RUBBER WHEEL WELL TRIM

[Woody]

What is the proper product for care of these faded wheel well trim pieces?

[Orren Zook]

What is the proper product for care of these faded wheel well trim pieces?

Gloss Black Krylon (or the equivalent)

[Prevost.Rick]

there is a product we used ,it used on airplanes on the front rubber boots of the wings for deicing,to use it clean you rubber with a with a good degreaser,let dry ,apply the shinemaster with a sponge starting at one end to the other do not go back over if there is a dry spot get it on the second coat,finish one coat go to the next wheel well,circle the bus 2 to 3 times and it will shine and last 9 to 12 months,here is the #goodrich 74-451-178 shine master boot treatment,1 pint ,it,,s expensive a bottle will do 20 buses,i found it online

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Over the years I think I have seen everything in the world used on the rubber fenders.

Way back in the olden days I think it was Pacific Coach (possibly the fore runner of Vision Coach?) painted them to match the chassis main color. Others followed and then I think the practice was stopped because the rubber flexes and the paint doesn't. Or at least not as readily.

I have seen guys use Armor All and tire dressing and all sorts of treatments. I almost think we are stuck with those fenders unless we choose to buy the plastic ones and get them painted in the color of our choosing. Ricks suggestion is the type of material I use on the de-ice boots on my plane. I can tell you that it does protect rubber. My boots are 23 years old and are flawless. I follow up the treatment (which inhibits UV) with ICEX which is a top coat not for cosmetics, but to resist the sticking of ice to the boots. The combination of the two is a rich satin black surface. But as Rick points out the cost is steep. Very steep. Personally, my car tires look as good as my plane's de'ice boots and I just use the cheapest tire dressing.

On my bus the fenders are a lost cause. They are not pretty and they are not going to get pretty because I struggled with the fenders on the first coach and I was spending way too much time trying to make them look better, and the effort was not worth the results. It was like putting nail polish on a pig.

[GDeen]

Rick, Jon, you guys with the experience - do you recommend the 303 protectant for rubber pieces?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I used that a long time ago and I can't say it was any better or any worse than anything else out there.

I am literally down to washing the coach and drying it immediately, and about every 5th time I reapply a non petroleum, non silicone based Armor All dressing to the tires. This dressing is about the consistency of mayonaise so it has to be applied with a sponge, and until the first washing it is a greasy mess, but it leaves the tires with a good black finish. I haven't tried it on the fenders because then I will need to use it on the little rubber bumpers, then the wiper arms will need to look better, then I will have to clean the bugs off the satellite dome, and then start polishing the aluminum trim, etc. So I am just minimizing my efforts by not using a lot of different products such as 303. I have to allow time to sit and watch everyone else become slaves to their coach.

[GDeen]

...... I have to allow time to sit and watch everyone else become slaves to their coach.

Addict is the word my wife uses....

[truk4u]

Gordon,

I use the 303 on mine and it seems to work well.