Coach waxing

[stevedenesha]

Amazon is the first place I check and where I ordered from:
Robot Check

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by wmpbauer

I wrote to Griots Garage asking this specific question. Here's their reply:

Hello Pat,

Thank you for your email in which you are asking for advice on how to maintain and protect the finishes on your Motor Homes. You said that you see the benefit in both the Boss and 3’ Random Orbital. The following is my recommendation to simplify the care for you clear coated paint jobs on your motor coaches. Just so you know, I am a proud owner of a Pleasure Way Class B motor coach that I take a great deal of pride in and therefore what I recommend for your rigs is what I use on my motor coach. So the following is a step by step series of steps and procedures that I recommend to start with, particularly if the motor coach has been neglected for a period of time.

First wash you rig with our Paint Prep, item # 11135, Dawn Dish Detergent or Simple Green to remove any old wax, sealant or road oils. You want to see the water sheet off instead of beading up. I recommend that you use our Wash Mop Stick Kit, item # 78306 with extendable pole so as not to scratch your rig.

The next step is to apply our Speed Shine, item # 11146 and Paint Cleaning Clay, item # 11153 to remove particulates that if not removed can cause new swirl marks and light scratches.

Next step is to apply polish if needed for scratches or swirl marks or oxidation. This can be accomplished with our Complete Compound, item # 10862 with the Use of our “Random Orbital, item # 10813 and our 3” Random Orbital, item # 10739.

When you are satisfied with any surface correction you made, I recommend the application of you Liquid Gloss Poly Wax, item # 10916 as this will provide the longest protection of up to 14 months and offers the highest shine for that wet look. This is a man made polymer like a sealant that works very well on RVs, boats and trailers that typically most owners don’t want to do any more often than they need to.

You mentioned the Boss Orbital. The Boss Orbital was designed and is recommended for those who have extensive experience with the use of orbital’s and for professional detailers who need to conduct more serious paint corrections. Also the traditional Random Orbital is much better suited for wax application and the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax and sealants than the Boss. The Boss also requires a completely different set of polish pads than the regular Random Orbital. That’s not to say that you can never use the Boss system for what I recommend for you , but it is much more than I think you will need.

Assuming you use the regular Random Orbital, item # 10813 you will need the following foam pads. For Polishing with the Complete Compound, you want to use our Orange Foam Correcting Pad, item # 10633. I recommend at least three as these because they will get laden with product, will get mushy and will wear out if you don’t replace them occasionally. When replacing them you simply rinse them in like warm water and let them air dry.

For applying the Liquid Gloss Poly wax, I recommend that you use the Red Foam Wax Pad, item # 10620, and again replace then periodically so that you have a fresh pad. When buffing off polish I recommend our Polish Removal Cloths, item #11115, and for buffing off the Liquid Gloss poly wax I recommend our Wax Removal Cloths, item # 11116.

I have the following recommendations for your wheels and tires. I recommend our Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner item # 11026 for cleaning and our Rubber Cleaner, item # 11137 and our Rubber Prep, item # 11071 for deeper cleaning before applying new Tire Dressing. I use and recommend our Long lasting Tire dressing, item # 11044 because after I apply it I wipe it down with paper towels to achieve a satin finish instead of a glossy finish. For wheel protection you can also apply the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax to help defray brake dust on your wheel.

We also offer glass polishes to remove water spots, item # 11074AND Glass Polishing Pads, item 10614 for the 6” orbital and # 10665 for the 3’ orbital.

Whew, I know this is a lot of information and once you get your motor home in shape, you don’t necessarily have to apply each and every step. After that you want to use the proper soap foe washing and the proper drying technique to prevent water spots, and if you do get some water spots we have products to help that as well. I hope this helps.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reply to this email, or call our Customer Service Department at (800) 345-5789 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday.

Thank you again for your email Pat, and remember to call me personally if you have any further questions!

Best regards,

Alan


Have fun in your garage!

Alan McWain
Customer Service Representative
Griot's Garage
(253) 922-2400 Ext. 114
amcwain@griotsgarage.com
Car Care Products, Detailing Supplies, Auto Accessories - Griot's Garage 800-345-5789


Pat Bauer, President
Entegra Coach Owners Association
www.entegraowners.com
2013 Aspire DEQ/Ford Edge

While not an Entegra owner, I thought I would jump in here. I have been into serious car detailing for many years, and there is so much questionable info out there on detailing a full body paint coach, I wanted to fully support what Griot's outlined above. Although I will say I drew the line on my first full detailing of my year old coach and did not clay bar it.

I provided more detailing information in this thread if anyone is interested
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/powe...er-280536.html

Using many of the products listed, including, Griot's Complete Compound polish and Polywax, applied with a Flex machine (Griot's Boss is a Griot's branded Flex, and thier regular orbital is a Griot's branded Porter Cable).

It took me 2, multi day sessions to fully polish and wax my Tiffin 31SA.

Day 1 Wash - 5 hours
Day 2 & 3 Polish and Waxed lower sections of coach - 10 hours total
Day 4, a month later, Wash again - 5 hours
Day 5,6 & 7 Polish and was remainder of coach - 15 hours total

My guess is that it would take another 10-15 hours to do a 45'er.....

This is as good as it is ever going to get.

