care of exterior May 11, 2006, 12:46:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66599Good morning to all: Any tips on sprucing up, cleaning, or maintaining exterior of my LD.Thank you,DianeLove cheap thrills? Enjoy PC-to-Phone calls to 30+ countries for just 2¢/min with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: care of exterior Reply #1 – May 11, 2006, 12:59:06 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66601"Any tips on sprucing up, cleaning, or maintaining exterior of my LD."In the 6+ years I have owned our blue '99 RB, I wash it regularly, keep it covered when not in use, and wax the 'leading edge' (the front) about once a year. It looks as good as the first day and I get comments on the paint job all of the time.Chris Hunter Long Beach, CA
Re: care of exterior Reply #2 – May 11, 2006, 01:42:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66605The finish on my poor neglected LD was streaked and dull when I bought it a year ago. The Finish First line of products restored it very nicely. I was so relieved that the LD didn't need thousands of dollars of repairs, I treated us to a 9-piece kit that includes metal polish, washing detergent, dashboard "protectant", etc. and had fun detailing with it. Their polish is the wax-on-wax- off type, but the "off" part is basically wiping off a haze, not a high-energy buffing task. Now, black streaks will wipe off with a dry piece of towel, since they actually consist of dust resting on top of the finish. You can help prevent black streaks by washing the roof, but for some of us dealing with the black streaks is simpler. I'll do a touchup now that a year is up, because Finish First recommended it, but it still looks fine.Joanne
Re: care of exterior Reply #3 – May 11, 2006, 02:12:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66609Diane VanMatre wrote: Any tips on sprucing up, cleaning, or maintaining exterior of my LD. ----- Diane, if you click the "searchable archives" link on the home page of the message board, then type in "wax polish", you'll bring up many posts from previous threads on this topic. You might also type in, "finish first" (with or without caps) to get even more on this specific exterior care product.After washing the motorhome (with a "vehicle wash" no longer available from its manufacturer or with a dilute solution of Simple Green), I use Meguiar's "Tech Wax" in the paste form; it also comes in a liquid. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, Tech Wax applies easily, dries quickly, doesn't "dust" too much, and polishes to a deep shine without a lot of effort.Ideally, to maintain the finish in top condition, the rig should be waxed two or three (or more) times a year depending on if it sits out in the elements or in covered "storage". Some owners are very diligent about this maintenance, but I don't do "ideally"; the rig is lucky if it gets waxed once a year because it's a *big* job for one person to (thoroughly) wash/wax/"detail" the rig, even the 23.5'.Joan
Re: care of exterior Reply #4 – May 11, 2006, 05:56:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66623QuoteIn the 6+ years I have owned our blue '99 RB, I wash it regularly, keep it covered when not in use, and wax the 'leading edge' (the front) about once a year. It looks as good as the first day and I get comments on the paint job all of the time. We do much the same, except we don't cover our Lazy Daze. We also wax it at least twice a year...the red parts get two coats of wax each time.Linda Hylton2004 Red 23.5' TK http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: care of exterior Reply #5 – May 11, 2006, 06:39:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66630"Any tips on sprucing up, cleaning, or maintaining exterior of my LD."Just remember: dirt protects your paint! ;-)Andy BairdPercha Dam State Park, NM
care of exterior Reply #6 – May 11, 2006, 04:18:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66616Do not use a pressure washer including the drive thru
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #7 – May 11, 2006, 04:28:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66617Do not use pressure washers including the drive thru do it yourself washes with pressure washers. I have used the Ultra Polymer Sealant sold by the factory with results similar to comments about other products "goes on easy and wipes clean with minimal elbow grease". I have waxed twice in the eleven months since new.Richard Magruder in HM AWAY w/ I GO II
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #8 – May 11, 2006, 06:20:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66627Uh, while I saw in the manual that one should not use a pressure washer, I am compeled to ask "why??".I have a fairly nice one, with two adjustable intensity wands--I can see no reason NOT to use the softer fan spray to first pre-wash the LD, then after soaping and scrubbing with the RV wash-pole/brush, using it again to do a through rinse...would love some feedback on this way of washing. I'm only 5'4", and it's HARD for me to do a good job with just a garden hose!
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #9 – May 11, 2006, 06:31:27 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66629Quote Uh, while I saw in the manual that one should not use a pressure washer, I am compeled to ask "why??". Gini, I have one of those dual wands and tried it on my tent trailer before LD. It ripped the paint off. I've cut through the fabric on patio furniture and knocked out grout from bricks. Troubles outweigh the benefits.Joe Hamm
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #10 – May 11, 2006, 06:40:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66631Quote Uh, while I saw in the manual that one should not use a pressure washer, I am compeled to ask "why??". GiniFor those in the group who are adverse to the use of a pressure washer, I offer some sage advice... Do NOT bother taking your LD to Alaska. On my trip there and back, up via the Cassiar and back through Dawson Creek, Grand Prairie and Jasper, my choice of overnight locations was determined by the availability of a pressure wash. And if you do go, take lots of quarters (or Loonies).Steve S. Lazy Bones
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #11 – May 11, 2006, 06:44:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66633The pressure is hard on the paint especially on pinstriping. The paint on an RV os not as durable as on a car. If you use your own turn the pressure down as low as possible then start carefully again especially around pinstriping.
