Re: [A/S] RV Cover

[Charlie/Betty Burke <cbburke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>hi charlie and others
>i didn't say that everyone elses experience was nonsense. i said most of the 
>warnings not to use a cover come from folks who have never used one or HAD any 
>first hand experience with one (hearing from a later owner that an earlier owner 
>did......still isn't first hand experience) and they are just passing on what some 
>one else has said, or saying something they believe....with out any facts. 
>  
>
Passing along experience, not necessarily one's own used to be 
considered learning from the lessons of other. It isn't necessary to 
step in front of a moving vehicle to know that it is going to hurt a 
little, is it?  Were it being done maliciously or with intend to do harm 
one could argue that passing along such advise is "nonsense". In this 
particular case however the advise is steeped in history and based on 70 
years of experience. Many have tried to use covers of many types, yours 
seems to be the only one to succeed.

> 
>i like the word nonsense to describe this jibberish, and i like that this rubs some enough to respond.....imagine a thread with lots of different folks chiming in with spirited comments....much better reading than "do this, don't do this, stop talking about trucks, and trim the old posts.....boring!!
>  
>
If you sole intent is to generate "jibberish:" (gibberish) in response 
to your posts you might want to make a similarly worded comment about 
the Hensley Arrow hitch. Of course if you want to make a more positive 
contribution to the common knowledge you could rethink your selection of 
words to be somewhat less belittling.

> 
>it's great to know a dealer is on the list who can share their first hand stories 
>with us....can't wait for more.
>  
>
I've been on this list since it's inception. Hunter needs me. ;)

> 
>as you surely know the original plasticoat was a flexible lacquer and contained 
>no u.v. protective element. the original plasticoat was good for 4-5 years tops, 
>and less if abused. all older coachs have either pealed, are pealing, have had the 
>peeling buffed/sanded or other wise screwed up, or fully stripped, or recoated and 
>starting to peel again....
>  
>
the original clearcote was developed in the late 50's to slow down the 
oxidation of new coaches sitting on dealers lots. Airstream did not 
start applying it until the early 60's. Prior to it's use it typically 
required the owner to remove oxidation and apply Glass Wax at least 
twice a year. The clearcote was intended to extend that service 
interval, no more. It was later discovered that using Walbernize on the 
clearcote slowed down the evaporation of the flex agent in the coating 
and extended the life of the coating along with putting a little shine 
on the coach. It was never intended to be a long lived finish. Frequent 
use of Walbernize and protected, non contact covering were found to be 
the best ways to extend the life of the finish.

> the new finish applied by alcoa to the panels before shipment to airstream is 
>very different and more like an automotive clearcoat (actually it's two 
>layers...the first sticks to aluminum and the second sticks to the base coat) this 
>started in 1999. since you're a dealer maybe you can tell us what this coating is 
>called? it has a specific product name. and will likely last 3-5 years tops too. 
>since the rounded areas get that way by stretching/moulding the already coated 
>panels, i predict they will all show coating issues in 2-4 years on the rounded 
>sections....lets watch.
>  
>
the new finish is a flourocarbon based product. As it requires a 
controlled environment to apply and can not be done elsewhere it's 
specifics are proprietary. The first full field test of the product was 
done on a Bambi that was parked in Arizona's sunshine. After several 
years of exposure the factory went ahead with the new process starting 
in Aug. of 98 on the Excella/Classic and including the Bambi/Safari's as 
they ran out of the old metal. The continued performance of the test 
unit suggests the new finish will be as close to life time as possible. 
Of course nothing is perfect so who knows. With the introduction of the 
new finish the  recommendation to use Walbernize was  altered to a good 
automotive  product.

>anyway should one choose to use a cover they need understand it's limitations and 
>the risks of a crappy cover. a well made one with a cotton/flannel inner layer 
>bonded to goretex and an outer layer of poly proplylene will brock uv light, keep 
>of tree sap, bird dropping and tree leaves/needles. sap, bird shit and pine 
>needles ...which are all acidic and will etch the finish (older and newer). pine 
>sap, oversprays and other industrial fallout will stick to the surface if exposed. 
>a cover prevents this. so prep for waxing with meguires or mothers is easier and 
>wax works better.
> 
>by the way the new units have panel coating but the window frames and trim and 
>rivets are bare aluminum so they will oxidize sooner and need a wax coating sooner 
>and more often.
> 
>you say "The clearcote finish on an Airstream is designed to slow down oxidation 
>and discoloring of the aluminum, not to protect it from the environment. 
>That's what Walbernize and the like are for."
> 
>if the clear coat offers no protect as you indicate, that would suggest a cover 
>is all the more important since it does offer protection.
> 
>yes walbernize helps a little but these products are really old formulations and 
>mostly crap! if it werent for old airstreamers singing it's praise, they'd die a 
>rightful death....or make better formulations.
>  
>
There you go again. Walbernize when it was introduced was way ahead of 
its time for the job. It actually sealed, hence it's name, the finish 
and slowed down the evaporation of the more volatile flex agent 
component of the clearcote. Other available product could not do that. 
Time has show that Walbernize did exactly what it was intended to do. Of 
course times change and new better product are developed but that 
doesn't mean it is crap. There a lot of Airstreams out there with the 
old finish that benefit from the protection Walbernize offers. Newer 
clearcotes don't need a sealing protectant, the old stuff does.

> 
>as for waxing any good carnanuba wax or poly sealant wax works great on an 
>airstream. even the owners manual makes no reference to walbernize.....but does 
>say to use a quality wax.
>yes they sell walbernize but only because of the small loyal following  the myth 
>has fostered.
> 
>there are products that go on easier, buff off easier, last longer and give a 
>better shine. but for the best results the finish must be cleaned first with 
>soap/water/clay/cleaner waxes/polishes and so on before the protective layer is 
>applied. using a cover reduces the amount of prep time since most of the big crap 
>never made it to the surface.
> 
>sure a trailer could show signs of poor cover contact where the coating is 
>peeling unevenly but it would be peeling anyway just with a different pattern. the 
>cover didn't cause the peeling.
>  
>
I've seen wear patterns were the cover removed the clearcote not the 
other way around.
Cover or no cover, anything that rubs on the skin of an Airstream, no 
matter what finish is on it will create a wear pattern. Even metal or 
hard plastic grommets typical of many covers would cause a scratch if 
allowed to contact the skin during installation or removal.

> 
>besides a waffle texture pattern on a coach would look pretty cool....so of like 
>diamond plate. 
> 
>my cover was commonly known and used in the auto cover community.....search car 
>covers or evolution 3/4 and many makers willl come up....including mine.
>  
>
Did your recommended search on car covers and got 569,000 hits. Care to 
narrow it down a little for us. On evolution 3/4 , got 288 hits starting 
with Wilson shoes, and Mitsubishi Lancer. Why not just tell us what the 
brand is?