Dear Dave,
I hope you can provide an answer to the question I have about decals being ceramic coated. My RV’s body is gel coat with 3M decals. Detailers all have different answers. My main concern is with ceramic coating. Can decals be ceramic coated or not? I appreciate your time and assistance. —Richard, (USAF, Ret.)
Dear Richard,
First of all, thank you for your service—along with all our readers that served!
For years I have been told by decal manufacturers and suppliers that you should never wax decals or apply any type of “protective shell.” They need to breathe, and wax would enhance the cracking and peeling. Just last year my Sharpline technician confirmed they do not recommend waxing, but rather applying RejeX, as their tests show it doubles the life of the decals, which includes fading. They have a huge test patch outside the facility that has years of different materials and products applied. You can find RejeX on Amazon here.
Ceramic treatment
I know we have discussed this before; however, bear with me as your question is very timely. My wife’s beloved Buick developed a series of issues that I call “financial diarrhea,” so it was time for a different car. She fell in love with a slightly used Audi, but more with the showroom and dealership, I believe! And, of course, in the F&I department, they wanted to upsell everything known to man. I have been working shows and training RV dealers for over 30 years and know all the scams in the industry. I’m still a student of the old hand-applied Meguiar’s® products, so we passed.
However, my wife really wanted the ceramic treatment. She did some extensive research and decided to get a local treatment, as the treatment was guaranteed and registered with CARFAX™. Wow, another angle I had not seen coming.
I must admit, when we picked up the car and after talking with Vincent for a while, I was impressed. I asked him about covering vinyl decals on RVs as I noticed two in his shop. He indicated the Puma in the corner was his and it has the treatment—it looked like new!
Ceramic coating on decals explanation from an expert
I still was not convinced, so I contacted my Sharpline technician and asked specifically about ceramic coatings and got this back.
I inquired to our quality manager, who works a great deal with 3M and our other film suppliers, and found there is no simple yes/no answer to this question. Main reason is there are many variations and manufacturers of “decals” having different formulation characteristics… some are just pigmented films and some are surface screen printed either with solvent or with UV inks and clear coated.
Then there are several suppliers of ceramic coatings. So, unless you have a specific base vinyl and a specific ceramic coating compatibility test done for each combination, then no one is willing to just give a “blanket approval” that it is OK to use in general terms.
That being said, he did say the best course of action would be to test a small area and see if it is successful on that particular formulation before proceeding with the entire unit. We have been told that the ceramic coatings were generally formulated as a surface protectant and should perform to protect the decals as well as the paint. But because of all the different materials available, I can’t offer a definitive OK to use.
Wish I could be more specific but there are just too many variables involved.
That being said, I went back to Vincent and shared what my Sharpline tech had stated, and he agreed with the “variable” issue. That is why he only uses Supreme X and Defender Ceramic Coatings. He will not apply the treatment on an RV that has already started to have the decals fade or crack as they are the cheaper version and nothing will restore them. His RV has had the treatment for over 5 years and the decals are in perfect condition. He washes regularly and applies a “refresher.”
Dawn dish soap
I asked what he recommends cleaning the product with. He stated, “Do Not Use Dawn Dish Soap.” WHAT?! My go-to cleaner for all these years?
We have had this discussion in the past, and I have had many comments that it will deteriorate the finish but have never actually seen any proof of this. However, I have not washed hundreds of RVs and specifically ones with ceramic coatings, or even many with wax. So I guess my test results are a little skewed.
Vincent pointed out that Dawn cuts grease, oil, and other coatings, as shown with the wildlife in Alaska. He has had several customers that got the $800 Ceramic Treatment come back in one year with a dull finish. Every customer gets a bottle of specific cleaner and refresher product. But some old stubborn gearheads like me swear by Dawn, and now these guys swear at Dawn!
Meguiar’s Ceramic Cleaner recommended
He uses a product purchased in bulk designed for ceramic coatings and will be selling it later this summer. However, until then, he recommends Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Cleaner for everything. He also recommends a foam cannon for RVs, as it is easier to keep a larger surface wet. You can find the cleaner on Amazon here.
I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I’m going back to eating my Milk-Bone, then going to drag my behind on the carpet. Don’t worry, the carpet is treated, as well!
You might also enjoy this from Dave
RV decals are cracked and curling. What works best to remove them?
Dear Dave,
I bought this RV from a dealer “as is.” How do I remove the decals and adhesive? The decals are split vertically every 2 inches and curling. We tried an “eraser wheel” and it just gunked up the wheel while only removing a 10”x5” area of decal. I’m 68 and on a very low fixed income. This is my “Plan B” when I can no longer afford rent, but it has to look nice to be allowed in. —Deb, 2007 Keystone Cougar fifth wheel
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR DAVE?
Send your inquiries to him using the form below.
##RVDT2365
The ‘secret’ ingredient in Dawn dish soap is ammonia. In the days before no-wax flooring, not only were floors waxed, the old wax needed to be periodically stripped. The product of choice was household ammonia cleaner. Dawn contains far less ammonia, but it is enough to at least dull any oil based surface. While I love Dawn dish soap, I only use it to spot clean road grease from exterior surfaces that are waxed or depend on internal oils to remain supple like rubber or vinyl.
I wondered about Dawn’s use in cleaning oil from birds if it contained ammonia. I googled and saw several sources not listing ammonia as an ingredient. One of the most comprehensive was at dawn-dish.com. Many of these are difficult to even pronounce for me.
Hey Dave, cool story bro.
Snoopy
Thank you, Dave! 🙂 Lots of interesting and helpful information here! 🙂 Thank you for sharing the chronology, too. I think it supports the conclusions very well, demonstrating they are logically correct. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Excellent Q&A on this subject and timely too! I’ve been researching the ceramic coatings and wondered if it was Ok for fiberglass siding. Wow – there sure is a wide range of foam applicators – hadn’t heard about those! Thanks Richard and Dave!
Any car guy knows that the only reason to wash your car with Dawn is to strip the old wax off in order to apply new wax. Otherwise you use car wash soap like in the article.
Hmmm….not worried about the carpet treatment, but how the carpet is being treated! Does Dawn remove carpet streaks? 🙂