# want the real answer to black streak removal



## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Hi guys   :x :x

Jumbo has started growing black streaks and i am starting to have difficulty removing them.
I want the tried and tested method, not something that you tink might work, i am looking for the *"real macoy"* and if they are removable how do i keep them away for as long as poss
In the beginning i polished him all over with a brand name polish but it appears it is not the solution
Paul


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Try some of this Paul,...it does exactly what it says on the bottle :wink:

http://www.waudbys.co.uk/products/details/124.html

It will remove them, but not prevent them

Regards Dave


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## dodger148 (May 9, 2005)

This is where we miss the old site, thiis is a subject that has been debated many times with loads of good ideas coming up.
I personally use Silky Caravan Cleaner but there are others like Fibreglass Boat Hull Cleaner or I think it was Toothpaste that worked well - wont take long before some of the other ideas come flooding in


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## 88781 (May 9, 2005)

Black streaks are caused by aluminum -- the aluminum in window trims, ladders and roof racking, roll out awnings or along the edges of the roof. Use commercial removers as I suggested. To wash the sides of the M/H, use car soap not dish soap. Pressure washing is not recommended, as you can force water through seams into the coach.

Welcome to the world of 'Black streak'


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## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Cheers dave n dodger

i have well and truly entered the black streak tribe, they must be the ugliest things on the planet (well !!!!!! not THE ugliest, i think i saw worse in beverly)

Still i am now on a crusade to get rid of them

Paul


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## navman (May 10, 2005)

Once you have got rid of them use a good polish such as Autoglym. It makes it easier to remove them next time...'cause there will be a next time.... :evil:


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## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Bob............you just made my night

is the pic a true likeness


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## navman (May 10, 2005)

Very Very Close......


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

A quick spray of furniture polish such as 'Sparkle' followed by rubbing with a soft cloth will usually do the trick for us.

Been using that method for years on caravans and now motorhomes.


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

I go with Gillian. A cheap non wax polish (I use Mr Sheen) does the trick nicely.


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## 89031 (May 12, 2005)

I fear there is no substitute for hard labour.

We encountered the black stuff earler this year after winter went.

Personally i bought a very large bottle of mild T cut which really does remove them very quickly.

Because of the size of the vehicle (23' x 7'6" x 10') i also invested £19.00 in an electric buffer from Screwfix (on line Tools).

Applied with the buffer on a wet course buffing cloth this took around 30 minutes all over - including up and down ladder time.

This is then washed off with an ordinary car wash /wax solution.

I then applied -again on a wet cloth/buffer pad - a semi liquid polish from minute wax.

Applied one side at a time and let dry this whole process - including buffering off with a dry cloth - took approx 1 day - my working days being around 4/5 hours.

This was finished at the end of March and there is only one area under the passenger window rubber that has returned.

This however easily wipes off with an ordinary wash and wax..

I have used the Fenwicks products as indicated above , previously and they are very good value for money also.

Personally, i found that using a buffer was the key to success especially as the arm muscles arn'et as young as they used to be.


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## jiffyman (May 11, 2005)

Buffers are excellent, i use them all the time.

Makes life so much easier!

MandyandDave wrote,

'Black streaks are caused by aluminium'

Can't say i agree, I get the streaks but no ally in site!!

I've found that polishing the bodywork reduces the build up of the streaks.

Found this out after being called away after only polishing only half the van.
A couple of weeks later, the polished side had hardly any streaks whereas the unpolished side had alot more!

Cheers
Glenn


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## 88741 (May 9, 2005)

I have no ali as far as I know on the van, do get some black streaks but have found a strong soloution of Fenwicks motorhome cleaner then Bobby Dazzler after does make them easy to move. 
My biggest problem is faded decals especially a large grey one the always looks a bit dull and grainy even tho the rest of the van is sparkling


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## dodger148 (May 9, 2005)

We have no ali either (AS monocoque) and a reminder for other AS owners not to use polish on the caravan bit


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## 88789 (May 9, 2005)

hi dodger no polish on AS caravan bit, why??? i have an interest in this, collect my AS in three weeks.


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## ralph-dot (May 10, 2005)

I used Mer yesterday and it worked better than anything I have used before (look it up using a search engine).

Ralph


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

MandyandDave said:


> Black streaks are caused by aluminum -- the aluminum in window trims, ladders and roof racking, roll out awnings or along the edges of the roof.(


Hi Mandy and Dave

This must explain why the differing remedies do not always work....we dont have any aluminium on our motorhome and we still get black streaks 

The first time I tried cleaning the van I remembered that line from Roy Scheider in that great film "Jaws" ..."your'e gonna need a bigger boat"....in my case it was "your'e gonna need a bigger brush".

