Annual RV Maintenance & Spring Cleaning

Hi Dave. We don't actually put any cleaning fluid in our pressure washer when we wash the RV... we just use it to wet and rinse. We wash the motorhome using a bucket of water and car wash (usually whatever we can get at Costco) and a soft-bristle brush on a pole.

Our paint has never oxidized, so never needed a cleaner/wax. The older the finish gets, the more likely it will need that type of product.

Hi Dan! Our RV is fiberglass too, but painted with an automotive paint, exactly like a car. If you have that type of high-end painted surface on top of the fiberglass, you can use the same type of high-end wax we do (and even if your RV isn't painted, you should consider using this AMAZING Meguiar's wax on your car! You can get it here: http://amzn.to/2EYZxHO. If you DON'T have an automotive painted finish, and the surface is more like a fiberglass boat (less shiny, and not usually painted), you'll want to use something designed specifically for waxing fiberglass, like a good boat wax. Boat products are generally more expensive though. Sorry we're not experts on bare fiberglass sidewalls, as we haven't had an RV with them in 13 years. However we do love and Meguiar's products, so something like this might do the trick, especially if your RV isn't brand new, and the surface could use a light cleaning when being waxed: http://amzn.to/2FB2sHG Hope this helps!

Hi Ron! Faded and cracked decals may be best removed entirely, with some gentle help from a hair dryer. Our friend Brian, of RV With Tito, recently made a video about that: http://www.rvwithtito.com/articles/how-remove-rv-decals

Whether your rig is bare fiberglass, or painted, like ours, we'd suggest that you start by looking into commercially available finish restoring products available at every auto parts store and in the auto section at Wal-Mart. Having an automotive-type paint job, we always look to high-end automotive paint care products from companies like Meguiar's. If you have unpainted fiberglass, we'd suggest visiting a marine store, since the finish is very much like a boat.

Either way, always try the most gentle product first, and then get more aggressive if needed. It sounds like your finish may be bad enough that you should consider some input/opinions from professionals. A good body shop knows how to deal with old paintwork better than anyone. A non-professional can only go so far to try to rejuvenate old paint, and then the skills of a good paint person with a wheel, and the professional-grade restoration products and knowledge of how to use them might be in order.

If you want to try to restore the finish yourself, be sure you research products and techniques thoroughly. That's especially true if your finish is bad enough to need a wheel put to it. An amateur can easily burn the paint by using the wrong technique with a wheel. Orbital buffers are safer for non-pros, since its a lot harder to harm the finish with one of those. If the finish is so bad that you can't make a difference in it on your own, don't get discouraged. It's amazing what a professional paint shop can do to restore an old faded finish. And that route is still a LOT cheaper than a new paint job.

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for your kind words! We haven't ever used Protectall (we use Aerospace 303 instead, which is similar, though not exactly the same). We have some friends who have used Protectall and seem to like it, though.

Sorry we don't have more advice on it.