Waxes/Polishes

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Posted by Suz, Moderator (North Texas)

Okay, now that we've been chatting about how to get the shine back, I want some feedback about maintenance. I know that there as many opinions as there are brands, but I would like to know about one particular kind (not brand) and it's endurance.

I was out waxing the top (sorry Charles - not the bottom) of the trailer this morning and after cleaning it, then applying the starbrite cleaning polish, I decided to try what has been very effective on my vehicles - pure carnauba wax. I've used both Mother's and Meguair's (this happened to be Meguair's) liquid. Now I gotta tell ya, the result was astounding . I had used it during the early stages of my restoration attempt and it didn't work. Decided to try it now the finish is starting to come back. Whooooooooaaaaa !

Sooooo, all you with some experience behind your belt: Will pure carnauba wax protect it if I use it several times a year? I know cars are different than our boats on wheels, so always assumed that a boat polish would be better. Maybe I'll get a boat wax, but the part I did this morning is totally awesome (yuk, I hate that word, but it is!)

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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Pete Dumbleton, Member (On the Road, from FL)


Suz, bear in mind that anything that says polish is usually abrasive to some extent (check the word out in a dictionary). We have come to assume that wax and polish are interchangable words, but they aren't. Read the fine print on the polish can. Anything that says Rubbing Compound is usually coarser than polish, in general.

Wax is good, but some folks prefer stuf formulated for fiberglass boats and harsh conditions, wax or liquid mixes.

Pete and Rats

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Michael Sanders, Webguy (Central Coast, Calif.)


Some of the new Waxes are saying UV protection. What is the difference?

I always heard that pure carnauba 'paste' wax was best but the hardest to work with. Any thoughts? :roll

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Enjoy your visit - Webguy

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Pete Dumbleton, Member (On the Road, from FL)

uv
I dunno much more about this, but I know that in the kayak world, 303 Protectant chemically changes the surface of polypropelyne to resist UV deteriorization. Having owned fiberglass boats in Florida and seeing the topside gelcoat deteriorate (chalky) far faster than the shaded underside, I know that UV protectant is a good thing.

Pete and Rats

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Suz, Moderator (North Texas)

Waxes and polishes
Pete, you are absolutely correct. Anything that polishes will remove wax. Stands to reason if it will remove imperfections, it will remove the protective coating. That's why I never use them on my cars. I won't even put my car through a car wash ( GRRRRR. I just took it in for an oil change and they were so nice (even tho I asked them not to) they washed my car. AAACCCCCHHHHHHHH! Do you know how long it takes to get those swirl marks out of black paint.?) Thanks for correcting me. I know better, but others may not. Shame on me.

UV protection. That's what I've been wondering about the endruance of pure carnauba. Michael, I've worked with both the paste and liquid carnauba and I really cannot tell a difference in the way they protect. I probably wax my car more often than most. At least in the beginning. Helps makes washing it easier and sure brings a nice reward at trade time.

I think I may split the difference and find a boat wax with carnauba.

Thanks for the input.
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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Nathan and Daisy Justus, Member (Western Mass, NE)

Protect-AllWe use Protect-all on our Casita. Yes, everyone says boat wax is best. But protect-all is a liquid containing carnuba wax, some sort of solvent, and claims to protect from UV. It says that it cleans and waxes, but prefer to wash the trailer with something like Voom first. Voom is a wash that takes road grime grease off very easily.
(Voom is formulated for fiberglass as well as other surfaces).

Hope this helps. Does anyone else have any experience with Protect-All?

Nathan and Daisy

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Mary F, Moderator (Jonestown TX)

Boat Wax
I think one feature of some boat waxes is that they are supposed to be less noxious to the fishies in the sea (or lake). Of course, on a travel trailer, this is not really an issue.

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Mary Foster
1999 Casita (17ft Liberty Deluxe)

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Rick, Moderator (Vancouver, BC Canada)

Mary
Mary obviously doesn't know how much it rains here in Vancouver! J/K!

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Rick

*Leadfoot in a Bigfoot*

95 Bigfoot 25B21 (21.5FT)

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Augie Burgoon, Member (Salida Colorado)

Wax
The problem with wax is that it doesn't last in the sun. Once the waxed surface reaches a certain temperature the wax evaporates.

This is a real problem on a black car but the Casita, being white and non metal doesn't usually get so hot. Still, on a trip in the sun, or just sitting outside in the Summer, the wax will go away.

In my car club we had a Meguair's presentation and they said, for a CAR, that using #7 polystuff would be a better protection for PAINT that is exposed to the sun a lot.

I think the stuff made for gel coat boat topsides may be the way to go but I have not tried it yet. I put the #7 on my Casita and it is still very nice but I park inside a garage.

Possibly, the difference between paint and gel coat is that paint will oxidize and gel coat will deteriorate due to UV. I don't know about this and am guessing. Is there an expert out there?

I would be interested to find out more about the boat coat stuff before I try it. Like: is it easy to use and does it last and does it shine?

Augie

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Suz, Moderator (North Texas)

Waxes
Great points, Augie. Thanks for bringing that up for discussion. I do know that I have yet to find a wax that really holds up to the claim that you can get away with doing it once a year. I suppose if you kept it garaged 24/7/365, but most of us buy our vehicles to use!

There are so many things on the shelves out there, it is mind boggling to someone like me. So, I just keep on waxin' and waxin'. Sure would like to know if there's something that'd make life easier for us lazy folks.

PS....love your avatar.

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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by pjanits, Member (Schaumburg, Ill.)

wax
OK so you people shamed into buying a can of Meguair's paste wax.
I know everybody mentions liquid but remembering the days of Simonize I stick to paste. ( stubborn I guess).

Did a small area on the left side.
Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!

Darn it, now I gotta do the whole thing.......

Thanks a bunch, folks.
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Pete

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Suz, Moderator (North Texas)

Ah oh, Pete's caught it now!


See, Pete, I told ya. Once you start ya just can't stop. Looks good, huh? It's all part of the addiction ya know. Making those little buggers shiney!

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Suz
1989 Casita
16 ft Spirit Deluxe

[Legacy Posts]

Posted by Charles Watts, Member (Illinois)

Contacted Meguiares
Ok, as many of you know, I'm sold on Meguire's products. I contacted them this am and asked for their opinions on what to use on our little fiberglass RVs.

Here's their reply:

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As far as our Meguiars Boat/RV products are concerned, they are formulated for gelcoat/fiberglass finishes.

Regular consumer line products are made for clear coats which are not as durable as the gelcoats. It is safe to use clear coat products on gelcoats surfaces, but not vice versa.

All of our waxes contain UV protection. The polishes all contain feeder oils to help bring out a brilliant high gloss.

Jason Kenyon
Mequiar's Surface Care Specialist
(800) 347-5700 ext.175
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In other words, ok to use auto products on gelcoats ... but not ok to use rv products on autos. Any wax product from them contains UV protection.

Jason also said we could call/contact him at any time with any question.

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