Can I use RV fiberglass wax for my car?

[taylor90]

I was wondering what is the absolute best RV wax for fiberglass that provides the best protection, is long lasting and suitable for most of RV. Besides an class C motorhome for camping trips across the country with my family, I also own a 2016 BMW 5 Series. Normally, we use Meguiar’s product for waxing our RV after researching and reading some good piece of info about it on the internet. It worked great with my RV to slow down the oxidation and make ultraviolet shield. But I've not used it for my BMW. Is this good for car? What is the wax that you usually use for your car? Any suggestion?

[gordon2]

There are a number of different Meguiar’s Marine waxes. Most people probably use their Flagship Premium Marine Wax but it does include a mild abrasive. If you need a little light polishing for you car it should be fine. I have used it for very light scratches on my car.

Then there is Meguiar’s pure wax (not really pure but thats quibbling) , and being a "pure" wax, it should be fine for cars also, just maybe more expensive than need be.

On my Fiberglass RV, when no further cleaning or polishing is needed and I want a pure wax, I use 3M Marine Ultra Performance Paste Wax. My car does not get treated so well.

[Jack L]

I've always felt that the difference between Car Wax, RV Wax and Marine Wax was that they were "specially formulated"for the specific purpose of getting more of your money by selling you another can of wax when you already have a product that would do the job very well.

[Jon in AZ]

I tended to think that way, too. However, after using regular Turtle paste wax for several seasons and switching to Meguiar's a year ago, I'm now convinced it's worth the extra cost. It is both longer lasting and easier to buff out.

I bought my Scamp used, and I don't think the first owner ever waxed it, so the original gelcoat shine was long gone. No matter how hard and long I buffed, the paste wax always came out blotchy. The Turtle wax was gone on top after only about 3-4 months, while the Meguiar's still beads up after 6 months in our high altitude AZ sun. As they say, YMMV...

I still use Turtle paste wax on the cars, but like Gordon, I'm not as picky and prefer to save the pricier marine wax for the Scamp. Automotive paste wax seems to last much longer on the cars' clear coat finish. Once a year for the cars, twice for the Scamp.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I tended to think that way, too. However, after using regular Turtle paste wax for several seasons and switching to Meguiar's a year ago, I'm now convinced it's worth the extra cost. It is both longer lasting and easier to buff out. The Turtle wax was gone on top after only about 3-4 months, while the Meguiar's still beads up after 6 months in our high altitude AZ sun. As they say, YMMV...

I still use Turtle wax on the cars, but like Gordon, I'm not as picky. Once a year for the cars, twice for the Scamp.

-----------------------------------------

My 'schedule' usually works out to 'occasionally' for the Scamp, and 'not that often ' for the cars. David in Fresno and Sonora

[Darral T.]

Ever since I've owned my Scamp from 2010, I've used "Protect-All". I let it cover the rubber window seals, cords, everything AND I use it on my vehicles. Meguiars is about $.47 an ounce and buying this PA in the gallon size is about $.32. I've had good luck with it. But I've also caught it on sale AND when Camping World wants to "get you back" and offers a instore discount etc. So that's a good time to buy in "quantity" which always saves. Protect All has good reviews as well.

Protect All, Gallon - Thetford 62010 - RV Cleaners - Camping World

Originally Posted by taylor90

I was wondering what is the absolute best RV wax for fiberglass that provides the best protection, is long lasting and suitable for most of RV. Besides an class C motorhome for camping trips across the country with my family, I also own a 2016 BMW 5 Series. Normally, we use Meguiar’s product for waxing our RV after researching and reading some good piece of info about it on the internet. It worked great with my RV to slow down the oxidation and make ultraviolet shield. But I've not used it for my BMW. Is this good for car? What is the wax that you usually use for your car? Any suggestion?

[k0wtz]

I have 2 cadillacs both old one a 2002 one a 2005 the 2005 has 69k on it I have never waxed them.

with our new finishes I don't think waxing needed but if you want go for it! as jon did I bought our 13f scamper used it did have a high dollar finish on it but I don't think my back will handle much so if it get an occasional wash that will be it.

as its a 95 the old girl is showing her age a little but aren't we all. one thing just think of the money all those companies are making off the car waxing business?

bob

[David Tilston]

I am a bit disappointed that no one has mentioned floor wax. Zep Wetlook, available at Home Depot. $30 Cdn for 3.78 liters of the stuff. Way more then you will need. It is designed to stand up to UV and more ware and tear then you fibreglass trailer should be subject to. Best of all, after three or four years, you can take it off with the engine wash setting at the wand wash. Then put it back on. Take a look at this thread:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ell-43004.html
345000 hits, 869 replies.

The hardest part is getting the trailer real clean, before applying it.

[taylor90]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I tended to think that way, too. However, after using regular Turtle paste wax for several seasons and switching to Meguiar's a year ago, I'm now convinced it's worth the extra cost. It is both longer lasting and easier to buff out.

I bought my Scamp used, and I don't think the first owner ever waxed it, so the original gelcoat shine was long gone. No matter how hard and long I buffed, the paste wax always came out blotchy. The Turtle wax was gone on top after only about 3-4 months, while the Meguiar's still beads up after 6 months in our high altitude AZ sun. As they say, YMMV...

