Need some advice RV detailing

[Red Fire]

Ok, so I read as many posts as I could until my eyes burnt, I was so excited 2 weeks ago when I placed my order. Pic. 1 Order, Pic. 2 free mystery gift from labor day sale. Spent all day Sat. washing it and some maintenance on the roof. Then I read some more this morning and decided I just needed to go see what happens. First I started with the front bumper using my orange flat pad and 503 the pad turned almost black right away. Is this normal? I used hand application with a microfiber towel to get around the spots I couldn't with the Flex 3401. The problem is when I tried to use the 3401 and same pad on the white it left some gray haze in places. So I redid those spots by hand and it took them off. I thought ok so I have to use a different pad on the turquoise then the white parts. Sorry no picture, I started soaking the pad in DP cleaner so I didn't get a picture of the black one. The picture is the ccs orange pad I started using on the white part. You can see the how little the area I did was. Again is the darkness normal? On the graphics I hope you can see the stains from the roof cleaner/life. Does anyone have a idea of how I can clean them better than the 503 did? This is my first time so any help is greatly appreciated. Ray said I would be able to do the whole RV with only 3 orange pads. If they get this dirty and I need to change them out I'll need something like 40 pads. lol I also wanted to know is there a way to clean the pads so they don't transfer the grey marks. I used a towel on the black pad didn't work that well, so I stopped and cleaned it in DP. Tonight I soaked them in DP,used the Pinnacle pad cleaner that came with the kit, then washed them by hand with Oxiclean and they are now in the front loader washing machine using Oxiclean low wash cycle Hot water. Are the pads going to come clean from the gray spots? Is there a better way to clean them during usage and still be able to use them to detail with, other than the cleaner bucket? P.S. I have to give a big KUDOS to all of the professionals that make a living in this field you work hard for your money. I used to be a tile roofer so I'm no stranger to hard work, and I can say you work hard. Thanks again, Scott

 

[Perfections]

Question 1, you were turning the pad instantly black polishing the green front bumper?

It sounds, from your other polishing experiences on the sides, there's a ton of contamination built up on the surface and probably oxidation. It's ok to polish the graphics, but do that last with a mf towel by hand or it will probably drag color smear onto the white sections. Clean the pad with the "clean the pad on the fly technique" every single time you polish a section. If there's oxidation you'll need to step up to a compound. My favorite for newer people to the rv polishing is Meguiars marine one step compound, super easy to use and remove. Then follow up with the 501

 

[ShineTimeDetail]

Next time you post split the paragraph up into about 4. I stopped reading because it was to much of a cluster. I have made paragraphs like yours but someone told me the same thing once.

 

[Red Fire]

Yes, the pad went black on the first half of the bumper. I did do a small section of the graphic with the polisher, but the pad was already dark gray. The last pic is after cleaning the pads, is this as clean as they will get? Thanks

 

[Red Fire]

Sorry for the long explanation I was just trying to get every thing in. I will keep that in mind next time.

 

[Jomax]

I used Meguiars #67 one step compound, followed by Fk1000. Great combo, i used a GG6 and it was a PITA. Used about 4 pads, after every other section pass I switched pads so they wouldn't over heat. Also used a 3in backing plate with 4in pads for small places, call me lazy,but buffing gelcoat by hand is annoying and takes way too long. To clean the pads, I used a microfiber to scrub the face of the pad. Found this to work better then a pad brush. Hope this helps.

Before

After

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[AutowerxDetailing]

Yes, the pad went black on the first half of the bumper. I did do a small section of the graphic with the polisher, but the pad was already dark gray. The last pic is after cleaning the pads, is this as clean as they will get? Thanks

The first RV I did was severely neglected and oxidized with clear coat failure. There was intense fallout contamination all over the entire thing. My pads got really dirty, just like what you are experiencing.

I ended up rotating between about 4 pads. Polish a section, buff off, clean pad, spin dry, switch to new pad. The pads were left on a grit guard to dry while I continued polishing. Then by the time I rotated to the next pad it would already be 95% dry from when I washed it.

