Another detail using Pledge testimonial
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,312
Likes: 28
From: Allyn, WA
Love pledge. A side benefit of it is that after using it, it just takes a spray of water to remove dust and dirt (depending on the amount of dirt). Just like when washing a waxed car, make sure that you only use soap every third or fourth washing. The soap will wash off the wax. Also, using pledge will help prevent that little rust that appears on the chrome in humid areas (Western Washington in the winter for example) if the bike sits for awhile.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From: Minnetonka, MN
Pledge is the ONLY solution I ever use on my windshield. The lack of ammonia in it extends the life of the lexon. I recently started using it on more surfaces on the bike and love it. Like already mentioned, don't use it on anything that you don't want to slip at all (grips, levers, foot pegs...etc).
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
From: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
It'll shine it up, just like if you used regular wax. I use nothing on my denim paint as I don't want it shiny.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 7
+1 on this.
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,050
Likes: 1
From: MCALLEN ,TX
If you understand exactly what wax does and how it works you would probably not spray it on your engine. The only remnants of wax that should remain on a treated surface is a microscopic thin layer of dried wax. This wax fills in the tiny grooves and valleys in the surface and helps align the reflected light in a consistent direction - which creates that nice, pleasing reflection we all enjoy seeing as a result of our work. This layer of wax is also highly durable and provides a layer of protection to the surface.
Residual wax, that is wax that has not been removed or is in excess of that necessary to "fill in the gaps", does not serve the original purpose of the wax. In fact it retains solvent that will prematurely break down the wax you DO want to remain, and it attracts and holds all of the things you're trying to remove when you clean - dirt, grime, oils, acids, that stuff you see on your dirty rags. Eventually this wax will harden as the solvents eventually evaporate, leaving behind a hard coating of all the stuff you work so hard to remove otherwise. When you spray it on your engine block, you can't buff it off, and you're experiencing exactly what I detailed above.
Where's the benefit? (other than to the company that sells you Pledge?)
Residual wax, that is wax that has not been removed or is in excess of that necessary to "fill in the gaps", does not serve the original purpose of the wax. In fact it retains solvent that will prematurely break down the wax you DO want to remain, and it attracts and holds all of the things you're trying to remove when you clean - dirt, grime, oils, acids, that stuff you see on your dirty rags. Eventually this wax will harden as the solvents eventually evaporate, leaving behind a hard coating of all the stuff you work so hard to remove otherwise. When you spray it on your engine block, you can't buff it off, and you're experiencing exactly what I detailed above.
Where's the benefit? (other than to the company that sells you Pledge?)
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 7
You are correct - your engine - it _looks_ clean. It would actually be much cleaner had you not sprayed it with wax. You might have just as well sprayed it with oil, it would look exactly the same, maybe even shinier. Go ahead, enjoy your Pledge, but now that you understand it is just lazy man's window dressing, well - I don't intentionally do things that make no sense. (I do however do plenty of them just the same)