T@b aluminum and paint care / maintenance - detailing tips and tricks?

techietab

Haven't had much luck searching for prior threads regarding this topic, so posting with hopes that some veteran T@b owners will have suggestions!

My wife and I bought our 2022 T@b 320 S secondhand in July 2022. Per the dealer, the prior owners were among the first to take delivery of a 2022 model back in 2021, used it a couple of times, then brought it back to trade in for a 400. In my opinion, the story checks out - the interior was absolutely immaculate. The wet bath and cassette toilet hadn't even been touched, and the only evidence that the camper had ever been used at all was that there was a slight oily residue in the microwave.

The exterior is a different story. At a distance, the finish on the aluminum exterior that wraps front-to-back looks nice and bright, but if you get close to it, there's clearly a lot of areas where atmospheric fallout has penetrated into the clearcoat and is causing grey (and sometimes rust-red) discoloration. I've been mildly annoyed it it for a while, but have finally been motivated to take action after replacing the vent fan this previous weekend. The portions of the roof that were protected by the factory's application of lap sealant around the fan are blindingly bright-white compared to the rest of the camper, which annoyed me.

Curious to hear how others have addressed these issues. My plan to remediate this issue is to do a thorough wash, claybar treatment, compound treatment, then polish and wax, just as I would with a car. But I'm curious to hear if any other T@b owners have any words of wisdom or cautions before I have a go at it. I recognize that I'm assuming the paint and finish on the aluminum paneling is similar to other automotive surfaces, but also recognize that I might be completely wrong

Mickerly

We purchased a 320 CS when it was 3 years old. It had been on the road a lot. I did the same thing as you have described; cleaning, clay, wax, etc. Now clean and sparkling white, I wax the top every couple of months with a spray and wipe synthetic wax. I was using the Mother's product, but I'm liking the Turtle Wax "Ice" product. It appears to last longer in the Texas sun. The UV protection from the synthetic wax is what I'm looking for.

I do keep the trailer covered if we have more than 3 weeks between trips. We bought the least expensive cover we could find. We've been using it for 2 years and there is no rot or thinning from sun damage. The rear corners have holes where it wore through after a few thunderstorms. An expensive one would have experienced the same wear.