Removing scratches from the gel coat

I just came back from a 6,400 mile, 6 week trip with the Bighorn and didn't have any issues.

So of course, on the way into the driveway at home, the very last part of the trip, I sideswiped the neighbors pine tree. I then proceeded to make things worse by jockeying back and forth to get out of the mess.

Bottom line, I ended up with scratches in large portions of the gel coat finish on the passenger side of the fifth wheel.

They aren't very deep, but it is clear that the marks won't wash off.

Any suggestions? Buff them out with an orbital?

thanks

Wet sand with 800 or 1000 grit sandpaper then maybe a rubbing compound followed by a good wax.

Try one of those “magic erasers” from your local market before using anything more abrasive.

jerryjay11 said:

Wet sand with 800 or 1000 grit sandpaper then maybe a rubbing compound followed by a good wax.

Click to expand...

Possibly go sequentially to a 3000 grit wet paper, then use polishing cream, not compound. Same way I repaired deep scratches in our Hanex countertop.


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Before you dive into sanding, you might just be able to get the scratches out with your orbital buffer using wax or polishing compound.
Try the easy stuff first.

Peace
Dave

YouTube, scratches out of gel coat, they do it with an orbital sander/buffer in the few that I've watched. I have some big ones from trees on the upper reaches of my Landmark!


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Oldelevatorman said:

YouTube, scratches out of gel coat, they do it with an orbital sander/buffer in the few that I've watched. I have some big ones from trees on the upper reaches of my Landmark!


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Click to expand...

I think we probably ALL have scratches to some extent. Don't ask me why I think that.

WB

Thank you all for the suggestions. I decided to start with gentle cleaning and some hand polishing and take it from there.

I spent most of yesterday washing the fifth wheel and working on the scratches. In the end, they are mostly gone and the fifth wheel looks pretty good!

First I just washed the whole rig with Meguiar's wash and wax (pink stuff bought at Costco). This removed some of the tree sap from the scratches and reduced their appearance somewhat.

Then I scrubbed with a Scotch Brite non-scratch plastic scrub pad. This again took off more sap and reduced the scratches.

Then I polished with Gel-Gloss RV Heavy Duty Cleaner and Wax. I ended up doing the whole passenger side of the rig with this stuff. (This was the side that had the encounter with the pine tree). It cleaned up the scratches even more.

When I was finished, the scratches in the gel coat areas were mostly gone. The scratches on the decals were reduced, but not as much as the gel coat, so they actually are more visible.

Thanks again for your suggestions.