RV Detailing Questions

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Old 05-20-2008 | 10:15 PM
LsuSuperCrew's Avatar
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From: Lafayette, Louisiana
RV Detailing Questions

I have a friend that wants me to start taking care of his RV, washing and waxing when needed. It's a 40 foot diesel RV by Winnebago. It stays under a covering when parked at home, it only comes out on weekends for camping trips or when his son has baseball games that require them to travel. I have a few questions.

First:
What would be a fair price for just a wash? This would include washing, drying, cleaning the windows, dressing the tires and polishing the rims if needed. And how much for a wax job, the same as above plus a coat of wax.

Second:
How often should these be done? I was thinking of washing at least once a month, more so depending on how many times he takes the camper out in that month. With waxing every three months again dependant on how much the RV is exposed to the weather.

Third:
What type of products should be used? I have a pretty good collection of Meguiars products and Poorboys. I was planning on washing with Gold class or something in the detailer line if it becomes way more economical. For wax I was going to use #21. Are these products good enough or do I have to use something else, someone had mentioned using marine products, is there any point to that?


Any help would be appreciated, I'm not a professional and have no claim of being one. He just noticed how my truck always looks and decided to see if I wanted to take care of his RV.
 
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Old 05-20-2008 | 10:24 PM
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From: Keller Texas
I cannot help you with prices, but tell you that most folks in that business charge by the foot.

With those units, they are EASY to wash. Hard as hell to wax.

I have a 34ft 5er. Mine is washed every trip.

It is also polished 2-3 times per year and waxed about the same.

I use either Megs RV/Boat products or my PB products however, I use C845 LSP. Its the BEST thing you can do for the Gelcoat.
 
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Old 05-20-2008 | 10:25 PM
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RR has a RV... maybe he can help you out a tad...

To be totally honest, I've not worked on anything that size.
 
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Old 05-20-2008 | 10:25 PM
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There ya go...
 
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Old 05-20-2008 | 11:15 PM
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From: Keller Texas
I will add that Megs makes a Cleaner/Wax 1 step for RV/Boats, its a great product.

In addition the 2 most important areas to pay special attention to is the rear and the front cap.

I would add a layer of C845 to those.

From there, its just the same stuff, HD the wheels, Stoners on the glass. HD the rear bumper, pump out areas, handles, etc. Pull out the shore power cable and HD that to, adds a nice touch and also adds some dirt protection on it when plugged up to power. Each RV/TT and 5er are different so you kind of have to look at each of the units and determin what you need.

BTW, when I say I wash mine every trip, its b/c I either QD the rig or use ONR on every trip and when I put it storage.

Please read this: If that RV has a rubber Roof, use only approved rubber roof cleaners. Do not even think about using SG or APC type products. Those will void the roof warranty. So best to use a bucket and approved roof cleaner....then spray down the roof. Make sure you clean the gutters b/c that is where the Black Streaks come from.

Ok, you got it?
 
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Old 05-21-2008 | 02:28 AM
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Well I talked to him some more this afternoon and got a chance to look at the RV. Man that thing is big!!!

We discussed pricing, he said he was thinking about $50 for a wash and $200 or so for a a waxing. I called some local detailer's and their charging $150 for a wash and $200 for a wax, depending on the condition of the paint. I know I won't charge their prices but I'm not sure about $50 for a wash. I figure it will take 3 plus hours for just a wash.

RR what do you use for a wash? I saw that Meguiars makes a gel coat wash, is there any benefit to using this over a regular car wash?

Thanks for the heads up on the roof, I'll make sure to ask tomorrow what type he has.

The good thing is that the RV is less than 6 months old, the bad thing is it's less than 6 months old, still new, and I don't want to do anything to mess it up. The paint is still in very good condition with no swirling that I can see. I don't think it's going to take much polishing to get it looking good. Hopefully I can start a good routine on it and keep it looking good.
 
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Old 05-21-2008 | 02:48 AM
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Originally Posted by LsuSuperCrew
Well I talked to him some more this afternoon and got a chance to look at the RV. Man that thing is big!!!

We discussed pricing, he said he was thinking about $50 for a wash and $200 or so for a a waxing. I called some local detailer's and their charging $150 for a wash and $200 for a wax, depending on the condition of the paint. I know I won't charge their prices but I'm not sure about $50 for a wash. I figure it will take 3 plus hours for just a wash.

RR what do you use for a wash? I saw that Meguiars makes a gel coat wash, is there any benefit to using this over a regular car wash?

Thanks for the heads up on the roof, I'll make sure to ask tomorrow what type he has.

The good thing is that the RV is less than 6 months old, the bad thing is it's less than 6 months old, still new, and I don't want to do anything to mess it up. The paint is still in very good condition with no swirling that I can see. I don't think it's going to take much polishing to get it looking good. Hopefully I can start a good routine on it and keep it looking good.
Does this RV have a GelCoat or AL sides? Regardless the process is the same. Wash with a normal car soap, Gold Class, Super Soap, PB Super Suds and Wash, it really doesn't matter for the wash. On an RV, if its covered is mainly going to be dust anyway. Maybe bugs on the front cap...no big deal. GASP, if I wash mine i do use a VERY soft brush, similar to car wash bays but yet softer only b/c the one I have is extendable. Again, for the wash it doesn't matter as much. GelCoats and Car/Truck surfaces are different. You can get away with less on a Gelcoat.

Polishing that beast is an entirely different animal. It can take you HOURS and even days. Since this thing is new, just wash it and put a coat of wax on it, and you can even substitute Megs RV Cleaner Wax with the ol Deep Crystal cleaner Wax. I am am convinced they are the same product. However if you wanted to be "different", you could polish the entire RV then LSP it after polish. If this thing isn't black like the high end RV's there is no need to do that. If this is white like 99.5% of RV's, a wash and wax is good enough. Best to use a long lasting UV protectant like C845.

Mine is so clean that I only ONR it onevery trip right now but I do bring it home to deep clean it and detail it from time to time.

A nice touch is to again, Hypdress, the spare tire, the bumper, the shore power cable, tires, and and frame if visable. Basically anything black.
 
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Old 05-21-2008 | 03:13 AM
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I did a quick search and found a picture of one very similar to what his looks like.



If I get a chance tomorrow I'll take a couple of pictures of it. Also I'm going to call the dealer and see if I can find out what type of paint it has. I'm almost positive it is a clear coat. A couple of weeks after he had purchased it he scraped the side against a brick wall pulling into the ball park. While it was in for repairs he had me go with him and look at it and there were clear runs where they had repainted it. If I'm not mistaken the dealer said that the clear coat had ran on the painter. I'm going to call just to make sure. If it is that will make this a lot easier, it would be basically the same as dealing with my truck.

For the wash I have a expendable arm wash arm with a mitt that fits on the end that I had planned on using, its nice and soft.

I don't have any C845, I've been eyeing it and thinking about picking some up. This just might be the excuse I need to go ahead and snag a bottle.
 
  #9  
Old 05-21-2008 | 10:06 AM
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From: Long Island, NY
Around me (Long Island) boats and RV`s are priced about the same. Wash is $80 -$150. Could be higher if the paint was neglected. Wax is $10 a foot. (30ft Rv=$300) And from what I see they always use a cleaner wax.
 
  #10  
Old 05-21-2008 | 06:18 PM
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that sounds fair for the prices 05supercrew mentioned...
 
  #11  
Old 05-21-2008 | 06:30 PM
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I hate washing my Pop's RV ...
 



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