Foretravel Owners' Forum

For those of you that wax your coach, I am interested in what and how you apply. I have detailed corvettes for years but am interested in the best way to wax a 40ft coach. So far I have used a liquid wax which I applied by hand and removed the same way. Do you have a brand that provides the best shine? And what is the easiest and quickest method?

One caution:  If you have vinyl stripes, do NOT wax them.  Use 303 Aerospace on them. Makes them "pretty" and also is UV protectant.

I use Turtle Wax Ice on the coach, the window glass (inside & outside), the rubber trim, the mirrors (inside & outside), the countertops, sinks, front of the refrigerator and microwave.
Sometimes I do apply two coats in order to remove residue from first coat or see a need for more consistent coverage.
Love how it makes window cleaning easier, especially the windshield. Driving in the rain the water shedding really shows up over the Rain-X we used to use.

For coach surfaces that do not need repairing (polishing), Wash Wax All.  Safe on vinyl as is 303 Protectant.  Polish All for repairing faded oxidized surfaces.

If you are in NAC Precision Auto Clean on University does a great detail job.  Give your coach the beauty shop treatment every few years. But for everyday use I am with Rudy.  WashWaxAll is quick and easy to use.  Your coach will look great every day and it it is easy to keep it looking that way. 

I use Finish Renu Cherry Wax...... on both the gel coat and vinyl...

Cherry Wax - 32oz (http://www.finishrenucarcare.com/product-p/fr-138-32.htm)

I also use their dry wash..... $20 a gal delivered... saves on the pocket book compared to the dry wash products sold in RV shops... :dance:

Dry Wash - 1 Gallon (http://www.finishrenucarcare.com/product-p/fr-133x-1.htm)

Cheers

Ted

Wash Wax All. 

Keith

I was just about to suggest 303, but Brett was on it. We have fresh gel-coat and stripes and the 303 is great for keeping the dust down, not to mention the UV protection, which we never had a problem with up north, but down here, the stripes get done on the sunny side a lot.

Wash Wax All.  :D

I use an extension pole and their Micro applicator to apply the product.  We have both sizes of applicators:  small and large.  Works great on chrome plastic/vinyl on Jeep windows, glass windows.  We have a small bottle in the kitchen that I use for my eye glasses. 

I got some great suggestions and I did some research on products suggests. I will probably use a number of these starting with the turtle wax. If I get the results I want I'll stay with it. I probably use 303 in between. Cherry wax looks interesting. I may try that on my corvette. Thanks everyone we will see how it goes. 

BTW - I understand Wash Wax All is what the government uses on Air Force One - 'cept they/we buy in 55 gal drums.  It is an amazing product. 

WashWaxAll ^.^d

Try "zainobros.com" on those corvettes and your coach,you'll throw that wax in the garbage,I did.

I use Wash and Wax all for routine touch up but I use Rejex on the front end to make bug removal easier and Turtle Wax Ice for annual full body wax and Ice Claybar for any scuffs or minor scratches.

A interesting internet read about Gel Coat....... Rule # 3 is the most interesting......  :facepalm:

Carnauba Wax vs Gel Coat Sealants (http://www.boatmanager.com/carnauba-vs-gel-coat-sealants.html)

Q: Carnauba Wax -vs- Gel Coat Sealants!  Which is better?
A: Both!  How can that be?     

          No one debates the need to seal and protect gel coat finishes, but there is disagreement over how best to do it. Many "old timers" will only use a natural carnauba wax. There are a number of reasons for this. Combining the corrosive effects of acid rain and constant exposure to sunlight limits carnauba wax durability to six months.

          Synthetic sealants on the other hand, have better bonding characteristics than carnauba waxes and better abrasion resistance. Synthetic sealants will outlast carnauba waxes, and will typically produce a brighter shine. Sealants should last six to nine months.

So why the debate?
      In the early days, enthusiasts often applied over-the-counter automotive sealants to their gel coat. Many of these sealants contain strong petroleum solvents and/or coarse abrasives which actually accelerated gel coat oxidation. These enthusiasts were applying a "protective" sealant only to have it quickly turn a dull, chalky white. No wonder sealants got such a bad image.

Rule No. 1: Clean the surface first! Then, seal it with a Carnauba Wax or Synthetic Polish. Either will produce the long lasting shine and protection needed for your gel-coat surface.

Rule No. 2: Select a gel coat sealant that has some kind of micro-fine cleaning or polishing agent (not a coarse abrasive) to remove existing contamination in the pores. Removing the debris and then sealing the surface with a gel coat sealant will greatly retard the oxidation process and add years to the life of your gel coat.

