Clean Lower Skirt

[Splam]

The lower skirt on my 5th wheel is a slightly textured material. I believe the former owner tried to wax it at one time. It has white powdery look to it. What is the best produce to clean and protect it from everyone's experience.

Thank you

[bsmith0404]

The lower skirt is typically just a
Painted aluminum. If it textured, then it could be something like a bed liner. I don’t have that finish on mine and don’t recall seeing it from the factory. I would confirm the finish that is on it before choosing a product to clean/finish it. Hopefully someone is familiar with what you have and can make a recommendation.

[JRTJH]

Some J-wrap is textured. I've seen a "brushed finish" and a "pebble finish" in the aluminum type. If it's a "white powdery film" on it, then it may be salt corrosion to the aluminum, under the finish. I'd take some very close looks at exactly what's there. It may not be a "deteriorating wax" but a "deteriorating aluminum"....

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Some J-wrap is textured. I've seen a "brushed finish" and a "pebble finish" in the aluminum type. If it's a "white powdery film" on it, then it may be salt corrosion to the aluminum, under the finish. I'd take some very close looks at exactly what's there. It may not be a "deteriorating wax" but a "deteriorating aluminum"....

Like John pointed out aluminum will often "chalk" when it corrodes. I'd take a look at the back side and see if it looks the same.

[sourdough]

My last trailer had "textured" J wrap. I also agree that the OP needs to figure out what it is that's on that metal vs just throwing something on it to see what happens...it could make it much worse. If it's just dried wax take a wet coarse cloth and scrub it good and see if it won't come off in a small area. If so remove it all then cover the Jwrap with Aerospace 303 and wipe it down.

[Splam]

The lower skirt is painted alluminium and is not corroded. As I said it appears to be wax that is difficult to remove due to the textured nature of the finish. I was hoping other owners that had this type of skirt material knew of a good product to clean and protect it in the future.

[sourdough]

"Appears" then making assumptions can lead to trouble. Just try cleaning it as I suggested. I've had the material but knew better than to put either a paste wax or "drying" type of wax on it. If that is all it is then it's pure labor to remove because it is in every crevice by every dimple. Once removed (work) IMO you use things that protect but not thick wax. As I mentioned 303 or you can use the wash wax all I am linking;

https://www.amazon.com/Aero-Cosmetic...ps%2C88&sr=8-3

I buy the above and use it twice yearly (because it's easy) then have the trailer waxed once a year if I don't do it myself. I will note that I keep my trailer in a protected storage facility unless we're traveling or getting ready to.

[bsmith0404]

One thing you could try to use is a 30% solution of isopropyl alcohol. Don’t go stronger than that, it can soften and bubble the paint. Also don’t leave the 30% solution on for a long time. It works great for stripping wax. When I have used it in the past, I always worked in small areas at a time and followed up with a soap and water wash within 30 mins.

[flybouy]

If it's wax I'd take a bucket of warm water with Dawn dish soap solution and brush it on with a soft brush. Brush it on, let it set for a few min and brush again. Don't allow it to dry and rinse it well.

[hawghauler]

Test an unseen area use isopropyl alcohol mixed with water 90% IPA and water mixed 50/ 50