Clear Coat on Carbon Fiber - Help!

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Karl Hungus

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I recently purchased a new motorcycle, and the first thing I did after I got it was to put on an aftermarket slip-on exhaust, a Yoshimura R77 in carbon fiber.

This afternoon, I put on an adhesive tank pad. Prior to putting on the pad, I cleaned the surface with rubbing alcohol in order to remove the wax from the surface. Long story short, after I’d wiped the surface and put on the pad, in a fleeting moment of carelessness, I used the alcohol-dampened cloth to wipe a bit of gunk of the tip of my new, $500 carbon fiber exhaust. Now, the clear coat looks to be marred, as the surface has a whitish appearance to it.

So, how do I go about repairing this? I’m willing to pay someone to do this professionally, if need be, but I’d rather believe there’s a simpler fix I could do myself. Is there any chance I could simply wet sand and polish it, without applying a new layer of clear coat? I didn’t see liquified clear coat dripping like snot off the muffler tip, so I have to assume the bulk of the coat is still intact. Being carbon fiber, the exhaust doesn’t get hot at all, especially near the tip, so I seriously doubt it would require any sort of high-temp clear coat.

Any knowledge, advice, wisdom, etc. would be deeply appreciated here!
 
Try using a wax or polish by hand,it looks damaging,I did a mc claren mb I was told not to wax carbon fiber.
 
Start with the least aggressive,apply a light compound or polish available at any auto parts store polish with pipe cold and by hand if no results then Google a reputable detailer in your area and see what they can do.
 
Never would imagine that alcohol would do that to carbon fiber. Could it be a coating that is applied for heat resistance that reacts with alcohol?
 
Karl Hungus said:
I actually applied a coat of Turtle Wax Ice shortly afterward, to no avail. Would finishing polish and finishing pad produce a different result?
Click to expand...

Turtle wax Ice is just a wax as far as I know.

A finishing polish will yield a different result. What machine and pads do you have on hand?
 
Mike@DedicatedPerfection said:
Turtle wax Ice is just a wax as far as I know.

A finishing polish will yield a different result. What machine and pads do you have on hand?
Click to expand...


No machines, no pads. I haven't done anything beyond waxing since auto shop in high school. The affected area is just a few square inches, so whatever needs to be done (that I'm able to do) I can do by hand. I imagine polishing wax and polishing cloths are available at any Auto Zone?
 
I would back off from a machine if he is not getting any kind of results from the oily turtle wax ,try a light compound nothing with silicone ,was the pipe hot or warm when you wiped the exhaust with alcohol?
 
Rsurfer said:
Never would imagine that alcohol would do that to carbon fiber. Could it be a coating that is applied for heat resistance that reacts with alcohol?
Click to expand...


I don't know what it is, but I was absolutely shocked that it affected it this way. I doubt it's a heat resistance thing; even after riding for an extended period, you can wrap your hand around the exhaust. That's how cool it is.
 
Instead of all of this fiddle-fartin' around:

I'd personally contact Yoshimura-RD
and ask for their expert advice regarding
proper care/repair(?) of their CF-exhaust
systems' components.


Bob
 
GSKR said:
. . . was the pipe hot or warm when you wiped the exhaust with alcohol?
Click to expand...

That's the funny thing - this pipe stays cool even after extended running. I can't imagine heat is a factor at all here.
 
You need an abrasive set, which is found in a compound or polish, to even try to remove this damage. Most waxes are non-abrasive, therefore will do you no good on this damage.
 
Most CF has some kind of resin over it, and I've used ISO on CF hoods without doing any kind of damage. I'm assuming this exhaust for some reason has some version that can be chemically etched or liquefied with ISO. I'd try some compound to see if its just the surface that got damaged, and hope that it isn't damaged all the way through. If that doesn't work I'd contact the manufacturer for recommendations before you attempt any wetsanding.
 
It's sunny out and there's some glare that makes the finish hard to see, but long story short, it's as good as new. Better, even, because the main portion of the exhaust isn't as shiny as the tip! Took me about two minutes of light rubbing, followed with a couple coats of Turtle Wax Ice. Thank you to everyone who took time to weigh in and offer advice!

Bullet = dodged!
 
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