Zep for the Roof, Meguiars for the Sides

[Perry Butler]

Looking at our roof it got really bad in the last year. I see it is going to be a royal PITA to apply Meguiars year after year. I'll be applying Zep products to the roof. Zep lasts a long, long time but,

I've decided to try Meguiars on the sides. The sides are in great shape with decent shine.

Should I apply Meguiars Ultimate Compound 17216 first?

Is there another cleaner to use first, after a complete car wash?

Or, since the shine is still decent should I just apply Meguiars Ultimate Polish, G19216?

Thanks,

Perry

[gbaglo]

Zep for the roof? Zep is a floor wax.
I hope you're not planning on walking on the roof.

[Telescopist]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

Looking at our roof it got really bad in the last year. I see it is going to be a royal PITA to apply Meguiars year after year. I'll be applying Zep products to the roof. Zep lasts a long, long time but,

I've decided to try Meguiars on the sides. The sides are in great shape with decent shine.

Should I apply Meguiars Ultimate Compound 17216 first?

Is there another cleaner to use first, after a complete car wash?

Or, since the shine is still decent should I just apply Meguiars Ultimate Polish, G19216?Perry

Perry,

I also use the Mequair's line of products. First off, I'd recommend

watching this 32 minute Vid

from a guy who also uses Meguair's products and a random orbit polisher. Using a random orbit polisher is a game changer. You can get an inexpensive model from Harbor Freight. I'm old school and bought a Porter Cable for a few dollars more.

I suggest getting the Meguair's compound and polish in larger quantities. If you fall for the polisher, you'll end up going crazy and also doing your vehicles.

Meguair's Compound.

Meguair's Polish.


The final very crucial stage is to protect the gel coat (or clear coat on a vehicle) with Meguair's Ultimate Liquid Wax. This stuff goes on so easy.

There are a few other things to get while your at it. I've used a lot of different types of microfiber cleaning cloths And these are the best I've come across.

And between applications of compound, polish, and after waxing, wipe of the residue with this product from Meguair's - Last touch spray detailer.

One final suggestion. Consider getting one of these aluminum work platforms. Why I didn't begin using these 20 years ago when I got in the apartment rental business, I have no clue. A 5'6" person can cut in an 8 foot ceiling. I can reach half way on the roof of the trailer.

[arniesea]

Originally Posted by Telescopist

Perry,



One final suggestion. Consider getting one of these aluminum work platforms. Why I didn't begin using these 20 years ago when I got in the apartment rental business, I have no clue. A 5'6" person can cut in an 8 foot ceiling. I can reach half way on the roof of the trailer.

Great suggestions! My trailer is only 2 years old so I can use less aggressive Miquires products. For now I am only using Meguiar's® Marine/RV Pure Wax Carnauba Blend, M5616, once a year on the roof and twice a year on the sides. I also wax the nose of the 5.0TA about every other trip in the summer months as it makes bug removal so much easier and doesn't take long to apply. I also use the Porter Cable orbital polisher.

If one is comfortable with being higher off the ground, I can reach almost the entire roof of my 5.0 with two A-frame ladders and an aluminum scaffold plank between them. A very stable platform that can be adjusted as needed. The one spot I can't reach from the scaffold, the center peak, I reach by opening the emergency hatch in the loft.

See picture of my setup:

[Bea]

I really enjoy seeing what products people like to use! Thanks for sharing Perryb67, Telecospist, and everyone else. I concur, Meguire products are great! However, a few years ago I made the switch from using car wax on our vehicles to NuFinish Car Polish -now I'm hooked. I like the polish so much more than wax, that I looked around to see if I could find a fiberglass polish for our trailer and found this https://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Pr...816336&sr=8-14

Started using it last year and just applied a 2nd coat -love it! For washing I use https://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Su...NsaWNrPXRydWU= This boat wash doesn't remove the wax/polish which I like because I like to wash our trailer every time I come home from a trip.

After regular washings I also use a touch up spray https://www.amazon.com/Star-Brite-08...NsaWNrPXRydWU= A wonderful 'sunscreen' and keeps the shine and doesn't cause a lot of 'build up'. Oh, and 303 for the tires and all the plastic things.

We just came home from a wonderful 3 week trip up the coast (and so enjoyed the Oregon NOG enjoyed meeting some delightful new friends!!!) but was a tad bit concerned about our roof and some tree sap I knew I would be tackling after that trip. Well, I was so happy when all the tree sap droppings just popped right off of the polish when I washed it. It took me longer to scrub one sap dropping off the AC top than all the others on the fiberglass. Not sure if this will remain my secret sauce, lots of great sauces out there...but so far, so good! Cheers to a sparkly clean trailer! -Bea

[Telescopist]

Originally Posted by arniesea

Great suggestions! My trailer is only 2 years old so I can use less aggressive Miquires products. For now I am only using Meguiar's® Marine/RV Pure Wax Carnauba Blend, M5616, once a year on the roof and twice a year on the sides. I also wax the nose of the 5.0TA about every other trip in the summer months as it makes bug removal so much easier and doesn't take long to apply. I also use the Porter Cable orbital polisher.

