RV Detailing?

W

warlockid

New member
I know its not a standard auto detailing question but I cant find other resources online to help me so thanks for letting me post here...



I run an RV detail shop for a large outfit here in Idaho. Most of what I do is internal details (trade-ins, etc.), which means its not work I have the luxury of turning away. I've come to find that I HATE trying to machine polish/buff these suckers! People dont take the time to wash their rv's as often as they should, so when I get something in the 5-10 year old range, it's ridiculously time consuming to try and make a fiberglass finish look good again. Im posting because Id love some tips on the best way to make a withered, gel-coated fiberglass coach look nice again without spending 20 hours on it. Thanks!
 
I know what you're talking about, I worked in an RV garage as a mechanic some years ago & occasionally had to do doll-ups also.



RV's are almost never taken care of the way they should be on the outside. I have a 1987 Holiday Rambler class C that I have had for almost 20 years & it looks brand new, but I sure have to work at it to keep it that way.



I bought mine from an old lady whose Husband had died. She kept the RV for a few years hoping to remarry & use it again. When that didn't happen, she sold it to me (it had 12,000 miles on it at the time). I had to dig it out of a snowbank in Syracuse NY & then it took me a good week to clean it up so it looked new again........



~John
 
Bring back a dull or faded finish on any RV is labor intensive. I dont know if this will help but I will give you the senerio of the two RV's I detailed this week.

1) 2003 36' Holiday Rambler Motorhome. The motor home is generally parked inside so the fading was minimal. The rv had never been waxed and the white was blackstreaked pretty good. The finish was brought back using Megs NXT and a PC. The results was outstanding. total time 4-5 hrs

2) 2003 28' Cougar 5th wheel camper. The 5th wheel had only recently been stored under a cover. The finish was faded. I used megs #2 with the yellow LC pad followed by Megs NXT applied with the white LC pad and removed with the Gray LC pad.

The results was again outstanding. The finish is much glossier than many new ones on the dealers lots. total time 7 hrs.
 
hybridhauler said:
Bring back a dull or faded finish on any RV is labor intensive. I dont know if this will help but I will give you the senerio of the two RV's I detailed this week.

1) 2003 36' Holiday Rambler Motorhome. The motor home is generally parked inside so the fading was minimal. The rv had never been waxed and the white was blackstreaked pretty good. The finish was brought back using Megs NXT and a PC. The results was outstanding. total time 4-5 hrs

2) 2003 28' Cougar 5th wheel camper. The 5th wheel had only recently been stored under a cover. The finish was faded. I used megs #2 with the yellow LC pad followed by Megs NXT applied with the white LC pad and removed with the Gray LC pad.

The results was again outstanding. The finish is much glossier than many new ones on the dealers lots. total time 7 hrs.
Click to expand...



Im guessing the HR was a full painted coach. The painted ones I can usually make to look near new. Especially the ones that are stored and taken care of. I've seen literally hundreds of 5W Cougars come through my shop. I like your tips on how to bring an '03 back to looking like new. When I took over this detail shop it was an absolute mess. They had hardly any appropriate tools or products to actually "detail" and RV. The owner gave me the reigns and a basically unlimited pocketbook to work with. Im thinking its time to get a PC or two, some LC pads, and a few products Ive heard about here. So thanks a bunch for helping point me in the right direction!
 
X-Kote might be your answer. X-Kote Paint Renewal Systems Inc



Here are some pics of a boat I recently did . Process, rotary polish with Megs oxidization remover. Wash, degrease, tape and wipe on the X-Kote. This client only wanted the top of the boat finished so nothing was done to the hull. Total time spent by 2 guys on this boat was about 3 hours maybe 4.

noseB.jpg


noceA.jpg


sideB.jpg


sideA.jpg


Picture198.jpg
 
Flygti32 said:
X-Kote might be your answer. X-Kote Paint Renewal Systems Inc



Here are some pics of a boat I recently did . Process, rotary polish with Megs oxidization remover. Wash, degrease, tape and wipe on the X-Kote. This client only wanted the top of the boat finished so nothing was done to the hull. Total time spent by 2 guys on this boat was about 3 hours maybe 4.

noseB.jpg


noceA.jpg


sideB.jpg


sideA.jpg


Picture198.jpg
Click to expand...



Looks like it might be what Im hunting for. Is it available retail in the US or do we have to order directly from the website? The site didnt have any prices. Whats it normally run and how much product? Thanks!
 
Looks like it might be what Im hunting for. Is it available retail in the US or do we have to order directly from the website? The site didnt have any prices. Whats it normally run and how much product? Thanks!
 
I honestly would call Marc Johnston he's the president talk to him about what it would take to set you up with the product. He will let you know what product costs are and such. I don't know where you are in the US but there are a few distributors in the states now. You might be lucky and have one close by. 1-604-671-1544
 
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