Where to wash/wax?

[THenman]

Hello everyone;

Wife and I just recently got our coach and while we can drive it to load at our house I can not get it someplace at the house to wash and wax it.

I know this has to be a somewhat common problem and wondered where people find to wash and wax their coach? Do you get it done at service, are there places where you can take it to get washed, or do some campgrounds allow it?

Thanks!
Tom

[Gary1965]

Tom,

http://washwax.com/mop-kit-internet-...not-shown.html

First see link above for the Wash Wax All waterless product. It is the best I have ever used and you can do it anywhere, camp site, storage facility, etc... When traveling to Florida in winter or spring break time, I will stop at a Blue Beacon to get the grime off. In Florida, there are a number of wash wax trucks that will come to your site and do the whole job. I usually get that done once a year, and then use the waterless product the rest of the year. Good luck!.....Gary


2010 Fleetwood Discovery 40G

[macnut]

X2 on WashWaxAll !!

[steve11669]

It's a problem for me at too. I somtimes find a selfy car wash tall enough for my rig. Then I have to do the front half and move forward to do the rear half. It good for shadding from the sun too.

I've been looking for a loading dock that I can parallel park against to wax top upper part. Its a pain to keep moving a ladder.

Sometimes I can use a spot to wash half or a quarter of the rig. A liitle bit is better than none.

[THenman]

Originally Posted by Gary1965

Tom,

Mop Kit - Internet Special With New Bug Buster Head (Not Shown) - Aero Cosmetics

First see link above for the Wash Wax All waterless product. It is the best I have ever used and you can do it anywhere, camp site, storage facility, etc... When traveling to Florida in winter or spring break time, I will stop at a Blue Beacon to get the grime off. In Florida, there are a number of wash wax trucks that will come to your site and do the whole job. I usually get that done once a year, and then use the waterless product the rest of the year. Good luck!.....Gary


2010 Fleetwood Discovery 40G

Thanks Gary;

That helps a lot in at least giving me some options.

Tom

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by THenman

Hello everyone;

Wife and I just recently got our coach and while we can drive it to load at our house I can not get it someplace at the house to wash and wax it.

I know this has to be a somewhat common problem and wondered where people find to wash and wax their coach? Do you get it done at service, are there places where you can take it to get washed, or do some campgrounds allow it?

Thanks!
Tom

First, I'll say no one washes my cars or RV but me. And, I love washing and detailing, so I take it to a bit of an extreme, some say I'm nuts. So just setting a foundation for my comments.

We are fortunate that our storage place has a washing area, so that is a big benefit.

Some campgrounds allow you to wash in your site; some charge a nominal free which I am happy to pay, others at no charge.

Be very cautious of mobile detailers - I have observed some decent ones, and seen one pretty much wreck a paint job in a single wash. If you go that route, watch them, don't disappear. The moment they pull a boat brush out of their truck, tell them to leave and don't let them even get started. The moment they drop a rag on the ground, and they pick up and touch your paint with it or the moment they wipe a wheel well, then use the same rag on anything else, throw them off your site.

Blue Becon or any other commercial truck wash, no way........

Waterless washes are a compromise to proper washing with plenty of water, and you have to be extremely careful not to scratch your clear coat.

On the other hand, some people do not take the proper time, effort, or use appropriate products to wash, Polish, and / or wax thier RV (or cars), and as such, using a mobile detailer or truck wash is probably better than them doing it themselves.

But that's just me. I have spent hours upon hours washing, polishing, and waxing my cars and RV. It's kind of like therapy, and I enjoy the results of my efforts. I'd rather have a dirty coach, than have someone ruin my paint getting dirt off. For others, just not having dirt on thier paint is what they are looking for, and the condition of the paint isn't something they see.

As for waxing and / or polishing, you need a ladder, no other way. So you'll have to figure that out when the time comes.

Regards and hope your enjoy your new coach!

[marjoa]

Originally Posted by Betr2Trvl

First, I'll say no one washes my cars or RV but me. And, I love washing and detailing, so I take it to a bit of an extreme, some say I'm nuts. So just setting a foundation for my comments.