The only other option, other than repeatedly cleaning your pads, would be to iron-x or clay the entire RV... That would probably be excessively expensive OR excessively time consuming. Best bet would be to let the pads polish off and absorb the contamination and just keep cleaning them on the fly. Sure it will take a little longer but the results will be worth it! :dblthumb2:

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Ok, so I read as many posts as I could until my eyes burnt, I was so excited 2 weeks ago when I placed my order. Pic. 1 Order, Pic. 2 free mystery gift from labor day sale. Spent all day Sat. washing it and some maintenance on the roof.

Then I read some more this morning and decided I just needed to go see what happens. First I started with the front bumper using my orange flat pad and 503 the pad turned almost black right away. Is this normal?

I used hand application with a microfiber towel to get around the spots I couldn't with the Flex 3401. The problem is when I tried to use the 3401 and same pad on the white it left some gray haze in places.

So I redid those spots by hand and it took them off. I thought ok so I have to use a different pad on the turquoise then the white parts. Sorry no picture, I started soaking the pad in DP cleaner so I didn't get a picture of the black one. The picture is the ccs orange pad I started using on the white part.

You can see the how little the area I did was. Again is the darkness normal? On the graphics I hope you can see the stains from the roof cleaner/life. Does anyone have a idea of how I can clean them better than the 503 did?

This is my first time so any help is greatly appreciated. Ray said I would be able to do the whole RV with only 3 orange pads. If they get this dirty and I need to change them out I'll need something like 40 pads. lol I also wanted to know is there a way to clean the pads so they don't transfer the grey marks.

I used a towel on the black pad didn't work that well, so I stopped and cleaned it in DP. Tonight I soaked them in DP,used the Pinnacle pad cleaner that came with the kit, then washed them by hand with Oxiclean and they are now in the front loader washing machine using Oxiclean low wash cycle Hot water. Are the pads going to come clean from the gray spots? Is there a better way to clean them during usage and still be able to use them to detail with, other than the cleaner bucket?

P.S. I have to give a big KUDOS to all of the professionals that make a living in this field you work hard for your money. I used to be a tile roofer so I'm no stranger to hard work, and I can say you work hard. Thanks again, Scott

rops:

 

[dsigmon]

Hi Red
I'm new here & not an experienced detailer. However I've owned & maintained RV's for 25 years.

1st- Is the siding on your MH gelcoat or Filon?

Are the graphics painted on, or are they Vinyl decals? If they are vinyl do not run your machine over them or use any kind of polish or wax on them, even by hand.

Yes that kind of dark pad load is common on gelcoat or Filon. You may be using too much product for the size area you are working on. Back off on how much you are applying to the pad & see how that works. Clean the pad often.

Your pics are very small & I can't see any detail. Are you achieving the clean & shine you expected?

PS: Is that bumper metal or Fiberglass? Oxidized metal tends to put off a very thick black paste when compounded.

 

[Red Fire]

Hi Red
I'm new here & not an experienced detailer. However I've owned & maintained RV's for 25 years.

1st- Is the siding on your MH gelcoat or Filon?

Are the graphics painted on, or are they Vinyl decals? If they are vinyl do not run your machine over them or use any kind of polish or wax on them, even by hand.

Yes that kind of dark pad load is common on gelcoat or Filon. You may be using too much product for the size area you are working on. Back off on how much you are applying to the pad & see how that works. Clean the pad often.

Your pics are very small & I can't see any detail. Are you achieving the clean & shine you expected?

PS: Is that bumper metal or Fiberglass? Oxidized metal tends to put off a very thick black paste when compounded.

Hi, I thought it was fiberglass siding with a clear coat. But it maybe the Filon has the little hairs they talk about in the description. The graphics are vinyl. The bumper is fiberglass.

The dark green graphic is what made the pad so dark, not the bumper and bottom turquoise side.

If you don't use wax, what would you recommend? 303?

