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Old 02-12-2005, 11:07 AM   #1
Montana_2753
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Keeping the Outside Nice and Bright!

What are you using to keep the OUTSIDE of your Monty shiney? Used Dri-Wash and Guard on my aluminum sided TT and it has held up well. It's supposed to be OK for fiberglass, also. Before taking delivery of my fiver I had to have some body work/painting done so I asked the body guy what he recommended. He said NOT to use wax (could cause yellowing) but use something that has a silicone and very mild polish in it. Saw a product at the Quartzsite RV show that was touted for RVs (it's used on custom cars, etc.). Looked pretty easy to apply and last quite awhile. Your thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.

"It's all about looking good"
 
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Old 02-12-2005, 12:27 PM   #2
OntMont
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quote:Originally posted by bigskyguy

What are you using to keep the OUTSIDE of your Monty shiney? Your thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.
There are many products out there, but my personal favourite is liquid Nu-Finish (comes in an orange bottle). It is readily available, reasonably priced, stands up well, and is easy to apply. What I particulary like is that it can be applied in sun or shade, most other products say not to apply in direct sun. Just my opinion, others will have their own favourites.
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Old 02-12-2005, 12:35 PM   #3
tbhd
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I have used Meguiars in the red bottle. It's a cleaner-wax on our previous 5th wheel that we had for 9 years and had no problem with yellowing. After the Meguiars I put the Protect All on from Camping World. That 5th wheel had filon sides. Also used it on our fiberglass boat with no problems.
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Old 02-12-2005, 01:23 PM   #4
padredw
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quote:Originally posted by padredw

Here is one of my very first posts on this forum. Still: so far so good.

No doubt, everyone has their own favorites, but I'm willing to share mine. I just cleaned up the exterior of our Montana this week, so I have all the material still before me. I started with a full cleaning of the roof using Thetford Premium Rubber Roof Cleaner and Conditioner [sprayed on full strength then washed off thoroughly with water] from Camping World. Next I cleaned the bugs off the front cap using Thetford Premium Bug Bust [same type of application as the roof cleaner] also from CW. Next the sides and back using Trailer Glitter RV Wash [mixed with water, then rinsed immediately] also from CW. Finally I waxed only the front cap using Meguairs NXT Tech Wax bought at WalMart.

We have had our Montana just a year and a half, but it looks as good as it did the day we bought it. The wax protects the front cap and makes it much easier to get the bugs off the next time. By keeping the roof cleaned and conditioned we do not have any black streaks.

So far so good.
To see the result, click on the link below.
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Old 03-06-2005, 05:22 PM   #5
DonandJudy_12
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Has anyone out there had any problems with the clearcoat peeling on the front cap? The upper half of our front cap has lost the clearcoat. We have a 2000 3555RL. Sure is hard to make it shine. All suggestions appreciated. Don
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Old 03-09-2005, 07:44 AM   #6
Montana_70
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I use the Nu-Finish too. It's a good price, goes on easy and gives a nice shine. it also makes LadyRam look luminous!
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Old 03-09-2005, 12:19 PM   #7
sreigle
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Don and Judy, what do you mean by 'peeling'? Is it flaking off or visibly peeling or is it dulling?
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Old 03-09-2005, 01:54 PM   #8
azstar
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Don and Judy,

Two part story,

Part#1; Our's was looking as if the clear coat was dulling in places, kind of splotchy looking but not peeling. No matter what I tried I could not make it look right. I suspected it was due to the Bug remover I was using (Bug and Tar Cutter from Camco) eating through the Clear Coat.

I was getting desperate, and finally tried very fine rubbing compound. It took off the clear coat and the cap started looking very good. It took about an hour to do about a 2 sq. foot area, then I waxed. I thought this was the way I would have to go, with hours of elbow greese.

Part#2; We had spotted a couple of spider cracks when it was new, which our Dealer wanted to fix. They ground out the cracked area, filled and repainted. The bad news was those two areas never did look great after the repair.

When I returned home from NY last summer I showed it to my dealer and He focused in on the spider crack repaired area and wasn't happy with the the way the repair looked. He thought the only way He could make it look right was to strip and repaint the entire front cap. I now had hope that this might happen and cure both issues. He then called Keystone. They agreed to pick up the cost. My dealer did the stripping of graphics and prep work then it was taken to an RV paint and Body Shop. Happy ending, looks great.

I do know there was a misunderstanding between the Body Shop and Keystone, after the job was done Keystone gave them a check for $800 which was the understood price. They wanted $1200. I believe they ended up with $800. I'm telling you this so you can have an idea of the cost of repainting the cap.

I can tell you this, that if you needed to remove the Clear Coat it can be done with Polishing compound, and the cap will look great with a good wax on the paint.

Wish you well,
Steve
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Old 03-09-2005, 06:48 PM   #9
DonandJudy_12
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The clearcoat is gone from the upper half of the front cap- At the point where there is still clearcoat, it can be removed using my thumbnail- I can't get the top half to shine as well as the bottom half- I tried Mequires and Nu-finish - Don
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Old 03-10-2005, 05:11 AM   #10
azstar
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Yep, I understand. Even the area where I removed the Clear Coat and waxed, was not as shiny as the Clear Coat when seen next to each other. But it did look very good. If you could remove all the Clear Coat and give it a good waxing I think you'd be happy with the finish. When ours was repainted by the RV Body Shop I don't believe they put on a Clear Coat just an Auto Paint for fiberglass and it looks super.

Wish you well,
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Old 03-12-2005, 09:47 PM   #11
harleyrider
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I also use Dry-Wash&Guard.Its on the pricey side thats for sure,but it does a wonderful job on the fiberglass.And as you well know from using it a little goes a long way.Other then the roof I haven`t put a drop of water on my Montana since I bought it.People that we meet in the camp grounds can`t believe its a 2001 model.because of how clean and shinny it looks.I usually don`t rave about a product much,but this stuff is "rave worthy"
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Old 03-16-2005, 01:12 PM   #12
Chester
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On our 2000 Montana 2750 I used a marine wax designed for fiberglass. I would wax twice a year and when we sold this trailer in Oct 2004 it still had a great gloss on it.

For our new 3475, I've had a contractor (works through our dealer) apply a permashine type of product. He won't say what it is but I know others who have had this product applied over the past few years and they love it. The contractor says it should be redone about every 3-4 years and do not wax it in between. The application was done yesterday and I saw it. It looked real good.
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