preferred bug/tar clnr and wax

[chrisorlisa]

What products have you all had the best results with for cleaners and waxers?

[Bruce Wray]

I'd suggest you do some research on "303 Aerospace Protectant". Amazon has many reviews on it, and I've used it for years. I think it's great stuff.

Bruce

[rvomaha]

We like RejeX. With it, the dead bugs wash off the front of the trailer so easily! In hindsight, it would have been nice to bring RejeX with us to the Escape factory, and apply some to the front of the Escape before we ever drove away. http://www.rejex.com/

[chrisorlisa]

Thanks! great suggestions...especially when you have used it and know personally

so....how much do I need to purchase in order to cover our 19' escape trailer?

[Bruce Wray]

303 goes on thin, I use a dampened washcloth. I have a qt. bottle that I've used on the whole trailer twice, plus other rubber/plastic stuff, and still have a quarter left.

Bruce

[Glennrose]

There is a lengthy thread on http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ell-43004.html where they talk about using a floor polish Would anyone try this on their brand new shiny Escape? Or is that something that should only be used on vintage rigs to bring them back from oxidization? We're wondering what, if anything, we should treat our new trailer with when we pick it up in Oct. We plan to head south for a few weeks straight from the factory. Ideas?

Rosemary

[daveandsandyclink]

Hi Glenrose,

I have used Poliglow on a dull, sunbaked fiberglass travel trailer with great results. Life just got busy and I was lax on the outdoor care of my last trailer. But in my opinion I would use the best wax for fiberglass that you can buy on your new trailer. Meguiar's #50 Marine/RV Cleaner Wax is an excellent fiberglass RV wax that is great and it's long lasting. It takes time and effort to apply. Do some research on that product.

David

[Bruce Wray]

Or, if you bring a ladder with you, you can just spray and wipe the 303 on everything, and be on your way. I've found over the years that on bicycle tubes and tires it prevents checking and oxidizing, so I've used it twice on my trailer tires.

Bruce

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Bruce Wray

I'd suggest you do some research on "303 Aerospace Protectant". Amazon has many reviews on it, and I've used it for years. I think it's great stuff.

Bruce

I agree with Bruce - 303 seems to be great stuff. From what I have read it supposedly penetrates into the gel coat of fiberglass to help protect it rather than just sitting on the surface like waxes. We bought a used Kevlar canoe that had some faded and dull spots. I used 303 on it and was amazed at how well it worked. The only drawback is that it is fairly expensive, but makes up for that with the ease of application and time savings.

I have also used NuFinish auto polish and have been very satisfied with its results and durability

Eric

[dave macrae]

good quality wax when applied properly fills the voids in what ever it is being applied to and does soak in, the key is the prep work prior to applying the wax. A proper wash and going over the surface prior to waxing with at least a cleaner wax or polishing compound, you would liikely be surprised what the polishing cloths looked like when I went over our brand new 19 ft trailer a couple of weeks ago when we got home from the factory. I used 3m marine/rv gel coat polishing compound for heavily oxidized surfaces, and then used megiuars marine/rv gelcoat wax. trailer looks amazing now. I was quite disapointed in the condition of the roof when i got home, there was epoxy from the ac and soalr panel mounts and paste from the power polishing at the factory all over the place but the roof took alot of elbow grease. I guess back to the original point that with out stripping back the surface no wax is going to get great results.

[soultrek]

Experienced Aero 303 users: Based on the favorable recommendations, I just tried some and I have a problem. On a moderately oxidized roof, I first tried the light spray and wipe dry approach and ended up with a dull finish. I then tried the Aero 303 website suggestion to apply and leave overnight; that left most of the roof brighter, but with random dull sections. Assuming the possibility that there was residue, I followed the wipe with damp cloth step. That left most of what I wiped totally dull again. Just for kicks, I reapplied a light amount to a section and wiped dry - totally dull. Before I attempt to "improve" the rest of the trailer, any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong or what might be causing this unexpected effect?

