Detailing an RV?!

[Lydia]

Hi all!
I know I haven't been around much lately because I've been quite busy....I thought it was slowing down for a little but it was just wishful thinking. That's alright; it keeps me out of trouble. Anyways, I detailed a guy's Acura TL a couple weeks ago, and he was happy enough with the job to ask me to detail his RV. I asked him the size of it, and he said 31' by 11' by 8' (if I remember correctly). He didn't know what kind of paint, just that the RV is fiberglass. I haven't seen it before, but I'm guessing it's in pretty decent shape. He said he's waxed it before. I'm thinking mainly what he wants is a wax job. I've never tackled anything this huge before (I was going to do a bus once but never ended up doing it). I guess my questions are:

Any advice as to what to use on it? I'm thinking A-12 cleaner wax (since I have a whole lot of it) and then maybe a coat of NXT or Gold Class or something like that. How does that sound? I would be using my G100 to wax it.
If this is gelcoat, would it be OK to use A-12 cleaner wax or #66 on it? I don't have much #66 so I'm leaning toward the A-12.
Any tips as to how to wash it?
How in the world do I wax the top of it?! Even with a ladder, it seems like I wouldn't be able to reach the middle of the top. I'm not particularly short but I don't have any idea how I'm supposed to reach!

Thanks in advance for any help! I have to admit I'm kind of overwhelmed by the size of this thing...not even quite sure where to start.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Hi all!

Any advice as to what to use on it? I'm thinking A-12 cleaner wax (since I have a whole lot of it) and then maybe a coat of NXT or Gold Class or something like that. How does that sound? I would be using my G100 to wax it.

If this is gel coat, would it be OK to use A-12 cleaner wax or #66 on it? I don't have much #66 so I'm leaning toward the A-12.
Any tips as to how to wash it?

How in the world do I wax the top of it?! Even with a ladder, it seems like I wouldn't be able to reach the middle of the top. I'm not particularly short but I don't have any idea how I'm supposed to reach!

Thanks in advance for any help! I have to admit I'm kind of overwhelmed by the size of this thing...not even quite sure where to start.

Hi Lydia,

Was wondering where you've been? Good to see you back with an upcoming project.

To tell you the truth and don't want to make you shy away from the job at all but sometimes a job isn't worth the money for the amount of time, work and passion you'll have to invest, so something to consider. Don't know what he's willing to pay but waxing an RV is a lot of work.

That said, A12 is like a Crescent Wrench in that it will work on a lot of different coatings and surfaces, (paint and gel-coat in your case), but the first thing you would want to do is visit the RV and see what kind of condition it's in and if you can test some of our A12 Cleaner/Wax out to a small area and see if it will do the job to your and the owner's satisfaction.

Being a gel-coat finish means it's likely oxidized and you may need something more aggressive. In fact our new D151 might be a great product for this project, you could also use M66 or in our Marine Line M50 Boat Cleaner/Wax.

You for sure want to do a one-step unless it's small and you're being rewarded for extra steps.

So before committing to the job see if you can check it out first and do a test spot.

Also, do a search on this forum for motorhome RV and School Bus and you should bring up some threads that Joe's posted and shared some of his secrets, including how much to charge.

[Override]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

for RV's they normally will have a rubber type roof that you won't be touching anyways. maybe a wash, but that is about it. i am not sure you would even wax it... if you did, you could use an extention brush with a MF wrapped around it ?

[Lydia]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Thanks for the advice, Mike and Override! I searched for Joe's thread and got some advice from it, so thanks for that good tip. The owner of the RV is just going to pay me on an hourly basis.

Unfortunately I was not able to go look at it first. He brought it over this morning, and I'm just going to call him when I get done. I told him Monday or Tuesday and he was fine with that so at least I have a couple days. It's both interior and exterior. The interior doesn't bother me because it's just like cleaning a small house. Exterior is another thing. As far as I can tell it's gell coat. On the plus side, the roof does have a rubberized coating so all I have to do with it is wash it (yay! that's a big load off my mind).

Also, he had an unopened bottle of Meg's #67 One Step Compound that he told me I could use. Any tips on this? Can it be used with a G100? I'm not familiar with the Marine Line at all. I'd much preder to do a one step, but it's pretty oxidized so I'll do a couple test spots and see how it goes. Still slightly overwhelmed with the size of this thing!

Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[Lydia]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Well I finished the RV! Talk about a big vehicle! I ended up washing it with GC Wash (APC+ 7 to 1 on the top for tough spots). I didn't bother drying it because it started raining halfway through when I was washing it. I used A-12 Cleaner Wax applied with an 8006 pad on the sides. I worked the Cleaner Wax in very well and it did an AWESOME job of removing the oxidation and restoring gloss. For the interior I just treated it like a miniature house in the back and the front like a car. I used Odor Eliminator on the carpet up front because they have two dachshunds and one had "gone number two" up front (pheeuw!). That's the first time I've used Odor Eliminator on pet odors and it worked great! The rubber trim and tires got ASD, wheels were aluminum so Hot Rims Mag and Aluminum polish for them. I ended up using a total of 6 8006 pads (and one 9006 for some finishing work) and 2/3 of a 32 oz bottle of Cleaner Wax (I was going easy on the 8006 pads because I don't have a whole lot of them). Total time spent on it was 13 hours over several days (due to rain, full time job). I wasn't there when the guy picked it up but he tipped me so he must have been happy. Sorry, no pics. What a sense of satisfaction when I finished it!

This detail made me realize again how much I like A-12 Cleaner Wax! That stuff is great! There was barely any reflection before I waxed it, but after I was done there was an awesome reflection for white paint! It also did a lot for the vinyl (?) stripes. They were pretty faded and it really brought them back to life. Also it's easy to apply and has a VERY good working time. I know Meg's has come out with some great Cleaner Waxes since then, but I think the A-12 Cleaner Wax is one I will always keep in my detailing arsenal.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Congrats, Lydia on doing the rv. I am sure it turned out great.I have to agree the A-12 cleaner wax is a very good product. It was one of the first Meguiars products I used. I have been hooked ever since.

Glad it all worked out well for you. Congrats again. Way to go.

[BlueZero]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Glad to hear it went well! Sounds like a huge project to tackle but you did it.

Now kick back and take a breather. Then wash all those pads.

So given the chance would you do another RV?

[TXShine]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

I'm glad to hear everything worked out, I knew it would, you seem to be very resourceful. Good job!

[Jokeman]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Nice, did you happen to get any pictures?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Revisiting this thread because of this thread...

Detailing an RV?


Hey Lydia...

Can you maybe check out the above thread and share your experience with Sal329

Good to hear it turned out well for you, besides any profit from the job, the experience will be invaluable to your into the future...

Now you can talk and post from first hand experience which others will benefit from and now you're going to be better equipped to accept or turn down future RV Detail work.

"Each one teach one"

[Lydia]

Re: Detailing an RV?!

Thanks y'all!

Yes Scott I think I would do another RV given the chance. It was quite a challenge and actually kind of fun. I'm trying not to think about the fact I still need to wash the pads...

Sorry Jokeman...no pictures.

Done, Mike.