bobbo Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 The grp front wings and front bumper on my camper are losing their glossy finish, I have tried polishing them with all the usual standard polishes but they still stay flat, I have also considered rubbing them with T-cut but are unsure whats best to do. Has anyone got any advice with this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hi bobbo, Are these GRP gel coat surface, are they polyester or are they painted? what vehicle are you talking of? Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Compound with Farecla G-3 then polish. Read the instructions for G-3 and don't use it straight from the tin, it must be used in conjunction with water. This will work on GRP (Polyester) Gel Coat or paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Whatever you use, try it on a small area out of sight if possible and leave it for a day or so, just to make sure there aren't any adverse effects, if all okay, then do the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 bobbo: I suggest you follow Peter's advice. If you want a 2nd opinion, you might try contacting South Hereford Motorcaravan Service Centre (http://www.motorcaravans-motorhomes.co.uk for contact details) as they have lots of experience valeting and working on N+B motorhomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Yes I agree with Peter, however I would use G3 on gel Coat only and follow up with G10 and use G10 only on polyester or paint, that's why I asked my question. All Faraclae products are good but for a real mirror finish G10 tops the lot. It is also the best I've come accross for removing scratches from acrylic windows as well again for windows you may need to start off with G3 and finish with G10. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbo Posted February 24, 2008 Author Share Posted February 24, 2008 Hi sorry late coming back to this subject but have been away in camper, the wings in question are not painted, they are rough on inside face so I assumed that they are grp. I will try compounding them as suggested and hopefully will see an improvement. Thanks to everyone for advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartkingswood Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Rather than compounds I used Meguiars Marine One Step Cleaner Wax for the roof of my Auto sleeper Symbol and it removed the dullness and brought it back to new condition. It also seems to be preventing the dullness returning. it does say that it protects against UV rays. Regards Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I cleaned my fibreglass panels with Lidl Bathroom mousse , as suggested ages ago by quite a few people. Worked an absolute treat and then polished with Autoglym. If you use standard car polished they oxidise the surface faily quickly and you get a chalky residue. The cleaning mousse removes that residue without using mechanical means..rinse well afterwards before using a suitabel polish for fibreglass. Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 WARNING: If you use any abrasive cleaner on gel coat (and GRP will have a gel coat finish), then what you are doing is to remove a thin layer of gel coat from an already perilously thin layer. A much better solution (and one use by most glider pilots) is to apply hard wax (you can buy it in sticks) applied carefully with a buffer wheel. Alternatively use a gel coat friendly polish such as Carlack, containing no silicones (which damages gel coat over time). Products such as T-Cut are to be avoided at all cost - you will do more long-term harm than good. I have severe reservations about using G3 and G10 which are also abrasives. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Whilst I would agree that any compound/ cleaner should be used with caution, unfortunately wax stick will not remove the yellowing and in some cases the dull chalky looking bloom on the gel coat however hard you try, it will only cover it and make it shiny, and in these cases there is no real alternative to using a cutting compound. I would totally agree to not using 'T Cut' as it contains ammonia which can harm many finishes, that is why there is a special version for clear coat and acrylic finishes. However Fareclae is very well respected within the auto refinishing industry where it is used on paint and clear finish which is infinately thinner than GRP Gelcoat. I have personally used both G3 and G10 on cars, motorcycles (which have a more delicate paint finish than cars normally) and on the GRP of both boats and our caravans and motorhomes with absolutely no detrimental effects whatsoever. I would only use G3 on severely ingrained and soiled items or severe scratches on acrylic windows, preferring to use G10 for most uses, creating slightly more work but a superior mirror finish. As an aside the numbering denotes the harshnes and as with wet and dry paper the higher the number the finer the material and shinier the finish, in the case of the compounds G3 is equivelent to 300 grit and G10 is equivelent to 1000 grit papers. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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