Annual clean/wax/seal

[rvshrinker]

Between the maintenance guide and the dealer recommendation, it seems I should wash, wax, and seal my trailer at least once a year. I hope to have it garaged by this winter so after that the UV and rain damage should be minimized.

I also have a window lube and slide use which I’ve applied and will do 1-2 times per year or as necesary.

That said, what products or techniques do you recommend?

Do I wash, then wax, then seal? Or wash, then seal, then wax?

In addition to all this is there an additional roof sealant I need to apply?

As for sealant, the dealer will sell me some product I cannot now remember, which they say is what they use to seal leaks. Apparently applied with a caulking gun. Dealer suggested i go around and scrape off all the old, dried sealant and reapply. However, do I really get rid of everything? Or just the cracked, dried bits? This stuff will flow into and fill any gaps, but obviously any really loose junky stuff I should get rid of first.

I’ve never waxed anything this big, so also would appreciate some tips on how to do this.

[JimK-NY]

Lexx wrote:
Hmmm Zep is meant for interior floors right? Will it yellow when exposed to harsh uv rays over time?

Maybe eventually but I am on 3 years with only adding a touch up coat each year or so and there is no sign of yellowing that I can see. Stripping the old ZEP and starting over would still take less work than washing and rubbing on the usual wax coatings.

ZEP does not contain any UV protectants. I am not sure if that matters or if traditional wax finishes contain any or enough to make a difference. I have heard that some owners apply Aerospace 303 protectant and then apply ZEP or other coatings. That does not seem necessary. The chalky oxidation seems to occur due to exposure to air and not due to UV rays.

[Grit_dog]

rvshrinker wrote:
The instruction manual speaks of fiberglass, not sure if that's just the roof or sides as well. Outdoors RV 2018 MY. They confirmed to use Dicor for the roof seams as needed but looks pretty good to me. A few spots on the sides are a little thin and for that they said to use geocel/proflex if that helps.

Yup. Don't touch the roof unless it's grungy, then just wash it. Soap and water. Touch up any roof penetrations that may need it, but not likely any do being that new.
The sides? Wash and wax it like a car. Nothing special here. Go to Autozone, hit the car care products aisle, close your eyes, grab one and use it.
Keeping your trailer in great shape is more about keeping it out of the elements when it's not being used than anything. AND it'll cut down alot of cleaning and repairs.

[Addy15]

dodge guy wrote:

philh wrote:
Wash, polish, and wax your RV will double trade in value /sarcasm

Wish,wax,polish is not about trade in value. It’s about pride in ownership! And yes detailing will get you up close and find little things that you may not normally discover.

Yes, pride in ownership, but also trade value.

We wash pretty much every time we use our trailer. It gets waxed three times a season -- once when we bring it home from storage; once mid-season; and again right before bringing it to winter storage.

You can be as sarcastic as you want philh, but we received about $1,000 OVER blue book high retail value when we traded in our last trailer which had been taken care of the same way...

[dodge_guy]

philh wrote:
Wash, polish, and wax your RV will double trade in value /sarcasm

Inspect yes, but that's a lot of work for very little value. One think I might consider is a rubber roof sealant, but most issues don't come from the rubber roof, but instead seem to come from aging dicor or rtv.

Wish,wax,polish is not about trade in value. It’s about pride in ownership! And yes detailing will get you up close and find little things that you may not normally discover.

[Lexx]

Hmmm Zep is meant for interior floors right? Will it yellow when exposed to harsh uv rays over time?

[WTW]

Nu-finish is my choice on cars boats and campers. See demo on YouTube. Works nicely on all my Florida toys.

[philh]

Wash, polish, and wax your RV will double trade in value /sarcasm

Inspect yes, but that's a lot of work for very little value. One think I might consider is a rubber roof sealant, but most issues don't come from the rubber roof, but instead seem to come from aging dicor or rtv.

