Hi gang,

I recently noticed three/four very fine scratches on the tank - assuming from my flight jacket. Anyway, I tried using theMeguiar scratch remover but it didn't work. I know it is superfical but it feel bad. Any suggestions?


Regards,

maakif

 

Use a paint cleaner on on the entire surface of the tank and then use a polish to remove the scratches. Do it all by hand and do it over the entire surface of your tank, not just where there scratches are.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks Glass. Quick question: What brand of paint cleaner you use and where can I find it?


Thanks,

maakif

 

Ive got a few hundred of em where my tank pad was ...so i just throw wax some wax on em and try not to think about it soo much...im getting a new tank pad anyways ...so it will go right over em..

 

You can find the Meguiars 3 step system just about anywhere and that should take care of your problem. The first step is the paint cleaner, second is the polish and third is wax. It doesn't really matter to use those 3 products together as long as you have something to do each step with.

The 3 step system is:

Step 1: Deep Crystal Clean
Step 2: Deep Crystal Polish
Step 3: Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax

I usually swap out the Crystal Polish for MeguiarsBody Shop Professional Swirl Free Polish (http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner...rl-Free-Polish) This comes in a regular sized bottle aswell so you don't need the huge jug.

If you have a dark color paint I also suggest tryingthe Body Shop Professional Hand Polish (http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-pure-po...al-Hand-Polish)

I live in Canada so I can't really say where is best for you to find them, butthey have a dealer locator on their website so check it out. http://www.meguiars.com/dealerlocator/

I hope that helps, if you need any info on how to apply the products or what applicators to use, let me know.

 

Appreciated. I'll have a red and black bike. I'll try and let you know how it work out for me.


Regards,

maakif

 

As an update. I followed the instructions and applied the Meguiar 3 step system but it didn't work for me I guess my scratches are down to paint level.

 

Do you have a pic of the scratches?

 

Unless your tank is REALLY messed up, I can probably tell you exactly how to fix your problem.
I recently did my brother's accord, the paint was full of scratches and swirls and was extremely dull. After about 4 hours I had it looking like this:


Before:



After:

 

First, just clean the surface with good warm soap and water. This will get any existing waxes/cleaners out of the scratch. Doing this removes the probability of any optical illusions (pardon the usages of my sn). Then take a look as some different grit abrasive compounds. Like 3M medium grit rubbing compound. Apply a small amount of compound on a rag and try it. Go in steps. You will notice the area begin to get lighter than the rest of the paint surface but you are essentially dulling it down. Then, you might consider 3M swirl remover. This will bring the luster back into the paint making it look like the rest of the painted surface.

I know these work excellent but the trick is (if your new to it) is to go in small steps. couple drops of compound, rub a little, wipe compound, inspect. The guy I got my bike from use to rest his arm on the tank and therefore put scratches on the tank.

Another option that I told my brother about (whom had a few in his bmw's tank) is the different grits of jewler's rouge. This works great for removing scratches by hand.

Most body guys use wool pile buffer pads (1 -1 1/2 inch pile) to apply the compound, but then use a foam polishing pad. But this isn't as easy as it sounds as one could "burn" through the clearcoat. If the paint on the bike isn't basecoat clearcoat, and it is a single stage, then you could buff all day (obviously not burning into the undercoats of primer or what not.

These are just some materials and tricks I've used over the past 16 years of painting.

There's my $.02.