best polish

[chasthedagger]

what do you think the best polish is for fibreglass panels as the white front of my hymer is dull and when i use autoglym the shine does not last.

 

[Nik]

I find that whatever polish my wife puts on is the best.

 

[Jaws]

For me, Its Ice Diamond.. Not cheap but ruddy good and only needs redoing once in a blue moon

 

[mikekaren2]

what do you think the best polish is for fibreglass panels as the white front of my hymer is dull and when i use autoglym the shine does not last.

I have ordered the following from a chandlers 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax.
It should arrive tomorrow or Thursday I will be using it on my Hymer & will report back after the weekend, I have been told that it works wonders on fiberglass boats so it should fine on the MOHO. I will take before & after photos.
Link with reviews is here.

Mike

 

[IanF]

Used it on our caravan front which was really dull and with a bit of effort 3M Fibreglass restorer did a great job

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[JeanLuc]

Ordinary polish doesn't do the job. There was a thread on this a few days ago. I use Farecla Gel Coat Restorer with wax (designed for yachts). It has given me good results aver a few years now. I think the 3M product referred to by Mike above is similar and will do just as well.

 

[Silver-Fox]

As was on the previous post

Polish only revives the surface of the paint by removing a small amount of it if done by hand.

Once you have polished the paint you need to seal it with wax or a sealer made for the job.This is a continuous process to keep things looking good

 

[rosalan]

A while back I tried everything I had in the garage to get a 'best' finish, Autoglyn, Simonize, Mer and several other cheap polishes that have been around for ages. Meguairs marine polish was easy to apply and polish but so was Autoglyn. I cannot swear that any were that much better than any other. I have asked "Which" magazine several times to consider testing them without success.
One area that I did find a best solution for, was the aluminium painted front of my Fiat. Every polish seemed to take off layers of paint and still look streaky, so I tried some old 'Johnsons' wax floor polish in a round tin. Perfect results that lasted for almost a year! I left the lid off the tin, it has gone hard and you cannot buy it any more, so may end up buying expensive wood wax to see if that works.

Alan

 

[scotjimland]

I asked this question a few days ago.. some good replies..

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/polishing-fibreglass-bodywork.105490/#post-1367892

 

[JJ]

I have ordered the following from a chandlers 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax.
It should arrive tomorrow or Thursday I will be using it on my Hymer & will report back after the weekend, I have been told that it works wonders on fiberglass boats so it should fine on the MOHO. I will take before & after photos.
Link with reviews is here.

Mike

Thanks for the info...

Will wait eagerly for your report!

Just read the reviews (Google is you friend) and it looks like good stuff.

JJ

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[mikekaren2]

I have ordered the following from a chandlers 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax.
It should arrive tomorrow or Thursday I will be using it on my Hymer & will report back after the weekend, I have been told that it works wonders on fiberglass boats so it should fine on the MOHO. I will take before & after photos.
Link with reviews is here.

Mike

Pictures as promised, not to sure how clear they are but I did half of the bonnet to show the difference. This is one application & a couple of minutes with the buffer, the right side shows the depth of shine against the left side not treated.
There's a big difference & I will add more photos when I complete the job properly.

 

[JJ]

So you recommend the stuff then?

JJ

 

[laird of Dunstan]

I used farecla products when I had my own small body shop , do not use any thing that has ammonia in it as this will give the gell coat a yellow tinge, read the label to check

 

[Yorick]

I find that whatever polish my wife puts on is the best.

Case dismissed M'lud.

 

[deleted-member02]

I used the Farecla gel coat restorer and wax last weekend - all the front and top rear panel.

It's done a wonderful job - didn't feel abrasive when applying, yet it's removed any oxidisation and marks.
Now feels silky smooth and has a good shine.

The rest had a polish with Autoglym super resin.
I've yet to find the perfect wax that works for me. This time I tried Simonize wax and I'm disappointed with the final look.
Followed the instructions, small area at a time, out of direct sunlight - it seems to have left a slight film which I cannot buff out - looked better after just a polish.

Will probably just use Autogylm aquawax next time. Perhaps not total 'protection' but since I wash the van regularly, quite happy it'll suffice.

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[mikekaren2]

So you recommend the stuff then?

JJ

Yes I do I will be given the fiberglass areas a proper going over this weekend & will put more pictures up. I will point out that I use a electric polisher & finish off by buffing up by hand. So I can't comment on applying it by hand. I made the decision a long time ago that I would invest in a professional polisher & to be honest I haven't looked back, right tools for the right job.

 

[FJmike]

To restore an oxidised surface by hand even using the best products will take an awful lot of effort and a considerable amount of time, after which you may still not have a satisfactory finish. If you are tempted to use an electric polisher please go very carefully as mistakes may not be able to be rectified. I use a dual action polisher which is a lot more gentle than rotary polishers.

 

[Figaro]

Big endorsement for 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and Wax.
Used it on the front of my Hymer to clean the fibreglass sections and they came up really good. They`re never going to have a deep shine but I`m really pleased with the finish. Did a great job of removing traffic film and grime.
But be aware it does remove some colour from the decals so go easy there !
I also used it on the grey bumper sections and they came up good too.
I think a second polish will look even better but I ran out of time today.
Thanks to mikekaren2 for recommendation

 

[JJ]

My (very expensive and rather small) bottle of Farecla PROFILE Gelcoat Restorer and Wax was here when we got back from a couple of nights away. (£8 Postage!)

I have given the stuff a trial on a small area and it seems to do the job pretty well.

It will be therapy for me over the next few weeks...

You remember The Karate Kid...

Wax on, wax off...

JJ

 

[Beacons]

Mr silkies is good we use it on our hymer

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[Big Lad]

Im still looking for something good to use on the rest of the van, but for the bonnet and front wings and doors, I mopped the paintwork back slighty to get rid of the dullness and then after a coat of normal pdi polish ive applied a coat of Williams Ceramic Coat. Flies just bounce off now

Im not sure how this stuff would perform on the rest of the bodywork. I might have to do a spot test.

 

[jhorsf]

poor frankie is going to be busy on her next visit lol