Any ideas and suggestions on how to remove white marks on my R1200GS engine & wheels?

[burakiral]

Any ideas and suggestions on how to remove white marks on my R1200GS engine & wheels?

Hello All,

I recently bought a R1200GS Rallye and few weeks back I made a very stupid mistake of spraying self service power washer foam/detergent on my bike, immediately after a long trip...well, the result was white spots, marks and streaks all over my brand bike's black coated engine and wheels!!!

I have tried pretty much everything I knew and read about (e.g. WD-40 with a soft brush, Maguire's mirror glaze fine #2 and medium #1 cutting compounds, followed by 3M hand glaze, etc..) but had very little success in removing those annoying white spots/marks...

And those few I managed to remove came back on after I rode the bike again. I believe all I did was just to mask them, rather than completely cleaning/removing and they came back on once the heat generated from the engine and sun evaporated

Any ideas, thoughts on how to get rid of these? Attached few pics and would really appreciate your suggestions

Many thanks,

BK

 

[edheiser]

Paint is gone

There is no cleaning process that will restore the damaged paint. The pressure washer removed paint and damaged what it didn't remove. So the only way to make it look better is to repaint it. I have made a lot of old junk look better by a light sanding with 320 to 1500 grit sandpaper, masking off what I didn't want to get painted, and aerosol flat black or semi flat black. Some are called satin black. Gloss black won't look good unless the surface is perfectly prepared, even then, semi gloss will look better IMHO. Moving the can in one direction only, starting and stopping the spray off the surface being sprayed. Many light coats after a short dry time in between. Practice on something else like a coffee can until you get the hang of it. Avoiding runs is the goal. If it looks bad, clean the metal parts with lacquer thinner, and try again. Plastic will have to dry and be sanded if you aren't happy with the results. Of course, a body shop can make it perfect, but may cost more the the bike is worth.

 

[lee]

Hello All,

I recently bought a R1200GS Rallye and few weeks back I made a very stupid mistake of spraying self service power washer foam/detergent on my bike, immediately after a long trip...

By any chance on the trip were you on any gravel roads or road construction that may have had calcium chloride on them for dust control. That stuff is hard on paint if left on for week or two.

Hard to believe the car soap did any damage. Maybe if you used the engine cleaner option and did not rinse well??

 

[burakiral]

There is no cleaning process that will restore the damaged paint. The pressure washer removed paint and damaged what it didn't remove. So the only way to make it look better is to repaint it. I have made a lot of old junk look better by a light sanding with 320 to 1500 grit sandpaper, masking off what I didn't want to get painted, and aerosol flat black or semi flat black. Some are called satin black. Gloss black won't look good unless the surface is perfectly prepared, even then, semi gloss will look better IMHO. Moving the can in one direction only, starting and stopping the spray off the surface being sprayed. Many light coats after a short dry time in between. Practice on something else like a coffee can until you get the hang of it. Avoiding runs is the goal. If it looks bad, clean the metal parts with lacquer thinner, and try again. Plastic will have to dry and be sanded if you aren't happy with the results. Of course, a body shop can make it perfect, but may cost more the the bike is worth.

Thanks for the reply. I did not use the "pressure" function of the washer or the soap/detergent spray on the engine so I don't think any paint could possibly be removed...however the engine was hot, so were the wheels, perhaps the detergent somehow got burnt when it hit the hot surface and created a film over the clear coat resulting in this dull look...is this possible?

 

[burakiral]

By any chance on the trip were you on any gravel roads or road construction that may have had calcium chloride on them for dust control. That stuff is hard on paint if left on for week or two.

Hard to believe the car soap did any damage. Maybe if you used the engine cleaner option and did not rinse well??

Thanks for your reply. The road was dry and clean of any construction...I did not use the engine/wheel cleaner (I know they have very aggressive chemicals in them) but a sprayed the detergent/soap on the engine, which was smoking hot (wheels were too after hours of riding under 80F)...so as per my recent reply, I suspect the soapy water/detergent somehow got etched on the surfaces when it hit the hot surface...could that be possible? And if yes, any remedial suggestions? Thanks

 

[lee]

sprayed the detergent/soap on the engine, which was smoking hot (wheels were too after hours of riding under 80F)...so as per my recent reply, I suspect the soapy water/detergent somehow got etched on the surfaces when it hit the hot surface...could that be possible? And if yes, any remedial suggestions? Thanks

Hard to say. I have used a car wash to wash our bikes on trips after riding in rain in hot weather without any problems.
I do avoid direct pressure on areas where the high pressure may force water into seals or electrical connections.

