Decals - cleaning problem on RV

[stache01]

I was unable to wax my RV for about 1 1/2 years and it is stored outside. The paint from the beltline down is bright and shinny, however the white paint on the upper half was showing signs of the suns UV rays and it did not shine anymore. There are a number different decals on the sides and the decals looked dirty.

I buffed the white painted areas on the upper half and returned them to where I can see object's reflecting in the paint.

My problem is whenever the buffing pad touches the decals it blackens the buffing pad and leaves black marks on the white paint. The black marks do not wipe off the paint. The only way to remove them is to use some of the polishing compound on the paint again. I noticed that areas on the decals where the buffing pad did overlap them seemed to clean up a fair amount. Unfortunately the pad quickly turned black.

The decals are in good shape, solidly adhered to the paint and the surfaces are as smooth as the paint. I tried some of the buffing compound on a rag to see if that would clean the decals. The result was that the rag turned black very quickly and became unusable. I assume that using clay would not end successfully.

Do you have any suggestion how to clean up the decals?
Which Maguiars products will provide the best protection against this problem reoccurring.

[owendavidj]

First: what kind of decals are these? Are they similar to these decorative vinyl wraps? People use them for a decorative Matte finishes on parts of their paint, or for advertising, etc. if so these are not supposed to be touched with any polish or compound. You can clean them with a QD and protect them with a QW.

If these are cheap decals, like stickers, probably same deal as above, but if they're smearing black onto your paint it may be the glue from the edges...I would personally remove them and throw them away, and correct the paint underneath.

OR Sounds like the decals have a lot of contaminants trapped in the surface or possibly the polishes/compounds themselves ate reacting with the chemical make-up of the decals. Like said above your not supposed to use compound/polish on these types of material.

I had some similar issues when compounding an older car that was heavily oxidized. Every time my buffer got near the chrome emblems it would catch dirt trapped underneath the emblem and make black swirls out onto the paint and leave terrible black stuff on my buffing pad.
So I stopped buffing so close to the emblem and used rags with a single finger to buff right up near it carefully, the rags turned black, but didn't leave smears way out on the paint. I washed the rags which did not get all the black out, but I'm still able to use those rags for future dirty jobs.

In my case I could have removed the emblems completely, properly cleaned the area, then glued the emblems back on, but I knew the customer wouldn't want to pay extra for that labor, so I improvised and worked around them.

Long story short, I would personal just try cleaning them carefully with QD. And don't get your buffer so close.

[stache01]

Re: Decals - cleaning problem on RV

What is QD and QW?
The decals cover about 40% of the upperhalf of the RV. These are Factory installed decals. They are not thin decals or cheap. The decals adhere very well to the paint so I don't think adhesive is the problem.

I will try to upload a picture if I can figure out to get one downloaded to the computer. different problem!

[BillyJack]

Re: Decals - cleaning problem on RV

Unfortunately, the vinyl graphics oxidize just like paint. I've been afraid to go at 'em with too aggressive of a product, but I've had decent success with some aggressive cleaner waxes such as D151, Color X or Duragloss 501 Marine Polish. Taping them off is tedious, but it's about the only way to keep from smearing color over the white paint. Once you get everything polished, you can wax over the vinyl just like the paint. I would, however, do a test spot just to make sure whatever wax or sealant you use does not streak on the vinyl.

Bill

[Poki]

Re: Decals - cleaning problem on RV

Vinyl graphics on RVs are not all equal. How old is your unit? It is costly to remove them and you will have stripes showing where they were. Replacing them is also costly. Had mine done for $1800 and the new vinyl is much better than the older types. Some can be waxed, some can not. It's best to avoid the edges with a buffer of any type. I had had the best success using quick detailers but best of all I like using Meg's Synthetic Xpress Spray Wax on them. This will also give some UV protection. This spray wax is great for the rest of the unit too including the plastic trim, windows, mirrors and it is fast and easy.

[stache01]

Re: Decals - cleaning problem on RV

Thanks for the tips on the D151 and synthetic spray wax.
The RV is a 2001 Holiday Rambler. The edges of the decals have a noticeable thickness above the paint.
I'm not sure it is an edge problem because I was able to manually try the polish on one of the decals away from the edge and it quickly turned the rag black and killed off any cleaning capability.

Hopefully I can post a picture of the RV tomorrow. I'm having a problem finding Canon's software to download pictures from my camera to my PC. Hopefully I'll get an answer that works from them soon.

[stache01]

Re: Decals - cleaning problem on RV

Tried to add pictures on Tuesday, guess it did not work. I will try again.
This is a picture of the RV and some closeups of the decals. The dark spots on the edges are where the buffing pad made contact with the decal. It only takes a few seconds to turn a rag or the pad black.
I know it will be some work.
I understand there are products that will cause edges to lift, etc. I am trying to find a product that will not destroy the decal while I am trying to clean it.
I appreciate the responses I have gotten so far on the D151 and synthetic spray wax.
Meguiars #20 was also suggested but I did not find information on it yet.