Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE OWNER'S CORNER FORUMS > Excel Owner's Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-14-2007, 04:21 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
ChiefJohn's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Anywhere, USA
Posts: 2,472
We've discussed the yellowing effect on our coach finishes after several years of being exposed to the elements. Always alert for "new methods" of doing things, the following sounded too good to be true.

I found the following information on another RV site (have not included the author). Since I know absolutely nothing about the product and/or possible problems from using it, I would appreciate input from our Excel Forum experts. I can see the DW's face when I tell her all the decals fell off the coach and it turned yellow from my cleaning experiment! I'll be sleeping in "Semi-Suite" by myself for the next year!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I picked up this tip on one of the many RV groups that I belong to.

It was suggested that you use a product called Penetrol to renew the finish on fiberglass RV exteriors. I purchased a quart and tested it on an almost 20 year old motor home that we are selling. It works! The fiberglass looks like it has had a clear coat put on it. It really shines!

Product information is at the following website:
PenetrolWebsite

There is no mention of fiberglass refinish on the website, but on the back of the can it says the following:
Penetrol restores faded fiberglass on RV's, truck cabs and motor homes.
1. Wash with DEKSWOOD(a cleaner manufactured by the Flood Company) according to label directions.
2. Saturate a rag with PENETROL. Then wipe it on, wait 5 minutes, and carefully wipe off PENETROL with a clean, soft cloth to revive color.

This product is available at Home Depot (and other places I am sure) for about $7.00 per quart or $25.00 per gallon. Located in the paint department. This product is intended to be used as a paint additive to make oil paint flow and/or spray better.

I got great results by washing the exterior very well. I put the product on with a 1-inch x 4-inch paint roller and a 2-inch x 3-inch painting pad. I put the product on MUCH heavier than directed. I did not wipe it off. It took several days to 'set up'. The finish was slightly tacky for about 48 hours in 80-degree weather. It has been about 4 days now and it is set up fine. It does not take much product. We have a 40-foot motor home and I used about 3 quarts. When I rolled the product on, there were small air bubbles in the finish and texture from the roller. After setting for about 10-20 minutes, the finish leveled out and looks great. I went right over the decals and stripes with no apparent problem.

DISCLAIMER.... I HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT THE LONG TERM DURABILITY OF THIS PRODUCT. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I have several concerns as to what may happen to the finish in the long term. The finish may yellow, crack, craze, peel, or just fall off in a big chunk. After testing on a small spot, I decided to do the entire motor home because we were selling it. The finish looks (almost) as good as the day it left the factory. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
__________________
John & Marilyn Yoder, Sophie & Misha (Bichons)
2008 Vectra 40TD, WIT-151980 FMCA F265880
ChiefJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 12-14-2007, 04:21 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
ChiefJohn's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Anywhere, USA
Posts: 2,472
We've discussed the yellowing effect on our coach finishes after several years of being exposed to the elements. Always alert for "new methods" of doing things, the following sounded too good to be true.

I found the following information on another RV site (have not included the author). Since I know absolutely nothing about the product and/or possible problems from using it, I would appreciate input from our Excel Forum experts. I can see the DW's face when I tell her all the decals fell off the coach and it turned yellow from my cleaning experiment! I'll be sleeping in "Semi-Suite" by myself for the next year!

Quote:
I picked up this tip on one of the many RV groups that I belong to.

It was suggested that you use a product called Penetrol to renew the finish on fiberglass RV exteriors. I purchased a quart and tested it on an almost 20 year old motor home that we are selling. It works! The fiberglass looks like it has had a clear coat put on it. It really shines!

Product information is at the following website:
PenetrolWebsite

There is no mention of fiberglass refinish on the website, but on the back of the can it says the following:
Penetrol restores faded fiberglass on RV's, truck cabs and motor homes.
1. Wash with DEKSWOOD(a cleaner manufactured by the Flood Company) according to label directions.
2. Saturate a rag with PENETROL. Then wipe it on, wait 5 minutes, and carefully wipe off PENETROL with a clean, soft cloth to revive color.

