Mother's wheel cleaner screwed my Bullet's chrome plating :(

torque1989

torque1989

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Hey guys, I detailed my Royal Enfield Bullet motorycle Today. The bike was very greasy and muddy due to monsoon so I clayed it, washed it, used Mother's wheel cleaner (MWC) on the very greasy rims which worked great. Since, it was mentioned on MWC that it is non acidic, i though of trying it on the greasy TCI chrome cover.

After spraying and waiting for 30 seconds, when i rinsed the TCI cover, it became this :(

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The results of other parts detailing were good and upto m expectation coz the bike is silver colored and my expectations were quite low. MWC worked good on greasy steel rims too as expected

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The fuel tank has got some defect due to the shoulder bag which i keep on it. I'm clueless on how to correct that defect. Rubbing with 3M Finesse-It Rubbing Compound didn't do anything on it. Any suggestions??

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Also, the only way to regain the chrome's shine is chrome spray prob'ly. What do you guys think?

P.S - Kindly pardon the image quality, I clicked the photos from my iPhone 3GS and it was cloudy outside
 
your cover is cast aluminum, not chrome use aluminum polish on it. jonathan
 
They make four wheel cleaners, which one was it? They make one specific to aluminum which is what that part is. I'd say the paint is wearing off of the tank.
 
ohmy34 said:
your cover is cast aluminum, not chrome use aluminum polish on it. jonathan
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so what precisely should be used to restore the finish?

RTexasF said:
They make four wheel cleaners, which one was it? They make one specific to aluminum which is what that part is. I'd say the paint is wearing off of the tank.
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The one is used was this:
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I guess, i'll have to buy a new fuel tank now :(
 
Just 2 replies to my thread? People here don't know about it or what!
 
The wheel cleaner you used is not made for bare aluminum or anodized surfaces. It is an excellent wheel and tire cleaner, just on the right stuff.

In your case now I would recommend Mothers Bullet Aluminium Polish and some elbow grease. That should be fixable without to much work. You should not need to buy a new one.
 
Oh, after polishing a good metal sealant would be a great idea to preserve that nice shine when you are done.

To make polishing easier, something like the mothers ball in a cordless still would help as well.
 
M.P. Cobra Fan said:
Oh, after polishing a good metal sealant would be a great idea to preserve that nice shine when you are done.

To make polishing easier, something like the mothers ball in a cordless still would help as well.
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Yeah i agree, I'd be stunned if you couldn't buff that out as mentioned in your previous post.
 
Just polish with Mothers billet polish and you should be fine.
 
I didn't see the mention of the power ball before but that's a great idea. I also use a dedicated 3" pad on my PC for polishing things like that
 
torque - as others have mentioned, the side casings on your Royal Enfield are polished aluminum, not chrome.

The staining left behind is easily removed with an aluminum polish like our Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish.

Since your Enfield isn't a common bike in the US, I assume you're in another country (your profile doesn't list a location). It's actually quite easy to repair and improve that casing.

Use Mag & Aluminum Polish with a terry cloth applicator. Remove with a microfiber towel. Afterwards, use Billet Metal Polish with a microfiber applicator in the same method, and remove with a clean microfiber. And yes, using a PowerBall would speed things up and save you lots of elbow grease.

PM or email me if you have questions.
 
hey guys, since mother's prod's would have taken 12 days to reach me (ground shipping), I buffed the whole cover with 3M Finesse-It compound and it was able tear off quite a lot of defects and a new shiny surface appeared from beneath.
 
forrest@mothers said:
torque - as others have mentioned, the side casings on your Royal Enfield are polished aluminum, not chrome.

The staining left behind is easily removed with an aluminum polish like our Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish.

Since your Enfield isn't a common bike in the US, I assume you're in another country (your profile doesn't list a location). It's actually quite easy to repair and improve that casing.

Use Mag & Aluminum Polish with a terry cloth applicator. Remove with a microfiber towel. Afterwards, use Billet Metal Polish with a microfiber applicator in the same method, and remove with a clean microfiber. And yes, using a PowerBall would speed things up and save you lots of elbow grease.

PM or email me if you have questions.
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Just wondering Forest, how do you tell the difference between polished aluminum and chrome? BTW I've always had great luck with your guys metal polishes :dblthumb2:
 
You can use a magnet...the aluminum won't attract to it.

Bill
 
The magnet trick will work if the chrome is over steel.

One way to tell is to rub a small amount of a metal polish on the surface - if it turns black immediately, it means it's non-coated (bare) aluminum. If it doesn't turn black, it could be coated, or a different material like chrome.

Also, chrome usually has a mirror like finish to it.
 
forrest@mothers said:
The magnet trick will work if the chrome is over steel.

One way to tell is to rub a small amount of a metal polish on the surface - if it turns black immediately, it means it's non-coated (bare) aluminum. If it doesn't turn black, it could be coated, or a different material like chrome.

Also, chrome usually has a mirror like finish to it.
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I knew about chrome having the mirror like finish...its juust that this guys aluminum had a very clear and mirror like finish (at least in the pic it seemed) too..thats why i was a little confused lol...Im guessing the 'if it turns black' test is used also to tell if your rims are clear coated or bare aluminum too?
 
when i buffed the TCI cover. The pad turned black. That means it's bare aluminum and metal polish will work on it, Right?
 
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