How do you clean yours? (1 Viewer)

[bigfish]

OK got your attention so hears the rub,"sorry for pun"oh:

Just spent 2 hours plus cleaning the van and only got the back done.

2 coats of Mer after washing, then waxed on waxed off,
sore arm from effort involved.

But is it just down to hard graft, or do you know differently,
van is a Rapido so has got a decent gell coat on it.

We have only had this van 2 months and it is deffinatley duller then the last
one we had which was also a Rapido, and very easy to clean.

Anyway i am rambling so any advice gladly taken.

Thank you.:thumb:

 

[zaskar]

A decent wax wash helps, the dirt wont stick quite as bad.

When it does come to polishing time, TBH, I gave up on MER years ago. After a long winded debate on many Forums, the conclusion wasa that they'd changed the formula and that it was no where near as good as it used to be. I personally believe this from bitter experiance of pain in the wallet and the right arm!
Personally, i use either Autoglym for ally vans or Starbrite (mailspeed marine) for GRP 'vans.
Much better polish and less hard work.

 

[GJH]

Used to use a big extending brush and shampoo but at the Newark show in March we bought some Onedrywash and have been very impressed with it.

Graham

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ips]

Agreee with zaskar MER not as good as autoglymn. I use a soft brush with a hose connected to get the road grime off and use fenwicks MH cleaner in a trigger spary for rain stains and other such marks then maybe wipe over with a microfibre cloth/mitt. About twice a year I autoglymn resin polish it all over. Every few months or so I may use autoglymn rapid detailer in between. I clean or at the least hose it down after every trip before it goes under its carport thingie. Then it gets a wipe over before we set off at the weekends. I am a firm believer that a good coat of polish protects and makes cleaning easier as the grime doesnt stick to the body work as much.

 

[Happy Hippy]

Never clean mine, waste of time, money and effort, it's for living in and travelling in, not a fashion accessory, noor a status symbol, as long as it does what it needs to do ok I couldn't care less what it looks like to be honest.

 

[Compass57]

Never clean mine, waste of time, money and effort, it's for living in and travelling in, not a fashion accessory, noor a status symbol, as long as it does what it needs to do ok I couldn't care less what it looks like to be honest.

My sentiments nearly.
I’ve had my motor home for nearly two years and in those two years only waxed once and cleaned outside three times, I can find other more important work to be done outside than spending all day cleaning a ruddy white van so it looks good to the neighbors.

Bip. :thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[derekfaeberwick]

I toddle down to the Lindisfarne causeway, wait till the tide's half in and blat across at 85 mph.

Works for me anyway. :thumb::thumb:

 

[bigfish]

:thumb:

My sentiments nearly.
I’ve had my motor home for nearly two years and in those two years only waxed once and cleaned outside three times, I can find other more important work to be done outside than spending all day cleaning a ruddy white van so it looks good to the neighbors.

Bip. :thumb:

I can agree with the other things to do, but having just traded in our other van for this one, isnt it a bit about protecting what is a big investment for some.
We got what we paid for on the last van and the dealer sold it straight away because it was in good nick.
I only want to get it to a point where it can be hosed of easier after a trip, as it is used very regularly,
cheers :thumb:

 

[madbluemad]

I agree with zaskar but at the end of the day its all down to elbow grease or if you have the time keeping on top of it.

I also agree with the point made about keeping an expensive mh-rv in good condition, by washing the van you can see any problems to the bodywork before they get serious.

I wouldnt personally walk down the street in a filthy and unkemp state and wouldnt have a vehicle wrapped aroud me that was. Its not about looking better than anybody else, rather a matter of pride in one's appearance.

I do like the idea of driving at 80mph through the sea though.

Jim

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

wash mine often use washing up liquid or cheap aldi wash polish stuff. wash it more often if it gets dirty . polish often .use autosmart polish . could polish it every week sometimes .specially if away in winter .nice sunny day its a nice bit of exercise. dont do the trailer polish as much as i have to climb on roof and lean over . cant stand dirty vans cars or m,bikes. best clean them soon after getting dirty it comes off easier. and you can monitor scratches etc dont forget to polish the chassis i use solvol autosol on the trailer aluminum chassis .keeps it looking like new. its only 23 yr old this year.