Rule No. 3: Don't use automotive sealants on gel coat finishes. There are exceptions, but if the manufacturer doesn't specifically recommend their product for gel coat, don't use it! Use only polishes and sealants that are designed for gel coat. Gel coat is porous. Seen under a microscope, your smooth gel coat surface is millions of tiny holes! These holes, or pores, fill with microscopic grime and road salts which promote gel coat oxidation. Think of oxidation as "plastic rust". The contamination in the pores is eating away the gel coat from the inside, filling the pores with a dull chalk. As the chalk fills more and more pores, the entire gel coat surface will take on a dull, whitish finish.  Carnauba waxes and automotive sealants do not remove pre-existing micro-contamination in the pores. Worse, they seal the contamination in place where it continues to oxidize from the inside, under the protective wax.

Keep in mind that the coating that many of us are working with is a clear coat paint.

Wash Wax All
303

Just finished buffing mine out with 3M 09006 one step compound/ polish. Then go back over everything with California Gold paste wax carnuauba.

Klasse
Klasse ALL-IN-ONE Auto Polish, Klasse All In One, klasse aio, Acrylic polish (http://www.autogeek.net/klasseallinone.html) Great, for clean and protect.  Cindy has been using it for years.

I bought "DRI WASH 'N Guard" at Quartzsite and have found it to work OK.
"DRI WASH 'N Guard" is claimed to be the first waterless car wash product with ultra ionic technology for superior shine.
Does anyone know if Wash Wax All is better and/or lower cost?

Wash Wax All is certified safe by Boeing for all aircraft surfaces.  It cost 29 or 29 dollars a gallon.  I remember Dry Wash to be over a $100 several years ago.

I just left O'Reilly's and they have never heard of Wash Wax All... picked up a bottle of Meguiars wash wax.. Where do you find Wash Wax All?

Some folks have used airplane wax....probably pretty good stuff.

Jim

We get a lot of dust here, the 303 with the wipes does a great job + not too much is applied, which can give the stripes a uneven coating, which too much of the spray applicator will do. When using the 303, try to do it in the sun, and look on an angle to see how much needs to be cleaned off after application.  ^.^d

Dub,

Try a search on the ForeForum - Wash and Wax All - many leads there;

e.g. What you can learn in meeting other Foretravel owners (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=14129.msg80941#msg80941)  Although this is a five year old post, the virtues of Wash n' Wax All have been echoed many times over on the ForeForum
e.g. - http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=17831.msg120707#msg120707

Try a search on Google - Wash n' Wax All - thousands of leads there,
e.g. Aircraft RV Cleaner and Waterless Wash Wax Detailing Products Supplies (http://washwax.com/)
e.g. Amazon.com: Waterless Aircraft RV Boat Car Wash & Wax 2 Gallon Concentrate:... (http://www.amazon.com/Waterless-Aircraft-Boat-Gallon-Concentrate/dp/B00JOQX8VO/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1455941397&sr=1-3&keywords=Wash+%26+Wax+ALL+concentrate)

I buy mine directly from Wash n' Wax All, unless I find it less expensively at an FMCA Convention or the like.  I have also found it (several times) at small airfields because it is a product line that was initially developed for aircraft (Boeing) and then small plane pilots really "honed-in" on it.
 
Hope this is of help to you,

Neal

On Edit:  I always forget to mention that (from direct experience) Wash n' Wax All's excellent shine and longevity characteristics on bare Gel coat (and painted graphics) are magnified 10 (or more ) fold on a clear-coated, full-body painted coach.
Depending upon individual taste and budget, bare gel coats require surface restoration (buffing out) on a periodic basis dependent upon their care and periodic feeding as well as their environmental exposure history.  For a coach that is always outside, preserved by Wash n' Wax All products, 5 years may be a good average between buffing restorations.  However, a high quality, full body painted coach, with multiple UV protected clear coats, such as the higher quality paint products that Extreme Paint and Graphics uses, easily extend the polishing interval 2 or 3 fold.  And then periodic preservation using Wash n' Wax All products extend the polishing interval even longer.

I buy direct from the manufacturer Aircraft RV Cleaner and Waterless Wash Wax Detailing Products Supplies (http://washwax.com/)      GREAT!!! customer service.  Go on line, open an account and you are in business.

We are dedicated WashWaxAll users. When going from here to there I clean the organic material (bugs) from the front of the coach with some warm water and a bit of Dawn.  Rinse and let dry or wipe dry and then do a WWA application on the front. Next day the bugs come off so much easier.  Clean and smooth too so there much be much less aerodynamic drag, right?

This is one of those tasks that most don't like to do but the WWA process done regularly really doesn't take very long at all. After a day of driving I need to get outside and move around anyway. And just like a cute puppy, this stuff seems to attract folks to come over and ooh and aah. Good for my pride thing.  And nothing like a a clean shiney Foretravel to be the best looking coach wherever you stop.

Lots of ways to get this task done.  The right one is out there for you to discover.