Easy polish over new clear-coat

[Phantom]

I have a (still relatively new) 2007 Bambi Safari. I have washed it twice. The clear-coat (I assume) still appears to be intact and it looks great when clean. I am looking for the easiest on & off polish / wax to go over new clear coat. I have searched this thread and there is much great information about polishing with Nuvite and Cyclos but my wife prefers the semi-shiny look of the newer A/S, not the mirror-shine of the older units that have been meticulously polished. (I think they're beautiful, but the labor involved puts me off). I have heard about various polishes and waxes that go on easy and some that do not even require rubbing off or buffing! That sounds great to me... Any advise on specific brands? Thanks Phantom (please go visit my travel blog).

[lynn]

The coating on the Newer trailers, 1999 to present ,is a Clear Flourocarbon Paint. 2001 by Turtle wax works well as does Nu Finish car polish and you only have to apply 1-2 times per year depending on use patterns such as coastal areas.

[Silvertwinkie]

From what I understand the newer trailers like yours and mine will not be able to be buffed to a mirror shine as the vintage units.

A good paste wax, or what the factory suggests, Walbernize Super Seal are products you can place on the exterior. I would NOT use Nuvite because that is what folks use to polish with, not simply protect. If you got a cyclo-type polisher and did what the vintage folks do, you would in fact remove/damage the coating placed on the alum and you would not be able to duplicate the mirror shine.

The name of the game is protection with the newer units, but even then, the newer units more times than not will get fill form type corrosion around the belt line and any place the exterior coating has been disturbed. I wash mine about 2x year and Walbernize about 3x a year. My unit sits indoors, climate controlled, yet it still, even with the best precautions and care has corrosion. Yours might as well. Fill form corrosion look likes white spider type lines. Once you have it, it just keeps growing and no wax will stop it. When it gets bad enough, a complete stripping and re-finishing will be required. That's when you break out the Nuvite and cyclo-polisher, and afterward, clear coat it or paint it silver and clear coat it.

[Ed Emerick]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

From what I understand the newer trailers like yours and mine will not be able to be buffed to a mirror shine as the vintage units.

A good paste wax, or what the factory suggests, Walbernize Super Seal are products you can place on the exterior. .

I agree with the use of Walbernize. I have an 88 with the clear coat in good shape. When I waxed it with Walbernize I was very happy with two things, the ease of use and its ability to bring back the shine to the coat. Also when it rained here a couple of weeks ago the water beads indicated that it was still on the trailer. Its good stuff goes on easy and comes off easy.

From a guy that right now wishes that all his trailers were clear coated!
Also a good price on Walbernize? Vintage Trailer Supply - Vintage travel trailer parts and supplies!.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Phantom

I have a (still relatively new) 2007 Bambi Safari. I have washed it twice. The clear-coat (I assume) still appears to be intact and it looks great when clean. I am looking for the easiest on & off polish / wax to go over new clear coat. I have searched this thread and there is much great information about polishing with Nuvite and Cyclos but my wife prefers the semi-shiny look of the newer A/S, not the mirror-shine of the older units that have been meticulously polished. (I think they're beautiful, but the labor involved puts me off). I have heard about various polishes and waxes that go on easy and some that do not even require rubbing off or buffing! That sounds great to me... Any advise on specific brands? Thanks Phantom (please go visit my travel blog).

Walbernize is the best polish/wax to use.

It's available from a few parts stocking Airstream dealers.

Andy

[Garfield]

My dealer recommends Socar Sealant for all the newer Alcoa coated aluminum trailers. It's a liquid that goes on and buffs off really easily and contains no abrasive material.

It's my understanding that Walbernize is best for pre-Alcoa trailers since it contains a small amount of abrasive.

[ROBERT CROSS]

This has worked great for us over the years.

Easy-on and last's longer than the Walberstuff.

Did separate panels with each last Spring, Griot's still looks great, Walber..not.

Paint Sealant - Waxes & Sealants - Waxing - Car Care - Griot's Garage

[CanoeStream]

Do an advanced search here on keyword: Meguiars and put 2airishuman in the User Name field. Scroll down a bit and select 'Show results as posts;' then click Search Now. For newer clearcoats it's hard not to be convinced. I've found it is a very good line of products. Not all products have the exact same names when you read our posts. I've found their clay is a very safe way to remove bugs -- I accept the slight abrasive a couple times a year, rinse it off well, wash and wax immediately. It's available in farm-fleet or auto part stores in my area. Car Care Products: Car Waxes to Leather Cleaners, Meguiar's the Leader in Car and Surface Care since 1901

[ronstory]

I am still a believer in Nu-Finish (the orange bottle) and you can get it just about anywhwere. I've used it on car for the last 15 years it lasts almost an entire year on the Oregon coast. I also tried it on parts of airstream that still had clear coat on it before it stripped it and resealed it and it worked great.

