Dull Finish

[John_Boy]

I have a Bailey Pageant Auvergne with a glass fibre front, not the ABS seen on newer models. I have endeavoured to keep it all in tip top condition at least once a year it gets a tickle with Auto Glym ( and everytime I read the list of suitable uses on the bottle the thought of some poor sod waxing a Jumbo Jet always makes me smile).

When I have finished the whole Caravan is gleaming, with the exception of the front which just seems flat and dull by comparison. Does anyone have any reasons why this might be happening and a possible solution.

Before anyone says its the polish I have a mate who has a 10 year old Glass Fibre speed boat and that has had so much Auto Glym applied to it that it looks like it has just been unwrapped I am also suprised that anyone can get a hold of it, its so shiny.

 

[Barkas]

mines the same john boy, just cant get a decent shine on it and it just wont buff up, it really winds me up cos the rest of the van is gleaming...GGRRRR

 

[Dave_374330759]

Try going to a chandlers and getting some fibreglass polish/restorer (Farelca, 3M or International) It's a bit like T-Cut, Autoglym and other car polishes don't really get the oxidised surface off. Clean the surface properly so you don't grind dirt into the surface (neat boat cleaner is quite good as it will clean off the old polish as well) Then using a lot of elbow grease (or a power polisher) polish the fibreglass, then using a finer polish, go over it again until you get a nice shine, then use a decent wax polish to seal it in.(have a shufti at the Farelcla, 3-M and International sites to see whats avaialble, also look at the car detailing sites which will show you what's available) In the end there is no substitute for hard graft if you want a decent shine, then you've got to do it regularly to keep it nice.

I've got a boat which is 25 years old and it takes me a couple of days to get it shiny again at the beginning of the year - I'm not sure that you will ever get the same finish on a caravan as you can on a boat (theres probably a lot more gelcoat on a boat)but with a lot of effort and the right ingredients you can get it looking reasonably shiny, the hard part is keeping it that way

 

[John_Boy]

Cheers Dave, that Far

 

[John_Boy]

Should have put this link in the post above, just in case someone else wants to get theirs done before I do:

http://www.fareclamarine.com/default.asp?page=7412

 

[readcaravans]

with fibreglass caravan panels its the uv light which over years degrades the gelcoat. t-cut will bring the luster back with a lot of elbow grease and then a good wax/polish. try a small area first to get the technique right usually the gas locker lid. remeber on a caravan the gel coat is less than 1mm thick

 

[valeter]

planes,no problem come up a treat

 

[ChrisB2]

Hi JB,try Mer,my car gets a dose once in a while,it doesn't cover scratches but the shine is second to none.

 

[Guzzles]

I've just got a 2004 Abbey Cardinal (Aventura)330, the front is dull and has horrible black flecks (not tar as they are significantly smaller and lots of them), more noticeable around the two pull handles and the sides of the gas locker. The actual locker lid doesn't have these flecks, but its a seperate piece of plastic. Several of my mates have had a look at this and we think it must be either something from production (as its actually on the plastic in the handle recess and in the rebate behind the gas locker lid), or something like pollution that has etched in. I have started to remove it, but only by using Autoglym Paint restorer on a polishing machine. It does come off to leave a nice shiney finish, but it is slightly pitted (where the black flecks were). A few layers of Autoglym Super Resin Polish seems to leave an excellent finish that is shiney and smooth. As for resolving the dull finish, the AutoGlym Paint Restorer/ Super Resin Polish approach works - but hopefully you don't need to be so severe! Has anyone had a similar experience?

 

[Terry_5112949]

Faracla G3 then a good waxing brings my panels back to a good shine, G3 is available from a motor factors that supply bodyshops with their materials