What can I clean this staining off with..?

[b1k3rdude]

I made the fatale mistake of taking the bike to the local ride-in, ride-out car cleaners to get the rain and other muck cleaned off the bike as I was too tired myself to do it.

What ever they sprayed onto the engine when it was warm/hot, has fucking stained the engine. At this point I was rather annoyed and asked WTF it was and they said it was just shampoo/water - like fuck.

Eveywhere its gotten has left a chemical residue and or stain. I tried a bit of AutoGlym wheel cleaner and that blended it a bit but its still visible, any ideas..?

[smg id=991 type=preview align=center caption="r/h engine cover"] [smg id=992 type=preview align=center caption="Clutch cover"] [smg id=993 type=preview align=center caption="Cam cover"]

[devilsyam]

Wd40 is your friend spray on rag wipe over works for me

[b1k3rdude]

Wd40 is your friend spray on rag wipe over works for me

Tried WD40, Mr Sheen and the aforementioned AG-wheel cleaner. I'm beginning to think the paint has been permanently stained :-( I could have a go at the covers with t-cut, but the other parts of the engine will be a right paint due to the uniform/rough surface.

[stevierst]

Leave the wd40 on for a while maybe? I never wipe it off anyway.

[Lazarus]

have you tried smooth peanut butter?

seriously...

[mickvp]

Peanut butter will probably help mask it, but its not a permanent solution.

It looks like a reaction caused by some strong TFR or even an acidic wheel cleaner. This will probably have caused some acid etching on the paint (Japanese paint is notoriously soft).

Your best bet to permanently remove it will be to polish it out with a proper cutting polish, with a diminishing abrasive in it (t cut, farecla g3, menzerna po85rd etc). Polish the large areas with a soft applicator pad and medium pressure, and work the polish thoroughly to break down the Polish and remove micro marring. For the cooling fins etc, work it with a toothbrush to get right in, again work it thoroughly. Then remove the excess polish with some old rags etc and buff up (if there's visible excess, your using too much!).

[b1k3rdude]

• It looks like a reaction, this will probably have caused some acid etching on the paint
  
• Your best bet to permanently remove it will be to polish it out with a proper cutting polish, with a diminishing abrasive in it (T-cut)
  

• My thoughts exactly, had it been anything else the AG-wheel cleaner I tried would have removed it.
  
• Agreed, will try some black t-cut on a small area and see how I go. Regarding the cylinder barrel, I've never use t-cut / abrasive polish with a toothgbrush before - what should I keep in mind or an eye out for when doing it bar what you have already said.
  

And because it can't hurt I have just coated the effects parts of the engine in WD40 to leave over night to see if that helps.

[dazza]

Just remember not to brush your teeth with it in the morning

[mickvp]

Keep the pressure down! Its far to easy to put too much force into a toothbrush and strike through, but sometimes you have to use this method as a typical applicator just won't fit.

Its always better to use light pressure for longer than lean too hard and your unknowingly horsing off lots of paint.

Engine lawyer is typically fairly thick so a strike through is pretty unlikely, but I always advocate being careful. Even do one light hit and see if another is required. Once you've done one section, you will get a feel for the correct technique. And rinse off the brush between sections too to stop you carrying any contaminants across. Other than that the process is more or less the same as normal

Take pics and let us know how you get on

[mickvp]

Just remember not to brush your teeth with it in the morning

This too ^^^ very sage advice there :lol

[b1k3rdude]

Take pics and let us know how you get on

Will do.

This too ^^^ very sage advice there

heh, you never know might clean of  the light coating of years of coffee abuse

[Exupnut]

TAKE IT BACK TO THE JETWASH AND GET THEM TO SORT IT OUT.
I had a similar problem. Coupla mnths after i got the blue beast i took it to a jetwash and told them NO detergents JUST water and NOT spray engine or dash clock area and to spray at a distance and not close up. When the bike came back all the blue fast anodised bits and bobs i had put on were fucked. He had sprayed so close that there were smear marks all over it. The owner told me it was like that when i brought it in. I showed him a picture i took before it went in AT THE JETWASH. ( i would advise all to do this) and that shut him up good and proper. He said if i could show him reciepts for the parts he would cough up. And he did. And 5 free washes. Altho now i just give em £2 and do it myself.

