Exterior Care-Washing&Waxing

[Ol-Forester]

I am thinking about washing and waxing my Winslow. Also, I was on the roof inspecting for hail damage last week(I think it's ok) and was surprised by the amount of mildew spots. So I will be cleaning the roof also.
Could anyone provide some tips on doing this. What do most owners do?

[oldfart1]

I just done the top of mine over the weekend with a pressure wash. It worked out good for me. Just be careful use low pressure and don't get carried away. I didn't fined any leaks after I was done.

Will be waxing it tomorrow. Going to try the pledge future shine.

[GENECOP]

You can wash down the whole rig with any good quality wash, it gets slippery on the roof use caution. Another option which I often use is to go up on the roof with Krud Cutter or equal, a box of rags and a garbage bag, spray and wipe down the whole roof, one section at a time. Depending on your roof surface, Mop And Glow afterwards leaves a nice finish. Most important thing I have noticed, if you keep the roof clean, the whole Rig will stay MUCH cleaner as a result. G

[Workshop]

One good thing about having a cover over the Beast is that I don't have to deal with it getting as dirty/yellow as before and the pretrip wash is soooo much easier.

My prior SOB had a rubber roof, the Beast is fiberglass so it has been awhile since I've had to deal with it the same way. Here is a link to an article on Rubber Roof Care that might help with the understanding of the black spots. I found that keeping the rubber roof clean also helped the side walls stay cleaner longer. One of the thing I like about the older Excels is the 'gutters' that trims the roof/sidewalls.

I just washed the roof with soapy water and used brushes strong enough to clean the surface. As far as the black spots I've used a mild bleach solution with soap to reduce the staining. Still use it today to remove staining on the fiberglass. Sometimes I used a commerical cleaner/treatment but didn't notice a difference and if I remember correctly, Dicor stated it wasn't needed. I'm sure there are as many approaches that work and recommended.

Being the third owner of my unit...and I'm sure they never waxed it before...I'm now in the Cleaner/Wax phase when I wax/polish the unit. I've experimented with several brands but use Meguires.

[Ol-Forester]

I was on the roof again this morning double checking for hail damage. Nearby cars were damaged. So far as I can tell the roof is ok, not sure what to look for. Any tips/experience?
I can see where a solid roof would be really nice.

I looked in my owners manual and it mentions using any automotive wax on the unit. But, I can't imagine how long it would take to wax by hand with a paste wax. Do owners hand apply and polish off the wax like a car or do you use some sort of brushed on wax solution?

[wildtoad]

The nice thing about owning a smaller unit (30') is when it's time to wax it is just a bit less work but still a lot. I do it my self with regular car wax in a bottle that is good for paint and/or fiberglass. Takes a couple of days to do the sides and ends. For the roof I've always used autowash with a bit of clorox. I will try the Mop-n-Glow that others have mentioned as this is only the second mh I've had with a roof that needed waxing.

[Workshop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ol-Forester I was on the roof again this morning double checking for hail damage. Nearby cars were damaged. So far as I can tell the roof is ok, not sure what to look for. Any tips/experience? I can see where a solid roof would be really nice. I looked in my owners manual and it mentions using any automotive wax on the unit. But, I can't imagine how long it would take to wax by hand with a paste wax. Do owners hand apply and polish off the wax like a car or do you use some sort of brushed on wax solution?

Never had my unit exposed to hail....but assume after inspecting the roof area that if the plastic roof vent covers were undamaged, that the surfaces of the rubber membrane would be also. Sure that you have checked the condition of the AC cover and batwing antenna...if also undamaged....roof should be ok.

Having bought my unit used, third owner and having sit on the dealer lot for almost a year...the fiberglass was in very bad shape, Spent the first year using compounds to get the 'glass' clean and have removed the oxidation...I now use a polisher, Porter Cable 7424 with several pads to apply a light compound, cleaner or wax to the surface. Use small pad to hand apply in areas where the machine pads won't fix or don't want to take it.

My only problem is I can never find the time to start on one side and work myself around and have it done all at one time....or in some sort of order. But having the polisher to apply and hand remove has helped.

Never had a new unit to experiment with....but if you can keep the finish from oxidation...applying a wax/polish by hand and done in sections/areas might be manageable.

workhorse