[Grit_dog]

rvshrinker wrote:
The instruction manual speaks of fiberglass, not sure if that's just the roof or sides as well. Outdoors RV 2018 MY. They confirmed to use Dicor for the roof seams as needed but looks pretty good to me. A few spots on the sides are a little thin and for that they said to use geocel/proflex if that helps.

Do you know what fiberglass or filon looks like? Hard and shiny like paint. Wax this with whatever your favorite wax is.
Is the roof fiberglass or rubber/epdm? Most RVs have rubber/epdm roofs, no wax this.

If you want to get fancy, the newer ceramic coatings are supposed to last years, but a cover is cheaper and easier if you're a weekend warrior.

[wa8yxm]

I full time and migrate. So I do a full wash and wax... LAST WEEK 2 times a year (Just before migration)
So Week before last I washed it stem to stern and back (or was it the other way around)

Then it rained (Always after you wash your ride)
Then came Sunday and I sang in the church choir.
Monday I waxed front cap and driver's side
Tuesday was the rest of the ride
Wed is grocery etc shopping 20 miles down the road
Thu was Holy Thursday Service (I sang)
Friday .. Church again for more singing
Sat.. You guessed it Easter Vigil Service
Sun Easter Services
Mon: On the road agin (migrating back to Michigan)
Currently sitting in a Denny's (#8577) Knoxvill TN

Time for bed

[JimK-NY]

I have used Dicor many times with no issues. Twice I had problems with Geocel proflex. I think the material in the tubes had started to set. It came out thick and did not seal. This happen to me twice with tubes I bought a different places.

[rvshrinker]

The instruction manual speaks of fiberglass, not sure if that's just the roof or sides as well. Outdoors RV 2018 MY. They confirmed to use Dicor for the roof seams as needed but looks pretty good to me. A few spots on the sides are a little thin and for that they said to use geocel/proflex if that helps.

[Grit_dog]

rvshrinker wrote:
So many options, I'm overwhelmed. Why are some of you saying not to wax the roof?

What about Meguiars flagship marine wax?

Aluminum sided, filon sides? Pretty much any wax you use will work for either and typically the more expensive and harder to buff off, the longer it lasts. However, I've basically quit hand waxing all the vehicles and toys. It's just too easy to use spray wax a little more frequently.
Regarding the roof, is it a rubber type roof? That's typical on most RVs. If so, you don't do anything to it.
Just wash and wax the RV and put a cover on it. Don't be overwhelmed.
What about the caulk, do you really have anything to repair there.

[JimK-NY]

rvshrinker wrote:
So many options, I'm overwhelmed. Why are some of you saying not to wax the roof?

What about Meguiars flagship marine wax?

It depends on the type of roof. Mine is aluminum and waxing would do no harm and perhaps add some longevity. I would not put wax on a rubber roof. The wax is not designed for rubber and might actually degrade it.

I tried Meguiars flagship marine wax. I got a blotchy looking appearance instead of a nice shine. So I went for another coat. And then another. It took over a day's work and the results were poor. At that point I got wax stripper and spent hours more removing the Meguires. I applied 3 coats of ZEP acrylic floor finish. The application was simple, just wipe on a light coat. It is supposed to dry 30 minutes before reapplying and that was about the time it took me to complete an application before starting the next coat.

The results with ZEP have been astounding. I used to have problems with black streaks but those do not occur with the ZEP finish. Months after applying ZEP, I took a trip for several months, returned with a bug splattered RV and left it for the winter. In the Spring, I just rinsed it with a hose. I did have to scrub off the bugs from the cap of the RV and reapply some ZEP but the rest of the RV looked like it had just been waxed. Now another year, 4 months of travel and lots of bug splatters have again occurred. I might be able to just rinse off the splatters. I will probably wipe on a fresh coat of ZEP on the whole RV. Again that will not involve any heavy work, just wiping on some new finish.

As you can tell, I highly recommend ZEP and will never return to waxes.

[rvshrinker]

So many options, I'm overwhelmed. Why are some of you saying not to wax the roof?

What about Meguiars flagship marine wax?