Remove oxidation from exterior

[daveinaz]

Our new to us 2008 Monty has sat in the Arizona sun its entire life. That said, the finish is toast on it. Most all of the decals have already been removed. I know it's a little controversial, but seeing as how I don't want to spend thousands restoring the finish on a rig this old, I'm leaning toward doing the Zep floor finish method.

I've watched a number of video on this process and had a couple questions for any of you who have done this procedure as well. Some owners apply the wax with a microfiber cloth and ladder whereas others have used a sponge mop on an extension without the need for a ladder. Some for getting rid of the oxidation. I've seen some use hand-held scrub pads with a ladder and others used what looks like a floor scrubber on a pole. While it would be more a pain (and leg workout) using a cloth and going up/down the ladder all day, it does seem like it would be a more controlled application that using the sponge on an extension method.

Then there's the BKF vs softscrub and TSP vs Dawn dish soap discussion.

I'm debating whether to tackle the oxidation removal myself or get someone to do it. I'd like them to just clean/remove the oxidation, not wax/polish it because I have a new set of factory decals. My plan would be to remove the oxidation/clean the rig, apply the new decals, and then wax/polish it.

From what I've read, the BKT & mild scrub pad to remove oxidation isn't recommended if you have any type of finish left on your rig, but since ours doesn't I'm leaning toward trying it since it sort of in the category of I don't have anything to lose by trying it.

I know the hardest part is going to be getting rid of the oxidation so I'm leaning toward getting someone to do that and then tackling the rest myself.