2016 Winne Vista Gel coat poor condition

[Lette]

I’m in my 3rd year with this 2016 Winnebago Vista 32be and have handle general maintenance no problem. Learning a lot! However, the appearance is not up to standards. All my vehicles shine as I take care of all my vehicles to a pristine level!!!

This vehicle however is way to difficult to bring back to a factory shine! This was purchased from a Florida dealer so looks like the the initial shine was temporary…..my buffing, wax etc does little to make it look respectable…..for a 2016 RV! I’ve seen older rigs look awesome but when I talked to the owner…they said it was a clear coat paint….same model???

I need to find out what is a more permanent clear coat solution that can be done by a professional auto body or company….something once applied I can easily maintain……

Ideas or experiences….

[Reniram]

We have the 29 VE Vista and I swear Winnie finished it with a blend of gloss and primer!.. I know it has just the cheapest finish with decals and it shows throughout the rig when compared to a full body paint RV... We love the Vista..it was relatively cheap and as they say...you get what you pay for...for now I am ok putting up with the dull paint and rusty hinges...

[Lette]

Originally Posted by Reniram

We have the 29 VE Vista and I swear Winnie finished it with a blend of gloss and primer!.. I know it has just the cheapest finish with decals and it shows throughout the rig when compared to a full body paint RV... We love the Vista..it was relatively cheap and as they say...you get what you pay for...for now I am ok putting up with the dull paint and rusty hinges...

Thank you...hopefully someone else has some insight to what can be done! You say "you get what you pay for" however, these beasts are a lot of money!!! for $100K ...they have a reputation at stake....for a 2016...this really needs to be "shining".....

[Reniram]

We spend the winters in Florida (Snowbirds) and there is a team of professionals that come around the rv sites and wash and wax and polish your rv..they do a really good job..even the roof $$$$.!.. but sadly when we return to Iowa the finish starts to go away again as the time goes by...

[thompwil]

Ours is just the gel coat, not automotive paint. The sun had done a number on it in a few places, back, roof, and above the passenger window. I kept it waxed yearly, but it still needed some work to get it back into shape. I tried a product called Poly Glow that worked on a small oxidized section above the passenger window, brought back the shine but left streaks from the application. I still need to buy the stripper to remove it but waxed over it for this winter.

I finally bought an orbital buffer and pads and used Meguiar's M6732 Marine/RV One Step Compound with the fine buffer pad. It removed the oxidation with minor effort and it polished up to my satisfaction. Then I waxed it using the buffer with the ultra-fine pad and Meguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax, Boat Wax and Polish. The roof was really bad but it polished up to nearly new condition. It was a two day job polishing and waxing, Thankfully the entire drivers side, front, and most of the passenger side was still shiny to begin with and didn’t need the polish, just needed the wax. I’m very satisfied with the results.

[bobby5832708]

I have had my 2017 29VE for just over a year now and was surprised at how quickly the shine went away on about half of the RV. Mine has faded on the passenger side except for the outside TV door and most of the back has lost the gloss that was there when I bought it. The front and the drivers side shine almost like new. All the decals are still like new.

This past summer I spent a couple of days hand waxing the RV with a Meguiars car wax (don't remember which one) just to add some protection so the finish didn't get worse. The wax didn't do much to fix the lack of gloss on the faded areas. I know that the Florida sun is rough on car finishes but this is by far the fastest degradation of a vehicle finish I have ever seen in my 39 years in the Orlando area.

I plan to do something this winter when the weather is a bit cooler, I just haven't figured out what. Maybe I will break out the DA buffer and do what Thompwil did. Maybe I will try some fiberglass color restorer chemical. Definitely going to wait a couple of months until cool weather returns.

[Lette]

Originally Posted by Reniram

We have the 29 VE Vista and I swear Winnie finished it with a blend of gloss and primer!.. I know it has just the cheapest finish with decals and it shows throughout the rig when compared to a full body paint RV... We love the Vista..it was relatively cheap and as they say...you get what you pay for...for now I am ok putting up with the dull paint and rusty hinges...

A better man than me....I might be OCD but I like my stuff shining and well kept....wish I could do that...:-)

[Lette]

Originally Posted by thompwil

Ours is just the gel coat, not automotive paint. The sun had done a number on it in a few places, back, roof, and above the passenger window. I kept it waxed yearly, but it still needed some work to get it back into shape. I tried a product called Poly Glow that worked on a small oxidized section above the passenger window, brought back the shine but left streaks from the application. I still need to buy the stripper to remove it but waxed over it for this winter.

I finally bought an orbital buffer and pads and used Meguiar's M6732 Marine/RV One Step Compound with the fine buffer pad. It removed the oxidation with minor effort and it polished up to my satisfaction. Then I waxed it using the buffer with the ultra-fine pad and Meguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax, Boat Wax and Polish. The roof was really bad but it polished up to nearly new condition. It was a two day job polishing and waxing, Thankfully the entire drivers side, front, and most of the passenger side was still shiny to begin with and didn’t need the polish, just needed the wax. I’m very satisfied with the results.

This is pretty much what Ive done....but it won't last through the year...possibly because it was beat up from Florida and not cared for by original owners....