We have a Jayco Heritage 20 ft van. We do not have the van under cover. Hence it endures a lot of "muck" over all the van.
I am using a spray-on general cleaner over the van in set areas and then using the gernie to clean it off. Then move on to the next space and repeat the process. Now the van looks clean and fresh..
What can I now use to wipe or spray on the van to stop or prevent the van from losing the now near-new presentation?
I know that a van cover would be great but at my age, I have no chance of being able to cover the van.
After reading a recommendation, I have used Starbrite Marine Polish on my van. I find it pretty good. I hand polish for its application but a buffer would make the task easier.
I have not used any other fibreglass to compare its performance.
Not the aluminium tent but the Collie. I had to get bonnet and roof re sprayed earlier this year and came up like new. I found a product, ceramic wax and is easy as to apply then use a car wash with ceramic beads in. You wash the car rinse and dry with a microfibre towel. Great stuff. I have been thinking of doing the aluminium tent with it.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Thursday 3rd of October 2024 01:51:42 PM
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Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
G'day Doug. That looks pretty good. Where did you buy those products.
I used a marine polish for the fibreglass areas on my van that was pretty good. The other parts of the van that have an aluminium veneer could do with a bit of a spruce up.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Thursday 3rd of October 2024 02:23:10 PM
G'day Doug. That looks pretty good. Where did you buy those products.
I used a marine polish for the fibreglass areas on my van that was pretty good. The other parts of the van that have an aluminium veneer could do with a bit of a spruce up.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Thursday 3rd of October 2024 02:23:10 PM
To find the Starbrite product, I did a websearch on the product and an advert for it popped up at RTM which has store a couple of suburbs from my place. I have seen Meguiars products at Supercheap and Autobarn stores. Try a websearch .
G'day Doug. That looks pretty good. Where did you buy those products.
I used a marine polish for the fibreglass areas on my van that was pretty good. The other parts of the van that have an aluminium veneer could do with a bit of a spruce up.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Thursday 3rd of October 2024 02:23:10 PM
G'day back to ya mate, long time no hear.
I got them from Repco but most auto shops have them.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
If your caravan is one of the composite walled vans you might want to consider using fibreglass detergent & polish. I think I got ours from marine shops such as BCF.
I'm not sure if normal car cleaning products can cause yellowing of fibreglass, but I've always used the fibreglass-specific products just in case.
Hi Rodsvan. When my van was parked up under a few trees during the covid lockdowns I noticed a bit of algae and black marks on the fibreglass. I used ordinary car wash to get rid of that and then purchased a bottle of fibreglass marine polish that had a slight cut in it. This brought it up pretty well. When it was all cleaned i used another ordinary polish over the top of that.
My van had solar guard when it was first built and I think that has helped keep the finish too.
I use CT18 truckwash a couple of times per year. Add a ˝ cup of kero.
The truckwash has soluble polish within and the kero is a light oil and
will fight rusty screws and metal surfaces.
Broom it on with a soft floor broom or one of the fluffy floor sweepers.
Makes reaching high spots a breeze. Dont let it dry on, except if you
are covered in mud.
Don't use the Gernie - if the blast hits stickers it tends to loosen them, and
the pressure forces water into areas that normal rain or a moderate garden
hose cannot go. i.e. behind seals, waterproofing.
From experience in the marine industry, marine polishes are much more
resistant to the elements - they have to be.
My favorite is SCA. There's a Cleaner, a Polish, and a Wax. Depending on
the state of your van's finish, you will need to select the appropriate
product. One thing to remember - it's pointless putting wax over a dulled or
oxidised finish.
I use Oweno Marine Fibre-shine it contains carnauba wax, is easy to use you just wipe on then wipe off. It is a soft paste that comes in a can. It was by MMP Industrial I bought it from a marine shop in Newcastle originally to clean and protect my kombi camper which had a fibreglass pop top. I now use it on my motorbike on the all coloured plastic panels, on the clear windscreen and instruments and on the headlights. It works quite well to clean and protect surfaces from bug splatter. To wash if it is greasy I use diesel followed by CT-18 diluted or a car wash type detergent. Rinse off with water blaster.
If fibreglass gel coat yellows, that is a sure sign of poor quality from new. Our OKA is now 20 years old and I have just finished cutting it back for the third time in those 20 years. The last time was 2018. It suffers from some pretty severe treatment in the bush and we don't get "precious" about it but after some severe scrub and the Canning Stock Route this year, it really did need some TLC.
I rubbed it back with blue Scotch Brite and cream Jiff with a multi tool and then gave it a quick coat of cheap polish from Bunnings.
That will be "it" for a few more years.
Cheers,
Peter
-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Friday 11th of October 2024 09:51:01 AM
