Polishing an AS

[sunseeker]

Any recommended (or warnings) to polish an AS. Mine is rather new, spent the last several monthes under cover so it looks realy good, however, I saw an older model on the campsite today, and to say the east the shine is off.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks

[Jim Foster]

Do you mean polish the clear coat that is now on your unit, or strip the clear coat off and polish the raw aluminum?

[VIKING]

I'm polishing my Safari right now. It's not unusual for someone with an old trailer to be doing that though. Have you seen a newer trailer with a polish yet? It seem to be quite unusual. I've heard that you can strip and polish a new airstream. The aluminum is not the same exact type as what was used on the earlier ones, so the look is a little different. I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of newer polished ones. I bet they look good.

[DEITZ645]

Sunseeker,
Since your profile says you have a 2008 I would assume you are not talking about removing the clearcoat and attempting to put a mirror shine on the aluminum. So in that vein, Walbernize is recommended, but I have used a how car polish system from Zaino Brothers and so far the trailers look great. Our trailers get a waxing at the beginning and end of every season. I also wash them before and after every trip. I am fanatical about the appearances of my trailers and vehicles.

Be mindful of tree sap, bird dirt, and bug splatters.

[Libo]

Walbernize is a whole website with many products. I have a 2007 Safari. Which of their products do you recommend? I still have the clearcoat on mine.

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by Libo

Walbernize is a whole website with many products. I have a 2007 Safari. Which of their products do you recommend? I still have the clearcoat on mine.

Libo,
Try this link to Out Of Doors Mart. This is the product you will need...

Search Results : ODMRV , Out-of-Doors Mart

[sunseeker]

Thanks to all, very useful and I may use some of this product on my car as well.

[Gene]

Walbernize is a traditional polish for Airstreams, but some say it doesn't last very long.

I have used Paint Sealant from Griot's Garage. It goes on very easily (a liquid) and it easy to polish. You can get the paint sealant kit (check internet for Griot's) with the applicator and microfiber cloth for polishing. A 25' Safari took about 3 hours. It's supposed to last a year and when you wash it you can spray on their wax and polish again (haven't tried that, but did it on an SUV and it looked good). After many miles, it was easy to get bugs off the paint sealant proving it lasts a lot longer than commonly available waxes. Griot's stuff isn't cheap, but so far we have been very satisfied with their products and they seem well worth the price. They have a dandy little 4.5 lb. 120 v. vacuum that's just right for an Airstream.

You'll never get a clear coated trailer as shiny as the ones made decades ago without any coating on them. But, to get that shine, you'd be working really hard I suspect.

Gene

[Uberphotos]

I don't think you'll ever get your newer Airstream to shine like the older ones...however, I could be wrong. My '68 has a mirror shine...and it was (and continues to be) work to get the shine. You can check out my blog post here to see how I started the process last September.