Mike


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## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

That's the truth spykal. There is no Aluminium on my roof either and I get black streaks too. I have a Rubber roof. It needs to be cleaned at least once a year or it chalks up and holds dirt which then runs down the sides as black streaks. :x


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## Brambles (May 12, 2005)

Re black streaks are caused by the aluminium.

I have come to the conclusion that the black steaks seem to bond to the the panel surfaces if mixed with the 'oils' from sealants. Where I have put polish over the sealed joints I still get black streaks but they wipe off. Where I have not polished the joints, I still get steaks but are a pig to get off.


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

Swafega does it for me. use it round the edges of the window mastic as well as this collects and holds this alluminium residue and then releases it just after you have cleaned your pride and joy.


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## 89031 (May 12, 2005)

Looking at where my streaks appear from it would appear that rubber mouldings and glue areas cause the most trouble.

I don't have Ali' either apart from around the bottom skirt area where the lockers for gas and generator are housed.


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## hymmi (May 9, 2005)

Hi RedOne,

Someone did post before site went down,that black streaks are caused not by ali but by carbon in the atmosphere which does make sense.

Someone suggested using Autoglym engine cleaner, so husband stripped van down with gunk(£1 from £1 shop 500ml) it came off instantly,then used Mequiars Quick Clay removes treesap,tar,shampooed with Mequiars shampoo and finished off with Mequiars NXT polish,neighbour came over and said he needed sunglasses.

Van was done a week before Peterboro show and has stood on front since and is still gleaming,Dave says it is best polish he has ever used,thanks to camoyboy for info it is brilliant.

Mequiars is not cheap but you need the smallest amount and guy in shop said if not satisfied with any thing just return it for full refund,says it on the bottle too.


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## 88993 (May 11, 2005)

What's this about not using polish on plastic or fibreglass bodies 8O ?


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## 88790 (May 9, 2005)

Hi guys, just feel sorry for me, I live under the Heathrow fight path and can definitely say it is the carbon and other air borne pollutants that cause the black streak problems. My AS has no exposed aluminium that I am aware of.

There are a number of things that remove black streaks and most have been given above.

I have been a lifetime Autoglym user, but tried the International polishes designed for Fibreglass boats, i.e. cleaner, ploish and sealer and I must say they work really well onthe fibreglass as well as the cab section. I can usually rub the streaks off with a damp chammy now!

John


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## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

The 'Black streaks' are in fact caused by pollution in the atmosphere and is in fact Carbon, this was from articles read in magazines and from manufacturers of painted aluminium panels. The reason they tend to be below ali and rubber is that that happens to be run off points for most of the water that is removing the carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it on to your nice light coloured m/home. We have one point on ours that due to the slope of our drive causes the majority of the water from the roof to run down one point and I get a 6 to 9 inch black mark from the top to the bottom of the side, no rubber or aluminium above.
The easiest way to remove it is to use a standard engine degreaser, I personally use Autoglym Machinery and Engine Cleaner which is bio degradable and safe for use on paint. You will find that the streaks will wipe of with ease with little or no pressure once given a spray of this. Anyone experiencing yellowing of the white plastic vent covers will find this cleans those as well the resultant liquid coming from them being sticky and brown making you think the plastic is melting.
Other than covering or parking under cover you cannot stop the marks reappearing over time however a good clean, polish and seal with a propriatory product will help future removal. I find that if I wash the m/home on a regular basis that they wash off with a standard wash/wax, after carrying out this procedure, hard work first time but worth it.
Where you live will have an affect on how much or bad the streaks are, we live under the main flight path into London Airports and tend to get a lot of problem.
I beleive the polish on AS m/homes is that of GRP that has an adverse reaction over time to Silcon and will end up 'chalking' and going soft after time most car polihs now contains Silicone so it is recommended that you use a silicon free polish such as is used in Marine applications for GRP boats these polishes are designed to remove chalking and not harm the gel coat.


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## 88929 (May 10, 2005)

*Black streaks*

I have approached this subject with my vehicle dealer. They inform me that this is caused ONLY by old rubber seals on windows or in some cases perished rubbers on the roof of the vehicle. This apparently can be dealt with by replacement. Is this statement true?


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## 88847 (May 9, 2005)

Hi welshman

my black streaks are ABOVE my windows and the MH is only 6 months old.

