Shine on!

[thursdays child]

Hi y"all.
HIMSELF keeps our van washed and cleaned but it is not as shiney as it was. Is there a polish that will make it look a bit fresher. Autoglym is the product we use at present but I dont mind spending a bit extra to get him a better option and I will make sure he uses sufficient elbow power to make it work!!!! I am a splendid supervisor/project manager!!!!! Give us the tools and he will do the job???
Thursdays Child

 

[Parksy]

Hi Thursday's Child
After washing the caravan using a hose to remove traces of dirt and grit shampoo the caravan using
Fenwicks Caravan Cleaner
Rinse off with the hose and dry using a clean chamois leather. It's vital that any cloths or wash leathers have not been dropped on the ground, grit will scratch your paintwork.
Use a damp microfibre cloth and apply Meguiars Step 3 This is a protective carnauba wax which will seal the polished surface. Apply the step 3 wax in sections as before when you (or Himself) did the polishing and buff each section using a clean dry microfibre cloth on completion. You should achieve a beautiful long lasting shine with the Meguiars, it's easy to use and will provide two or three applications. The two stage treatment will last for several months so although it may seem expensive it isn't considering the end result. Meguars products are available from Halfords, the microfibre cloths can be bought cheaply in any supermarket and I've always had good results using these products.

 

[forestgump]

what van have you got if it as diffrent sides it may not shine .

 

[thursdays child]

Hi Forest,
we have a 2003 Fleetwood Heritage 640es.
Mr Mod,I have printed off your very comprehensive cleaning procedure.The ingredients will be purchased soonest. After the cleaning has been completed I shalL conduct a Full QA AUDIT of same and post findings.Just like the old working days!!!AHHHHH.
Thursdays Child

 

[forestgump]

your van may not shine so mutch if it is not alloy sides ,

 

[Parksy]

Hi Forest,
we have a 2003 Fleetwood Heritage 640es.
Mr Mod,I have printed off your very comprehensive cleaning procedure.The ingredients will be purchased soonest. After the cleaning has been completed I shalL conduct a Full QA AUDIT of same and post findings.Just like the old working days!!!AHHHHH.
Thursdays Child

Make sure that Himself uses plenty of elbow grease when he's buffing up the carnauba wax! The polished finish should last for months with just an occasional wash with Fenwicks when you've done it.

 

[JonnyG]

I started to read parksy comprehensive write up on cleaning the outside of a caravan..
All went well till it finally started to sink in.graft graft graft graft graft.there was me thinking caravanning was a leisure activity..!

 

[RayS]

One unkown is the hardness of the water your use to wash and rinse. When living in Lancashire where domestic water softeners are virtually unkown - no problems - fenwicks cleaner - Autoglym - job done.
Howevre, in lovely east Somerset water is some of the hardest in the country and if used straight from the tap leave a white powdery film regardless of the cleaners used with it. only solution is to have a hose connection from the (domestically softened) water system.

Currently down in SE Spain were the (non-drinking) water is absolutely full of lime. I descale the in-van shower head about every two weeks with vinegar and use olive-oil based bath get for all personal washing. The only way to get the car clean is the local car wash which has a setting for a final rinse which is effectively demineralised water - and you don't get very long for you euro token.
So it's not just which types of cleaners / polish you use - it the water you use with them.

 

[Damian]

Ray has a very valid point about the type of water used for washing cars and vans.
Our local water is very hard, lots of chalk in it, so I use rain water collected in water butts and it makes a big difference in ease of cleaning.

 

[TonyG]

yes the acid in the rain water glides across the van --- LOL

 

[Zafiral]

Flash used to produce a hose attachment for car washing that include a water softener cartridge. It was brilliant - I could even get away with air drying a black car!!!! unfortunately they released it just as half of England had a hose pipe ban for many months. I guess as it did not reach expected sales targets was the reason for its withdrawal form sale and the now non availability of the consumables.

Fortunately an off white caravan hides the chalk marks from our hard water here!!!

I take it only washing a caravan once a year is seen as being lazy ...... Annoyingly we went away over New Year so our van is filthy, I may even have to wash it and it we only bought it in May!!!! I don't think the Drywash is going to be man enough for the job.....

 

[Wayne_5133334]

Bet your in La Manga

 

[Milkybow]

We have very hard water here which usually results in lots of streaks but recently I have started using Autoglym Auqawax on both my car and caravan. It's very simple to use and leaves a very nice shine. Simply wash the car / caravan as you would normally and rinse off thoroughly. Then, instead of leathering off any the excess water, spray the aquawax over a panel at a time and wipe using the microfibre cloth provided. There is a second microfibre cloth in the pack for a brilliant shine but to be honest I don't find it necessary. It keep my car looking clean for weeks and the wax helps keep the van tip top too. It can be used on all surfaces although I don't use it on the car windscreen as the wax smears.
I've recommended it to a few friends and they're all impressed with it.

Best of luck
Gareth