Brambles Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Hi, I have a fibreglass body on my Motorhome and is 9 years old now. I have always polished it with Autoglym resin polish and whilst pleased with initial results it never lasts and black streaks soon appear again pretty quick. Now, the 1st two years were not a problem with streaks and wiped off easily, I then use Fenwicks Motorhome cleaner which really made nice job of cleaning but ever since then has been a real pain to keep clean. I got impression it cleaned off whetever coating was on the fibreglass panels. Moving on, earlier this year I tried a different resin polish, supposed to put on a diamond hard coating which resists everything. Well no, black streaks appeared 1st time it rained and stained the surface and a pain to wash off. OOPs, big mistake using this polish so cleaned it all off polished again with Autoglym. Now having returned from holiday with a filthy van I decided to investigate. Now apparently Carnauba wax is used as a release agent when manufacturing the fibreglass panels and is used to seal the gel coat surface and give it high gloss. Is this what I stripped off after two years. So went out an bought Mequiar's RV/Boat High gloss polish and a bottle of RV/Boat Pure wax which is mainly Carnauba wax with a few additives. I have now spent over two weeks cleaning with the polish and putting on a top layer of wax ( just a bit at a time when weather and time allows). So far results are very impressive as it has rained on the originally polished panels a few times ( a lot) and no staining, there has been some black streaks but they literally wipe off and actually some came of next time it rained. So initial results show this to be excellent. Beautiful shiny finish ( the wet look) and no stains so far. So question is, Is carnauba wax the secret, will my results last and has anyone else tried the above, and if so how long did it last? It was very hard work doing this, but looks really good and love to know what others think of using Carnauba Wax. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I still use Simonize original wax polish, it contains Carnauba wax and the shine lasts a long time. It is hard work but I have an electric polisher so it's much easier. Did you know Carnauba wax comes from the waxy coating on some tropical plant or another? H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Hi Hallii, Yes. I read up all about were it comes from. I used to use it to polish things I made out of hard wood. The Brazilian Palm Tree leaves. Apparently when it gets wet the moisture cause the cells of the wax to expand and seal the surface stopping ay moisture penetrating and repelling contaminants. Then when it is dry the wax becomes more porous allowing it to 'breath'. Nice to hear you say it lasts. edit - one day I wil learn to type 'the' instead of 'teh', and 'n' instead of 'm'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I don't think so - Carnauba wax giving the gelcoat a shine is to do with how it is set in the mould..... gel coat actually sets without air, so to get it to set (and allow it to be released) the mould is coated with wax, then the gelcoat is brushed/sprayed over the waxed mould. Once there are several layers the fibreglass matting, epoxy resin etc. are all layered on top. Once the GRP item is "popped" from the mould it will be polished and cut back etc. then a good quality wax applied - this is what gives it a UV protection layer etc. This "used" to be a proper bees wax which gives a very shiny, slippery and protective layer - but modern equivalents would be something like Auto Glm and Mer type products. If you stripped of all the coating (such as cleaning with Oxalic acid (which brings GRP up like new!!!) then you MUST spend time replacing the protective coating. If you do a gel coat repair with normal gelcoat you can use cling film or waxed cling film to get the gel coat to set, if this is not done then the gelcoat will remain permanently tacky and attract every insect and dirt granule with 10 m. You can put additives with gel coat or buy proper gel coat repair (which is normal gel coat with the additive) and the additive is essentially a fluid that floats to the surface of exposed gel coat and allows it to set. Thats how it works for boats anyway, hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Forgot to mention - get a good polisher, not a high speed modified grinder or low voltage 12v thing - a proper polisher will pay dividends - hire or borrow if you don't want to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Sounds like a good Idea to get a polisher Certainly would have been a lot easier, especially on the roof. Thanks also re gel coats etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Carnauba wax IIRC is quite viscous, hence it is easily brushed on - the polishing wax was always much much firmer giving a very resilient finish. But any way will make it shine, but I would plumb for the more protective longer lasting variant, but it will involve more effort applying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Where are you based? your profile doesn't give any clues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 sean.clarke - 2012-09-05 3:46 PM Where are you based? your profile doesn't give any clues. Angus, Scotland. IIRC, ermmmm? You have got me now. Is this a brand or a specification...sorry I am being a bit clueless now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Acronym, Jon. IIRC = If I Remember Correctly! