Warning! Washing a New Airstream

[campadk]

Yesterday I washed our new Bambi in preparation for a waxing.

Unfortunately I make the mistake of washing the roof and didn't realize that I was picking up bits and pieces of aluminum shavings left over from the factory build. Before I noticed, I put several fine scratches in the aluminum panels!!

By the time I noticed what was happening, my rag was full of bits and pieces of sharp aluminum.

I also found a few spare rivets and screws up there.

So for anybody with a new unit, be sure to wash all that crap off up top and don't use the same wash rag/cloth on your aluminum sides.

My wife laughed because I had already put a small dent in the hub cap. I was checking the lug nuts, and dented the hub cap trying to push it back on... uuughhh

It was also a challenge cleaning off all the reside glue left over from the protective plastic that they ship the units with on the front stone guards.

[CanoeStream]

Ooh, I feel the pain Dave. I also see aluminum cuttings adhered to the surface of window caulk. Eyes wide open.

Go to search, select advanced search. Enter meguiars as the keyword and 2airishuman as the User Name. He has mentioned their products several times but you'll be wanting to look for his posts on care for minor scratches. The posts I recall probably aren't in the long corrosion thread.

Best to you!

[ESCAPE POD]

Hi, Dave:
I feel your pain. We were pulling our 19' Bambi (2007, like yours) down a narrow campground dirt road, and a manzanita bush put a couple of long (but fine) scratches along the driver's side of the trailer - ouch! They aren't that noticeable, and I'm reluctant to try to buff them out; I don't even know if they extend beyond the clearcoat. What product or process worked on your stoneguards to get rid of the glue residue? Also, can any member recommend what, if anything, I should try to GENTLY buff out the scratches to my Bambi?

[NorCal Bambi]

Oh, that's awful to here. Maybe hearing this story will help a little. My wife tells this story about a friend of hers back in school days. A girl friend of hers deciced to wash a brand new 1966 Chevy Impala that belonged to her boy friend. She wanted to do something special for him. She made one mistake. She used cleanser!
Don

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by ESCAPE POD

Also, can any member recommend what, if anything, I should try to GENTLY buff out the scratches to my Bambi?

2airishuman has written on this subject. So do the research I recommend above. He'll use a little Scratch X while understanding the clearcoat has a finite thinness. I'd believe rounding the edge of the scratch is his aim.

Stone guards (segment protectors) are stainless steel and have no clearcoat. The trim around the guards is plastic but you could use a solvent to clean the stainless. To remove adhesive I'd try rubbing along the grain with a vegetable oil first. Mineral spirits is somewhat benign as a solvent, though I'd try to minimize getting it on the silvery plastic trim and clearcoat!

[overlander63]

Just to wash your trailer I recommend Meguire's Wash/Wax. It comes in a 64 ounce jug, concentrated, that jug will last you about 6 years, washing monthly. A soft bristle brush on a long handle is also a great idea, the one I use I got from Napa for $20. If any shavings/sticks/debris gets in the brush, it comes out next time you dip it in the bucket.

[Pecos Pete]

The same thing happened to me after the first wash. I use a mirofibre mop on an extendable pole to wash the top. When I finished the job, I noticed dozens of pieces of aluminum. Didn't think there were any since we had already driven several thousand miles and in some rain before washing the top. I haven't seen any scratches, but was not too happy with the discovery. The mop does a great job, BTW. Available at Home Depot, with inexpensive replacemet heads.

[brodjeaw]

We had the same problem when I replaced one of our stone guards and taking off the protection wrapping. Try Goo Gone sray gel available at Home Depot and some supermarkets. Just keep away from rubber!! Magic American and Goo Gone - Household Cleaning Magic.

[Pecos Pete]

Would Barkeepers Friend work on the stainless? Works great on a stainless steel sink. I have the same problem from the protective wrapping and now after some miles have small brown spots all over the guards.

[mwinter]

This is exactly why new things freak me out. I'd rather buy something that someone else has already scratched up, sat in, used, and lived in. Anyhow, don't worry about the scratches. Now your new Bambi has "character."

M.W.

[Devoman]

Barkeepers is a great product.I use it on my muffler tips and stainless cover on my Touareg and it even gets the brown stains out.It is nonabrasive from what I know.I have never used it on the Airstream yet because I have it in the powder form.I planned on getting the liquid though.

