Hi All
I have a 2002 Familia. The white top is polished to perfection (nearly) .
The bottom half is a matt grey\ silver, tried wax but it leaves smears.
Anyone got any advice on cleaning the matt paint.

Thanks in advance
Paul

wax is a finishing product

to bring back shine you could use a clay bar or very lighly compound the paint is very thin so prolonged compounding would remove paint
perhaps t cut?
I use meguires the red bottles for stage polishing cleaning on sides
edited to add a link
meguires

Agger is the one who knows

I used Fenwicks caravan cleaner and then Bobby Dazzler
http://www.fenwicks.info/caravan/index.p...ner-concentrate
I used a soft brush (the sort with a hose connection) on its own and a two gallon bucket
with the caravan cleaner in, wash with the mixture rinse off as you go.

Hi Paul is it matt smooth or matt dimpled finish?

I have no experience as good as the ones above, but what about a silicon based liquid cleaner such as autoglym back to black? try it on a small bit out of view first though. Although you have to be careful not to polish it as that defeats the object of Matt.

Ours is an 04 Troll so I'm assuming your silver / grey is the same as ours but unpolished? I have attached a photo I took yesterday, our van stays outside all year round with no cover, it was washed just before New year (I think, can't be bothered to check, as at most I'm a couple of days out!).

Please don't take offence at this, but when waxing / polishing less is more. We often (myself included) normally apply to much wax / polish, wheras all you really need is a very thin coat (you can layer up) which gives a deeper shine with good quality waxes / polish.

I use and recommend Harly wax (available on ebay from johhny woods) and Collinite, Meguiars is another I like.

Polish is a cutting agent, and as paint is very thin on Eriba's you need to be careful how much pressure / force you use during application, I use cheap good quality sponge applicators for applying it, either by hand or machine.

Wax is the finish which will protect the previously polished surface.

I'll be back in a minute just need to take a photo!!! Thats done, the scruffy piece of paper in the photo shows how many coats of wax our car has had in 17 months!!! Sad I know, but I like clean!

When we got our van, we bought it from Lechlade and it was 13 months old, I look after it BUT I don't mess with it, I service it (easy) and I clean it, internally, externally and I take pride in doing it, as I do with all my possessions, it's who I am, it's what I am.

If I can help at all please ask and once again please do not take offence at my spelling it out, I mean none

Agger, you have now thrown another spanner int he works! That does look like one clean shiny baby, but do you never put a winter cover on? and do you have any trees near by?

Never use a cover, they are quite a modern thing, before that people did use tarpaulins! But not for me, we have a small copse with several trees at the back left and our neighbour has out of control leylandi on the far side of there garden. The Eriba has been washed once over New Year & thats it!

mmm, so many on here advise to use a cover as it protects from the elements when not in use, but a Salesman said he wouldn't bother with covers! then you have some say the GRP roof degrades so a cover makes sense!!! ohh whats one to do!

keep applying the uv polish
the cover could extend the uv properties in polish on roof so reduces the amount of eriba hugs given throughout year
just depends on your circumstances time ect.
a cover would not last here with the winds.

Quote: Taffy wrote in post #9

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mmm, so many on here advise to use a cover as it protects from the elements when not in use, but a Salesman said he wouldn't bother with covers! then you have some say the GRP roof degrades so a cover makes sense!!! ohh whats one to do!

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Thanks for all the replies, I am ordering fenwicks caravan cleaner and bobby dazzler.
Paul