To Rockpick, or anyone else who might know:

What is the proper way of detailing say, a fiberglass tonneau cover. Correct me if I'm wrong, but washing and waxing is ok, but polishing is not. From what I understand, fiberglass is much softer than the paint, so that's why it's safest not to polish it. Am I right?

Thanks.

FL

 

I polish my Leer cap and don't have a problem.

Just thinking;
the polish should affect the clear coat first, then the paint before getting to the fiberglass (that's if your not careful). I could be wrong, but like I said I've never had a problem.

 

Moving up to General Care....

Response to follow....

 

You're generally correct in that fiberglass is softer than painted metal but, there is little difference in care for something like a tonneau.

Here's the scoop as I know it...

A LEER or ARE hard tonneau cover (just to name a couple of painted brands) are molded out of fiberglass and then painted and ultimately, clear coated in a very very similar manner just like the paint on our trucks. In short, the paint that you're working on with a polish or wax on a fiberglass tonneau cover is nearly identical to the paint that is on your fender or hood. (I don't know the specifics as to if LEER or ARE are catalyzed finishes however).

Treat it just like you would your hood.

One thing that I would caution... I doubt the clear coat on the fiberglass tonneau is as thick as what it would be on the hood (I don't know this; just a hunch) and thus, you would need to pay careful attention to utilizing aggressive polishes (like Diamond Cut #85) as you may run the risk of burning through in short order.

A boat is similar to this however; most fiberglass boats receive a final coat of 'gel-coat' at the end. My understanding is that this is very similar to clear coat (on autos) but is more durable to withstand a marine environment (where water is a constant enemy). Further, I know polishing scratches out of a gel coat is MUCH more difficult than a car's clear.

Food for thought...


RP

 

Thanks...

what about #83 though? 6 on the cutting scale.

 

Hey RP,

I believe this was mis-placed into general discussion.

 

The link that you see in General Discussion automatically forwards you up to the General Care forum. It's just a re-directing link as I've already moved the thread...


I'm not sure on the #83 on a gel coat. It's a fairly agressive product.... I'll do a tad of research and see what I can report back to you with...


RP

 

RockPick,

I can't believe I've got to do this, but I must correct the master. There is actually a pretty big difference between boats and a hard tonneau as far as the outside finish goes. All boats (and hard tonneaus) are built from the outside - in. That is, they start out with the outer most layer, then work in.

The outer most layer in a boat is gelcoat. It is sprayed into the mold first and is then followed up with various layers to add strength. The gel is generally colored and some manufacturers actually build the graphics into the gel. Using this process, the hull (and / or deck) literally pop out of the mold with all of the colors and patterns intact.

Some other manufacturers start with one base color gelcoat (such as white) and pop the boat out of the mold in one color - then add graphics using special paint later in the production process. In either process, the manufacturer has the option of clearcoating the entire boat later, but only a few do because of the cost. Translation: On most boats the outer layer is gelcoat.

On tonneau covers, the construction process also starts with a barrier coat - generaly gelcoat - then adds material for strength. The difference is that most tonneaus receive a coat (or multiple coats) of paint to better match the vehicle color. Translation: On most tonneaus, the outer layer is paint. Oh yea, and paint is much more resistant to fading than gelcoat. Hope that helps!

 

Thanks for the reply there 2stroked. I certainly stand corrected but, I was reporting and regurgitating information that I had gathered at my ARE dealership locally. They mentioned that the build process was different and that there was a clear on top of the paint. Further, in ARE's case, they said that the paint was matched at the factory and thus, they didn't have to do any painting in house (although he admitted that it happened on about 10% of the covers due to fading etc). Maybe that's true for ARE? Heck, i don't know... I certainly trust your opinion more than this guy who I don't know from Adam.

Thanks again.

RP

 

RP,

No problem. I was just trying to add to your already incredible level of knowledge. What it really boils down to is with fiberglass (with a gelcoat finish), you generally have a whole lot more to buff off with no problems. With fiberglass and a painted finish, you don't have as much of a safety blanket. You wouldn't believe how hard you can hit most boats with a buffer and not burn through! Keep up the good work. We all love ya!