Algae

[spike]

On looking at the roof of my MH, in particular the plastic surface of the front bubble forming the over-cab bed area I noticed masses of black marks, which I presume are remnants of algae growth. (I think the previous owned kept the vehicle under trees) These are very hard, slightly raised and quiet difficult to remove. Tried washing, rubbing, scraping and T-Cutting, and find that the only thing that seems to shift them is T-Cut (the safe one) but this too is a hard and slow process.

I’m thinking that there must be a product specially designed for this job? But more to the point is there something that can be applied to the surface that would prevent this from recurring?

I notice too that the black front bumper seems to develop white streaks after a downpour and I have to keep refinishing it with ‘black bumper cleaner’. I’m under the impression that this too is as a result of the over-cab area surface, some sort of residue from the plastic? Again, is there some sort of seal that can be applied, perhaps one that will do both jobs?

 

[pepe63xnotuse]

"Roof cleaning" crops up quite a lot,so it may be worth trying the "search" function...

 

I asked about our's not so long back and got loads of advise on various "potions and lotions".. ;-)

 

..I have found that a little WD40 sprayed on the more stubborn "debris",sometiimes help shift them...

 

(..although I would go easy on the T Cut...it's way too coarse in my mind).

[crinklystarfish]

Regarding the 'protection in the first place' side of things there are a couple of products out there that are fairly popular.

I've used Aglaze in the past and it does make a difference. It does take 2 or 3 days of hard graft to apply properly though, especially to more sullied surfaces.

Neither is it cheap, and though it helps, nothing will stop streaking altogether, apart from never getting the 'van wet that is.

[Bolly1965]

I found a cure for the streaking on the black bumper - a hot air gun - there's plenty of video tutorials on youtube - makes them look like new and lasts well

[spike]

Thanks for that

[Tracker]

I usually clean our van roof with Flash liquid followed by a wash over with car shampoo to git rid of any residue.

 

Jif - now known as Cif - sometimes works on the stubborn bits but as it is a bit abrasive it is best used only on the out of sight from ground level roof bits.

 

Using hot - but not too hot - water also certainly helps to soften the black bits.

 

I've not found the effort of polishing the roof with any sort of car polish to be worth the effort so I gave that up years ago although I have never tried Aglaze as suggested earlier?

[Brian Kirby]

My guess is that the previous owner parked the van beneath pine trees, and what you are seeing is pine resin that has dripped onto the roof. This is very sticky, so dirt will have stuck and embedded, and has presumably now hardened. It is, IMO, debatable whether it is worth trying to shift it. I don't think it will do harm, it becomes very hard, it sticks like the proverbial, and attempts to remove it are liable to damage the paint rather then benefit it.

[ips]

fenwicks motorhome/caravan cleaner has allways worked for me.