Poor finish on front/rear caps?

[OldSlowHans]

We have a 2011 Big Country. The front and rear caps have been a constant headache to keep in good shape.

The finish has NOT been neglected. I clean and wax the exterior twice a year using decent products (Maguair "Flagship" and similar good brands).

Despite a LOT of hard work the front and rear caps will not hold a shine. The side walls look "better than factory new", but the caps look like the rig has stood neglected in the desert at Quartzite for 25 years or so.

Is there a treatment/product/procedure that will help me. We really like the rig, but it's an eyesore!

 

[jnbhobe]

Yes there is, Paint and clearcoat !!!

 

[danemayer]

Hans,

If you have the caps that have the color embedded in the gelcoat, rather than paint, you may not be able to do much. Rumor is that the gelcoat vendor didn't put in enough UV protection for a short period. A number of 2011 caps have had severe fading. The corrective action is to paint.

 

[rxbristol]

Another option is to vinyl wrap it.

 

[hoefler]

Zep High Traffic Floor Polish will restore the shine and is easy to apply and maintain.

 

[Lynn1130]

Sorry but neither ZEP or any other superficial coating, wax, or polymer is going to help in your situation. The 2011s and I think some of the years after were a problem due to a lack of UV protection in the gel coat UNDER the clear coat. You cannot repair the problem without removing the clear, so trying some coating is futile. The grays are mainly affected and mine started to go about a year after I bought it. It starts out as a few spots of oxidation and slowly spreads to the entire front and back if you have the same coloring. In my case the gray front had to be removed, painted and recleared. The back is white and has not been affected. Heartland was helping with this repair at one point and if you are the first owner you might give them a call and ask but I would not get my hopes up at this late date.

Price varies by vendor and location but costs for redo that I heard ran from $1500 to $3500. That was just the front cap.