I still use Turtle paste wax on the cars, but like Gordon, I'm not as picky and prefer to save the pricier marine wax for the Scamp. Automotive paste wax seems to last much longer on the cars' clear coat finish. Once a year for the cars, twice for the Scamp.

Using Meguiar's, I was very impressed by the ability to remove oxidation and it makes for a nice shine. i bought this product after reading a detailed reviews about best RV wax for fiberglass and then I bought a can of Meguiar’s M5032 Marine on Amazon. I applied by hand but removed by both buffer wheel and by hand. Once dry, it removed easily. In regards to scratches, it may deal with very light scratches but I did not see much improvement over some slight scratches that I had.

I applied it in direct sunlight just to see how it worked and it still came off easily. I used this on both the metal and fiberglass portions of my rig and it did great. It was not smooth metal so it took a bit more elbow grease to remove it. It has since rained and it does a great job repelling water, keeping my rig looking sharp. I can't comment on longevity but if it's like any other Mequiar product, I expect it to do well. I use nothing but Mequiar's and this product did not let me down. Again, the removal of oxidation and other surface grime was fantastic with this cleaner/wax!! Extremely impressed and I recommend this to all of my RV friends.

[taylor90]

Originally Posted by Jack L

I've always felt that the difference between Car Wax, RV Wax and Marine Wax was that they were "specially formulated"for the specific purpose of getting more of your money by selling you another can of wax when you already have a product that would do the job very well.

Yeah, maybe at my first thought I considered all vehicles are the same so the wax for RV would work for other vehicle: cars or boats.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I am a bit disappointed that no one has mentioned floor wax. Zep Wetlook...

Good point, though the real question seemed to be whether he can use it on his 2016 BMW 5-series. Not advisable...

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Good point, though the real question seemed to be whether he can use it on his 2016 BMW 5-series. Not advisable...

Ummm... .... Why not?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by taylor90

Yeah, maybe at my first thought I considered all vehicles are the same so the wax for RV would work for other vehicle: cars or boats.

I'm thinking you're probably right for brand new gelcoat. As gelcoat degrades with exposure to weather and UV radiation, it becomes rougher and somewhat porous, unlike modern vehicle clearcoat finishes, so it doesn't take wax evenly. The fiberglass-specific products seem to do a better job of overcoming that. As David says, high gloss floor wax has also been used effectively on older gelcoat. It lasts longer and gives a higher gloss, more like new gelcoat, but it has to be stripped before reapplication.

I should mention that I started with the full Meguiar's 3-step restoration process- oxidation remover, conditioner, and wax. For reapplication, if it still beads water, I go straight to the wax, but if the wax is completely gone, I back up to the conditioner step.

[adamhenry421]

I have personally used RV fiberglass wax on my toyota hiace ambulance after its fabrication. It worked very well and helps to keep the shine on the car intact.

[Meadowlark]

He's on the road right now so I'll put in his suggestion: my friend Jerrybob swears by BTS..Bow To Stern. I'm not a boater, but BTS is made for fiberglass boats and is said to be great stuff. I am pretty sure you can get it at West Marine.



Another friend of mine, Harold, advised me to try Turtle Wax Ceramic coating. I put that on our 2011 Casita a year ago and it's still beading up like crazy. Best of all I didn't have to remove anything, just washed the Egg and applied it and it was dry in minutes.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Jack L

I've always felt that the difference between Car Wax, RV Wax and Marine Wax was that they were "specially formulated"for the specific purpose of getting more of your money by selling you another can of wax when you already have a product that would do the job very well.

That pretty much sums it up!

Meguiars has excellent advertising, so that’s what many people use.

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I am a bit disappointed that no one has mentioned floor wax. Zep Wetlook, available at Home Depot. $30 Cdn for 3.78 liters of the stuff. Way more then you will need. It is designed to stand up to UV and more ware and tear then you fibreglass trailer should be subject to. Best of all, after three or four years, you can take it off with the engine wash setting at the wand wash. Then put it back on. Take a look at this thread:
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ell-43004.html
345000 hits, 869 replies.

The hardest part is getting the trailer real clean, before applying it.

Engine clean setting at the car wash? I’ll give part of our camper at test in two years when I apply Zep again.

A good wax will last a couple of years, but there are many waxes on the market that need yearly or sooner applications. We use Zep wax products and 15 months ago I applied my wax and it looks great today, and requires no harsh/needless buffing. Currently I do use Meguiars cleaner (because I bought it over 5 years ago) in a 5% solution to clean the dust/oils/bugs off the camper, but any decent cleaner will do the job.

We use an On The Go Water Softener. Soft water makes cleaning a much, much easier job and the windows get sparkly clean too. Plus streaking is eliminated, and no car wash hard deposits. The car wash soft rinses we’ve used still leave deposits on the windows, so obviously leaves deposits on the rest of the camper too.

The small version only weighs about 30 pounds, so easy to carry, but will soften 150-1500 gallons before needing a recharge. We soften the water that goes in our fresh tank, but use other water for coffee. It’s good for about 15-30 camper fills, so only needs recharging a couple times a year, when we’re at our seasonal site.

We carry hardness strips to test the incoming water to get an idea of how long before it needs recharging. Recharging the On The Go is easy. Before we put the camper away in November I’ll be recharging the On The Go so it will last the winter in Utah, Arizona, etc.

Enjoy,

Perry