Oxidation help...gerrrrr 2017 Minnie Winne 31K

[clotus]

Hey all,


I bought a 2017 Minnie Winne 31K back in 2018. It was a former rental, but was well-maintained. Well, I have been dealing with some "overuse" issues that probably showed their face sooner than it if had not been a rental, but that's another story.


In any event, The front cap and the sides are oxidizing and I cannot seem to get a handle on it. I see a lot of similar year light brown Winne's having oxidation issues. Did Winnebago skimp out on the gel coat for the 2017s?


For those that are dealing with it, any suggestions on what to use to get it looking right again? I looked into a full-body paint, but $20k is a bit out of my price range.


Thanks!

 

[TATANKA-GSO]

My 2019 22m has the same issue.. Polish it wax it and 3 months later it is oxidizing and turning white again.. I may have to paint just the cap at some point with aircraft paint?

 

[dkoldman]

This is one of those delicate topics. It may be akin to a parent asking a teacher about a problem child. There are so many things to say wrong that may be taking out of context.

Let me try to politely sum it up this way.

1. The oxidation was avoidable, and should NOT have happened in either of the cases.
2. It is fixable without having to paint. Oxidation can be restored if you move quickly.
3. It takes some work to keep it up, either by a diligent owner, or a qualified professional.

Let me give a little context from my perspective. Before buying my RV what both of you state was one of my primary concerns. Back then (before Covid), you could see brand new RVs on a lot with the oxidation issues. I passed on several as they were just too bad for me. Some even had cracking decals. I couldn't believe it

I bought my RV brand new in 2019. I was motivated to the point I may have overdone my waxing and detailing a tad; but my goal was to ensure my investment would NEVER be like what you guys describe

Here is what I do.
I wax my RV twice a year (5 hrs labor each time) with $20 of wax Meguiars #83 and/or #56. I wax the roof with #83 ( actually it is a Cleaner Polish / Glaze). I treat the decals & rubber on window seals every 2 months with 303 Aerospace Protectant (10 min). I wash the RV after every trip with Gel Gloss RV Wash & Wax ( 1 hr)

I first waxed my RV the 1st week I brought it home back in Nov 2019. I have waxed it 4 times since then; the most recent was 2 weeks ago. See pictures.
I should add, my RV is stored at my home in the Texas heat and sun 24/7, it is also parked under a Cedar tree that sheds leaves twice a year. No inside storage, No cover, No shed, No $25k full body paint, just kept outside... and I don't worry which side is facing the sun, because my RV is always protected.


Point of all of this...
This is what is possible from a Winnebago RV 3 1/2 years old. Everyone may not be able to do what I have done, but something in between will get you results that is also something in between. Make no mistake there is strong correlation with how effective you have maintained the Fiberglass on your RV with amount of Oxidation you may see.

What to do...
Find someone that is proven to know how to remove the oxidation to restore the finish. They will need a buffer/polisher. Please do not try to learn to use a buffer on your RV. Once the Oxidation is removed, have it polished with some one who knows what they are doing. At this point, most RV owners can wax and maintain it themselves following steps I laid out above. It does no good to wax a poorly prepped surface.

Note: I have never had to remove oxidation like you guys are referencing. My methods are more on prevention, not correction. Every time I see or read of finish issues on RVs, I get more motivation to want to do my next wax which is not due until November.

I hope this helps, and if there are specific questions just let me know.

Koldman

 

[RocknRoll-WO]

@dkoldman nice work keeping up your rig.

To the OP. No need to paint, however restoration is not child's play unless you know what you're doing. As mentioned, have a professional restore the finish which may cost you around $1000.

Good luck!