The term 'polish' is a bit of a misnomer. It also cuts into the gel coat or clear coat. The purpose is to level out the more aggressive compound phase. If a person hasn't done anything for two years (no matter the climate zone), I'd recommend beginning the process with Meguair's 105. Doing the entire trailer in one pass can be a daunting task. There is nothing that says you can't quit and pick up where you left off on another day. But whatever the day it must be overcast. I use a spray bottle in order to apply the Last Touch Spray detailer. Whoops. I've been using one of these hand pressure sprayers. I also use it to spray meat in my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. I've even remembered to empty out the Last Touch Spray detailer, rinse out the bottle before adding apple cider vinegar... My wife uses it to spray the indoor plants as well. Then move on to the 'polish' - Meguiar's 205. Back to the Last Touch Spray detailer. Spray on wipe off. Then on to the wax. I was astonished to find that Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax turned out to be the easiest phase. The last thing is to wipe on and wipe off the Last Touch Spray detailer.

The Gel coat on my 2019 is in good shape. I'm going to skip the compound phase (Meguiar's 105) I know that the black streaks that are running down from the gaskets around the windows will come off just using the 205 and the polisher. Then I'll wax.

I know I am repeating myself from the previous post. Sorry about that. Meguiar's isn't the only option of course. It just works for me so why change.

One other note. Regarding buffing pads, these are as good as any the 'pros' use and they are cheap. The question is: which pad for which stage? All buffing/polishing pads are color coded. The problem is that the various companies which make them haven't agreed on a universal color code. You can read the description of which is for what stage in the description.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Zep for the roof? Zep is a floor wax.
I hope you're not planning on walking on the roof.

Zep is also a roof wax or a complete wax for that matter. If my sides were oxidized I would strip with Zep, seal with Zep, and apply their polish. You either can think out of the box or you can't.

Enjoy,

Perry

[flynfrfun]

I have been happy with Meguires flagship premium cleaner wax followed up with the flagship premium marine wax. The cleaner wax will shine up light oxidation. I polish with the cleaner wax using the harbor freight circular buffer with a wool bonnet. Then apply and buff by hand the marine wax. No need to use the powered buffer because it is very easy to buff off by hand. I tried a shortcut the first time by only polishing with the cleaner wax but it didn’t last as long as sealing in the shine with the layer of marine wax.

[Carmel Clown]

Originally Posted by arniesea

If one is comfortable with being higher off the ground, I can reach almost the entire roof of my 5.0 with two A-frame ladders and an aluminum scaffold plank between them. A very stable platform that can be adjusted as needed. The one spot I can't reach from the scaffold, the center peak, I reach by opening the emergency hatch in the loft.

See picture of my setup:

Hi Arnie. Wondering what brand and size plank you have. My knees can’t handle climbing up and down the ladder often.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Carmel Clown

Hi Arnie. Wondering what brand and size plank you have. My knees can’t handle climbing up and down the ladder often.

Great idea! Agreed. The ladders look similar to the Little Giant brand. Is the scaffolding in 2 pieces? The setup would be great for painting too.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by arniesea

Great suggestions! My trailer is only 2 years old so I can use less aggressive Miquires products. For now I am only using Meguiar's® Marine/RV Pure Wax Carnauba Blend, M5616, once a year on the roof and twice a year on the sides. I also wax the nose of the 5.0TA about every other trip in the summer months as it makes bug removal so much easier and doesn't take long to apply. I also use the Porter Cable orbital polisher.

If one is comfortable with being higher off the ground, I can reach almost the entire roof of my 5.0 with two A-frame ladders and an aluminum scaffold plank between them. A very stable platform that can be adjusted as needed. The one spot I can't reach from the scaffold, the center peak, I reach by opening the emergency hatch in the loft.

See picture of my setup:

We use the Meguiar's Marine/RV Gel Wash.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M541...086581559&th=1

It's concentrated so a bottle goes a long way and it works very well on the bugs. Will try waxing the nose of the 21 NE every other trip. Thanks!

[SageRpod]

Ditto on the Meguiar's products. When we restored the finish on our Rpod, we used Meguiar's 67 Marine gelcoat restorer applied with a Harbor Freight Bauer buffer. We then finished up with Mirror Glaze and it looked better than showroom new.
That being said, last week I was out of Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic spray on wax and used an old school tub of Turtle Carnauba Wax along with the HF buffer. Zero comparison to the Meguiar's spray on stuff. A lot more work but the finish is at a whole other level.

[Telescopist]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

Ditto on the Meguiar's products. When we restored the finish on our Rpod, we used Meguiar's 67 Marine gelcoat restorer applied with a Harbor Freight Bauer buffer. We then finished up with Mirror Glaze and it looked better than showroom new.
That being said, last week I was out of Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic spray on wax and used an old school tub of Turtle Carnauba Wax along with the HF buffer. Zero comparison to the Meguiar's spray on stuff. A lot more work but the finish is at a whole other level.

I'm confused. The first process involving Mequiar's gelcoat restorer & mirror glaze was better than showroom new. The 2nd process using Turtle wax was better than showroom new + a whole other level?

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by Telescopist

I'm confused. The first process involving Mequiar's gelcoat restorer & mirror glaze was better than showroom new. The 2nd process using Turtle wax was better than showroom new + a whole other level?

Ya, sorry about that. That post was confusing. We used the Meguiar's Gelcoat Restorer followed by Mirror Glaze on our Rpod when we restored the oxidized finish. That made it look better than when it was new (new decals helped too).

Fast forward a year. I was using Meguiar's hybrid ceramic spray on wax on our new 5.0. I thought it looked pretty good until I used the old school tub of Turtle Carnauba wax and the buffer. That is a whole different level of shine.