Washed new AS this weekend

[desidou]

We washed our new 2005 19' Bambi this weekend and now I am afraid we did more harm than good after reading some of the posts on the 'removing pine sap' thread.

I posted a thread last week asking for advice on what products to use when washing and pretty much came to the conclusion that I needed Amor All car wash and look for stuff that says "Safe for use on clear coats"

On Sunday, we went to Auto Zone and various other stores in search of Amor All Car Wash -- only found the squirt on gel stuff, so passed on that route and found this "Black Magic" car wash that advertised that it was safe for all finishes and safe for clear coats. Bought that and moved on to the dreaded bug & tar remover...

We chose Turtle wax Bug & Tar remover (again, stated "safe for use on clear coats) and proceeded to use it on the rock guards (stainless steel if I recall correctly) and in a few spots up on the front, top area where the AIRSTREAM letters appear.

Did we do damage to the trailer by using these products? Now I'm scared that we did more harm than good by washing it this weekend.

We were so proud of ourselves for doing our best to keep the trailer in 'like new' condition, now I feel like we took 10 steps in the opposite direction.

Please help!

[67caravel]

Do you see any damage?

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by desidou

We washed our new 2005 19' Bambi this weekend and now I am afraid we did more harm than good after reading some of the posts on the 'removing pine sap' thread.

I posted a thread last week asking for advice on what products to use when washing and pretty much came to the conclusion that I needed Amor All car wash and look for stuff that says "Safe for use on clear coats"

On Sunday, we went to Auto Zone and various other stores in search of Amor All Car Wash -- only found the squirt on gel stuff, so passed on that route and found this "Black Magic" car wash that advertised that it was safe for all finishes and safe for clear coats. Bought that and moved on to the dreaded bug & tar remover...

We chose Turtle wax Bug & Tar remover (again, stated "safe for use on clear coats) and proceeded to use it on the rock guards (stainless steel if I recall correctly) and in a few spots up on the front, top area where the AIRSTREAM letters appear.

Did we do damage to the trailer by using these products? Now I'm scared that we did more harm than good by washing it this weekend.

We were so proud of ourselves for doing our best to keep the trailer in 'like new' condition, now I feel like we took 10 steps in the opposite direction.

Please help!

Let me either put your mind at ease, or cause you blind panic.
1-Did the Bug and Tar Remover perform satisfactorily? No more sap, bugs, blobs of road tar, etc?
2-Do you now have dull blotches, or discolored spots on your coach?
If the answer to #1 is Yes,and the answer to #2 is No, no problem.
If the answer to #1 is No, and #2 is No, no problem, try something else to remove the spots.
If the answer to #2 is Yes, then you may have a problem. Try waiting a few days for the blotches to fade back into the rest of the finish before hitting the "Panic Button".
If, after a few days, you still have the blotchiness, with no sign of improvement, then there is a problem, and we will put our virtual heads together, and see if we can figure out how to fix it, without completely stripping the trailer.

[desidou]

No, I don't see any damage, but we've only had it about a month. I'm not sure I would be able to spot anything yet - is this something that could take a while to show up?

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by desidou

I'm not sure I would be able to spot anything yet - is this something that could take a while to show up?

No. If it hasn't shown up by now, it isn't likely to. Just an FYI, in the future, when you get another brand new one, I would follow the advice of new car manufacturers, in that you shouldn't wax or apply chemicals to the finish in the first 4-6 weeks of your new vehicle's life. Of course, you were in a catch-22, you had to get rid of the sap, or it would definitely have damaged the new finish, so it was the lesser of two evils.

[67caravel]

Des,

I don't think you did any damage if you don't notice anything wrong/different with the finish of the coach after this much time.

Put your mind at ease and enjoy your summer.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I would follow the advice of new car manufacturers, in that you shouldn't wax or apply chemicals to the finish in the first 4-6 weeks of your new vehicle's life.

Not really an issue since the panels are prefinished by Alcoa. I wouldn't be surprised that those panels have already passed that timeframe by the time the unit is delivered. Consider that most dealers wash the trailer before delivery and many Walbernize them at that time.

Jack