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Ta Brain. Oh Gosh not another one to remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 To some extent black streaks are the result of rain washing down dust and pollution that has acumulated on the vehicles roof. Sometimes its the result of eastrly winds blowing atmospheric pollution from the continent to us. Giving the roof a wash once a month or so seems to help. Funny -I have not needed to do it much this year due to regular free deliveries of H2O. Here in Devon black streaks are less noticable if the wind is from the southwest in from the Atlantic. The rare easterly with rain nearly always leaves a filthy mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean.clarke Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Those black streaks, rust stains etc. can all be removed by Oxalic acid, but use it carefully and also remember it will strip off all protective wax and other UV protection if any were applied. Oxalic acid will turn an off white, unloved, black streaked, rust stained and very grubby charter boat that has not been cleaned all year into a gleaming, sparkling sight to behold. BUT it must be used carefully and may "eat" anything that is not GRP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Our black streaks are courtesy of BAA at Gatwick (or whoever runs it now) 8o| Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 We use Starbright marine polish on our GRP and have always done so from new. We use the top grade with PTFE as used by all the top dinghy racers. Not to hard to apply, gives a brilliant long lasting shine and any black streaks simply wash off. For regular washes we use Starbright wash and wax. The shine is so good we often have people on site asking how we keep our Motorhomes looking like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I concur with last two posts re-boat products. Marine products are the way to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 An interesting thread. I'll whizz down to Brighton marina tomorrow on the motorbike and buy the Starbright products. As Tony said, Gatwick airport is responsible for our black streaks.By the By, is the 'Bob-a-Job' week still operated by the scouts? I'm thinking I could get the motorhome washed and polished for a shilling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 Its not cheap for starbrite but if it does the job and lasts longer then is well worth while. So far I am still really pleased with my Meguiar's Boat/RV wax. I am about half way through cleaning up all the seals now on the aluminum corner joins and the inserted trim. Using acetone as the only thing I can find to remove what is like leached plasticers which have gone mouldy. Really horrible brown gungy stuff. Anyway coming up clean and then coating with wax. Have painted the end caps on the awning white and the cycle rack mount covers. Not sure what to do to get the high level brake light housing white again from its fading yellow colour. I do not think the material used will take a paint without some specialist primer. Going to buy new vents for the gas locker door. I would remove and spray paint but the plastic is begining to deteriorate. Before I fit the new ones I will spray them as then they will not yellow. Next main job though is to remove the large rooflight panel and get the flies out from between the skins. I am holping I can shake them all down to one end and then suck them out using very narrow tubing through the vent holes. Then I will seal the holes up with UV resistant clear tape and just make a pinhole in each....unless anyone has a better idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigrem Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I too use Starbrite Marine Polish, but I have just noticed it says "With PTEF" not PTFE, perhaps a spelling mistake or is it something different, I know PTFE is short for polytetraflúóroethylene, but I do not know what PTEF could be short for. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 PTEF® is Star brite's registered trademark name for polytetrafluoroethylene. Others are 3M, who manufactures PTFE under the trade name Dyneon™, DuPont who manufactures PTFE under the trade name Teflon®, Daikin America, who manufactures PTFE under the trade name DAIKIN-POLYFLON™, and AGC Chemicals America, who manufacturers PTFE under the trade name Fluon® Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjmike Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Meguiar's Boat/RV wax is a product I use on all GRP surfaces on Motorhomes and caravans, Meguiar also make a very good compound for oxidisation removal. Using these two products usually brings up GRP surfaces better than new. Please do not be tempted with a short cut of using a sealer such a Diamond Bite or Supashine. These products are not suitable for GRP, they may look nice first of all but in time will look terrible, best kept for your cab paintwork if you have a coachbuilt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Hi Brambles, I too use the Meguiars RV/Boat polish, but I'm just wondering who makes the RV/Boat Pure wax you mention. I'd like to try something like that for longer-lasting protection. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 I tried a super sealing resin - name I think was Perma glass or something like that - have given it away now. I put it on and looked wonderful and 2 days later in the rain there were black streaks everywhere on the section I did and would not come off easily. I went over the bit I did with autoglym rubbing hard to get the streaks off before the summer, and now all is done in Meguiars (45) RV/Boat polish and then topped with Meguiars (56) RV/Boat Pure wax . Think that responds to both the last two posts. I bought on Amazon from AP Motorstore.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Boat-RV-Polish-M4516/dp/B004ILWDY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347566030&sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Boat-RV-Pure-Wax/dp/B004ILS8HY/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347566030&sr=8-1-fkmr2 which were around the best prices I could find. Got two free micro polishing cloths with them as well which I was not expecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcar Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Hi folks. Had a fibreglass bodied kit-car I built some years ago. Finish was white gelcoat. Used Mer regularly on gelcoat with no prob's for seven years until I sold the car. Car was used daily for commute to work at coal fired power station. Cleaned up beautifully. Also good for protecting non lacquered polished alloy wheels. Regards Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuevoboy Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Thanks Brambles. I've got a good stock of the polish as I bought the stuff direct from Meguiars and went for the (U.S.?) Gallon, which cost about £50. Actually went halves with a mate! Will try the smaller bottle of Wax from Amazon, as per your link. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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