Community Forums

test drive · 10-24-2014, 05:31 PM

After a long search we found a 94 prowler 24m. You would not believe the shape its in. One owner (older couple) and allways stored inside when not in use. other than a litle sun fade on decals it looks great. Inside looks new. Anyway the roof looks great but looks to have never had any type of sealer or whatever put on it. Its like it came from factoy. So do I just cleanit from time to time or do I need to put some type of seal on it. also the siding is vinyl whats best to clean it with. Thanks

wa8yxm · 10-24-2014, 05:42 PM

What kind of roof is it... Most of the stuff they sell to use on Rubber roofs... I would not recommend. Rubber does benefit, (I believe) from a good mopping,, I use the same stuff I use in the kitchen, (Spic & Span) only I use a van-wash (long handled car was brush) instead of a mop. and just hose it down for the plain water pass.

test drive · 10-24-2014, 05:51 PM

Yes its rubber. Its just that its 20 years old and its in great shape and I want to keep it that way as I will not be able to keep it stored inside when not in use as it has been in the past.

09 harley · 10-24-2014, 09:41 PM

What you want to do is go to Camping World as an example because I know they carry it and get the cleaner and sealer products manufactured by Dicor. I get on the roof and spray some of the cleaner on a 3 X 3 area and then wipe it off. Do the whole roof and use plenty of old towels. Then start where you began cleaning and spray on the sealer, it's very thin, and wipe up any drips. Do this twice a year and you will be good.

mgscott4 · 10-26-2014, 09:20 PM

Don,t waste your money on cleaners, just use dish washing (I use Dawn) soap and a scrub brush. Get up there and give it a good cleaning by hand. ( I remove my AC cover to clean the AC coils too.)

While your cleaning, look at all of the things on your roof and the rubber sealant around them. Most likely you will find cracks in the sealant that needs to be sealed.

That brings up a whole new topic, what sealant to use?

IMO- Dicor self leveling works good but you have to reseal every year or 2. I prefer Extenabond tape. You can install over old sealant if it is clean and wide enough to overlap, but I don't recommend it, it needs to be "pressured on" with a roller, especially the edges. Remove the old stuff first, then the Extenabond tape, it will be good for at least the next 10 years

It also brings up a new topic, what roof sealer to use?

IMO - I don,t use any chemicals on my roof except dawn dish washing soap, spring and fall, whether it needs it or not it gets a good cleaning.

09 harley · 10-27-2014, 10:20 AM

If the manufacturer, Dicor, has two products that are specifically made to maintain their rubber roof I would think that those would be the products to use.
I also use Dawn detergent for dishes and it works really well. It is top rated and will remove most dirt and all wax and was also used to clean most of the birds in Alaska and Louisiana during their oil spills.
A lot of people scrub their tires with harsh cleaners but a lot also use tire protectants to protect them from long term UV damage. We see many RV's with tire and wheel covers. Why do people use them? It's obvious. Why do people use 303 to protect their tires and other rubber or vinyl surfaces? What portion of your rig is most exposed to damage. Obviously the roof. It makes sense to protect it just like we do our wheels and tires. Does anyone wax their RV? Why do they do that? Again , protection.
If you wash your roof with Dawn you also risk possible streaking of your wax, maybe if you don't wax you won't have a problem. I don't want to risk it.
If you follow my recommendations in a previous post you will actually be protecting your roof, and isn't that what the manufacturer had in mind in developing these products.

mgscott4 · 10-27-2014, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 09 harley

If the manufacturer, Dicor, has two products that are specifically made to maintain their rubber roof I would think that those would be the products to use.
I also use Dawn detergent for dishes and it works really well. It is top rated and will remove most dirt and all wax and was also used to clean most of the birds in Alaska and Louisiana during their oil spills.
A lot of people scrub their tires with harsh cleaners but a lot also use tire protectants to protect them from long term UV damage. We see many RV's with tire and wheel covers. Why do people use them? It's obvious. Why do people use 303 to protect their tires and other rubber or vinyl surfaces? What portion of your rig is most exposed to damage. Obviously the roof. It makes sense to protect it just like we do our wheels and tires. Does anyone wax their RV? Why do they do that? Again , protection.
If you wash your roof with Dawn you also risk possible streaking of your wax, maybe if you don't wax you won't have a problem. I don't want to risk it.
If you follow my recommendations in a previous post you will actually be protecting your roof, and isn't that what the manufacturer had in mind in developing these products.

Dawn does not remove wax, I use it to wash my RV and on my car and use Meguires Carnuba wax and it is still there. I wax it because I want to shine and look good. If your getting white streaks maybe your not rinsing good enough.

I am not putting chemicals on my $400 tires either. I Just keep them clean (with Dawn). My last set of tires lasted 70k miles before I purchased new due to time, 5 years. If your worried about UV rays then use covers.

09 harley · 10-28-2014, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgscott4

Dawn does not remove wax, I use it to wash my RV and on my car and use Meguires Carnuba wax and it is still there. I wax it because I want to shine and look good. If your getting white streaks maybe your not rinsing good enough.

I am not putting chemicals on my $400 tires either. I Just keep them clean (with Dawn). My last set of tires lasted 70k miles before I purchased new due to time, 5 years. If your worried about UV rays then use covers.

I hate to disagree with you that Dawn doesn't remove wax. It certainly does. That is the very reason that it is the preferred wash for removing the old wax before using the ZEP floor wax that a lot of our members apply to their class A's.
Buy some of the Meguiars Car Wash and use that, the Dawn is removing the old wax, maybe not all of it.
Dawn has a good reputation because because is is a strong cleaner.
Try 303 protectant on your tires or use the Mequiars Hot Shine product and you will be very happy with the result. I use the 303 on all the rubber seals on the windows and door weatherstripping and anything else that is rubber on my car and rv. It protects and prevents drying, cracking etc.