Warning over cheap bike cleaner!

Bigfatbikeride

Bigfatbikeride

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Whatever you do, don't! Don't use pound shop bike cleaner on anything alloy or painted/powder coated!
Says suitable for all surfaces, it ISN'T!
Sprayed as instructed on my top box and this happened, this product must contain a mild acid. Was only on for a few seconds :( ruined my nice shiny 3 month old £300 top box
I shall be contacting them!
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Could be acid or more probably caustic. Have you tried a chrome polish like Solvol to recover it?

Hope that works

Steve
 
Probably best not use it as mouthwash, either ......... :rolleyes:

Muc-Off is petty aggressive too - use at your peril :rob

Al
 
Sir pays 300 quid for a top box and then uses quid shop cleaner !!!! :eek:

Whatever, thanks for the heads up.....:thumb
 
SDOC 100 the exact opposite of cheap bike cleaner.

leave it on for ages and it just makes the dirt come off easier :thumb2
 
It's not just cheap cleaners, Muc-Off will do the same, as will some foam cleaners.

Bob
 
That should polish out, but it will take some serious elbow grease.

Try Meguiar's NXT All Metal Polysh on a microfibre towel. Use plenty of polish. It will break down as you rub it in, so keep applying more to the towel. Polishing metal by hand is very hard work, but it's manageable. If the NXT isn't enough, Raceglaze Alutech Metal Polish is a stronger polish and works very well, but the general advice is always to start on the weaker polish and work your way up.
 
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A good excuse to ger it wrapped. Or have a look for a cromosexual on line, who would enjoy hours of polishing . The Gnarly bar may be a good place to look for the cromosexual.
 
tadhgocuilleain said:
That should polish out, but it will take some serious elbow grease.

Try Meguiar's NXT All Metal Polysh on a microfibre towel. Use plenty of polish. It will break down as you rub it in, so keep applying more to the towel. Polishing metal by hand is very hard work, but it's manageable. If the NXT isn't enough, Raceglaze Alutech Metal Polish is a stronger polish and works very well, but the general advice is always to start on the weaker polish and work your way up.
Click to expand...

Do you have a shopping list you can share. Sorry to make this so basic but I keep seeing your comments with expert advice and I think would be easier to buy a few products that you recommend for the frame, bodywork, engine, wheels and plastics.
 
Joe narvey said:
Do you have a shopping list you can share. Sorry to make this so basic but I keep seeing your comments with expert advice and I think would be easier to buy a few products that you recommend for the frame, bodywork, engine, wheels and plastics.
Click to expand...

I started trying to compose a reply to this, but it's not possible to compress it into a few short lines and it would end up being a huge thread hijack. I've been planning for a while to post a thread about bike cleaning and polishing etc, so I'll do that over the next few days and I'll PM you when I've posted it.

In short, if your paint is faded, scratched, tarnished etc. it needs to be polished. Some paints are harder than others and the polish used depends on how much paint you need to remove to correct the damage, so the decision on what type of polish to use has to be made for each job, so I can't give you a shopping list for that.

Prevention is better than cure, so I highly recommend protecting surfaces with a good wax or paint sealant.

A good all-round protection for gloss paint, metal, plastic etc is a good natural carnuba wax. My favourite is Collinite Marque D'Elegance. It requires a bit of elbow grease to buff off and should ideally be reapplied annually, but it's worth the effort. Don't apply wax to matt surfaces.

With any of these products, this old adage applies:

Good and cheap isn't fast,
Good and fast isn't cheap,
Fast and cheap isn't good.

As I said, I'll post up a more comprehensive thread about it later.
 
The type of bike cleaner you used is probably alkaline based and as you've found capable of damaging your bike. They're similar to TFR (Traffic film remover) used to clean cars and trucks and come in various strengths and depending on the product itself and the concentration used can be very aggressive. With all of these products the key thing is you mustn't apply it to a hot surface or let it dry before rinsing it off.

Personally I use Powermaxed TFR, which when diluted 9:1 with water (9 parts water to 1 of TFR) is Ph neutral but still does a good job without the associated risks. I premix it and use a pump up garden sprayer to apply it.

http://www.powermaxed.com/clean-your-bike/traffic-film-remover.
 
Bike Cleaner

May be to late to suggect Auto Glym Bike cleaner ?
Very good on the side of caravans(same stuff different bottle so the Auto Glym Rep suggests) etc used neat. Spray on ,swirl around no streaks or damage ,use on cold engine, rubber and paint not the cheapest but nice and gentle.:thumb
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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