[Bruce Wray]

I don't know that you're doing anything wrong. When a resin surface oxidizes, it becomes micropitted, appearing to the naked eye as dullness. I suspect the only ways to bring back a shiny surface would be to buff it back to smooth shininess, or start using wax. I'm thinking that once you start using wax, you'll be committed to using it forever. As an experiment, you might get some medium or fine cut polishing compound and hand buff a piece of the roof to see how easy it is to bring back the shine. If it works, then you can apply 303 regularly and not lose the shine.

Bruce

[cpaharley2008]

They use floor polish over on FG RV with great results on dull fiberglass. Using Zep to restore oxidized fiberglass - Fiberglass RV
Aero 303 works great on keeping my new 2012 Escape clean and shiny.

[NorTexCamper]

We have a brand new 19', delivered a couple weeks ago. Based on the dialog on the forum about 303, I picked some up at the local Camping World.
I washed the trailer, squeaky clean, then applied the 303 per the directions. Interesting, for each type of application it prompts you to "wipe completly dry" or for fiberglass, "wipe immediately dry"…. so I did.

Disappointing.
This morning in the bright sunlight (note - it was cloudy yesterday, perfect conditions for "not in direct sunlight" application) there are streaks and it seems to be missing a real "polished" feel.

I take cleaning / protecting / polishing seriously, having rode motorcycles all my life and having found a number of highly performing chemicals over time.
I was expecting the finish to have a "slick" or polished feel and certainly no streaks, having "wiped immediately dry"… actually buffed it a bit.

It certainly sprayed on easily and it's better than fiberglass without any protective film applied, but I'm not sure what all the excitement is about. Maybe the UV protection is the main thing, over a polished finish?

Sorry, not a fan…

[gbaglo]

I fail to understand why, particularly on the FGRV forum, people insist on using products for applications other than what they are designed for. Coca-cola to remove silicon for instance.
There are companies out there with R&D departments that spend enormous amounts of money to create products that are designed for a purpose. Simonize, Turtle Wax ( J&J ), Mother's, the other McGuy, yet they are coating their trailers with a floor wax or WD 40.
But, we, on the web, are smarter than they are.
And that's my rant for the day.
From the grassy knoll.

baglo

[cpaharley2008]

Yes, I agree. A new trailer should not need anything other than soap and water. Like a new car, you normally do not wax it until at least a year if not more. You wait until it needs waxing. The 303 is good for removing black stains, not bugs and is used in lieu of waxing after the unit had been out in the sun and starting to look dull. A good rule of thumb for a product, the harder it is to apply, the better the result. #303 is supposed to protect those areas you normally do not wax, like vent covers on the roof and around the windows. On the shell, a good wax is what you need, after the initial shine wears off.

[escape artist]

Hi: NorTexCamper... My cleaner/wax of choice is Meguire's 50 Marine One Step. Sold in most boating stores. Made for fiberglass boats. The hardest stuff to find is the "Elbow Grease" to use with it. A power buffer is nice for the final polish...but use with extreme caution!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Parker]

When we picked up our 19 last month, I talked with Reace about wax and 303. He said he is old-school and prefers a good pasted wax. He advised me not to wait (like we did with our re-painted cars in our youth), but to go ahead and get a coat of wax on it for protection. Of course I had almost three thousand mile to go before I could do that.

I used 303 on our Casita with good results, I believe, but it was stored inside and had a good finish. I've never read any claims about it restoring a dull finish. It is designed to protect from UV, which I believe it did on our Casita. It doe not give a super-slick finish like some other products, but it's still pretty good if the basic finish is good to start with. I haven't done either to our 19 yet. It's stored inside, but before our next trip it's getting a good waxing or 303 treatment at least.

[soultrek]

Several weeks after my post above: I'm hoping there is UV protection because I am underwhelmed by the shine. It's OK on the sides, but no significant luster over what it was previously. I treated the somewhat oxidized roof 3 times, using the Aero 303 website recommended "method 1 for restoring gelcoat fiberglass" on the last two applications. It is satin-like at best when viewed head-on, probably more like semi-gloss when viewed sideways. Maybe another treatment, or another plan - don't know, Glenn.

[dave1]

BST is a product from the marine industry that may have promise. Anyone have any experience with it ?
Bow To Stern (BTS) Marine All Surface Protectant for Boat Interiors, Exteriors, Gel Coat and Vinyl - Home

Dave