The amount of product could be to much, I first did the pad prep (speed all over at first) then started with the 4 dots, then thought that wasn't enough so went to the all over spider web. Is that to much , I was afraid of not having enough and ruining a pad wasn't really sure?

Thank for your help.
Scott

 

[dsigmon]

303 is great for the decals. The roof cleaner can leave white streaks on the decals & the polish can leave a dark residue on them as well. Clean with a soft cloth & a good all purpose cleaner. Rinse the all purpose cleaner & then apply the 303. I always do the decals last because it is easy to bump them with the polisher.

You're right the Filon has the hairs or fiberglass strands visible. It usually does not oxidize as fast or as bad as the gelcoat.

If the bumper is very smooth it is probably gelcoat. Gelcoat can be a bear to bring up a shine if it is heavily oxidized.

Is the process you are doing now bringing up a good shine?

If not you may have to use a rotary & wool pad with a heavy cut compound to remove the oxidation. You can probably do it with a DA polisher but it would take a lot of work, time & patience.

The DA polisher should work pretty well on the white Filon. Have you tried it there yet?

 

[Red Fire]

Thanks For Your Help, it really helped me to understand and figure out a couple of things.

I watched the clean on the fly video again. The clean on the fly was a bit hard to do to the 3401 so I figured out a way that worked for me and its about the same you just hold the towel different. I'll post some pictures. If you double tap them they are bigger and right side up.

I had some meguiars one step cleaner wax #50, so I used it to. I don't think this is the cleaning compound you guys mentioned but I figured what the heck. Used this on the graphics by hand first.

I did some testing found out it was the dark green graphic's doing the most to turning the pad really dark. So I did those by hand (sorry dsigmon didn't get your response before I started).

The bottom turquoise did turn the pad a darker gray(not black), so I did the white with a separate pad and it was mostly just white. There is a thin white layer of oxidation but it came off somewhat easy.

As for results it's really shiny not super glossy like some really nice ones you see, but I didn't really think the 503 would make it super glossy anyways.

Thanks again, and hopefully I spaced it out ok this time.:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[dsigmon]

Those Filon sides look good. Your process seems to be working good there.

 

[Red Fire]

Hi Red
I'm new here & not an experienced detailer. However I've owned & maintained RV's for 25 years.

1st- Is the siding on your MH gelcoat or Filon?

Are the graphics painted on, or are they Vinyl decals? If they are vinyl do not run your machine over them or use any kind of polish or wax on them, even by hand.

Yes that kind of dark pad load is common on gelcoat or Filon. You may be using too much product for the size area you are working on. Back off on how much you are applying to the pad & see how that works. Clean the pad often.

Your pics are very small & I can't see any detail. Are you achieving the clean & shine you expected?

PS: Is that bumper metal or Fiberglass? Oxidized metal tends to put off a very thick black paste when compounded.

303 is great for the decals. The roof cleaner can leave white streaks on the decals & the polish can leave a dark residue on them as well. Clean with a soft cloth & a good all purpose cleaner. Rinse the all purpose cleaner & then apply the 303. I always do the decals last because it is easy to bump them with the polisher.

You're right the Filon has the hairs or fiberglass strands visible. It usually does not oxidize as fast or as bad as the gelcoat.

If the bumper is very smooth it is probably gelcoat. Gelcoat can be a bear to bring up a shine if it is heavily oxidized.

Is the process you are doing now bringing up a good shine?

If not you may have to use a rotary & wool pad with a heavy cut compound to remove the oxidation. You can probably do it with a DA polisher but it would take a lot of work, time & patience.

The DA polisher should work pretty well on the white Filon. Have you tried it there yet?

Hi dsigmon, are you talking 409? I was going to see if 303 had a cleaner. Give me a recommend please.

I am believing that it is the Filon, I could take a close up picture if you wanted.

Bumper, I would say yes gel coat it looks the same as my car and truck bumpers.

