder how much it would cost to get my motorhome polished then waxed!

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[Charlie]

Charlie, thanks for that. I have reached an old age without realising that polish and wax or not the same things! Can you recommend a good polish and a good wax that would stop these pesky black streaks, or at least make them easier to remove.

I now wonder how much it would cost to get my motorhome polished then waxed!

There is another thread on this subject.
Here
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/dints-and-scratches.114612/

It may be worth reading it ?
But as in that thread I can only really advise on the what I call normal automotive bodywork such as the cab.
The composite panels are new to me and as My van is a PVC I have had no chance to try things out.

Polishes come in many levels of cutting ability. Think along the lines of wet and dry paper. Using a heavy grade wet and dry could inflict much damage ! If a lighter cut should have been used.

Basic rule is to use a light cut polish first then move up to the next grade. Getting it wrong can do much damage.

For instance.
German paint is extremely hard ! So using a low cut polish would not remove scratches as it does not have enough cut. It would eventually as it will still cut but it could take hours just to do one panel.

Japanese paint is very soft ! So use the heavy cut polish required to cut German paint and it would be easy to polish though the lacquer and or the paint..

Consider the above and you will understand why I dare not suggest a polish for the unknown to me body panels on your coach-built vehicles ...

 

[Charlie]

For an exceptional high durability wax try Colinite 476S.

Colinite has truly exceptional high durability. This means it lasts for ages ! Twice a year is plenty.
Waxes of low durability wont last long at all. When waxing larger vehicles there is no point in using low durability stuff as its just to much hard work for no rewards.

Link to Colinite 476S
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Collinite...ear-Car-Wax-/261540132662?hash=item3ce501b736

Colinite needs to be applied correctly.

Work on one panel at a time and wipe off as soon as you can. It does not need time to cure and can be hard work top remove if you don't remove quickly.

Do this and water will bead off your vehicle very well indeed ! It will continue to do so for ages !

 

[FJmike]

To add to what Charlie has said when you have achieved your desired finish you will see that your black streaks will be reduced but don't waste all your efforts by using black streak remover as it will remove any protection as well as the black streaks. Also to maintain that nice finish only wash it with a mild shampoo, avoid anything with motorhome or caravan in the title as it will probably contain Traffic Film Remover which will undo all your hard work.

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[Eddystone]

Charlie, thanks for that. I have reached an old age without realising that polish and wax or not the same things!



Yes. me too! So can I get Colonite without using ebay?

 

[Charlie]

To add to what Charlie has said when you have achieved your desired finish you will see that your black streaks will be reduced but don't waste all your efforts by using black streak remover as it will remove any protection as well as the black streaks. Also to maintain that nice finish only wash it with a mild shampoo, avoid anything with motorhome or caravan in the title as it will probably contain Traffic Film Remover which will undo all your hard work.

Agree completely.. Wash only with a weak wash solution as there is no point in chucking in half a bottle of shampoo like quite a few do. I suppose folk think a strong bucket of shampoo and water will make the job easier when all it does is strip wax..

Black streaks ? Well no matter what the vehicle whether its a car or motor home a lorry or a bus they all sit under the muck and fallout from the sky. This settles onto the vehicle and streaks form. I have a nearly new Toyota Rav4 Invincible which to be honest I hardly use as I go everywhere in my wee Fiesta van. I washed it today and was amazed at how filthy it was and the point is it has not been even driven off the drive since it was last washed..

But a well polished nicely waxed car or whatever is just so much easier to clean. Several times easier than one that has had no attention. The same applies to our treasured motor homes.

Colour of course makes a Huge difference when it comes to the dreaded black streaks. White shows them really badly and is of course the default colour for Motor homes. Our one which is a PVC is a kind of silver gold and is fantastic at not showing the black streaks. Still get a few though .

I don't have hardly any pictures of our MH........Well yet But here is one to show the colour .



A few pictures of cars I have owned or polished
My wee van



Current Toyota Rav4



Do the wheels as well





My old Jag XF



My old Rav4




Measuring paint thickness.

Before polishing. Note swirl marks. Swirls are just light scratches .

Same panel after polish but before wax.


Same car different panel. This shows the clarity that a really good polish can achieve.


Few randoms

 

[Eddystone]

Yes. me too! So can I get Colonite without using ebay?