 

[GaryKowal1]

Front cap faded

Not such a delicate subject...Thus is a known problem with the front caps on Winnebago class C's for a few years. Also a couple of other brands. I remember they offered to paint them at half price, but at a ridiculous price. I keep mine looking pretty good but the white returns from underneath in about 3 months. I have tried about 8 different products to prevent this, but nothing stops it. Good news is it comes back looking good with a high speed buffer. Depending on how long I let it go, I have used polishing compound (Finesse) or WashnWax's polish, or cleaner wax, or once when I let it go to long a rubbing compound. I always finish it off with a second coat of some kind of wax like Meguires 56, or Mothers California Carnuba, or Nu Finish, or Ceramic. Makes it look great, but only for a few months. The last time I did it was only after about 60 days. I mixed 75% pure Carnuba and 25% Carnuba cleaner wax (Mothers California in red bottle) looked beautiful.

 

[dkoldman]

Not such a delicate subject...Thus is a known problem with the front caps on Winnebago class C's for a few years. Also a couple of other brands. I remember they offered to paint them at half price, but at a ridiculous price. I keep mine looking pretty good but the white returns from underneath in about 3 months. I have tried about 8 different products to prevent this, but nothing stops it. Good news is it comes back looking good with a high speed buffer. Depending on how long I let it go, I have used polishing compound (Finesse) or WashnWax's polish, or cleaner wax, or once when I let it go to long a rubbing compound. I always finish it off with a second coat of some kind of wax like Meguires 56, or Mothers California Carnuba, or Nu Finish, or Ceramic. Makes it look great, but only for a few months. The last time I did it was only after about 60 days. I mixed 75% pure Carnuba and 25% Carnuba cleaner wax (Mothers California in red bottle) looked beautiful.

If I read this correctly sounds as if what you have been doing last about 3 months, whereas what I have being doing last 6 months.

But you seem to zero in on the front cap. So maybe the other parts of your RV when properly waxed BEFORE oxidation will last 6 months? I imagine if I had mine inside a storage facility, or maybe even a cover or shed I could get a year.

When you state " known problem with the front caps on Winnebago class C's for a few years"; are you saying that Winnebago has acknowledged a mfg defect for these specific RVs, or the fact that it is known if they are not properly maintained this will happen?

For the record, Filon Composite who makes the Fiberglass Roofs and Side Panels for Winnebago has their procedure to maintain. I would defer and yield to Winnebago & Filon to deal with any known Manufacturing fiberglass issues.

My response was simply Cause & Effect. Because I noticed that RVs in general had poor finishes on fairly new coaches, this is the effect it had on me, and what I have done and oh, BTW here are the pictures of the results as I approach year 4.

 

[BCam]

I was washing my 2002 MH down with my power washer and Zep All-In-1 Premium Pressure Wash a couple of months ago. I was in a hurry and didn't do a good job of brushing things down. Afterwards, I noticed that the areas that got a good after-spray brushing were pretty shiny compared to the rest in that most, if not all the chalkiness, had been removed. They still looked shiny a couple of weeks ago compared to the adjacent areas.

I know this was the case on the Filon but I can't be sure about the front and rear caps.

Here's what I used (you don't need a pressure washer):

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-172-oz-All-in-1-Pressure-Wash-ZUPPWC160/202056508

 

[monytaker]

Oxidation

Check out a product called "Poliglow" or could be Polyglow.
I purchased these kit after watching product videos. I am getting ready to use it on our 2017 Winnebago Vista 29ve. The product videos were promising. Will post results after i give it a try.
I have oxidation on front cap and rear.

 

[Duanem1]

About 20 years ago, I started using PoliGlow on my sailboats. I did a test , one side wax, the other side PoliGlow. Looked at the boat when finished, got out the wax remover, and used the Poli on the entire boat. Continued using it on 3 successive boats, with no regrets. No yellowing, no reapplying every 3 months, no hard rubbing. And the fiberglass looks like new. Five years ago, we bought an ‘07 Outlook 29B. Started using Zep Wet Look Floor Finish, preceded by Zep cleaner and stripper, on the exterior. After 5 years, still using it. No yellowing or frequent reapplications. Just glossy, new look finish.

