hydrosilex

[Tom Barnard]

I just read about a product called Hydrosilex. It is a "better than wax" product.
I was thinking about trying it especially on the front of the coach where I'm constantly wiping bugs off
Anyone try this product or something like it? I assume it's safe to use. I was also thinking of using it on the roof.

[Joel Ashley]

Reviews seem to like Over Coat better, but it’s pretty pricey.
https://www.esotericcarcare.com/kamikaze-over-coat/

You may be able to get a “free” sample like I just did, for $15 shipping, of HydroSilex here:
https://www.hydrosilex.com/products/free-16oz-of-hydrosilex-recharge-sample-for-resellers116

Joel

[Bill Sprague]

I just read about a product called Hydrosilex. It is a "better than wax" product.
I was thinking about trying it especially on the front of the coach where I'm constantly wiping bugs off
Anyone try this product or something like it? I assume it's safe to use. I was also thinking of using it on the roof.

When you solve that bug problem, please start a topic with bold letters so I don't miss it.

After trying every internet suggestion and autoparts product, my fall back was hot water. 

Adapt the outside shower to a garden hose fitting with a hardware store part.  Run your water hose to a flow through car wash brush.  Light the hydro/aquahot.   Turn on the hot water.  Wash the bugs off. 

[Bob Stone]

I'm not familiar with the Silex product however I have found that rinsing the windshield and the front of my vehicles using a soft brush and a bucket of water containing a clothes dryer anti static sheet (Bounce or equivalent) does an unbelievable job of disolving and releasing the smushed bug remnants.

[Jerry Carr]

I would like to add a comment here regarding any solution used on your RV. Some products may damage you 3-M diamond shield or if you have upgraded to a duratone finish you should not apply any coatings. Should you plan to use a product test a small area first give it a few weeks just to be safe.
 

[Joel Ashley]

I'll do that, Jerry.  The HydroSilex is a ceramic coating initially meant to reinforce vehicles that have already had a long-term one applied.  Ceramic coating applications done correctly take many hours of tedious work, mostly just in prepping the surface to take it.  They don't protect forever, just longer than an organic wax, eg - Carnauba, etc.
 
But the claim is that HydroSilex can be used on any "virgin" surface, i.e. anything free of prior topfinishes like wax.  So a clearcoat that's clean and free of waxes is a candidate.  This ceramic product will entrap any dirt or flaws.  Whether it will cause problems with the 3M cap film is anyone's guess, but worth testing on a bottom edge or somewhere for a few months.  The big thing with it is that has multiple application method options, the most attractive to me being spray-on, wipe-off.  I already use a Dometic product for bug resistance, but despite its ease of application it ain't perfect;  I'm hoping like Tom that a hard and slick ceramic coat will work better at releasing bugs and dirt that seem to like to embed at 60mph in the soft 3M film.

The one very important warning re. HydroSilex spray & wipe method is you need to wipe it off immediately.  It flashes (dries) super fast, so you've got to spread it with a microfiber cloth practically as soon as you squirt it on.  I'd encourage anyone interested in trying the stuff to watch the multiple YouTube videos by reviewers, not necessarily by the company.

My older car and truck are not ceramic coated nor are they ever likely to be.  But as negligent as I am about waxing them, a treatment with HydroSilex that is quicker than waxing and reportedly lasts longer, was as much of a temptation for ordering than just the coach's front.  Even there, if one application to the film and chrome mirrors lasted significantly, so I didn't have to use the Dometic every few days on the road, it would be appreciated.  After scrubbing off bugs following a long day on the road, when I should be lounging under the awning with a beer, I'd just as soon not have to consider reapplying wax too.

Joel

[Larry Fritz]

Bill Sprague:  I too use hot water and have on my 98 Beaver that I have owned for  18 years.  I use it with a pressure washer and for nasty bugs use a wad of dryer sheets to get the strong bugs off.  My hot water heater is set at 160 degrees and I go thru about 100 feet of rubber hose before the washer. It just works the best and great for me of the many things I have tried over the years. (And it is easy)

Of course , no house you would ever purchase (unless it was one I had lived in) would have this hot water spigot installed on the outside of a house but it is really easy if you you use PEX plumbing.

Larry Fritz
6/7/18

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

From Mike Tomas:

There's a Guy here in Phoenix, up by Deer Valley and I-17 who does some amazing work with his ceramic coating with something called Sensha and is now the national distributor and franchise for the US. His name is Bob Moses. He can only be found on Facebook and Yelp. no webpage.

https://www.facebook.com/BobMosesCeramicCoating/photos/pcb.1867453449939756/1867453136606454/?type=3&theater

I am considering having him apply the coating to our relatively new (to us) 2000 PT. But I'm still attempting to find out if it's compatible with our R&M Diamont - RM92 Diamond Clear ClearCoat. I'm mostly interested in UV protection for obvious reasons down here in Ovenville.

[Hal Grimshaw]

 Bob Blair got me onto bug be gone and it works great.  Spray on let it sit 2 or 3 minutes and the brush just gets them off.  Can be found at sears wal-mart or auto zone.    quit cheap for what it does.

[Joel Ashley]

I use Bug B Gone too, but some bugs are really stubborn, and a brush micro-scratches the film.  Using a product ahead of time to mitigate the stubborn ones helps minimize forceful removal, and ease Bug B Gone’s or Bug Off’s job.

Joel

[Bill Sprague]

Bill Sprague:  I too use hot water and have on my 98 Beaver that I have owned for  18 years.  I use it with a pressure washer and for nasty bugs use a wad of dryer sheets to get the strong bugs off.  My hot water heater is set at 160 degrees and I go thru about 100 feet of rubber hose before the washer. It just works the best and great for me of the many things I have tried over the years. (And it is easy)

Of course , no house you would ever purchase (unless it was one I had lived in) would have this hot water spigot installed on the outside of a house but it is really easy if you you use PEX plumbing.

Larry Fritz
6/7/18

Larry,

I put in hot and cold running water to the front of my garage with PEX too.  There is a pressure washer right next to it. 

[Keith Moffett]

WD 40 and a bug sponge.  This worked very well on seriously dried on bugs on our front cap.  The draw back is you need to wipe off the most of the WD 40 and then wash!

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

I use a Scotch bright pad and soapy water for bug removal.  Works fine.

[Doug Allman]

I just met with the Diamond Shield people at Entegra's Homecoming in Goshen IN. My diamond shield just below the windshield was getting very cloudy looking.

The used a product that snowmobiliers have used for decades on their windshields and helmet faceshields, NOVUS Plastic Polish No. 2. It shined the diamond shield back to a clear gloss with little effort. Bottle costs about $7 dollars for 8oz.   www.novuspolish.com   St. Paul, MN.

In their conversations they indicted that any windshield washer fluid, car wash soap, bug cleaner, windshield bug repellent, etc., all contains chemicals that will create a film on the Diamond Shield. Clean with NOVUS and wax quarterly and you will find it will stay in excellent condition.