empress Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Have any of you out there any strong views about the relative merits of either of the above cleaners? Or are there others you would suggest? Empress (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Both work well, and both need elbow grease to work well ! Mer is a polish, brut can be used rather like a cleaner and does take a while to polish off the dried polish. (I know I have just spent 3 days washing and mering the M/home !) Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler works OK, but does not have the duribility of Mer. Mer can be diluted and used as a car wash, but you still have to polish off afterwards. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 I use Muc-Off to wash the van and Mer to polish it. Muc-Off gets rid off the black lines and diesel marks etc. You just spray it on, leave it for 2 to 3 minutes, aggitate with a brush and wash it off again. It's used in the marine industry and is safe to use on GRP or other materials. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saruman Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 hi have you tryd this featured on caravan channel :-D http://www.care-avan.co.uk/polish.shtml ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Did see on another forum that Baileys caravan dealers will not now sell Fenwicks products because of problems , what they are as not been divulged and awaiting a reply from Fenwicks. Personaly I will continue to use Fenwicks Motorhome cleaner and Bobbydazzler. chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g4oip Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Comma polish came out top of the polishes and cleaners and was still good after the tests had finished and is cheaper than mer with no dusty after effect. Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helvic Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 neither wash and shammy your van then go over it with supagard it comes out great then no more polishing for about 5 years its what the trade uses you can get it on ebay as i did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Mer is a silicone base polish, not advisable to use it on GRP bodywork, otherwise it gives a good shineand as others have said canbe used with water as a wash and wax. Just used it today on the aluminium panels, the boss said she has not seen the M/home looking so good. Thats because I have plenty of time to clean it properly now. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 I don't see why you can't use Mer on GRP, us boaters have been using it for years. The only thing with Silicone is if you need to repair the GRP. You have to remove all traces of it and I'll admit wax is easier to remove. But a lot harder work to get a good finish. I use waterd down Farecla G3 to clean first time in season, then polish it with Mer or Auto-Glym. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted April 18, 2007 Author Share Posted April 18, 2007 Interesting replies. There seems to be a difference of opinion about Mer. I have used this myself so hope I haven't done a "bad thing"! What ever one uses means hard work I fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Hi empress, There has been a lot of discussion and documented evidence in magazines that any 'Silicone' based product will damage the Gel Coat by softening the surface which will either allow dirt to embed or make the surface take on a sort of chalky coating that stops the shine. Unfortunately it can take a number of years for the damage to become visible and so it is not always the origional owner that has the problem but it is inherited by the next owner, so if you are only keeping your van for a year or so you can let the next poor sap have the problem or you can use a non silicone based polish that will ensure your van retains its finish. The recommendation has been to use the polishes obtainable from boat chandlers that are silicone free and suitable for GRP and other plastics i.e. boats are generally made form this, I use Starbrite myself which is a deep cleaner and wax and gives a really good finish. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted April 18, 2007 Author Share Posted April 18, 2007 Thanks, Basil, for this. We bought our van second hand so it is possible that Mer had already been used! Will look out for Starbrite. Empress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Last Year I dropped an email to Mer Ltd ( Well known Supplier of polishes etc) and have enclosed their reply below: ++++++++++++++ Hi There are 15 different ingredients in mer 1 of which is a silicone but it is a non-volatile silicone so if you are talking about re-spraying there will be know reaction. The polish is used world wide on gel coat boats, gel coat light aicraft etc, and as far as I am aware no one has reported any of the problems you are describing, but please do check with the manufactures of your vehicle, if they wish I can send a data safety sheet which has chemical breakdowns. Regards Dawn Lewin Customer Services/Sales Tel: +44 (020) 8401 0002 Fax: +44 (020) 8401 0003 Email: sales@merproducts.com Visit our website: www.merproducts.com This e-mail message is confidential and for the use by the addressee only, If the message is recieved by anyone other than the addressee, please return the message to the sender by replying to it and then delete the message from your computer. Internet e-mails are not necessarily secure.Mer Products Ltd do not accept responsibility for changes made to this message after it was sent. -----Original Message----- From: Tony Ish [mailto:] Sent: 22 September 2006 12:2 To: sales@merproducts.com Subject: Motor Home Gel coat Hi I would be grateful for your assistance, I have used Mer on cars and caravans for a while. However my present Motorhome (maker Rapido of France) states that silicon polish should not be used as it can lead to softening of the gel coat and crazing over a period of time. Does Mer contain silicon (the contents on the side of my can are a little unclear) or do you market a silicon free polish ? Thanks for your assistance. Rgds Tony Isherwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Well that seems to confirm that as it contains silicone according to GRP producers then Mer should not be used, what about Fenwicks? Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Al gel coat goes chalky after a time if not protected, this is caused by the sun and not silicone. I have been using silicone polish on my boat for 15 years with no ill effect. So use what you like, I will stick with Mer or Autoglym. If it damged gel coat the manufactures would say so, don't you think. In fact they recomend it for boats and motorhomes on the container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harycadbtopenworld. Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I have used Mer for many years on all the vans we have owned and have found it to be one of the best products for removing insects, black streaks and giving a deep shine to the bodywork. Tried fenwicks once and wasn't overly impressed with it. A few weeks ago there was an article in one of the outdoor magazines where they tested various polishes and surprisingly (to me anyway) Mer was classed as average. There recomendation out of the dozen polishes tested was Tesco's Deep Shine Car Wax. At around £2.00 per bottle this was also the cheapest by far. I have since used this product and I am impressed with it, it is easy to buff off and gives a superb shine on the cab and grp surfaces. I will still use Mer for those stubborn areas but use the Tesco product for general polishing. Regards harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Cleaning is far more difficult than polishing, or at least, getting the squashed bugs off is. The Fenwicks cleaner seems quite goood at this.The Bobby Dazzler polish just goes on after the clean, in the rinse water, and can be applied with a long handled brush. No further polishing/buffing is required. The general paint/gel finishes are very durable, and I don't think polish really adds much benefit in practical terms. The main thing is to get the hose out, and go under the wheel arches and sills etc to get any accumulated salt/mud off the underside. Similarly, pay attention at the front where the salty spray gets into the engine bay and coats the underside of the bonnet and around the headlamps and front grille. A gentle spray over under the bonnet with WD40, especially exposed aluminium and galvanised components (watch the drive belts), in autumn, seems to keep the worst of the "white rust" at bay, and seems to be beneficial for the electrical connections on the lights etc.Apart from a spring/autumn clean, when the Bobby Dazzler goes on, I think all that is really required is just water to shift accumulated muck. Same for cars. I've never been able to detect any real benefit from polishes. Shiny vehicles, yes, but protected? In any case, most of the rot etc starts where you can't get the polish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Some of us like a shiney vehicle Brian and don't mind the extra effort involved in achieving it. I'm sure it keeps the atmospheic polution and the sun at bay also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggy Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 After purchasing our new "white" motorhome 2 yrs ago I was astounded how difficult it was to keep clean, black steaks etc. having heard of these "special" polish treatments but put off by the cost (£400 for a typical motorhome) I resorted to using Mer which did clean the van up ok but had to use it every time I cleaned the van, and was hard work and time consuming. I happened to take my daughter in the van to purchase a car at a large dealer near Manchester and they offered her a "Diamond Bright" treatment on the vehicle for £200. As I had taken her in the Van I offered that we would have the treatment done to the car if they did my van for the same cost, after a short consultation they suprisingly agreed. After pick up, approx 3hrs, they had done the outer shell including the roof, did all the inside seats and carpets with a stain resistant product, even did the tyres, the van looked better than new, it is supposed to be good for 6 yrs. well after a year and a half up to now I can recommend the treatment. Once a month I wash with a hose, sponge with the supplied shampoo/hose down/sponge with a special supplied conserver/hose down and leather dry. Perfect finish every time takes me about 2hrs from start to finish including the roof, no problems with black streaks the few that are slightly evident just wash off. Bugs etc come of easily with a bit of the "conserver" on a rag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark lambert Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Eggy - 2007-04-22 12:06 AM After purchasing our new "white" motorhome 2 yrs ago I was astounded how difficult it was to keep clean, black steaks etc. having heard of these "special" polish treatments but put off by the cost (£400 for a typical motorhome) I resorted to using Mer which did clean the van up ok but had to use it every time I cleaned the van, and was hard work and time consuming. I happened to take my daughter in the van to purchase a car at a large dealer near Manchester and they offered her a "Diamond Bright" treatment on the vehicle for £200. As I had taken her in the Van I offered that we would have the treatment done to the car if they did my van for the same cost, after a short consultation they suprisingly agreed. After pick up, approx 3hrs, they had done the outer shell including the roof, did all the inside seats and carpets with a stain resistant product, even did the tyres, the van looked better than new, it is supposed to be good for 6 yrs. well after a year and a half up to now I can recommend the treatment. Once a month I wash with a hose, sponge with the supplied shampoo/hose down/sponge with a special supplied conserver/hose down and leather dry. Perfect finish every time takes me about 2hrs from start to finish including the roof, no problems with black streaks the few that are slightly evident just wash off. Bugs etc come of easily with a bit of the "conserver" on a rag. [/quote diamondbrite looks a very good product, expensive but as you say guaranteed for 6 years, unsure what the conditions are to keeping the 6 year guarantee, worth a read of the small print, looking at there website i would expect it to cost a minimum £350 for a motorhome, but i suppose it could save you many hours of cleaning and wearing out your elbow grease, and the price includes them doing all the hard work of first application, they dont recommend the lay-man/woman do it themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I am using Turtle Wax to get her ready for Peterborough. Am I doing it all wrong? C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark lambert Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Nope! ! i use bobby dazzler, or just a good motorhome/caraven cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark lambert Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 mark lambert - 2007-04-22 10:14 AM Nope! ! i use bobby dazzler, or just a good motorhome/caraven cleaner Well i will do, when my new van arrives (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Hi Clive, Just bought a 500ml Turtle Wax from Asda at £2.50, had to - as my kids now lock their £10 a bottle's Autoglyn in their car boot and I can't get hold of it any more. :-o Regards Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Turtle wax has run out so went to Tesco shop. Similar polish with TESCO label and less that two quid a bottle. I bought two. Next job is to try it! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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