How many pads for a motorcoach?

**jcdata** · 09-08-2021, 09:33 AM

Hi!

This is my 2nd question I just signed on the form so bear with me. I've been watching some of your videos Mike and I can say they are truly informative.

Anyhow I'm planning to detail my vehicles and my motorcoach. And after watching your videos I just realized....I don't think I have enough pads especially for the motorcoach and possibly our SUV!

The bus is 42 by 13' tall and 102" wide...with the slides out it s nearly 13'. This vehicle has been well taken care of by the original owners and lived in a climate controlled garage. It primarily saw most of its life with Turtle Wax car wash and carnuba's mother's wax. I see slight swirls and the paint.

I have attached the photo of the coach in question

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**chilly** · 09-08-2021, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by jcdata

Hi!

This is my 2nd question I just signed on the form so bear with me. I've been watching some of your videos Mike and I can say they are truly informative.

Anyhow I'm planning to detail my vehicles and my motorcoach. And after watching your videos I just realized....I don't think I have enough pads especially for the motorcoach and possibly our SUV!

The bus is 42 by 13' tall and 102" wide...with the slides out it s nearly 13'. This vehicle has been well taken care of by the original owners and lived in a climate controlled garage. It primarily saw most of its life with Turtle Wax car wash and carnuba's mother's wax. I see slight swirls and the paint.

I have attached the photo of the coach in question

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

I have been in the same situation and the first question is have you done a test spot or several test spots and know just what pad and product you will be using

I kept my coach up and did a yearly once around with an AIO and then waxed as needed

I used 6 pads and worked until those pads were all gunked up and stopped for the day, washed them, and then kept that up for a few days until I was done

Between the labor of moving ladders around and extension cords tugging on me that was all I could handle

But I’m also old and retired and had not much else to do

Try a test spot and go from there

What polisher and pads do you currently have, what products are you used to using, etc

The more info we get the better

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**noorth** · 09-09-2021, 05:10 PM

Thats a crazy detail man! I would prefer at least 20 medium pads for something like that - rupes yellow foam or wool comes to mind, they have a bigger face, the foam, so it will be more efficient then some pads - if you plan to just spend one day at it. But honestly it would take me a solid week to do something like that. And i really couldn't see me not using a waterless wash to prep the panels before polishing, after one good bucket wash on the whole unit. I'm a big fan of mckee's N914. Wolfgang makes a straight waterless too i think.

Good luck!

**chilly** · 09-09-2021, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by noorth

Thats a crazy detail man! I would prefer at least 20 medium pads for something like that - rupes yellow foam or wool comes to mind, they have a bigger face, the foam, so it will be more efficient then some pads - if you plan to just spend one day at it. But honestly it would take me a solid week to do something like that.

Good luck!

What I should have said is the FIRST thing the OP needs to do, even before a test spot, is to decide on his expectations

My first coach was only 32’ long and I quickly learned that swirls I would never allow on my car were perfectly fine on a coach

Actually it’s easier than it looks in one respect

It’s 90% flat surfaces and with a 6-7” pad you just start doing squares

No dips or valleys or swoopy fenders and stuff

But it’s also 99% vertical so you are supporting the weight of the machine and cord 100% of the time except for doing the roof

It’s a job, that’s for sure

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**Rsurfer** · 09-09-2021, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by chilly

I have been in the same situation and the first question is have you done a test spot or several test spots and know just what pad and product you will be using

I kept my coach up and did a yearly once around with an AIO and then waxed as needed

I used 6 pads and worked until those pads were all gunked up and stopped for the day, washed them, and then kept that up for a few days until I was done

Between the labor of moving ladders around and extension cords tugging on me that was all I could handle

But I’m also old and retired and had not much else to do

Try a test spot and go from there

What polisher and pads do you currently have, what products are you used to using, etc

The more info we get the better

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You didn't bring that land yacht to Molokai?

**chilly** · 09-09-2021, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Rsurfer

You didn't bring that land yacht to Molokai?

Nope, I’d get to the end of the highways and have to leave it

Nowhere big enough to turn it around

Plus filling a 150 gallon tank at the prices here would bankrupt me

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**chilly** · 09-09-2021, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by noorth

Thats a crazy detail man! I would prefer at least 20 medium pads for something like that - rupes yellow foam or wool comes to mind, they have a bigger face, the foam, so it will be more efficient then some pads - if you plan to just spend one day at it. But honestly it would take me a solid week to do something like that. And i really couldn't see me not using a waterless wash to prep the panels before polishing, after one good bucket wash on the whole unit. I'm a big fan of mckee's N914. Wolfgang makes a straight waterless too i think.

Good luck!

I actually did exactly what you are suggesting

Initial bucket wash and then when I was polishing I would clean top to bottom using ONR and wash a section about 4-5 feet wide by 2-3 feet and then do 2 polishing sections with 3D Speed and work my way down repeating the ONR for a section and Polish

When I got to the bottom I’d go back up and wax/sealant my way down

That was a day for me

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**noorth** · 09-09-2021, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by chilly

I actually did exactly what you are suggesting

Initial bucket wash and then when I was polishing I would clean top to bottom using ONR and wash a section about 4-5 feet wide by 2-3 feet and then do 2 polishing sections with 3D Speed and work my way down repeating the ONR for a section and Polish

When I got to the bottom I’d go back up and wax/sealant my way down

That was a day for me

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm curious, why don't you use periods? I picked up on it a few times now

**noorth** · 09-09-2021, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by chilly

I actually did exactly what you are suggesting

Initial bucket wash and then when I was polishing I would clean top to bottom using ONR and wash a section about 4-5 feet wide by 2-3 feet and then do 2 polishing sections with 3D Speed and work my way down repeating the ONR for a section and Polish

When I got to the bottom I’d go back up and wax/sealant my way down

That was a day for me

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Must of been a lot of work.

Personally i would of used 3D One probably if i was going to go over the surface with an LSP after using an AIO. Any medium polish.

**chilly** · 09-09-2021, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by noorth

I'm curious, why don't you use periods? I picked up on it a few times now

Well, the post you quoted contained one long sentence and subsequent sentences were broken out as separate one sentence paragraphs

It’s a habit left over from my years with the court system and the way they taught us to communicate with judges

Each separate thought or topic is broken out as a self standing sentence

Where it came from I can’t say but I did it long enough that it has stuck with me

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