How to recondition sunline siding?

[gmcc]

The front of the Sunline looks like it has wax that got dirty and has flaked off in some places.

Wondering what others have done to really clean the siding on the entire Sunline?

I attached a picture / close up of the front where it really looks bad. Not sure if it will show up or not.

[Tourist]

I'll be most interested to see replies to this question. We recently purchased a '03 Solaris Lite, T-2475, and are fortunate that the two previous owners maintained all the documentation. The instructions for cleaning the aluminum skin state "Coated with Krystal Koting to prevent minor scratches and dents. Do not wax. Wash, as you would your car, with soap and water. Clean stubborn spots with Fantastc, mineral spirits or black streak remover." Since our unit has over ten years of weathering, I have to doubt the continued effects of the original coating, and would like to hear what products others have found to be helpful in maintaining the exterior of their units.

[henryj]

Our 2499 had fiberglass, but since no one else has picked up this thread yet... There is an old thread somewhere back in '08 or so when many members had fairly new Sunlines and wanted to do the right thing.

Krystal Kote is the bumpy surface on the aluminum siding. Because it's not smooth and glossy like a car, wax does not improve the look and seems a wasted effort. However, wax does still add a slippery coating that sheds water and dirt, makes washing and drying easier, and, most importantly, black streaks are much easier to remove than resorting to expensive chemicals with all kinds of health warnings. After waxing, black streaks can be wiped off with a dry or slightly damp towel. I find the used buffing cloth to be particularly effective for removing black streaks. As the wax wears off, the streaks stick more and the best remover is a fresh application of wax on the problem area. Black streak remover, dish and laundry detergent remove wax and really shouldn't be used on any vehicle. Use an automotive soap and any wax you like. I've found Gel-Gloss to be be very good on fiberglass, but I think on aluminum plain wax without all kinds of abrasive polishing additives is best. The baked on finish on the aluminum is surprisingly thin--not at all multi-layered like automotive--and relatively easy to remove with aggressive polishing.

So, definitely wax your tt like any car or truck and travel with a container of wax for quick black streak clean up in the campground... If that's important to you.

Henry

[Tourist]

Henry, Thanks for your informative reply. We'll take it from here, we just didn't want to commit an unforgivable sin against the Krystal Kote that would render it unsightly forever.

[mainah]

If you have black streaks what I have found is Bar keepers friend it will get the marks off of fiberglass and aluminum. It has Oxalic acid in it so ware gloves it won't hurt the siding oh and it does a great job on the sink too! I had a fiberglass Toyota MH that had been parked under trees for years and that was the only thing that would touch it.

[johnj]

Does anybody know where I can get new decals? Or something similar? I tried ebay and all the other sites, HELP!!

[JohnB]

Hi Gmcc,

Sorry for the late response. Been camping

This post may be of help and on Page 2 are pics of my 2004 where up top the coating is starting to shed as well.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...ote-13184.html

At this time I have not tried to get it all off or to some how restore it. To wash the camper I use a product called Awesome and a Mr Clean magic eraser on tuff areas. Wet camper, use diluted Awesome in a bucket, long pole car washing brush, scrub and then rinse well. Do not let it site on the siding a long time as the black streaks dry back on again. And rinse well as we had one member leave it on a long time and it took the pain off in places. Keep a wet edge so to speak. The Magic eraser on the peeling Krystal coat sort of blends it and removes the loose pieces.

For reasons not yet known, I only have this problem on the top front of the camper where the bugs and wind beat into the camper while towing. The rest of the camper is fine. And I can attest this coating does a good thing for camper. My camper was in a hail storm a few years ago and the coating saved it. The decal strip on the side of the camper is not coated and it took the hail hit. When the sun shines on the decal strip just right, you can see the hail marks but nothing on the coated siding. I'm sold on it. The coated siding does clean a little harder, but not that bad.

