Hey Everyone,

I was cleaning my Harley today and I was using the HD Quick Wash for the first time and it did some 'damage' to some of my chrome. I have tried to clean this with no luck and am looking for some guidance. The chrome looks as if it has water spots bunt into it. I have tried everything I can think of to clear this up.


Has anyone else run into this problem? Please help!






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Wow, that looks bad! Looks like it dried on there. Was the engine hot/warm? Im assuming you tried to wash it off and failed, so You could try Turtle Wax Chrome &Metal polish. Not the chrome polish, but chrome & metal polish. They are different. You're gonna need some patience so fill a cooler with some beer. I certainly wouldn't run the engine until you get it off. It might make it more permanent. "When" you get it cleaned up and shiney finish it up with some SimiChrome polish. Great stuff! You could try the SimiChrome first and see what happens. It's amazing stuff, so it might get it..

Note: Don't rub too hard on it. The valve covers and primary are polished aluminum, not chrome.

 

Did you wash it when your primary and covers were still hot? Thats a no-no. Those stains should come out with a good chrome polisher/cleaner.

 

Turtle Wax Chrome Cleaner, Mothers Chrome Cleaner and if those do not work, get some StrongArm Spray. That stuff shocked me as it worked like it was advertised.

 

Thank you for the feedback everyone!!


I thought my bike was cold enough to use the HD Quick Wash, but jokes on me! I went to the store and purchased one of everything recommended. So far the Turtle Wax is working wonders for my mistake! Thanks for the help!
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Did you get the beer too? That's required to make the polish work right.. if you use the SimiChrome I think you'll fall in love with it. Its a small tube, but a tiny bit goes a long long way.

Edit: Post some pic's of the outcome..

 

When my bass boat got water spots like that I used a mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar. Took the water spots right off but it smelled like a pickle.

 

Try Never-dull, its an oiled wadding polish that you rub on and polish off. Works great on spots and pitts in the chrome.

 

As pointed out by pitbull,none of that stuff is chromed on your bike. It's aluminum that I believe has been clearcoated. I would try vinegar 1st. It wont hurt anything.If you have to get aggressive try steel wool with the most "0"s you can find.If you get tired of messing with it,some nice, shiny chrome covers would fix it and look good too.
You can easily tell if it's clearcoated by putting a bit of metal polish on a rag and rubbing it. If the rag doesnt turn black,it's clearcoated.

 

The primary should have some type of clear, similar to anodize. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to fix an anodize finish that is stained. It might be a good time to have them chromed. Let me know if I can be of service.