Note reflections in the paint........

Regards

[Betr2Trvl]

Gave up on trying to get multi pictures to upload above.....

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Trapper56

Does anyone use Wash & Wax? Many of the dealers use this to prepare units for delivery without the white deposits on seams. It goes on easy and removes all water spots and hold a shine...

I've used Dry Wash N Guard for many years and still do. Water just runs off and I use it on the glass too. Usually don't need the windshield wipers unless the rain is really light.

[Betr2Trvl]

One more...... And remember, there is no easy way or short cuts to have great paint on your cars or RV. But, with an RV you do have to make some level of compromise, just due to size and the fact they sit out in the weather so much of the time. But if you don't find detailing enjoyable, it an be a back breaking chore.

Regards!

[Gary.Jones]

D&S

VERY NICE WORK.... Thanks

Gary

[Cruzer]

Originally Posted by ken n deb

Mark, I've done a search on the Meguiars website and cannot find '#21 Synthetic Polymer Sealant'. Am I missing something? Where do you get it? Thx

Yup, they are there.

Hoe about http://www.meguiars.com/en/professio...J7VCxSjdcAk.97 on the Meguiar's site.

Or,

Amazon.com: Meguiar's M21 Mirror Glaze Synthetic Sealant 2.0 - 64 oz.: Automotive

on Amazon. You can also get it in 16 ounce bottled but for a large RV I'd skip that and get the gallon size.

[Gregory0495]

On amazon use keyword M21

[3xbear]

I've actually been looking into the ceramic coatings in more detail, especially the Ceramic Pro product line. These are only pro installed products, but appear to be worth the money. I found an independent detail company (single person), who has given me very favorable quotes for the cornerstone (big job). I know dealerships would totally rip you off, which is why an independent seems to make sense.
Has anyone considered these type of more long term products?

[UncleBilly]

I've read about some products made by Restructure Marine that are used on Yachts with fiberglass or gel-coat finishes. No idea how well they work, but very interesting. I'll try some when my clearcoat is redone... Wipe on until it shines and lasts around 3yrs...


1996 Country Coach Intrigue 😜

[Crippsfl]

I have been using a paint sealant from Chemical Guys for about 6 months now. I went through the process of buffing out the swirls with my dual action random orbital with Meguair's 105 and 205 polishing compounds. This was a long and laborious process. I then put on Chemical Guys E-Z Creme Glaze. Buff on wipe off. Very easy. Then I finished with their M -Seal paint sealant. Just as easy. End results were spectacular. Each product sold for about $60/gal on Amazon. Trust me, this is enough to do your coach 5 - 6 times. Well worth the expense in reduced Advil use

Now, after sitting out in the sun, rain, and relatively short road trips, I am heading to Middlebury for my 2 year factory visit to get a few items resolved and then out west for 6 months. Decided to do a quick "refresh" on the exterior. Cleaned the coach and applied another quick coat of just the the sealant to the exterior. Buff on, wipe off. It honestly took me less than 90 minutes to do the whole coach. Looks like it did when I finished the first time.

My point is, once you get the paint "corrected" and sealed, It is not that difficult to keep it looking that way. Using a sealant instead of wax pays off over time, in my opinion, and the application of a sealant is much easier than applying conventional wax.

[lowejug]

Originally Posted by 3xbear

I've actually been looking into the ceramic coatings in more detail, especially the Ceramic Pro product line. These are only pro installed products, but appear to be worth the money. I found an independent detail company (single person), who has given me very favorable quotes for the cornerstone (big job). I know dealerships would totally rip you off, which is why an independent seems to make sense.
Has anyone considered these type of more long term products?

I had this done when i bought my previous coach. It was some product ( I forget the name, maybe called perma plate) but they actually guarantee it protects the paint from sun/rain/anything from the sky for 5 years.. there is a maintenance application you are required to do.. dealer said they charge up to 3 grand for it.. I was able to get them to throw it in the deal.. Did it work? I can't really say... I only had the coach for a couple years and did have my local detail guy do the PAINT SEALANT application on it which just makes the shine like a diamond. he told me the perma plate is just smoke and mirrors...

[brobox]

After reading the post here, it make sense to switch to a simple sealer. I have never been onto to going into multi step waxing routine and have always had one of the best looking coaches in the park and at resale time. Easy has always been one of my favorite 4 letter words.

[3xbear]

Originally Posted by lowejug

I had this done when i bought my previous coach. It was some product ( I forget the name, maybe called perma plate) but they actually guarantee it protects the paint from sun/rain/anything from the sky for 5 years.. there is a maintenance application you are required to do.. dealer said they charge up to 3 grand for it.. I was able to get them to throw it in the deal.. Did it work? I can't really say... I only had the coach for a couple years and did have my local detail guy do the PAINT SEALANT application on it which just makes the shine like a diamond. he told me the perma plate is just smoke and mirrors...

This is why I avoided anything offered by the dealership, smoke and mirrors, and super expensive. The ceramic type coatings/sealants seem to be the way of the future. The videos on you tube are certainly impressive. My detail guy will likely charge anything from $600 to $1500 (including paint correction) for different levels of protection (essentially number of coats and heavier product), which I think is fair for a coach this size.
I'll take pics once this is done and let you guys know.
Fred