We are fortunate that our storage place has a washing area, so that is a big benefit.

Some campgrounds allow you to wash in your site; some charge a nominal free which I am happy to pay, others at no charge.

Be very cautious of mobile detailers - I have observed some decent ones, and seen one pretty much wreck a paint job in a single wash. If you go that route, watch them, don't disappear. The moment they pull a boat brush out of their truck, tell them to leave and don't let them even get started. The moment they drop a rag on the ground, and they pick up and touch your paint with it or the moment they wipe a wheel well, then use the same rag on anything else, throw them off your site.

Blue Becon or any other commercial truck wash, no way........

Waterless washes are a compromise to proper washing with plenty of water, and you have to be extremely careful not to scratch your clear coat.

On the other hand, some people do not take the proper time, effort, or use appropriate products to wash, Polish, and / or wax thier RV (or cars), and as such, using a mobile detailer or truck wash is probably better than them doing it themselves.

But that's just me. I have spent hours upon hours washing, polishing, and waxing my cars and RV. It's kind of like therapy, and I enjoy the results of my efforts. I'd rather have a dirty coach, than have someone ruin my paint getting dirt off. For others, just not having dirt on thier paint is what they are looking for, and the condition of the paint isn't something they see.

As for waxing and / or polishing, you need a ladder, no other way. So you'll have to figure that out when the time comes.

Regards and hope your enjoy your new coach!

I know I won't address your direct question per se, but as for others I'll put in my 2cents.
I pretty much 2x's everything you just said. In addition, these all-in-one wash & wax solutions are also a farce for a coach. There are so many problems with this choice. RV rigs are not finished like our cars. They are covered in fiberglass. It takes a whole different technique to properly take care of this material. If you really want to keep your rig looking nice, last long, and endure the elements I recommend the following:
1) Saturate your entire coach with a foam canon
2) Rinse thoroughly. This removes the majority of the dirt & grim that ruins & scratches your paint & gel coat
3) Then wash with a microfiber mop & telescopic handle
4) Rinse thoroughly
5) Using a rotary polisher, put on a heavy coat of UV protectant wax and then either use a rotary polisher to finish out shine or hand rub out.
Plenty of video's on YT that show this process in detail.

Yes, you have to find a shady place to do this and have water supply. I bought a Little Giant 14016-001 Alta One Type 1 Model 22-feet Ladder with a Little Giant 11016 10-16-Feet Work Aluminum Plank. Basically this builds a very sturdy scaffold that I can walk back & forth on working on a 12' section of coach at a time and all my materials are right there on the scaffold with me.

The coach we bought recently was in fabulous shape in almost every area, except the PO hadn't taken care of the outside for a couple of years and it had started to have some oxidation mainly on one side. SO......I decided to completely compound, polish and wax the entire coach. No small job let me tell you but to have this done by someone like a mobile company would of cost in the neighborhood of 3k - 4k and they wouldn't of done near the job I did. They wanted $15 a foot for just compounding and that's if I took it to their shop. I am not leaving my coach with someone to tinker with for a week if I don't have to. Anyway, while I was on the scaffold doing all this, I also resealed all around my windows, door & roof line and also fixed anything else that showed up. The coach now looks brand new. Now all I have to do is wax from now on.

There are no shortcuts or quick fixes to washing, waxing or keeping your coach paint & gel coat in tip top shape. The sun's UV alone is brutal and you have to protect your motorhomes skin.

[Betr2Trvl]

Just a quick follow up to the post above, and it may well be a matter of semantics, but it's important to clarify.

Marjoa mentions using a rotary machine for polishing. Rotary (think spins like a drill) is for trained pros only. I've been doing serious detailing for almost 20 years, and a rotary is still off limits for me. You can destroy pant very quickly is you are not careful.

For most folks, an orbital machine is a more appropriate tool for polishing (and applying wax). Porter Cable makes the most popular one for auto detailing, it can also be found at Griot's Garage under thier private label.

Th next step up is a Flex machine (also sold at Griot's as thier "Boss") which is what I have been using for quite a few years. You will find a lot of pros use a Flex as well. Think of it as an orbital on steroids, it is expensive, heavy, and you really need to be very confortable using an orbital before you step up to a Flex. It is proably overkill for most RVers.

