Darned water spots!

[Charcigar]

I have been polishing my Airstream for several months now.I do not have covered storage for it quite yet so it is exposed to the elements parked on my parents farm.Living on the West Coast,we get our fair share of rain and that is becoming a frustrating problem for me.Areas on my trailer that were polished a month or so ago,and have since been exposed to several rains,are now badly spotted and streaked.I know that wiping down one's wet Airstream with a micro-fiber cloth prevents spotting,but I am unable to attend to the trailer every darned time it rains here.What I am finding is,even though I am washing the trailer(with some liquid Dawn detergent in hot water);rinsing it well with water and the wiping with a micro-fiber cloth,the stubborn,pre-existing spots and streakiness still remain.This is incredibly frustrating,given how much time I put into polishing these panels.....not too mention how poor these areas look compared to recently polished areas that have not been rained on yet!

I have tried wiping these problem sections with Glass Wax...this seems to help,but only just a little.The majority of the spots and streakiness still persist.

Can anyone suggest ANYTHING else that might work?Or is re-polishing these areas the only solution?I sure hope not.....because I I'll be polishing till kingdom come to stay on top of this headache!

Any and all suggestions much appreciated.

[83Excella]

I have'nt used it in a while but I think either lemon juice & water or vinegar and water will remove water spots, however lemon juice is high in acidity so dont leave it on long.

John

[BobbyW]

The Dawn dish washing soap and the hot water is stripping your aluminum of any Wax protectant that you are applying to your trailer.

Worst thing you can use is Dawn to wash it for preventive maintenance. It is for dishes, not cars, boats and aluminum trailers. Use a good automotive wash like Maguires. It will not strip your wax off and if you still had a clearcoat it would moisturize it.

The spots are most likely from acid rain. And with no wax to seal it, is just etching the aluminum. Use Walbernize to seal your polished panels. Made especially for Airstreams.

Best Regards;

-BobbyWright

[Charcigar]

Thanks for the qucik replies...a couple questions:

1)Will using something acidic such as vinegar and water cause any permanent discoloring of the aluminum skin?I am curious to try this out and would be very careful to leave it on for a very short time but am a little nervous about using something acidic.Guess I could try a little test spot out later today and see what happens.

2)Regarding the use of Dawn and Walbernize.....I was under the impression that Dawn was the best detergent to use.I will look for a quality car washing soap instead.I also thought that Walbernize was only good for trailers that still had a CLEARCOAT on them?Am I mistaken here as well?Will applying it dull my shiny finish?

[83Excella]

Read this link for more information on washing your trailer.

http://www.airforums.com/forum...r+trailer+with

John

[LKappenman]

We just purchased some Walbernize from the Great American RV in Fife WA. They sold me a cleaner/polish and when I got home I read "not for clearcoat" I called the manuf. and they said that pre 84 did not have clear coat and had me do a test well guess what our 83 has clear coating. So we took it back and bought the RV sealer type of walbernize. Did the coach over the weekend wow what a differance. Read the label to make sure.

[ALANSD]

Good info guys. My 82 is clear coated as well. I know vecause the few spots that are worn off are able to be polished to a high shine, while the majority of the panels are merely able to be waxed and then look "clean". I too use an automotive wash...buy it by the big bottle at WalMart- either Blue Coral, or
Armorall brand. I also love Meguir's products. Check my photo of the flag sticker i pulled off after most of it was peeling. The clearcoat came off with it, despite my care, and left this "image"- actually I kinda like it.