Care of exterior Reply #12 – May 11, 2006, 06:48:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66634And while this may not apply on a LD, I had a friend who pressure washed her thermal pane windows and broke the seals, after which they had to be replaced. Is this a possibility on the LD?Just wonderingKateIn Serenity/Cholula, the Red 30TB . . . Want to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #13 – May 11, 2006, 07:21:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66639Another 'hmmmm'....see, I used this one EXTENSIVELY on my older SOB--it hadn't been truly cleaned
Re: care of exterior Reply #14 – May 11, 2006, 08:45:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66645Gini Free wrote: Uh, while I saw in the manual that one should not use a pressure washer, I am compeled to ask "why??". --- I think this depends on the *force* of the power washer! Most power washers that I've seen will strip stains out of driveway concrete and/or take the paint off the house! I certainly wouldn't use one of that strength on an RV. Pinstriping damage and/or forcing water into the window seals aside, it would be hard to control the power washer stream from jetting into the water heater, furnace and refrigerator compartments. I'll stick with the hose!YMMV.Joan
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #15 – May 11, 2006, 11:57:21 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66656I use a "low pressure" pressure washer for the routine washing of my LD and it works great and appears to cause no problems. I do not use the high pressure nozzle and the machine is a small electric Karcher (sp) from Home Depot. Since I have the Finish Kare Polymer suff we bought at the factory, I only use water to clean...no soap or detergent. I have access to soft water at home so I use that to wash with. All
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #16 – May 12, 2006, 12:08:15 am Yahoo Message Number: 66657The part about the paint on LD's being less durable than that on a car is not true. The paint used is an aircraft grade extremely durable paint. LD does not use clear coat like most modern cars but that is not necessarily an advantage or disadvantage. I agree that the striping and any decals can be damaged fairly easily. (true on all RVs) Jack
Re: care of exterior Reply #17 – May 12, 2006, 09:44:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 66662Has anyone had any experience with any spray on-wipe off type of "dry wash" product? I have seen ads for these for years but never used any. And some like DWG http://www.waterless-wash.com/about.htmare really expensive, like upwards of $40 a bottle. Worth it??Will
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] care of exterior Reply #18 – May 12, 2006, 11:30:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 66666Quote Another 'hmmmm'....see, I used this one EXTENSIVELY on my older SOB--it hadn't been truly cleaned in forever--parked under an oak tree [for shade], several trips to and fro Ariz/Grass Valley without a REAL washing. It's fiberglass tho....I had to use the full strength spray to cut the accumulated grim off after pre-soaking full strength de-greaser....took me a full week to clean the roof, sides, and awnings.Quote I did see that I had to be careful with the awnings--too strong/straight on would make small "thin" places, so I backed off right away--but other than being careful of angle/strength of the wands used, I didn't have any problems. The decals on it were alreadyHello Wayne of Va here Not on this subject but do you still have the RV Consumer disk and books?. Thanking you Quotepeeling and chipped, so I accepted that more would come off using the pressure washer--but it was worth that to get it CLEAN.On the roof, there was so much discoloration from the tannin from the oak tree that plain scrubbing didn't do it...[that'll teach me!]. But using the washer in conjunction DID work. I did have to go over seals, seams, etc., with a fresh coating of caulking sealant.So I guess I'm back to why the much better paint/surfaces of the LD would be harmed anymore than the much older, weathered, and grimmed up SOB?Quote Understand one thing--I use this washer all over my place--to wash down the outside of my house; knock down wasp nests and spider grim; clean my decks, driveways, my tractor and rototiller. But I have learned to match the pressure to the job--and be CAREFUL!At 03:30 PM 5/11/2006, you wrote: Quote Uh, while I saw in the manual that one should not use a pressure washer, I am compeled to ask "why??".Gini, I have one of those dual wands and tried it on my tent trailer before LD. It ripped the paint off. I've cut through the fabric on patio furniture and knocked out grout from bricks. Troubles outweigh the benefits. Joe Hamm The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was. DoberG Free Farm III
Re: care of exterior Reply #19 – May 13, 2006, 01:40:42 am Yahoo Message Number: 66688(snip) "Has anyone had any experience with any spray on-wipe off type of "dry wash" product?" We've used Dri-Wash (www.dri-wash.com) for a couple of years and love it. Not cheap but worth the extra cost in total ease of use under almost all conditions.Anne JohnsonLovely La Verne, CA
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