Im in a state of shock …… found a company online to come and valet my van. Wanted inside and outside doing, thinking they would polish & wax the outside after detailing. After he walked all over the roof, he started on the sides and I noticed he was using CIF ! I asked him not to continue with the Cif. When he finished, and because of the language barrier it turned out he only quoted for the outside. I checked on top and there is still green gunk under the solar panel and around sky vents still …… he did steam clean the cushions for me, but made a mess on the carpets……. Im gutted and worried the roof may now leak …..
What should I have expected and how much do you pay ? Im physically unable to do it myself before its suggested ! Thanks
i paid £60 last sept for my caravan (twin axle) to be washed on the outside, the roof was in a terrible state beforehand, he spent 3 hours washing it all off with just water no chemicals involved at all and not once did he climb on the caravan in any way at all and neither should he have done, i was waitng in my car and watching! no way would i have allowed them anywhere near it if they had even thought of doing that, anyway he made an excellent job of the caravan
for the interior you are best doing that yourself as you can keep an eye out on the weather and then get everything outside in the sun to dry off properly, you dont want the damp coming off and being stuck in the caravan
Using CIF which is an abrasive would have damaged the paintwork. The residue left may continue to attack the paintwork. I would get a respected valeter in so wash down the caravan again. Cost should be about £60.
Clearly not someone who should be anywhere near a caravan!
Most caravans are not robust enough to take the weight of a person walking on the roof, if aluminium panel, then possibly now dented. That said, not necessarily any reason it should leak unless any jointed/sealed areas stressed and the joint has sprung! Difficult to tell from a visual inspection unless extreme deformation obvious!
Caravan paint is incredibly thin and rarely has sufficient thickness to withstand the use of abrasive substances, too vigorous a use of something like CIF risks abrading right through the paint. It will likely have thinned the paint so that it is more vulnerable to future wearing through - future cleaning should be done with caution and only with appropriate cleaners.
As to cost, well that varies enormously from one region to another, in my part of the world an exterior wash and wax could easily be £100. That may sound a lot, but I've spent a good 4 hours cleaning my filthy van, including the roof, so the hourly rate is not so extreme.
Thank you all ….. your comments have confirmed my views. The chap didnt even polish and wax, instead just used the combination of wash/wax liquid and rinse after the CIF. Theres not a lot I can do now but give the van some tlc.
Im on a Bailey FB page but admin takes weeks if not months to approve posts as Id asked for recommendations !
The good news is that if your Bailey is an alutech, it should take the weight of a person standing on the roof, although i wouldnt advise anyone to do this, i'd just keep an eye on the inside where the roof strap is located, as thats about the only place they can leak.
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Topic: Caravan Valet (Tourer)
via mobile 27/1/2024 at 4:17pm