The interesting thing is Nu-finish also works fine on the stripped and polished airstream. Just put it on a clean rag, wipe it on and let it dry. Then hand buff it off... don't use a buffer unless it can go *really* slow. Nu-finish does not like getting hot when buffing it off and and can turn a light patina color. If that happends you have to reapply and not get carried away on with buffing enthusiam. ;^)

[Gene]

I tried Griot's Paint Sealant after Bob suggested it and really like it. It goes on and polishes very easily. Spending only a couple of hours on each of two days, I did the whole Safari last August and wasn't exhausted from polishing. We traveled 3 weeks to the NW, washed it upon return and it still looked good. Bugs came right off and it still looked as shiny as a clearcoated Airstream can look. After some short trips with it and lots of snow, it still looks pretty good now. Griot's says the paint sealant will last a year and we're at 4 1/2 months now. They recommend after washing to spray it with their spray-on wax for further protection, though I haven't tried that yet.

I got the first bottle of PS with some microfiber towels and an applicator that Griot's sells as a kit. I bought more PS and used it on our 4Runner about a month ago and it would look good if we didn't have perpetual dirt all winter around here. But it seems the dirt doesn't stick to the PS like it does to wax.

We gave some Griot's products to my father-in-law last September and he loves it too. He is a compulsive car cleaner, so he has some expertise. Once you get stuff from them, you'll get their catalogues regularly for all time. You will want to order more stuff. They have a nifty little vacuum (120 v) that looks perfect for an RV—only 4 lbs or so. I'm waiting for a catalogue with a discount offer before I order though. Barb got a thing to clean the inside corners of the windshield and loves it—basically a triangular thing on a stick, but the windshield on the truck is so far forward and at quite an angle so it's hard to clean by hand. They sell stuff for fanatics including those with $100,000 and up classic show cars—gets pretty confusing with all the various cleaners you can use.

I warn you, Griot's catalogue can cost a lot of money when you look through it, but they do have stuff that will save labor (good for old guys) and the quality seems to match their claims. As a plus, the current catalogue has a cover picture of a late '30's Alfa Romeo that is a really beautiful car.

I was kind of disappointed when I found out the clearcoated Airstreams can't be shined like the vintage trailers, but then I realized making the vintage ones shine like that has to be a lot of work I wouldn't want to do, so I feel a little better.

Gene

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Garfield

My dealer recommends Socar Sealant for all the newer Alcoa coated aluminum trailers. It's a liquid that goes on and buffs off really easily and contains no abrasive material.

It's my understanding that Walbernize is best for pre-Alcoa trailers since it contains a small amount of abrasive.

There are two different types of Walbernize...the Super Seal is what should be used (if you go the Walbernize route) for all trailers made with pre-treated coatings found on trailers made starting from the somewhere in the 1999 model year to current model year. The "other" Walbernize is for pre 1999 and older trailers that do not have the pre-treated Aloca panels.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, my trailer is over four years old, never parked inside, eight miles from the ocean, and never waxed. Still shines like new.

The picture in my Avatar is where I store my trailer at home.

The picture on the left shows my trailer when two weeks old.

The picture on the right shows my trailer at four years old.

[SilverGate]

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze – The Professional Polymer Sealant #20...

See here... and here... and here.

Thanks 2air'... your spirit lives on and on... and beyond.

P.S. A good polish should not only be easy, but be a deterrent to filiform corrosion... and used at least once a year.

[Phantom]

Looks like the Walbernize Super Seal is the most-favored (and traditional) polish. Has anyone tried the new Turtle Wax F21 w/ nanotechnology and UV protection? (Got some for the wife's car).
and a newbie question....
Why is it the newer units cannot be polished to a mirror finish if so desired? What is different about the newer aluminum?

Phantom

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Why is it the newer units cannot be polished to a mirror finish if so desired? What is different about the newer aluminum?

Phantom

It's that great Alcoa coated aluminum.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Gene you can appreciate this..

Before Spring clean-up after a Bflo Winter, on Lake Erie, parked 20ft from the 2lane. Used that "stuff" last Fall. Think I'll just wash'er down and roll.

[Gene]

Mine looked the same as Bob's after a Colorado winter and then I polished it with spray on wax from Griots and it's pretty nice.

Gene