To me the engine looks like soap has dried on the engine, but it sounds like you have tried to rewash and dry these spots, so I'm not sure what's going on.

 

[lee]

BK, it hard to tell if you have caused the problem with the finish.
I would show the dealer and see what they have to say.
I've seen a lot of reports of corrosion in the first year on the engine, final drive, wheels, and pannier mounts on the different Wethead models.
Most of the pictures I have seen was blistering from under the coating, not stains like you have.

 

[lee]

Forgot to welcome you to the MOA.

 

[seanka106]

You might want to try S100 Engine Brightener. I've used this on bikes with black painted engine finish and it does a great job restoring the "new" look of the engine, from an old / dull finish. $10 a can so is a low investment to try...

https://www.amazon.com/S100-19200A-...009356&sr=8-1&keywords=s100+engine+brightener

 

[edheiser]

Clear coaT

Thanks for the reply. I did not use the "pressure" function of the washer or the soap/detergent spray on the engine so I don't think any paint could possibly be removed...however the engine was hot, so were the wheels, perhaps the detergent somehow got burnt when it hit the hot surface and created a film over the clear coat resulting in this dull look...is this possible?

Modern paint jobs are a base coat covered with a clear coat. The base coat has no shine and is a slightly different color from the finished product after the clear coat is applied. The clear coat is shiny, but not very hard, and can be damaged leaving the base coat intact. That's what it looks like in the photos to me. Clear coat is very smooth to the touch, do those spots feel smooth or a little gritty? Take it to a body shop and ask their opinion. If you can talk to their painter, that would be best. Perhaps he does side jobs for cash. The dealer may be of some help directing you, but they don't paint themselves. You know what opinions are like, everybody has one.

 

[burakiral]

Forgot to welcome you to the MOA.

Thanks for the warm welcome and all the replies, much appreciated!

 

[burakiral]

Modern paint jobs are a base coat covered with a clear coat. The base coat has no shine and is a slightly different color from the finished product after the clear coat is applied. The clear coat is shiny, but not very hard, and can be damaged leaving the base coat intact. That's what it looks like in the photos to me. Clear coat is very smooth to the touch, do those spots feel smooth or a little gritty? Take it to a body shop and ask their opinion. If you can talk to their painter, that would be best. Perhaps he does side jobs for cash. The dealer may be of some help directing you, but they don't paint themselves. You know what opinions are like, everybody has one.

Great suggestion, thank you! I have already sent a note to my dealer with pics and will ride it down one of these days for a first hand look exam Thanks very much again!

 

[burakiral]

You might want to try S100 Engine Brightener. I've used this on bikes with black painted engine finish and it does a great job restoring the "new" look of the engine, from an old / dull finish. $10 a can so is a low investment to try...

https://www.amazon.com/S100-19200A-...009356&sr=8-1&keywords=s100+engine+brightener

Thanks. I get one of these for sure, read a lot about it on the next the past few days. If I can't get the stains removed permanently, and my only option turns out to be repainting/coating, I think this will do a fine job of masking - all I need to do is reapply after couple of months as I believe it eventually fades away. Thanks again!

 

[edheiser]

Engine bright

Thanks. I get one of these for sure, read a lot about it on the next the past few days. If I can't get the stains removed permanently, and my only option turns out to be repainting/coating, I think this will do a fine job of masking - all I need to do is reapply after couple of months as I believe it eventually fades away. Thanks again!

I'm not sure what that product is, but it's not paint apparently, so my guess is floor wax, you know the stuff you put on your kitchen floor. Shines up real nice for a while, but it's basically clear latex and water. Some use it on boat fiberglass that is chaulky, but it doesn't last long, and leaves you with more residue to remove.

 

[seanka106]

Actually.... no. On my bikes, after a year, it still looks great, and there is no residue whatsoever. I'm not sure what it contains, but my experience is that it works great. If you check the reviews of others on Amazon, you'll likewise read near universal approval. YMMV, but IMO is worth a try to restore the finish.