303 questions

[drjjj]

OK, due to advice from this august group I have purchased a gallon of 303. My 3400RL is 9 months old and ready for a good cleaning, etc. I guess I need to start on the roof and use Dawn(?) then wash the nose, tail, and walls with a wash/wax formula(?) that will remove black streaks, then apply 303 from the top down? I know the 303 is expensive, but I am not thrilled about spending any more time on the roof than I have to, and (fortunately) currently have more $ than time. I would rather get a good "base" on the rig for future exterior "maintenance". Does this sound like a good plan? Again TIA for all the knowledgeable advice from this group.

[sailer]

I just took mine to a dealer and was told never put any sealer on the rubber roof ,, just wash it and have the joints around the openings redone ,, well i had them do it $279.00 and a warrenty for a year,, was it worth it , i'll never tell

the rest of the unit needs a good hard waxlike mothers or some good paste wax buff it on and rub and buff it off , they realy look great when done but my 3000rk took me 2 days

[DHenry]

I just washed mine yesterday and today started putting on the 303. So far I did the front cap then had to go to town for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I will do the rest of the Montana. It will take about 1 1/2 hours to do the entire 5th wheel except for the roof. I do not put anything on the roof, just pressure wash it and that is it. I try to do the 303 twice a year.

[sreigle]

I use a wash/wax on the rig but I don't think it would be a particularly good "base." It will only last maybe a month and then it will need more wax (via wash/wax or the old fashioned elbow grease method). If you really want a good base wax I'd try one of the premium products intended for fibreglass, like Meguiars, for example. However, that will take quite a bit of time. Or maybe $$ if you pay someone else to apply it.

On the roof, I use nothing but Dawn. Dicor (mfr of the roof material) used to recommend Dawn until they started selling their own branded products.

Whatever you use on the roof, be absolutely sure it contains no petroleum products nor any kind of citrus. At the Fall Rally the Dicor rep told us birds and squirrels smell the citrus and think it is food. They dig into the roof or peck it trying to get at the food. They also said some products with petroleum distillates in them don't indicate that on the label. If you use Dawn, don't use the citrus one.

[richfaa]

Was at the same Dicor seminar as Steve.S. Dawn works just fine. As for wax..The 3400 is way to big to wax by hand. We also use a wash/Wax. It beads up, looks good and and dirt/bugs and streaks come off easy. So we wash it down every 1 or 2 months.. Long brush, bucket of wash/wax and maybe a hour of labor.

[Cat320]

I just put a coat of Protect All on ours...recommended by Wrenchtraveller. Spray it on, spread it around, then wipe it off. Not too labor intensive, but did take the better part of a day. Lots of fiberglass there!

On edit...the Protect All is for the trailer, not the roof.

[DHenry]

I put the 303 on the Montana Saturday. It took me 1 1/2 hours to do all the sides including the front and back. I then took the buffer out and buffed the sides to remove all the streaks that I left behind, now that took longer, about another 2 hours. The big guy looks great, my arms and shoulders are a little stiff and sore but the results are worth the exercise.