This product is available at Home Depot (and other places I am sure) for about $7.00 per quart or $25.00 per gallon. Located in the paint department. This product is intended to be used as a paint additive to make oil paint flow and/or spray better.

I got great results by washing the exterior very well. I put the product on with a 1-inch x 4-inch paint roller and a 2-inch x 3-inch painting pad. I put the product on MUCH heavier than directed. I did not wipe it off. It took several days to 'set up'. The finish was slightly tacky for about 48 hours in 80-degree weather. It has been about 4 days now and it is set up fine. It does not take much product. We have a 40-foot motor home and I used about 3 quarts. When I rolled the product on, there were small air bubbles in the finish and texture from the roller. After setting for about 10-20 minutes, the finish leveled out and looks great. I went right over the decals and stripes with no apparent problem.

DISCLAIMER.... I HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT THE LONG TERM DURABILITY OF THIS PRODUCT. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I have several concerns as to what may happen to the finish in the long term. The finish may yellow, crack, craze, peel, or just fall off in a big chunk. After testing on a small spot, I decided to do the entire motor home because we were selling it. The finish looks (almost) as good as the day it left the factory.
__________________
John & Marilyn Yoder, Sophie & Misha (Bichons)
2008 Vectra 40TD, WIT-151980 FMCA F265880
ChiefJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2007, 05:24 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Cypress, Texas USA
Posts: 8,854
I have no firsthand knowledge of this product, but it sounds like it may be petroleum-based. If so, I share the following only as a caveat:

A friend of ours had a 5th wheel with weathered gelcoat and happened to get some WD-40 overspray on the finish while doing some maintenance. When he tried to wipe it off, he noticed that the WD-40 had apparently penetrated the gelcoat and put a nice shine on it. He grabbed several cans of WD-40 and sprayed the whole rig down, rubbing it in as he went. When he finished, the rig looked really nice.

Now, the downside. Within a few months, the WD-40 treated finish turned cloudy and looked worse than before. IIRC, he never did manage to get the finish restored.

Notwithstanding the above, Penetrol might be the greatest stuff since sliced bread, but I'd personally want to see how it holds up over time....

Rusty
RustyJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2007, 05:58 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
D and J's Avatar
 
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sioux Falls (fulltiming)
Posts: 361
Maybe I need to re-read your post John, but I don't see where it says anything about renewing a yellow finish to a white finish :dunno:

I mean, fibreglass and clearcoat finishes(Gelcoat) are two different issues, aren't they?
__________________
Doug and Jutta

2005 Forrest River Charleston 400TS DP
D and J is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2007, 07:32 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
ChiefJohn's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Anywhere, USA
Posts: 2,472
Doug,
You're correct on both points -- maybe it was my wishful thinking on the yellowing removal. I'm taking a "wait and see" until I hear positive results from those that have tried his method.
__________________
John & Marilyn Yoder, Sophie & Misha (Bichons)
2008 Vectra 40TD, WIT-151980 FMCA F265880
ChiefJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2007, 10:09 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
MakinSmoke's Avatar
 
Excel Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Big Pine Key, FL
Posts: 1,424
OK, who's desparate enough to try it and report the results
__________________
Member # 47, "squirt", Smart Cabriolet The Newest Family Addition
The Wagon, Excel L36CLO, Overkill, Volvo 610, Venture Out, Cudjoe Key, FL
MakinSmoke is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Acrylic Floor Shine Gallion MH-General Discussions & Problems 2 05-18-2008 03:37 PM
No Shine on Endcaps MakinSmoke Excel Owner's Forum 11 03-25-2008 03:01 PM
Restoring/Repairing Older RV roadmuffin Vintage RV's 4 01-28-2008 05:33 PM
restoring old beater johne4 Vintage RV's 6 06-04-2005 07:29 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:08 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.