# Oxidised white motorhome advice



## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

Hi all,

I'm a painter by trade so have done my fair share of machine polishing over the last 20 odd years but I'm doing something a little different as a favour for a mate.

I'm used to working on freshly applied paint but I've been asked to smarten up a white Fiat motorhome. The paint is pretty badly oxidised and there are several "shiny" patches where the old graphics have been removed. The roof is also covered in the kind of black / green crud that usually collects on these.

I'm thinking for a good wash and brush down with something like G101 to remove all of the crud but could do with a hand on pad & product selection for rectifying the paint. It seems pretty soft and will probably be quite thin being a single stage white.

I have the 3M range available to me (FC+, XF, UF) with the matching pads. I also have some M105 and a bit of M205. The guy isn't looking for a super jewelled finish, just a good restoration to take a few years off it.

The guy is willing to stump up for some products if what I have isn't suitable, so I'm throwing myself at your mercy for suggestions please. Clearly a single step process would be preferable is it's a big old bus, but 2 step would work if I do it over a couple of days.

I also need something durable to protect it afterwards. The guy isn't very able bodied so can't do much maintenance himself. I have SRP to fall back on, maybe with a coat of White Diamond first, but other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Andy.


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## Lespaul (May 23, 2006)

Have a look at the Meguiars marine/rv range of products :thumb:

www.meguiars.co.uk/product/320/Marine-One-Step-Compound/

Darren


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

Thanks for the reply :thumb:

I'm guessing not many people have experience of restoring white these days...


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## Foxx (Jul 5, 2011)

If you have the 3M compounds and the good old #105/205 combination, you should be covered and good to go. Just go slowly and carefully and work up the cut as who knows what type of paint you might have on there! If it is custom made coachwork then it could be just about anything from factory paint job, backstreet bodge or single-stage.

Just remember as well that you're not going to get a glassy mirror finish as white paint just doesn't do that - don't spend all your time chasing a mirror shine, you'll never get it!

For protection, if he isn't able to regularly maintain it, waxes are probably out of the question, so it might be best to consider a sealant - it'll last much much longer than anything else and and only need be applied the once. He's then free to apply whatever waxes etc. he wishes later, if he chooses/is able to.

We should have some CQuartz UK arriving in the next day or so, you might like to check it out: http://www.shinearama.co.uk/carpro-cquartz-uk-reload-kit.html


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

Thanks. Any advice is appreciated as I'm no detailer. I'd be much more at home sanding it down and applying a fresh coat of paint :lol:

I've checked the paint out already and it's factory direct gloss (a.k.a. single stage) so despite being thin and soft it shouldn't throw up too many problems. I know what you mean about not getting it to a mirror finish too, but currently it's fully matt with no kind of reflection at all, except for few patches where vinyl graphics have been removed. Anything will be better than that.

That sealant looks like a good idea but weather permitting I'm doing the job this weekend so will have to make do with what I have for now. I may consider it for the future though as I get the feeling he'll be asking me to maintain it for him once it's looking nice. I'm toying between either Poorboys white diamond and EX-P which I can machine on or Autoglym SRP & EGP which I can apply by hand as I might be tired of wielding a buffer by that point!


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## Foxx (Jul 5, 2011)

Yeah, given those choices I would go for the White Diamond and EX-P. 

If it is truly single-stage, go in carefully with a low-cut to start and watch for paint on the pad. If any comes off, then you have done as much as you can!


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

What you have try the blue pad with the yellow topped 3m if no joy then the yellow top with yellow pad, yeah cant remember the name...:lol:

You could try the blue top as its a finishing compound and may get more from it on the yellow pad.

As you say your just wanting to get some gloss to it not sure that the blue may hide a good deal with its oilyness though.


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## CivicTypeR. (Aug 15, 2010)

If its grp and badly oxidised u will need something like marine 31 oxidation remover and a wool pad im doin motorhomes and carvans and boats regularly and have tried everything from megs 105 menzerna power gloss fast cut all will bring a shine on the van but it will not remove all of it leaving a hazy finish which is like a dogs dinner in sunlight. Grp is quite durable i regularly have a wool mop on 2000rpm with no worries. Just bé carefully on pointed edges etc hope that helps. If u want to no any more drop me a pm


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

james_death said:


> What you have try the blue pad with the yellow topped 3m if no joy then the yellow top with yellow pad, yeah cant remember the name...:lol:


And there was me ready to jump in right at the other end of the scale with FC+ on a green pad. We painters certainly do things differently. Good job I checked!

I've even ordered some hex logic pads to see what all the fuss is about and was going to start with the yellow. Will probably go down the scale a bit based on all of your advice.

Thanks all, and I'll let you know how it goes. Might even post up some pictures when I've finished :buffer:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Dont know how much of the motorhome your doing is metal and how much GRP.

*Here is the Folding Camper i cleaned up....:wave:*

*http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=209983*


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

It's all metal but the roof is fully ribbed so it has that usual black / green crud all over it where it's collected in the gulleys. 

Thanks for the link. I'm contemplating a folding camper myself and that's a really nice one.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Paintguy said:


> It's all metal but the roof is fully ribbed so it has that usual black / green crud all over it where it's collected in the gulleys.
> 
> Thanks for the link. I'm contemplating a folding camper myself and that's a really nice one.


Thank you, the new owner loves it also, we then went to a comanche Brisa as 3 of the kids had moved out.

However going to pick up A Eriba Puck Tomorrow... used mind but still costs a fair bit.

Think before the Cardinal it was the Tardis they made pretty much identical.

Conway for me made the best folders especially these with the aluminium roof that simply wind up and the beds pull out, so much space and beds are already tehre when needed especially if you just want a bit of a nap....

Oh some of the later ones came with Toilet and wash room also.


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## Bevvo (Feb 1, 2013)

Paintguy said:


> Thanks for the reply :thumb:
> 
> I'm guessing not many people have experience of restoring white these days...


Here's a Showroom thread which I did recently when restoring my friend's white van. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=320759

It wasn't single stage but was severely oxidised. You might even find when doing your job that 205 is enough to bring back the shine. If so then happy days because that's a lot of surface area to cover and the less stages you have to do the better.

Good luck, and yes we do want to see pictures :buffer:


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

Thanks Bevvo. I read that thread the other day as it happens, hoping to pick up some tips 

So, I can safely say that never in my life has it taken me 5 hours to wash a vehicle :doublesho Those of you that do this for a living have my utmost respect, and those that do it for fun, well you must be raving bonkers :lol:

I'll put some proper pictures up in the showroom when I'm done but for now I'll just put a few teasers in.

This gives you an idea of the state of the paintwork as you can clearly see where I've removed the graphics










And most of the roof had to be done by hand as I couldn't safely machine between all of the ribs. Because of that it's far from perfect, but a great deal better than it was:



















(The crud you can see around the skylight is ingrained into the silicon sealer. I didn't want to scrub too hard and create any leaks)

So that's the whole thing washed with G101, Tardis, IronX and finally Shampoo Plus, then the rectification and protection completed on the roof. Tomorrow I'll be polishing up the rest of it, which should hopefully go better by rotary.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Looking forward to the full write up...:thumb:

Picked Up The Eriba Today, something else to clean....:lol:


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