Your dealer is full of it

Paul


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## johnsandywhite (May 9, 2005)

8O Hi welshman. That would turn out to be a vey expensive way of curing Black streaks. Think I'll paint mine like a Zebra or a Dalmation and no-one will know the difference.


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## hymmi (May 9, 2005)

Hi Welshman,

In a word,no.

It is carbon,Paulaway has explained it a couple of times very clearly and it makes sense.

Thanks Paulaway we stripped our van down after i read your comments on the old site and she now looks brand new. 8)


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## Paulway (May 9, 2005)

Hi Hymmi
Glad it worked, tell me did you try the Meguiers clay, as I said I had tried it on my car with much trepidation and it worked a treat just wondered if it worked the same on the van. Also I have just watched, I love work I can watch it for hours, a friend use that Meguiers NTX (?) polish that someone recommended on the old site, on his car and I must say despite being very satisfied with Autoglym products in the past the results were impresive in the extreme. The best thing for me was absolutely no white after dust. Autoglym is good for that but this is better and the shine after only one application is glass like.


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## hymmi (May 9, 2005)

Hi Paulway,

Sorry spelt your name wrong before.

After reading what you had said,someone said use Autoglym engine cleaner,Dave used gunk washed that off,then the clay detailer for what was left,brilliant,thenshampooed it with Mequiars shampoo, then the nxt it has been to Peterbpro show and stood on our front since it is still gleaming.Neighbour came over and said he needed his sunglasses on. 8) 

We had just got a new second hand car that had not seen any polish he did the same to that it is stunning.He has used all the polishes known to man and he says Mequiars products are the best he is collecting the lot i think.

You would have enjoyed watching Dave took him about three days.Thanks again,you have wiped out another urban myth about old rubber and ali causing black streaks.


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## jiffyman (May 11, 2005)

I must say that I used to use Autoglym on my cars and tried it on my 'van, and it is good.
BUT I have just started to use Meguiars, JUST BRILLIANT!

Got a free sachet from a car show i went to last year. 
Went into Halfords and compared the price of Autoglym against Meguiars, Meguiars is slightly cheaper, and you can use less so you win either way.

Haven't used it with my rotary polisher yet, i'll keep you updated on that score when i do it.

Glenn


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

I've got the answer - GET A BLACK VAN :idea:


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## jiffyman (May 11, 2005)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## dodger148 (May 9, 2005)

I did see a (new) black Trident recently and whilst I suppose it looked ok think A-S would sell more as hearses than motorhomes


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## Brambles (May 12, 2005)

Can anyone tell me a good way of getting white streaks of a black van!!!??


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

from Brambles

"Can anyone tell me a good way of getting white streaks of a black van!!!??"

now you're getting silly.........


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## 88790 (May 9, 2005)

First of all, how did the white strreaks get there? Can we assume they are airborne pollutants from snow or are they from the white rubber seals?

If they are from airborne flying animals then any of the normal preparations with a Hydrogen Hydroxide or Hydroden Dioxide solvent base could be used!

Hope this is of great help!

John 8)


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## jiffyman (May 11, 2005)

Brambles said:


> Can anyone tell me a good way of getting white streaks of a black van!!!??


BOOT POLISH!!!!!! :lol:


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## Brambles (May 12, 2005)

What about removing the rust stains from the anchor chain I use for measuring the height. ( some of the newbies may not remember the height measuring thread) ..LOL.

I shall shut up now on being silly, and mention I tried 'Foamclene' I use for cleaning my computer bits, it worked a treat at removing the black stains and where I have used it v polish they have not returned.


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## hymmi (May 9, 2005)

Hi again our black streaks are regrouping,but just tried what Autostratus recommended,i only had pledge not Mr.Sheen, they came off in an instant,(that's the last i will see of my polish)the van is well polished already so this may help.

Makes me feel tired watching :lol:


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## 88839 (May 9, 2005)

*Black streaks removal*

We have found "Mer" polish to be a very effective product in the removal of black lines. A good initial polishing with Mer and then subsequent lines are easier to remove. I also give the van a coating of Fenwick's Bobby Dazzler afterwards which also helps in keeping the dreaded marks at bay. ( Belt and braces method!!)


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

hymmi said:


> Hi again our black streaks are regrouping,but just tried what Autostratus recommended,i only had pledge not Mr.Sheen, they came off in an instant,........................


There now, what did I tell you!  
It's so easy and no need to buy special products costing the earth.


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## 89031 (May 12, 2005)

Ref the "Black Van" question.

I refer to my answer made earlier somewhere between "Black streaks and White Streaks"

:roll:


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