It is a nice shine I don't believe my oxidation is all that bad. I wash it every time we use it 4 to 6 times a year. Don't think I'll need a rotary my flex 3401 seems to be working fine. It's looking good I just need to learn tricks/ways and keep at it. How shiny should it be? I wasn't going to seal it this time as this is my very first time to polish anything with my 3401. I was going to see how it came out and then make any adjustments in the spring then seal it with RejeX.

Bumpers are shiny.:xyxthumbs:

 

[Red Fire]

Be right back, have to go wash my pads out.

Can you let them soak in the DP cleaner to long?

 

[Red Fire]

Ok, how about that cleaner? 409? What about the amount of product to much?

 

[dsigmon]

I've never tried 409 on the decals but it probably would work OK. Give it a try & see if it takes the streaks & gunk off. whatever you are washing the MH with will probably work even if you have to use it at a stronger dilution.

Not sure about soaking pads too long. I clean mine & lay them out to dry. Maybe someone else can answer that better.

I think your shine looks fine.

Has anybody told you about mixing the 503 with 601? I have not tried it myself but intend to soon. There are many threads on the forum that say the 601 boosts gloss & makes the shine last longer. Do a search on 601 for details.

 

[Red Fire]

This may sound ignorant, but why cant you wax the vinyl decals other than the mess does it hurt them. Some of mine aren't in very good shape anyways. (Thank You RV Shop, Pressure Washer Boy). They tried to tell me they were just old, but they looked in good shape before I took it in. Sorry rambling.

I haven't used my 601 yet. I did read a bunch about guys mixing it with the 105 polish or other sealants as it's a bonding agent and its supposed to make them last longer. I want to get the RV really clean before I put any special sealant on it as the 503 is supposed to protect it for about 6mo. anyways. I will have to search again (hopefully I can find it) Boosts the gloss huh. Sounds good to me thanks.

Different subject, Can you tell me why my pad started to come off when I was using the on the fly technic? Was I pushing to hard? They were hot could this of caused it?

What happens if your pad gets to hot when polishing is it bad for the pad or the wax, both? I see people talk about a hot pad but no one says why a hot pad is bad. How hot are we talking? My 3401 gets pretty hot at the backing plate mount(silver part) even the handle bolts were really hot today. Won't this cause heat to the pad anyways?

Lots of questions I have, as this is all new to me.

 

[Jomax]

This may sound ignorant, but why cant you wax the vinyl decals other than the mess does it hurt them. Some of mine aren't in very good shape anyways. (Thank You RV Shop, Pressure Washer Boy). They tried to tell me they were just old, but they looked in good shape before I took it in. Sorry rambling.

I haven't used my 601 yet. I did read a bunch about guys mixing it with the 105 polish or other sealants as it's a bonding agent and its supposed to make them last longer. I want to get the RV really clean before I put any special sealant on it as the 503 is supposed to protect it for about 6mo. anyways. I will have to search again (hopefully I can find it) Boosts the gloss huh. Sounds good to me thanks.

Different subject, Can you tell me why my pad started to come off when I was using the on the fly technic? Was I pushing to hard? They were hot could this of caused it?

What happens if your pad gets to hot when polishing is it bad for the pad or the wax, both? I see people talk about a hot pad but no one says why a hot pad is bad. How hot are we talking? My 3401 gets pretty hot at the backing plate mount(silver part) even the handle bolts were really hot today. Won't this cause heat to the pad anyways?

Lots of questions I have, as this is all new to me.

When a pad gets hot the center of it collapses, it then becomes useless. The backing plate will become hot, just change your pads around often.


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[Red Fire]

When a pad gets hot the center of it collapses, it then becomes useless. The backing plate will become hot, just change your pads around often.


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Thanks, how do you know when a pad is to hot? I was only using 2 pads today.

As for Meguiars #67 one step compound is that for severe oxidation or just a great cleaner for light oxidation.

GG6 is that the Groits polisher? I may want to get a small polisher for smaller places down the road, and what is PITA?