t@b wax

Mary

I just came home with 2008 aqua t@b and would like to know the best type of wax to use to keep the color from oxidation?? Anybody know what to wash it with as well. new to the TV world! Thanks...

[Deleted User]

Mary,

You'll probably get lots of suggestions largely because there are so many options out there. If you're like me, and basically try to do the easiest thing first, then you might like what I find to do the job more than adequately. It's Camco RV Wash & Wax. It probably doesn't get as hard a coat of wax as a hand buffed wax but it cleans Columbia and leaves him shiny. Water beads up very well indicating a decent coat of protectant, but it probably doesn't last as long as a hand buffed coat of wax either. But then again, it's so easy to use, I use it everytime I wash Columbia and he's shiny all the time as a result  

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-40497-Wash-Wax-gallon/dp/B000EDQQEC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1395714988&sr=8-6&keywords=camco+rv+wash

Michigan_Mike

This might help you decide too......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DMOiwtMsxq0#t=3

[Deleted User]

While I would normally be in agreement with what the gentleman says in the video about dismissing the value of the "Wash & Wax" products, I feel compelled to quote one of my favorite lines from an old Donovan song ..... "that book you are reading is just one man's opinion of moonlight". By that I mean, there may be exceptions to the rule as well as new developments that that one individual at that point in time, is unaware of. In defense of my recommendation, I would put the amount of water beading with the Camco product up against any of the waxes he demonstrated. I've been waxing cars, boats and motorcycles for over 50 years and I recognize a waxed surface when I see one. The Camco product actually lays down a decent coat of wax unlike the demonstration in the above video. I also judge that condition by how easily and quickly dirt rinses off the surfaces. As I said, it probably doesn't last as long, nor provides the UV protection that the hard waxes or polymers do, but I wash Columbia often and in doing so, he seems to have an acceptable level of protection based also on the amount of energy I'm willing to invest in the process. I also store Columbia under cover so he isn't exposed to that much UV over the course of the year.

Mary

Thanks for the input Sounds like a combo of a good wash/wax combo and hand wax a few times a year, She is a beautiful aqua color that I want to keep up. Cheers!

[Deleted User]

I agree Mary  ....  it really matters that we take care of and appreciate the things that bring us joy. I'm also a stickler for routine maintenance and upkeep. A couple years ago I read an interesting article from Consumer Reports where they compared about 20 of the best selling car wax products in the market. The outcome surprised them but not me so much. They found that some of the most expensive and most hyped and well-known products in the marketplace actually performed noticeably poorer than some of the less expensive, lesser known products (including some of the newer space-age polymers). Their judgement was also based on the abilty of the surface to bead water but this was judged after repeted car washes simulating a year's worth of washing. In the end, and much to my surprise, their winner was a product that I have been using faithfully since the 1960's. It's called "NU FINISH ... The Once a Year Car Polish". It's still sold in the same bright orange bottle and it still requires a lot of elbow grease to apply and remove properly. However, the end result is amazing. A soft cloth on a horizontal surface will slide off it with the slightest puff of breath. It will bead water like a fresh coat of wax easily for 6 to 10 months. Some day I intend to invest in a powered hand buffer so that treating the large surface area of the T@B can become a reality, but in the meantime, I'm more than satisfied with the job that the Camco product is doing as long as I wash Columbia about once a month with it.

[Deleted User]

There is another product that I highly recommend for UV protection. I even made a video for an Amazon review I did some time ago. If you read the review first and then watch the video,  you'll understand what's good about this product and why I like it so much.  Keep in mind that what you see was accomplished simply by rinsing .... no hand washing or scrubbing was involved. Just click on the video and it will link the actual Amazon review

This review is from: 303 Products Aerospace Protectant (Misc.)

Michigan_Mike

Next time I'm in your neck of the woods in Georgia I'm stopping by your place and will let you give my Silver Shadow a good shot of that wash & wax product Neil!  I know you'd do that for me, right?   >:)

[Deleted User]

In a heartbeat Mike   

jkjenn

Can you take a T@b to a regular manual car wash? Is that soap safe to use?

Verna

Jenn, you have to be very careful of NOT spraying the silicon caulk with the high-powered jet sprayer.  To me, it's easier to wash my SS at home, and even then I don't point the hose spray at any of the caulk joints. 

The soap will probably be OK at a car wash, but the Camco RV Wash and Wax does wash and wax at the same time.  Just be sure to rinse the windows quickly, as the instructions specify. 

jkjenn

Thanks, Verna!

Michigan_Mike

I agree with what Verna said....  I do take my SS to the power wash but have also used the soap wand and rinsed the trailer off by standing back away from the unit, being sensitive to the caulk, door seams (because these areas are caulked too) and the window areas.  I know that Little Guy recommends that these trailers be hand washed to protect these items and the graphics.  The T@B units are obviously taller, but I would invest in an 8' step ladder and clean the trailer at home if this is feasible.