[lewster]

I have to report that the best (so far) stainless steel cleaner/polish is made by WEIMAN. You can find it in the grocery stores. I have tried just about every other stainless product, and found that they ALL left residue and streaks!

The Weiman's leaves a very nice clean and clear surface with NO STREAKS!!!

As far as the scratches in your clearcoat, I 'christened ' my '06 CCD last summer when I was in sand and backed into a very large mesquite bush (tree) in New Mexico. Needless to say, I was horrified. There were a number of fairly deep scratches in the right rear end panel, and I had to look at them every day until I reached Hood River, OR.

The first thing I did was wash the beast and then get out the random orbital with Griot's Garage polish #1. It is their most abrasive, but doesn't really scratch like rubbing compound does. I followed it up with their #2, then #3 (finest) and the marks are all but gone from the clearcoat. A coat of their polymer seal and it looks great!

Just had to share!

[wheel interested]

Originally Posted by ESCAPE POD

Hi, Dave:
I feel your pain. We were pulling our 19' Bambi (2007, like yours) down a narrow campground dirt road, and a manzanita bush put a couple of long (but fine) scratches along the driver's side of the trailer - ouch! They aren't that noticeable, and I'm reluctant to try to buff them out; I don't even know if they extend beyond the clearcoat. What product or process worked on your stoneguards to get rid of the glue residue? Also, can any member recommend what, if anything, I should try to GENTLY buff out the scratches to my Bambi?

Twice I scraped against overhanging trees or bushes with the 2005 Classic with long thin scratches the length. Walbernize and buffing along the length with the grain made them invisible to near. I was surprised. However my front side window guard wore my notches from the narrow street with the overhanging branches.

Campadk thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten about all the crud on top.

[Bustersmith]

Dave,
It's easy to mess up a car wash and even easier to do other damage when trying to buff or wax. Meguiars has a great web site and instructions on how to care for a car finish. I spent about a $150 on meguiars car wash, wax, cloths and a brush. I use their procedures when I wash and wax. There are other good companies, but Meguairs works.

By the way, we enjoy your web site. Great info about camping in the Daks. I am from originally from lake George. We live in Washington, DC now, but we will be up this Summer.

V/r Gene

[campadk]

Wow, lots of great feedback!

I am using all Meguiars products, from wash to wax.

I tried the cleaner (step 2) on the stone guards to remove the glue from the protective pastic, and that worked well with a bit of elbow grease. I notice though that there are now some streaks on those panels. Will probably have to redo them as per CanoeStream's post to get em right. Was wondering about those panels... didn't dawn on me that they were stainless!

I checked around yesterday, there are maybe about 9 scratches or so... but not too noticeable or deep. Heck on Tuesday we'll be heading out for about a week, and I'll likely rub the 'Winker' on some trees or something.

Worst I did was spin my teardrop trailer around in the driveway and just happened to scrap the back galley against the garage brick. You can imagine what kind of scratches bridge on aluminum makes

[Silvertwinkie]

Depending how deep, you might be able to make them vanish with Walbernize super seal. Seen it done before....but if they are too deep.....

[TinShack]

The wife and I just spent 3 hours washing and Walbernizing the 28 footer. The pressure washer makes good work of this task by cleaning all the hard to get to places, such as the wheel wells, roof and holding tank drain area. A good overall pressure wash prior to using the brush ensures all the little aluminum particles get washed off.

I used a little Dawn dish soap in a bucket of warm water with a soft bristle brush on a telescoping pole. This works great. A dry with the chamois, and and the wax goes on nicely. The Walbernize is an excellent product for this application and I highly recommend it. Goes on easy and comes off easy. Works great on the clearcoat and hides any small scratches.

[5cats]

My word of caution is to check the caulking on your exterior refer vent panels.

Our 20' has two, with the refer AC plug/GFCI junction combo mounted on the interor shell, between the two vent panels.

These openings are framed with a joint dead center, bottom. Turns out the joint directly above the refer AC plug was completely un-caulked, and this frame joint acted like a nice drain -- straight down into the outlet.

It's probably just my unit that had this problem, but worth double-checking any framed exterior opening.

Cheers,
-jd.

[Beaerman]

Hey yall, my 2 cents. If you have small scratches on the inside or outside use colgate toothpaste as a rubbing compound.
It even smooths your old person glasses, if they are plastic.
It is pretty weak stuff.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Or just wait 9years and the obsession will dissipate .....

"Time will bring to light whatever is hidden; it will cover up and conceal what is now shining in splendor."
Horace

Bob