Old Motorhome finishes?

Z

z driver 88t

New member
Today I did an experiment with Griots Best of Show wax and their claybar. I had been using Meguair GC and wanted to see what Griots was like. Here are steps and impressions:



1. Wash with Dawn - This is great, really cleans down to the paint



2. Griots clay - Very pliable and mild, not abrasive and hard like Meguairs clay. I used that once and it was enough, leaves residue, streaks and scratches. Griots worked great with their Speed Shine detailer as lube. Clay never got stuck or left any residue. Love the finish when done. I may be dreaming, but I think it even diminished the spider web swirls a bit. I was going to try their #3 machine polish (their least abrasive) with a PC but I chickened out. Kind of afraid to bother just for a few light swirls that will probably be back anyway....plus the car only 1 year old....anyone with any experience with this stuff please post.



3. OK, the Best of Show wax. Very different than MGC as it was kind of tough to remove, but I applied too much to begin with. The instruction warned against this, must be applied real thin. I had to use some of the detailer to get it off. I will try another coat done the right way. The result is nice. A hard and beautiful shine that somehow looks cleaner than the MGC shine. I think perhaps the MGC might have caused some yellowing. I will check it out in bright sun tomorrow, finished toward dusk. If I can get the application down right and remove easily, I think I would prefer this to MGC.



Griots has great customer service. Not like the lame nonsense you hear at Meguairs. These guys know their stuff and seem genuinely concerned with your success. Plus everything is guaranteed, so you can return if not happy. Lizard is out...
 
Intermezzo,



I have only done my trunk with it as I am experimenting with some other stuff. Because of how hard it was to remove, I doubt that I will use it on the whole car. It does have a nice hard feel and good shine. Not sure if trim friendly or not.



I just clayed the car with MGC wash as lube. It did not seem to get out the same amount of grit as when you do it section by section with a QD and wipe off. I did larger sections and washed off and then washed the whole car again after that. The clay seemed to be less pliable as the water was not real warm. No streaks or anything, just not as butter smooth as I would like.



Do you think it would be a bad move to just through some MGC wax (for protection) over it until I am more ambitious? Thanks.
 
Not a bad idea at all. Gotta get your paint protected one way or another. From what I've heard, MGC provides a terrific shine.

Or another alternative might be to give the Griot's another shot....except this time try to apply the coats <strong class='bbc'>ULTRA[/b] thin. Depending on the color of your car, the product will be very hard to see. You just gotta trust that it's there. Even the Griot's rep told me that their waxes are a little tough to buff out.

Try the techniques given in this thread. It's about applying Zaino, but I'm sure it would apply to any liquid product.

Getting thin coats with Zaino
 
That tends to happen when too much of Griot's wax is applied in one spot(s)....Using a PC to apply the wax does a great job applying very thin coats of the wax and it is a breeze to remove. Almost as easy as Blitz.



Personally, I like a lot of their products, as some have probably noticed from my other posts. I have yet to be disappointed with any Griot's product and the customer service is top notch. Going to give the #3 polish a whirl this season.
 
I have got to give the Best of Show another try. It does have a beautiful hard finish. I had done half my trunk with it and the other half with OEM one step from Valugard. Am experimenting. I am like a kid with new toys. I am not used to using real thin coats.



I ended up putting MGC liquid on this time because I needed to get something quick and decent on finish. Hey, the MGC isn't bad at all.



The machine polish #3 is very mild. I am thinking of getting some of their #2 and giving those swirls a try with it. These products contain NO FILLERS, so the result you see is "da real thing". You can also mix the 2 polishes to create a custom grit, which is cool. Clean up is a snap. Rinse well with warm water and wring out pads like a sponge.



Everything from them is 100% guaranteed for life. Ever not satisfied, just send back. Kind of worth the extra money for that and the great customer service.
 
As for polishes, I have been using 3M FI2 for a couple of years and have been quite happy with it. Since I have to order a few things from Griots very soon, I am going to pick up the polish. I do not think I need anything more than their #3 though....I have managed to get most of my real bad swirls out over the past year or so. I still need to go over the car after a good washing though, which I do not anticipate happening for a while due to the drought. :mad:



Have to tried their hand polish? I have a bottle of that too that I have used a few times...works pretty well. I am not sure how 'harsh' it is compared to the #3 machine polish though.
 
i just restored a fairly old small winnebago and the exterior was as oxidized as could be, i used tr3 resin glaze, which normally restores oxidized surfaces like new when severe. It worked but the level of satin shine was uneven. and therefore it needed 1 more coat. For those weird old motor home finishes, what are they? and what are the best products to use to restore these sun damaged surfaces? just curious...
 
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