What is the best wash and wax product

[Flame]

Just bought my first Chinook. What is the best wash and wax product to use that you just poor in your water bucket and then rinse off. I am not able to hand polish every square inch of this concourse. I can use a long handle brush or mop. What does everyone recommend??

[deppstein]

Welcome Flame--what is the make and model of your Chinook? I have a 2004 Premier that I bought used in 2012. So digest my routine with that in mind.
At the time of purchase, the gel coat was in pretty good shape and mostly in need of a good clean and waxing. After doing some research online, I settled on using Meguiars Mirror Glaze #50 Marine/RV Cleaner Wax. I applied it to my entire rig, as per the directions, and it worked well to clean and maintain the gel coat. The following spring, I took my Rig to a local auto detailer (Boston area) who proceeded to do a complete wash and detail, culminating in another application of the Meguiars. Cost me $350--money well spent. In fact, I now do this every spring, and augment it by stopping at Blue Beacon Truck Washes periodically while on the road to get a full wash for about $35.

Here are some pics of what Turtle looks like, shined up and ready to roll.

David

[Flame]

Very nice ride sir!!! Mine is a 1998 concourse with the ford v10 engine. Only 40,000 miles. I have owned it 4 days now. Everything works. It has solar panels, new tires and batteries, onan has only 60 hours on it!! Just the wife and I and maybe every now and then my 12 year old grandson. We love it. Other than needing a little trim work done around a couple of hatch doors it looks like new!! We just want to take care of it the best way possible. Thanks

[chin_k]

Besides the Meguiars product, have any of you got any info on Zep Wet Look floor polish? It is something that I can just apply by hand, or it will be faster if I use an applicator? I am thinking about getting a gallon of it from Home Depot this weekend, and start to make the dull white color shine again. I'll deal with the peeled clear coat later.

[caconcourse]

Besides the Meguiars product, have any of you got any info on Zep Wet Look floor polish? It is something that I can just apply by hand, or it will be faster if I use an applicator? I am thinking about getting a gallon of it from Home Depot this weekend, and start to make the dull white color shine again. I'll deal with the peeled clear coat later.

I use the ZEP polish. It is easiest to apply by hand with a folded cloth. It sounds tedious but you just wipe it on, so it goes fast. You need about 5 or 6 coats however, so you just do "laps" around the RV, as a coat is dry by the time you get back to it. It's very important to start with a clean surface. Since we have a water shortage in Santa Barbara, we are not allowed to wash our vehicles in the driveway with a hose. So I give it a "sponge bath", washing it with a bucket of water and a sponge with an abrasive side (not metal, or you get rusty slivers). I don't even use soap, but I dry it with clean rags as I go, which pick up the dirt. You can even use very fine sandpaper to get to a clean surface (600 to 2000+ grit).
To break up the job, I usually do the top seperately, then one side and the front, then the other side and the back.

You can "touch up" the polish with one or two coats every few months after the first application, if needed. Just always wash before applying the polish.

After a couple of years, I had to strip and refinish the top front section over the cab, but otherwise, the finish looks nearly new all of the time. The polish will also hide most of your clearcoat problems.

One other thing, use latex gloves while applying the ZEP polish unless you want to deal with a "second skin" on your hands that's not so easy to remove.

[kdarling]

Love Zep for a long lasting acrylic shine, and most dirt just falls off it with a water spray.

Do not use a long handled sponge or anything... it just ends up with drips. And nothing that's colored unless you want the polish to be that color!

Best applicator is a folded white cotton undershirt. I buy a pack of crew necks from Dollar General. Handy for other things too.

Application is easy. Cleaning first is the hard part. People use Barkeepers Friend, TSP etc to scrub it good. I've even used high grit wet sandpaper to remove blemishes. The Zep will smooth it out.

As noted, just walk around putting on light swipes of it. An easy 15 mins per circuit. (Dip cloth into bucket with an inch of Zep in it, and mostly wring out so no drips.) I use a step ladder to do the higher parts, or go on the roof and do them from there.

The first few times around lightly wiping it on, it looks blotchy and you wonder if you goofed up. Then about the third or fourth time around the blotches begin to merge into the nicest shine. By the fourth or fifth final application, you'll be grinning from ear to ear

Kev

[Tomhog]

Have not used Zep on my Chinook yet due to it still has a good shine on it but I did use it on my 1996 28 ft boat that sits in the sun all summer and I was amazed with the shine it had on it after five coats. Very easy to do like said in previous post.

[chin_k]

Sounds like each of you have thousands of stocks on the company! I am going to get a bottle and see how well it work. Great way to spend my Labor Day!

[kdarling]

Just happy users! Like Clay said, I also emphasize getting a box of cheap throwaway gloves. This is like painting a layer of plastic, and when it dries it's tough to remove.

Which brings up cleaning again. Whatever is on the surface is gonna get sealed in, so clean well. I spent a lot more time and sweat on that part than applying the Zep. I spent a whole day on cleaning, and only a lazy couple of hours on the polish wiping

But in return, I got a shine that lasted almost two years, and a lot less trouble cleaning afterwards.

Oh yeah, you can do the cab forward as well.

Google for YouTube videos for examples of lightly wiping it on.

Have fun!
Kev

[chin_k]

I finally started the Zep process, and I want to let you all know what happened. I have a bunch of these microfiber cloths that I got from my local car wash so I decided to use them to wash the rig with it. I have a bunch of these brand new yellow ones, so I decided to use them for the Zep too. It was sunny out and so I have my sunglasses on. Now, some of you probably see what is coming,...

When I take my glasses off, I remembered Kev's advice. The microfiber cloth give my Chinook a yellow tint because the Zep pull the color out of the cloth.

I hope some of you have a good laugh out of this.