The downside to these products is that you must clean your rig thoroughly before applying the finish coat. If not, you just get shiny dirt. Then apply 5 coats. It goes on like water. I use a cloth applicator on a pole. After that it takes one coat a year to keep it looking new. This does not eliminate black streaks, they still happen from runoff and must be cleaned before an annual application.

The Ploiglow website has good info on the entire process, which applies to either product. I encourage you to view that info. The difference which I have seen between the two is the cost. After using these products for about 20 years, I will not go back to wax.

 

[BCam]

About 20 years ago, I started using PoliGlow on my sailboats. I did a test , one side wax, the other side PoliGlow. Looked at the boat when finished, got out the wax remover, and used the Poli on the entire boat. Continued using it on 3 successive boats, with no regrets. No yellowing, no reapplying every 3 months, no hard rubbing. And the fiberglass looks like new. Five years ago, we bought an ‘07 Outlook 29B. Started using Zep Wet Look Floor Finish, preceded by Zep cleaner and stripper, on the exterior. After 5 years, still using it. No yellowing or frequent reapplications. Just glossy, new look finish.

The downside to these products is that you must clean your rig thoroughly before applying the finish coat. If not, you just get shiny dirt. Then apply 5 coats. It goes on like water. I use a cloth applicator on a pole. After that it takes one coat a year to keep it looking new. This does not eliminate black streaks, they still happen from runoff and must be cleaned before an annual application.

The Ploiglow website has good info on the entire process, which applies to either product. I encourage you to view that info. The difference which I have seen between the two is the cost. After using these products for about 20 years, I will not go back to wax.

You spent so much time on describing Poliglow, I thought that was going to be your recommendation. After reading your whole post, it sounds like you're using Zep Wet Look on your RV and it's doing a good job for less money that Poliglow. Therefore, I don't see any advantage to using Poliglow. Am I correct?

 

[dkoldman]

You spent so much time on describing Poliglow, I thought that was going to be your recommendation. After reading your whole post, it sounds like you're using Zep Wet Look on your RV and it's doing a good job for less money that Poliglow. Therefore, I don't see any advantage to using Poliglow. Am I correct?

Exactly, and my point earlier to OP and another poster was NOT so much what product one may use, but what you do with what product you have.

I wax twice a year, I spend $20 and 10 hours, and thus far I only see pictures of mine approaching 4 years old. The OP and few others were needing to learn how to get a handle on existing oxidation, They had incorrect belief that it was not avoidable.

As I have said, I wax my RV "not for shine" but for protection and prevention. The shine or gloss is a by product of protecting my finish. There are 100s of products that can protect a fiberglass finish.

 

[Duanem1]

I referred to Poliglow because I started with it and it is a good product with good info describing its properties and application processes. I find Zep to be equally effective at less money, but with much less info on application directions. Either product is effective. And over time either one is much less time and labor intensive than waxing with equal fiberglass protection.

 

[NeilV]

One of the worst things you can use to wash your RV is a pressure washer with the exception of using a Foam Canon to apply soapy foam at low pressure to the RV before you scrub it with a soft bristle brush or low pressure wide spray rinse nozzle. Pressure washers are used by pros to make a quick buck cleaning RV's and have done a lot of damage to paint, decals, gel-coat, seals, awnings, slide toppers, rubber and plastic parts.

Leave then for cleaning concrete walks and driveways along with cleaning surfaces to prep them for painting, cleaning trash cans, dumpsters and similar items.

On oxidation once its allowed to start you have to buff it off with compound or acid wash it to completely remove it before you apply a fresh coat of wax or put a sealant on like PolyGlow. In the Boat Yard on Severely Neglected boats that are near to lost causes we sometimes have to resort to using Muriatic Acid to quickly get through the oxidation and down to whats left of the Gel-Coat in order to wax it. Poly-Prep can do wonders sometimes at removing sunburned wax and cut through oxidation that isn't too bad yet without having to resort to Compound or Muriatic Acid. The Sunburned Wax can shed off looking like blood due to how badly the Sun has burned and oxidized it.