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Goofed up - need advice...

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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 05:34 PM
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Default Goofed up - need advice...

My apartment complex stopped providing water for washing vehicles. A couple of weeks ago in frustration and desperation I pulled the bike into a spray car wash and hit the bike while the engine was hot. No damage but the head covers were very hot and the soap cooked into them. They're pretty badly stained.

What's a good product for cleaning the aluminum heads back to their original shine? I've managed to polish most of the stains out but it's been a bi!@#! Lesson learned. Thanks.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 05:41 PM
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I have some eagle one Never Dull and it works pretty good.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 05:50 PM
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Let me guess looks something like this!


sorry to tell you man... your screwed... it is not the soap that cooked on it is a chemical reaction in the soap... i tried to go after the power washer when i did it to mine... my lawyer basicly told me it was my own fault (and it was) for years i told people never to do this... and I DID IT... if you look i bet your hubs, fins and other alum parts are all the same... time for powder coating... this is how i fixed mine: (on the hubs i unlaced the wheels and polished them with a pollishing wheel... worked ok... but decided to just powder those as well later... on the fins i sanded min down then did some never dull... that got all over the black and was a mess... ended up just polishing those the old fashion way... i was a mess... i feel ya!

 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:03 PM
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Either you would do 2 things. Replace the Heads, or Powder Coat the Heads.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:08 PM
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Don't give up before you try using a 0000 steel wool pad saturated with Mothers billit aluminum polish. I'm bettin' this will work.

Good Luck

Tom
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:10 PM
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I did the same thing. Got 'em cleaned up pretty nice with some Mothers Aluminum polish and Never Dull. Found when using the Mothers that it can get a little messy and is very hard to keep off the other wrinkle black parts. Once you get the polish on the wrinkle black you've just created youself a whole other problem. Trust me I know. I suggest taping off some of the wrinkle surfaces before getting too crazy.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:18 PM
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bottom line... NEVER power wash a bike! you force water in spots that it does not belong!
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:22 PM
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Try autosol comes in a tube, had pretty good luck with it.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by JRK5892
bottom line... NEVER power wash a bike! you force water in spots that it does not belong!
Or power wash your kid, you could end up in jail!
http://www.wdef.com/news/caught_on_t..._child/03/2008
 
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:52 PM
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Just curious, won't the complex allow "bucket wash and rinse"? Clean with one bucket rinse with the other, quite common in Europe. Washed my bike at a hotel once the same way. Do you know some one with a wash area you could go to, wash after it cools down. The polishing will require a lot of elbow grease and time. My product of choice is "Mother's Aluminum Polish", good luck.
 
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