If they fooked it they shud make it good or pay to make it good.

[mickvp]

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree in principle with what you are saying, I know what the response would be from any local hand wash around here.


And the eastern European ones look at me like I'm a weirdo when I go in during winter and pay them to wash my car myself with my own stuff :lol

[b1k3rdude]

TAKE IT BACK TO THE JETWASH AND GET THEM TO SORT IT OUT, If they fooked it they shud make it good or pay to make it good.

Like Mickvp said, Id be wasting my time.. And if I'm blunt, I'm not letting those imbeciles anywhere near the bike again.

[update]Leaving a coating of WD40 overnight didn't have any noticeable effect (other than to make the engine look like new after wiping it off), so going with the t-cut at the weekend.

[mickvp]

Who is this mike character? :lol

I do agree with exup mate, you should at least ask them to rectify the damage first, if they chase you, well, you'll be no worse off, but If they own up they may pay for someone else to polish it up, or do it themselves.

And if they mess THAT up, having already admitted fault, you can get it resprayed at their cost (after giving them three I believe chances to rectify the damage).

Worth asking anyway, saves you a long and arduous t cutting job.

[b1k3rdude]

• Who is this mike character?
  
• you should at least ask them to rectify the damage first, if they chase you, well, you'll be no worse off, but If they own up they may pay for someone else to polish it up, or do it themselves.
  
• And if they mess THAT up, having already admitted fault, you can get it resprayed at their cost (after giving them three I believe chances to rectify the damage).
  
• Worth asking anyway, saves you a long and arduous t cutting job.
  

• Doh, sorry bout that :-)
  
• Well..... I don't quite believe it myself, but went down there this evening and remaining calm I showed them the damage and the photos I took the day before on the phone (even had to tell one of them to calm down). Waited for the boss to turn up and showed him the staining, he took some pictures and will call me at 1pm tomoz after showing them to the yamaha motorcycle shop next door to see what they can do to clean it off.
  
• Well technically this will be the second chance.
  
• Im still expecting I will have to do this, or just buy some replacement covers off ebay.
  

[b1k3rdude]

Well BS has started...

1. they were supposed to call me today after they spoke to the bike shop next door, but I spoke to the parts guy and he said no one from the car wash has been over. The mechanics are at lunch untill 2pm so will call back then to confirm.
2. The guy said they the 'mechanic/s' he spoke said I must have painted the covers myself and that why it happened. My reply was no, the engine & covers are as they come from the manufacturer, from yamaha - the fucking cheek!
3. After listening to the wash guy bullshit some more he finally said that they wont be able to do anything, but I replied the paintwork has been damaged I exspect those guys to atleast attempt to clean the staining. Once they find they 'cant' clean it I will go down the route of getting them to go halfs on either repainting them or getting s/h replacements on ebay.

So as agreed yesterday with his dad, I am going back there on Saturday, but realistically I can't see what they are going to be able to do. I am not buy new covers as the prices are ridiculous, so have started looking for them on ebay and asked on the forum. Have already found a potentially clean generator cover on there, so all thats left is the cam, clutch and timing covers.

[Tmation]

I got some brake cleaner on mine (don't ask) and I used SDoc Black and shine (I think they have changed the name now) from motohaus.com, came up a treat.

[mickvp]

all you can do is go back down, keep calm and stand your ground. if you get a whiff they dont want to do it, I would consider mentioning that you have been to your local citizens advice bureau and have been advised to see trading standards? a bit extreme maybe, but it might be worth blagging it on the off chance.

[b1k3rdude]

if you get a whiff they dont want to do it,

The wiff is already there, but as you say they are liable under UK law and they are traceable, as they pay thier rent to the motorcycle shop next door. I would have thought they should have liability insurance for the company and the employees. But If they want to be reasonable and at the very least go halfs on the cost replacement of s/h covers (which I'm guessing is a lot less than thier ins. excess) then I would call it quits.

I got some brake cleaner on mine (don't ask) and I used SDoc Black and shine (I think they have changed the name now) from motohaus.com, came up a treat.

The catch is, did it remove the discoloration from the paintwork..? and how does the paintwork look after you have washed the bike, do you have to keep re-appling this stuff..?