Hope this helps

John

[gmcc]

I ended up using an automotive degreaser on the majority of the cxamper trying to be careful on how long it stayed on. It actually worked well n even the badspots that look like a coating is peeling the peeling is only on the front of the cxamper where like you takes the bug hits and wind while towing thanks for the the replies ... I'm camping at the beach and have found a leak ... More fun when I don't have all my tools.

[JerryJ]

On my 1985 T1350 I found by giving your TT hot wash with carwash soap. Then I will polish the finish with any good brand of polish, Meguiars, Mothers or Turtle. I know there are other brands but at least stick with a brand name.

After I polish and buff, I return to do it all over again with a good quality Carnauba wax and buff. I now prefer a good past wax over the liquid waxes. Personal choice only. BTW when you use your favorite buffing terry-towels never use fabric softener in the dryer. The chemicals in the fabric softener don't mix well with the buffing of the waxing compounds. (per Meguiars specialist online). Wash your buffing towel with your usual laundry detergent in hot water (the HOT water melts that residual wax and flushes it away)

Even the best wax on the market is only good for 30 days due to UV and other elements as stated by manufacture pros and classic car pros. If you decide to wash your trailer or car and in another day or 2 or week after a wax job then only use a cold water wash with as little car wash soap and you can get away with. Hot water washing tends to melt any polish/wax that has been applied.

Today's cars have clear coats and using dish washing soap has lanoline in it and lanoline will attach and break down the clear coat. I DON"T know what lanolin does to the enamel surface on TTs. I just use a good car wash soap for everything. Personal choice has taught me to use a micro fiber cloth to remove excess water from the surface instead of a chamois. I heard that a chamois can do something to the clear coat surface. I don't know if that's true or bogus. I just got use to using a microfiber cloth and I love the end result.

After a quick wash on my Explorer I will use a Quick Wax and buff to bring back the luster. Haven't done that yet to the TT....yet.
Don't forget to polish or wax your head light lenses and tail light lenses. Polishing and waxing fill the pores and keeps the plastics free from being dull and perks up the sheen on the plastic.

These are tips I have learned over the years from a few major manufactures, not to mention classics car guys. This all depends how serious or anal you could be about the care of your vehicle or TT. Sorry for the longer post

[Coutch]

Thanks you all for the very useful information.

[vcrt]

I just came across this post and it is timely, since I've noticed the same thing on my 2007 2499. At first, I thought it was something from being on the road that had coated the front of the camper during our last trip out about a month ago. I tried removing it with mineral spirits, wax and grease remover, alcohol and as Mainah mentioned, Barkeepers friend. Some of it came off with one of the solvents, but only a little. Then, after looking closely at the surface and comparing it to the sides and rear of the camper, which still look as good as when they were new, I could see that the fine texture was present only on the places that seemed to be flaking off. The rest was a smoother surface.

My memory is terrible lately, so I can't say for sure, but earlier this year, I may have decided to use Turtle wax Ice synthetic wax on the entire front of the camper and not just the decals as I had been doing. Like I said, bad memory, so I'm not completely sure I did this, but I was thinking initially that it might be the wax peeling that caused this. However, it does look to me now to be the top layer of the Krystal Kote that is peeling as John said.

I'm unhappy that this once beautiful finish has been compromised, but it may be my own fault. That's the only reason I can see for it happening on the front only. And on my camper, it is not just on the top section, but lower down on the corrugated section as well. The flaking part appears to be a little darker than the smooth parts, making it look like dirty blotches.

Has anyone who has had this problem previously waxed their Krystal Kote?
Thanks,
Rich

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by vcrt

I'm unhappy that this once beautiful finish has been compromised, but it may be my own fault. That's the only reason I can see for it happening on the front only. And on my camper, it is not just on the top section, but lower down on the corrugated section as well. The flaking part appears to be a little darker than the smooth parts, making it look like dirty blotches.

