Heavily oxidated motorhome my first big job

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nrosdal

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Today i got called out to give a quote for a heavily oxidated Motorhome. I did a couple test spots to show what it would come out like, i did 1 spot with Megs rv cleaner wax to show what the 1 stage polish would give and another spot with Megs heavy cut boat and rv followed by the Megs boat and rv cleaner wax. It came out much better than expected in my eyes and in the owners eyes as he called to book an hour after i left.

Here are a few pics of what i did. This is my first big job since starting up so let me know if you have any recommendations or input.

before


after 2 step cut and wax


Test spot on lighter colord area


and the soon to be shined up turd:
 
Mega marine line will shine that puppy up and its cheap as well.
 
Or you van sand it really quick with 2000 then polish.Sanding will give you better results and the finish will survive longer.Machine sand it should take you 30 minutes to blast thru each side.Less time to buff.just graze the finish with the 2k grit don't stand on areas to long,its not a showcar.Abralon disc are perfect for this job.
 
Sounds like you've got a great start as long as you estimated enough time/$
 
Thanks for the input. As far as wet sanding it i am not sure how that would go as when you look at the pics the surface is not flat. So, would i have to sand down all the ridges that you can see in the reflection (the fibers in the gelcoat)? if that is the case it seems like that would add a whole extra step in sanding it all smooth. I have seen in other threads that people have went over their projects quick with a purple scotch brite to get some of the oxidation before going at it with the cutting polish. Thoughts?

Ya, i am pretty happy with how this has started. 1 week in and 2 jobs booked. On this one i did cut the guy a bit of a break as he is retired and on fixed income (and i am a bit of a softy at times). But i am still getting mid twenties per foot which seems pretty fair to me. Should work out quite well as long as i don't go much past 10-11 hours on it which i don't think will happen. My base rate for this type of job would be 26-28/foot does that seem reasonable? there is not much for competition around here to price check so i checked Vancouver which is a few hours away and a much bigger city and took their average and dropped it 2-3/ft .

I will get started on it tomorrow and post pics and time it took at the end of it.
 
Wash it down with some compound that will remove the top layer of crud.Or use comet or barkeepers.I would not use a scotchbrite pad .
 
nrosdal said:
Thanks for the input. As far as wet sanding it i am not sure how that would go as when you look at the pics the surface is not flat. So, would i have to sand down all the ridges that you can see in the reflection (the fibers in the gelcoat)? if that is the case it seems like that would add a whole extra step in sanding it all smooth. I have seen in other threads that people have went over their projects quick with a purple scotch brite to get some of the oxidation before going at it with the cutting polish. Thoughts?

Ya, i am pretty happy with how this has started. 1 week in and 2 jobs booked. On this one i did cut the guy a bit of a break as he is retired and on fixed income (and i am a bit of a softy at times). But i am still getting mid twenties per foot which seems pretty fair to me. Should work out quite well as long as i don't go much past 10-11 hours on it which i don't think will happen. My base rate for this type of job would be 26-28/foot does that seem reasonable? there is not much for competition around here to price check so i checked Vancouver which is a few hours away and a much bigger city and took their average and dropped it 2-3/ft .

I will get started on it tomorrow and post pics and time it took at the end of it.
Click to expand...

That's hussling at 10 hrs.Just to wash it may take 2 hrs and those pesky drips will interfere with polishing.
 
1500.00 if I were to tackle that.it gives me a week or less and pretty good money.Those projects I make money on time as well.Start at 9 stop at 3.
 
Well, got a start on it today and it was a mess. 2.5 hours just to get it washed (mainly the roof). Also had some serious bleeding issues with the old decals. It took almost 2 hours wasted smearing colors around with foam cutting pads before i switched to wool for the cut and started making headway. Will get back at it tomorrow and finish the cut with wool and then circle back to the foam for the cleaner wax. Definitly could have added a few $ per foot for the condition its in but learned a lesson and will still come out with $$ in pocket.
 





Cleaned roof



Awning





and the whole thing getting clean



 
That's alot of work you have there.Looking good so far.Those bottoms are gonna eat you alive on time.Do you have dD151aio? .I would just go around it once you won't get swirling with gelcoat.
 
Gelcoat and foam pads don't mix together.The foam creates to much heat and dulls the finish back down again.Use wool and move on.Some of these dry Rv won't even accept a lsp. It will dry into the porous material or it will lesson the gloss.I would use rupes protective sealant liquid.
 
The job is definitely taking much longer then anticipated. At least i am learning a few lessons with my mistake in not looking as close as i should have at estimate time.

1. look closely over all the outside as i missed the fact that there was sap spots all over 3 sides of this thing that i have had to remove before anything else.

2. check the roof. This roof was a mess which added an extra hour to the wash.

3. Make sure test spot is partially on the decals. This has been one of the bigger pains as the decals have been really bad for gumming up my wool and smearing all over the white areas beside them. But after a long while of using a graffiti type remover on the smears i gave the CG Citrus wash a try with a scrub brush and it cleaned it beautifully at 3oz to 1gal of water.

Bottom line is that i should have payed closer attention and charged a bunch more the i did. But lesson learned and i am getting the outcome i had hoped for it is just taking a long time.

A few pics of how it is coming:





 
Thanks Mike, It is coming out how i would have hoped just taking longer than it should. I did start out with foam but they were getting filled up with gunk way to fast to get much done without changing them too often. The wool is much more forgiving and seems to work faster and also allows me to hit the pad with a spur after every few product applications to clear away the used product and oxidation on pad. For the final coat i am using Megs RV/Marine Cleaner wax with a white foam pad and it is going on and coming off very easily which is a nice break after how the cut is going on this unit.
 
I'm getting ready to do my first RV detail as well, and have found a lot of great information here. I already have the right tools from the auto side, and I have two questions: Do you extend out the sides and clean/polish those areas as well? And is the price per foot charged include that service?
Thanks in advance!
 
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