Community Forums

daoelker · 05-25-2015, 07:15 PM

Hello. I posted the following in the Monaco Owners forum by mistake so I am re-posting it here (it was my first post and I screwed up).

Interestingly though one of the Monaco guys responded that he was not happy with the ZEP on his rig and he did not recommend it. His is probably the first negative comment that I have read about it. I am curious if there are other people that have tried it and are also not impressed?

Anyway, following is my original post...

I have been reading all of the posts about the ZEP Wax treatments and I would like to try it on our 2004 Georgetown. The only thing that makes me question it is that the bottom of the coach (up to the top of the bin doors) has really good paint and clear coat that shines already. Everything above that is white fiberglass with typical vinyl graphics and it is faded as you might expect from an'04.

I'm concerned that the TSP wash will run down on the paint/clear coat and cause problems...will it or no?

Also, if this isn't a problem should I do this painted section with the ZEP as well, or should I just do all of the white fiberglass and side decals and leave the painted section alone?

Any thoughts/suggestions/ experience would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David

Just For Fun · 05-25-2015, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daoelker

Hello. I posted the following in the Monaco Owners forum by mistake so I am re-posting it here (it was my first post and I screwed up).

Interestingly though one of the Monaco guys responded that he was not happy with the ZEP on his rig and he did not recommend it. His is probably the first negative comment that I have read about it. I am curious if there are other people that have tried it and are also not impressed?

Anyway, following is my original post...

I have been reading all of the posts about the ZEP Wax treatments and I would like to try it on our 2004 Georgetown. The only thing that makes me question it is that the bottom of the coach (up to the top of the bin doors) has really good paint and clear coat that shines already. Everything above that is white fiberglass with typical vinyl graphics and it is faded as you might expect from an'04.

I'm concerned that the TSP wash will run down on the paint/clear coat and cause problems...will it or no?

Also, if this isn't a problem should I do this painted section with the ZEP as well, or should I just do all of the white fiberglass and side decals and leave the painted section alone?

Any thoughts/suggestions/ experience would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David

I've done it several times - probably 7 coats - but only on the fiberglass. I - personally - would not touch the painted portion. Although, I did it on the door - painted - and the results have been fine.

As far as "...TSP wash will run down on the paint/clear coat and cause problems" Use lots of water to clean TSP off and you shouldn't have any problems.

donhoward49 · 05-26-2015, 05:08 AM

Yea, what He said.. Try doing just the top,, you can always come back and do the lower part. I think the worst the TSP will do is wash off your wax.. I did the whole coach, even though the lower part did have some shine.
FYI, I am trying something totally different with my Zep wax, Doing the inside vinyl floors.

hydro45640 · 05-26-2015, 05:32 AM

I did my complete coach with Zep. Paint,fiberglass and over the graffics and had no problems. Coach looks new again.

charliej · 05-26-2015, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydro45640

I did my complete coach with Zep. Paint,fiberglass and over the graffics and had no problems. Coach looks new again.

Hydro, how long have you had the Zep on?

hydro45640 · 05-27-2015, 04:32 AM

Over one year

etchamp · 05-27-2015, 05:23 AM

Any before and after pics?

deandec · 05-28-2015, 11:11 AM

I have had some clear coat peeling problems on my old rig. Mostly where Clear Coat covered Gel Coat (not paint).

I have not put Zep over clear coated paint!

I have put Zep on the rear cap of my rig where all the clear coat over gelcoat was removed. It is still good after two years.

Here is a picture of an experimental app of Zep next to Clear Coat.

Note: I am not certain, but I think the Zep Remover stuff damaged my Clear Coat over Paint area.....

Mr Plymouth · 05-29-2015, 07:25 AM

My Friend used Zep 3 yrs ago and liked it,i stayed with poly-glo ,and my rig looks new again

Climbon69 · 06-01-2015, 07:59 AM

Our rig is 21 years old, but has 8 year old graphics. Did the two fiberglass end caps and one 40' side yesterday. Looks like it just rolled off the show room floor. Used more Bar Keepers than ZEP. Did encounter a small area that either had some old wax or peeling clear coat. The ZEP got all balled up with the stuff, so had to quickly get it wiped off. It was less than a square foot of area, so it turned out ok.

Used about a third of a gallon, applied with lint free towels. I think using a spray bottle would work great, but would be really careful around windows. I'm not sure it would come off the glass. On an old coach like ours the rubber makes the towels turn black which puts a black streak on the fiberglass if you don't change towels.

I only did about four coats, but think I'll do a couple more as there are still some streaks on some of the larger areas. Each new coat removed a lot of streaks.

donhoward49 · 06-01-2015, 08:37 AM

"I'm not sure it would come off the glass" Clembon69,, I got some Zep on my windows, tried ammonia, then used a blade scraper to clean it... I will be more careful next time.

rssnape · 06-01-2015, 12:19 PM

I used a microfiber towel and a small painters cup. Rubber gloves and just dipped into and then would squeeze out the excess. It worked great with minimal runs to chase down. If you was the cloth out with warm water you can use it for the next coat.

1997 Tiffen Allegro Bus 37', Cat 3126

etchamp · 06-01-2015, 02:18 PM

What is the longevity for this to work before it turns? My camper has to sit outside until winter.

Fl_Richard · 06-01-2015, 03:29 PM

I'm in year three of my Zep application. I have a 98 Bounder and it has always lived outdoors in Florida. Yes. It looked really faded, chalky and had no "finish". It was bad!

My first application was 2+ years ago and i applied 7 coats everywhere. Painted basement doors, fiberglass, plastic surfaces, decals, grille slats, mirror covers and mounts. I recently put on a two coat "maintenance" application and this week stayed in a campground with some friends. They were all blown away with how good the RV looked. They even commented it looks like new; and it does... except for the heavily cracked decals that look like crap but shine like new!

The plastic parts look like they just had two coats of armor all applied. The black rubber parts are black and shiny. The decals though in horrible condition are shinier than new. The fiberglass sides look like they were dipped in clear plastic and the painted surfaced look showroom new.

I use a microfiber towel and a water bottle with a pin hole in the cap to apply it to the towel then wipe on the RV. I use lots of overlapping coverage so my 2 coat maintenance coat is probably three. But it looks fantastic.
I havent had any yellowing, though horizontal surfaces will get a bit milky when water stands on them for an extended time. Also the front cap peeled off but it was because I did very little prep to it. But it looked good for well over a year.

Removal - Zep floor wax remover - or - regular old ammonia in a jug. For removal on glass surfaces I find RainX works awesome!

I will never ever use conventional wax on an RV again! I two years I literally have only washed it with liquid Ajax dish-soap. It still looked amazing for not being touched (except washing) in two years.