‘Lil Red is the nickname to our 2017 Winnebago Micro Mini Travel Trailer. We purchased it new from a very good dealer in Jefferson, Iowa, Harrison RV Land. We have had a few issues arise during our time owning the unit, and each time, the dealership was able to remedy the situation for us quickly. (I will cover our first experience with the service department in my next blogpost.)
This one will illustrate the only regret we have about buying this particular RV. It’s the color. Specifically, the color RED. Back in 2017, these Micro-Mini’s were manufactured in many colors, Blue, Red, Yellow, Orange… and others… All standing out with their bright shiny finishes, and the usual White pull behinds looked less than impressive.
What we didn’t know at the time, was the sun does quite a number on the vibrant color, especially RED. To maintain the ‘New’ look, the outside needs almost monthly tender loving care, especially if it’s exposed to the elements and not stored inside.
Our home base is in Iowa where the weather is harsh, and we were naive enough to believe that a good cleaning and waxing before storing it for the winter would be fine. Needless to say, we received quite an education on how sun, wind, snow, and driving rain can affect it’s appearance.
After winter released its grip on the Midwest, we headed out to our storage site, and were aghast at how faded and awful ‘Lil Red looked. The oxidation that had built up made our less-than-1-year-old look like a 60-year-old neglected hobo.
A call to Winnebago wasn’t helpful… The contact person was not sympathetic, and lectured us that we needed to conduct a monthly wash and wax at the very least, otherwise, we would get what we got. There was not even any suggestion that we could do anything to restore the original color.
Thank goodness for our local mechanic who suggested that his son look at it and see if he could remedy the situation. Long story, short, he spent two days removing as much oxidation as he could, then applied a quality wax and buffed ‘Lil Red to an almost new finish.
Since then, I learned how to do the same thing, although each season the amount of oxidation is becoming harder to remove. I completed the project a few days before the Memorial Day weekend arrived, and have posted a few ‘Before’ and ‘After shots.
The pictures don’t do it justice, but the difference remains stark in person. I’m sure there are better products on the market, but I used what I could afford, Meguiar’s M67 Marine/RV One Step Compound – To remove the oxidation, and Meguiar’s Flagship Premium Marine Wax after.
Not being a professional detailer, I’m okay with the result, and will continue to do my best to protect the investment. The unit fits out needs to a tee, and aside from the color RED, there have been relatively few issues in the five years of ownership. If I had to do it all over again, I’d opt for a white travel trailer. Yes, they also get oxidation and need pampering on the outside… It’s just not that noticable…
As for the other issue that I have to deal with regularly… That’s coming up in the next blogpost…
