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Old 11-20-2002, 07:41 PM   #1
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Walbanize or Not?

OK--I need some advice. I have a relatively new Safari, a 2001 model. I have waxed it with regular wax, the kind that is recommended for clear coat finishes, but went ahead and bought 2 quarts of Walbanize liquid. I was getting ready to use this stuff, but have seen some comments on this website that I should not use it on the new Airstream finishes. What is the real situation? Will Walbanize harm the finish or is it ok to use, and should I use it? What is the thinking on this topic?
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Old 11-21-2002, 05:57 AM   #2
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Walbernize

Princer,

I also have a 2001 airstream Bambi. Been to the factory and they recommend for the newer airstreams like ours use the Walbernize "RV Super Seal". I have used it since purchasing my Bambi for over a 11/2 years and it does help. On the Jackson Center tour I asked several technicians and also the techs in the service center about it. They say that our coating is NOT like a clear coat on cars. Car coating is hard or rigid due to the surface (sheet metal) it is put on. Our aluminum sheeting uses a specially formulated coating put on by Alcoa before the sheets are shipped to airstream. This specially formulated coating is somewhat elastic(I am sure there is a scientific name for it) so it can give as our aluminum skins expand and contract due to weather. The Super Seal is suppose to help maintain that elasticity of the coating.
By the way, Airstream does sell the super seal in its store in Jackson Center.

If your like me, you want to take good care of your investment. Living in Florida, I usually put Super Seal on every 6-8 weeks. Might be overkill, but I enjoy the airstream looking good. ON the top of the trailer, where there is the baked on white finish, I use a good quality car wax on it. One nice thing about having a smaller airstream is that the tasks of washing, waxing etc. doesn't seem overwhelming like it would be on a 34 footer. My neighbor has a 34' AS and he has never attempted to wax it. He said it is enough of a chore just to get it washed!

Hope this helps. Happy Airstreaming

Bob Caldwell
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Old 11-21-2002, 06:09 AM   #3
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Bob, thanks for you thoughtful and complete reply. This really helps me.

John Prince
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Old 11-21-2002, 08:18 AM   #4
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John,
I also use Walbernize Super Seal on my Safari. I do it every fall prior to putting the Safari in its inside winter storage. You will find it's probably easier to use this product than waxing. It took less than 3 hours for me to wash and Walbernize my 27' unit. It's good stuff.

Jack
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Old 11-22-2002, 02:58 PM   #5
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Super-Seal

I brought my A/S home today and washed and Super-Sealed it. I'm not quite as fast as Jack, it took about 4 hours for my 22' unit. Then, again, I just turned 70, so I'm not as spry as I used to be.

I was amazed at the number of flecks of sealer I ended up removing. I didn't notice them when I previously washed the A/S, but I sure saw them when I was rubbing out the Super-Seal.

I made the mistake of trying to use the Super-Seal on the stone guards ... don't. It looked like hell on those brushed surfaces. It just wouldn't rub out evenly. I finally gave up and left the stone guards cloudy in spots.
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Old 11-22-2002, 04:28 PM   #6
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I use it on my Bambi, and it seems to work great. I also made the mistake of putting it on the Stoneguards the first time. Any idea about buffing the stainless to ge rid of the Walbernize "evidence"?
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Old 11-22-2002, 09:31 PM   #7
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Stone guards

I ran out of time this afternoon and had to take the A/S back to storage with the stone guards looking tacky. Over the next few days, I'll try some approaches to cleaning them up. I'll post any good results.
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Old 11-23-2002, 07:31 AM   #8
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I really learn a lot from you guys.....I haven't gotten around to the first wash or shine. Now I know not to do the rock guards; I was about to decide never to polish and only wash until you all seem to use Walbernize Super-Seal.

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Old 11-23-2002, 06:49 PM   #9
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Re: Super-Seal

Quote:
Originally posted by Pahaska
I made the mistake of trying to use the Super-Seal on the stone guards ... don't. It looked like hell on those brushed surfaces. It just wouldn't rub out evenly. I finally gave up and left the stone guards cloudy in spots.
John,

You need to use a liberal amount of Super Seal on the stone guards. And do it multiple times. The first coating looks pretty poor. Go back over it, and if need be go over it a third time. At that point it will look a lot better.

Part of the speed in putting it on for me was the fact that it was a cloudy cool day. I was able to cover a fairly large area of the trailer before going back and buffing off the dried residue. When its hot and sunniy you really have to do much smaller areas, thus taking more time.

Also keep in mind that the more often you do this the easier it is to go on and buff off. This is the third time the Safari has been Walbernized.

Regards,

Jack
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