Has anyone who has had this problem previously waxed their Krystal Kote?
Thanks,
Rich

Hi Rich,

Having a few of my own Sunline project campers, the Krystal Kote flaking off is only on the front. Just in my cases, it is the top of the front large siding piece at the roof line seam region. It seems the sun and towing wind/beating on that area makes the problem more pronounced.

I have not seen it below the large top piece of siding, yet anyway. And I myself do not wax the siding, but it does get some 303 UV protectant once in a while on the siding from wiping over decals. The decal strip across the front wall I do 303 treat, but that one piece of siding is only painted white, it is thinner then the rest of the siding and the long decal siding piece does not have the Krystal Kote, on the front, sides and back wall. I believe Sunline rolled that siding piece to form the shape. They put the decal on when it was flat, then ran the siding through a roll former creating the ripples in it. And pressing the decal adhesive on very well in the process. I do not know that for sure, but it does look like that from all the Sunlines I have has apart.

Hope this helps

John

[vcrt]

Hi John,
I remember watching the Sunline factory tour video and they did apply the stripe to a flat aluminum strip, then rolled it. I would think the added pressure from the rollers helped the adhesion.

I was looking at the siding again last night after washing the camper and I noticed that the flaking has occurred down to a certain point. That point is at the top of my stone guard. I made this stone guard shortly after buying this 2499 to prevent dents in the aluminum siding on the front. So, apparently, the stone guard prevented flaking to the siding directly behind it while anything above it is flaking. Oh, by the way, the top curved panel where yours is flaking is not flaking on mine. It's just on the corrugated panels on the front and only above the stone guard.
If it was something from the road, I don't understand why I don't also see any evidence of it on my TV.
Rich

[vcrt]

looking again after the siding dried, I can see that the upper siding that comes down from the roof is also beginning to flake off. I remember reading on Krystal Kotes website that this finish was supposed to be extremely durable. I guess it got to the end of its life.
Rich

[vcrt]

One more observation, looking at the front siding, I can see the flaking in a vertical streaked pattern. I think this means that whatever has been causing the top coating to flake off is coming off of the roof
Cleaner or protectant? I don't know, but it makes sense that it would happen only on the front since that is the only siding that will have rain water running over it in large amounts. The sides have gutters and at the back, at least on Sunlines back to about the late 90's or so, there is a molding at the rear edge that keeps most of the water from running down the back of the camper.
Rich

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by vcrt

One more observation, looking at the front siding, I can see the flaking in a vertical streaked pattern. I think this means that whatever has been causing the top coating to flake off is coming off of the roof
Cleaner or protectant? I don't know, but it makes sense that it would happen only on the front since that is the only siding that will have rain water running over it in large amounts. The sides have gutters and at the back, at least on Sunlines back to about the late 90's or so, there is a molding at the rear edge that keeps most of the water from running down the back of the camper.
Rich

Hi Rich,

I'm not really sure that it is a cleaner product issue. I wash my camper roof often and the sides get splashed with the same cleaner as the front, and all get hosed off the same. But yet, the front seems to get the flaking issue the worst as reports on this over the years by other members too.

I do use 303 UV protectant on the roof. But again water run off when the T310SR lived outside, the nose was normally higher just due to lay of the land at out old place. More water went off the sides and back.

I have never really figured out the reason why it affects the top front on mine. And in my case, it is only the top front and as others have reported. Your reports of the lower siding above the knee bend showing it is, news.

Someday with enough of us reporting on this, we may get a combination to help explain it.

Something that does affect the top front is, towing wind. There more ones tows, the more wind that area gets. Not sure towing wind is the main factor, but it may aggravate something else going in being blasted with 60 mph winds or higher going down the highway. If there is a lot of dust in the air, that winds on top can be a mini sand blaster.

[vcrt]

That may be it, since its the only surface receiving the wind, but the vertical streak pattern is what led me to think it had something to do with the water running off the roof.
Still a mystery apparently.
Rich