 

[lunarman]

Now that you have spent the time with 2 polishings of mer it will be simple to keep it that way. You can put a capful of MER in a bucket of water and wash the complete van with a sponge.

Wait until it is dry and polish it off, its as simple as that.

I did not believe that it could be that simple but trust me it is. I got this from a post on here last year.

If you can't believe that 1 bucket is not enough My van in 26 foot long and I throw nearly half the water away.

Regards

Lunarman

 

[oddjob]

Next door neighbour watching me wash the car and motorhome on Monday
Gave me this to try ,didn't like the idea of polishing on top of dirt and sand ( live on the coast )So hosed piped them down first then polished, did both in under a couple of hours ,
top to bottom windows bumpers and black rubber marks no effort the lot, mines on order
http://www.greasedlightning.co.uk/?gclid=COu5zM-GgqICFSMslAodA2-qCw
oddjob

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ips]

I agree with zaskar but at the end of the day its all down to elbow grease or if you have the time keeping on top of it.

I also agree with the point made about keeping an expensive mh-rv in good condition, by washing the van you can see any problems to the bodywork before they get serious.

I wouldnt personally walk down the street in a filthy and unkemp state and wouldnt have a vehicle wrapped aroud me that was. Its not about looking better than anybody else, rather a matter of pride in one's appearance.

My sentiments exactly, I dont understand anyone who can drive around in a filthy vehicle (or tatty old clothes for that matter). And as for pretending that they really dont care how dirty it is or what people think .......... well I will tell you ,we think that your a bunch of scruffy beggars who are too darned lazy to do some work.

Note
Not aimed at anyone in particular and certainly not aimed at any previous posters.

 

[Happy Hippy]

My sentiments exactly, I dont understand anyone who can drive around in a filthy vehicle (or tatty old clothes for that matter). And as for pretending that they really dont care how dirty it is or what people think .......... well I will tell you ,we think that your a bunch of scruffy beggars who are too darned lazy to do some work.

Note
Not aimed at anyone in particular and certainly not aimed at any previous posters.

I dont pretend that I don't care how dirty it is or what people think, I genuinely couldn't give a flying **** as long as it does it's job. But you're right, I'm a scruffy begger and I'm too lazy to do some (unnecessary) work, I put me hand up to that one

 

[ips]

Fair enough each to there own, I too used to be a scruffy begger in me yoof. That was in me scruffy biker days when I wore me ripped jeans and a donkey jacket and ex para boots had long scruffy hair and a very scruffy beerd............funny thing is though is that my bikes were allways immaculate....:Cool:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[seymore]

I still use MER polish but I put it in a spray bottle, about a cap full of mer then fill it up with water. I wash the van off first, dont bother to dry it but start a pannel at a time, spray then polish it immediately. I find this method a doddle. If you usually follow the instuctions on the bottle try this instead. dave

 

[saab95]

I toddle down to the Lindisfarne causeway, wait till the tide's half in and blat across at 85 mph.

Works for me anyway. :thumb::thumb:

85 that must be THE land speed record for that

 

[Janine]

OK so I occasionally have been known to clean my 'van (even though I suspect that the grime does help to hold it all together :Sad: ) I REFUSE to risk life and limb to clean the roof!

This was much to the derision of a couple of my friends who chipped in to fix my rooflight at the Malvern show last year, but they are the only ones who have ever seen my roof.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Terry]

Not sure if I should tell you this or market it
for years I have cleaned the vans with a mixture of bleach 1 part bleach to 3 or 4 parts water and a good squirt of stardrops put into a garden spray bottle (1 gallon pump type )sprayed onto the van -good brush and good rinse, hey presto job done :thumb:
Well last week we only had a small bottle of bleach ( usually have a couple of gallon around ) :Sad: anyway this was put into the spray as normal along with the stardrops but I also added a couple of cupfuls of liquid washing powder-- what a difference this made :thumb::thumb:It is normally very easy but this concoction made it even easier :thumb: eating it's way through the squashed bugs and black streaks like nothing (other than road traffic film remover ) I have ever tried :thumb: It even brought a good shine to the warriors alloy wheels removing all the crud and brake dust :thumb: Trouble is now I have to wash that as well as the van :thumb:oh:
terry