There is also another machine called a Cyclo which has some advantages, but it is even more expensive and heavier than a Flex, and don't think it has any advantages vs. a Flex for use on an RV.

A machine is necessary for polishing, but not for applying wax or sealant (a synthetic polymer wax) which is usually more appropriate for an RV simply given that they generally last longer than a carnuba based wax. The only reason for using a matchine to apply wax / sealant is that it is faster...... And while thier are pads for a machine to remove wax / sealant, I prefer to do that by hand.

Just a few another term clarifications here.

Waxes and sealants are finishing coatings, and most people relate to giving a vehicle a shine. They also (usually) provide some level of UV protection, as well as provide a somewhat of a sacrificial layer of protection to your paint from other containments.

A polish contains abrasives and is used to remove scratches, swirl marks. A well polished paint finish is what creates a great shine, or luster. Polishing by hand is futile, you need a machine......

"Swirl marks" is a generic term, that includes all minor scratches in your paint, whether circular, horizontal or otherwise. What most people relate to swirls, are actually holograms that you see on dark cars that just got the $20 wash and buff special at ther corner car wash; holograms are just the worst case "swirl".

Most swirls in your paint are caused by washing and drying, and drivng grit into your clear coat. On RVs th most prominent direction is vertical, since that is how most people wash and dry an RV. And yes, you do have swirls in your RV paint, I guarantee it.

Regards

[holycow]

Originally Posted by steve11669

It's a problem for me at too. I somtimes find a selfy car wash tall enough for my rig. Then I have to do the front half and move forward to do the rear half. It good for shadding from the sun too.

I've been looking for a loading dock that I can parallel park against to wax top upper part. Its a pain to keep moving a ladder.

Sometimes I can use a spot to wash half or a quarter of the rig. A liitle bit is better than none.

I found a used rolling ladder in good condition on Craigslist that I use for getting the roof and the higher areas of the sides. Works great. The top step should be between 5 1/2' to 6' from the ground.

[nothermark]

FWIW what's wrong with Blue Beacon? They did a nice job on ours so I am curious.

[sbleiweiss]

I highly recommend Gary's Mobile Wash and Wax in AZ. They did ours in Sedona and did a great job. Not sure how far they go.

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by nothermark

FWIW what's wrong with Blue Beacon? They did a nice job on ours so I am curious.

As I noted, it's all about your personal expectations. I'm sure they get the dirt off, the question is what do they do to the paint along the way. And the reality is, most people don't recognize the paint damage, they just think that's the way it looks, but when they do see well cared for paint, they know something is different.

I can spot swirl marks / vertical marring in the paint from washing and drying on almost every RV in less than a minute, and many times I can spot it from 50' without even trying. And even with all the effort I put into it, I'll get some imperfections the paint too; on an RV it's virtually impossible not to.

But, it takes a lot of time, effort to get and maintain a high quality finish. I love dong it, most other people, not so much. So, as I said, sometimes using a mobile detailer or BB is your most logical choice, just watch them closely to minimize damage they do to your paint.

Just a side point, I've walked into many a high end car dealerships, and was petrified by what thier prep people had done to the paint on new $100,000+ sports / luxury cars on the showroom floor. But those cars go out the door just the way they are to many happy owners......

Regards

[Mr_D]

I'be used Dry Wash N Guard for many years. It's the original dry wash product. Still works great for me and lasts a year. Can be used in full sun in Yuma even.

[smlranger]

Wow, I used to be somewhat OCD about my cars, boats, etc as some here but as I have aged, I've come to accept that I can have nice looking vehicles and still have time for other things.

I disagree that the waterless products are a farce. Used correctly and with some common sense, they can work well. I do use the Wash Wax All system and my 9 yr old coach that has never been stored inside looks like new. I also wash it with a good car wash soap and water if I can. I also use mobile wash people if they know what they are doing.

My normal routine is to get the coach washed and polished once annually by a good service in Myrtle Beach, SC. I then use a combination of wash wax all, regular washes by me or mobile folks depending where I am.