Sun and Fun (breakdown of coatings)

[Beachlife]

Hello fellow travelers. I keep my 2020 Travato outside in storage. This summer the sun baked my tires, and plastic/metal parts. I use CRC 303 UV protector and put it on most of my plastic parts. I was cleaning the top of my RV, and found that the metal brackets holding my solar panels had rotted off the coating and the brackets were rusting. I scraped the brackets and put on electric rubber coating which works well on metal parts. The other issue was my tires parked on asphalt had gotten flat spots from the heat transfer even with tire covers. I now have put gravel down under the tires and learned to drive the vehicle monthly and run the generator. I guess a lot of us don't check the hard top on our RV's. I did clean the rust spots off the areas under the brackets before it ruined the paint. I am putting a new coat of wax on the top when I get home next week. So in my opinion doing PM sure keeps things looking nice and lasting longer. It will help on resale. My new Goodyear workhorse tires sure run well. LOL.

[jjrbus]

In my opinion and people that a lot more knowledgeable than me the worst thing that can be done with tires is let them sit. Compounds are blended in tires that need heat and flexing of the tire to release them.

https://www.rvtiresafety.net/

[Hatteras Jim]

I am assuming that you are close to the beach in Florida, so you are also battling the effects of salt as well. A cover for your RV would help; but, a royal pain if you want to drive it every month. Replacing all exterior hardware with stainless will also help; but, that too will corrode over time. Coating the hardware with a rubberized compound may be beneficial. You have the worst of conditions - extreme heat, salt, torrential rain and sun. Indoor storage, if available, may be the best answer. Good luck. Been there.

[Beachlife]

Originally Posted by Hatteras Jim

I am assuming that you are close to the beach in Florida, so you are also battling the effects of salt as well. A cover for your RV would help; but, a royal pain if you want to drive it every month. Replacing all exterior hardware with stainless will also help; but, that too will corrode over time. Coating the hardware with a rubberized compound may be beneficial. You have the worst of conditions - extreme heat, salt, torrential rain and sun. Indoor storage, if available, may be the best answer. Good luck. Been there.

Thanks Jim, and good info. I am consider a cover for just the top at this point. We did live near the ocean, and I have replaced a lot of screws with stainless. I have coated things and use plenty of CRC marine on parts. Also the dry lube on things to avoid dust and dirt. Well time to do a good wax on top and prepare for our next trip in November to the Keys. Thx