HFS (Hard Freaking Stainless) – How’s Your Cybertruck Holding Up?

[btcrealm]

For a lot of the marks CitriSurf 77 Stainless Steel Passivation Cleaner (NOT the Plus) does a good job cleaning them up. I've got all kinds of pin stripes on mine from jeep trails and in the pictures are the large paperclips that rusted on the truck from christmas lights. All I did was spray a cloth and wipe down the stainless (real scrubbing would take care of what remained).
There are some stripes on it that will need a real buffing but for the most part just a cloth and CitriSurf gets rid of pretty much everything.
No other complaints about my stainless (August 2024 purchase)

[EDIT]
I noticed after the server restore my pictures were gone. I think these were the two I used.
[/EDIT]

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[koolio]

For a lot of the marks CitriSurf 77 Stainless Steel Passivation Cleaner (NOT the Plus) does a good job cleaning them up. I've got all kinds of pin stripes on mine from jeep trails and in the pictures are the large paperclips that rusted on the truck from christmas lights. All I did was spray a cloth and wipe down the stainless (real scrubbing would take care of what remained).
There are some stripes on it that will need a real buffing but for the most part just a cloth and CitriSurf gets rid of pretty much everything.
No other complaints about my stainless (August 2024 purchase)

Wow, so you only sprayed the Citrisurf77 onto a microfiber cloth and wiped the stainless down? You didn't have to spray the solution onto the stainless?

 

[btcrealm]

Wow, so you only sprayed the Citrisurf77 onto a microfiber cloth and wiped the stainless down? You didn't have to spray the solution onto the stainless?

You are supposed to. I did on the main panels but not for the specific pictures I posted. You are also supposed to put a little more effort into it when you use it. I didn't bother as the next weekend I was going out offroading again and it didn't really matter that much.
I do believe the Citrisurf77 would make the entire thing shine if elbow grease was used. But for plain clean look it isn't needed.

 

[BrockN]

You are supposed to. I did on the main panels but not for the specific pictures I posted. You are also supposed to put a little more effort into it when you use it. I didn't bother as the next weekend I was going out offroading again and it didn't really matter that much.
I do believe the Citrisurf77 would make the entire thing shine if elbow grease was used. But for plain clean look it isn't needed.

I think the 77 Plus is a little more active/aggressive than the non-plus and works better on actual rust spots. IIRC, that's what my friend used... spray on, allow it to sit for 15 minutes or more, then rinse. No elbow grease required in his case. But it's nastier stuff I believe, so my only concern would be whether it might possibly impact the stainless in a negative way... if used too frequently. The sheet for it mentions different types of stainless. We have Martensitic, don't we? Austenitic and Ferritic are mentioned as potentially having problems if used excessively.

 

[btcrealm]

I think the 77 Plus is a little more active/aggressive than the non-plus and works better on actual rust spots. IIRC, that's what my friend used... spray on, allow it to sit for 15 minutes or more, then rinse. No elbow grease required in his case. But it's nastier stuff I believe, so my only concern would be whether it might possibly impact the stainless in a negative way... if used too frequently. The sheet for it mentions different types of stainless. We have Martensitic, don't we? Austenitic and Ferritic are mentioned as potentially having problems if used excessively.

It has been specifically stated here and elsewhere NOT to use the 77 Plus on the cybertruck.

https://www.amazon.com/Citrisurf-Stainless-Steel-Cleaner-Removal/dp/B076CTWRVS

• Not recommended for use with Tesla Cybertruck; however, Tesla does recommend the Citrisurf77 product, available for sale on Amazon. Search CitriSurf 77 on Amazon or use code: B01CIRIK7C.

 

[koolio]

It has been specifically stated here and elsewhere NOT to use the 77 Plus on the cybertruck.

https://www.amazon.com/Citrisurf-Stainless-Steel-Cleaner-Removal/dp/B076CTWRVS

Great call....and good to highlight how the product description clearly states it's not for the Cybertruck (honestly, I missed it when looking at it).

 

[BrockN]

It has been specifically stated here and elsewhere NOT to use the 77 Plus on the cybertruck.

https://www.amazon.com/Citrisurf-Stainless-Steel-Cleaner-Removal/dp/B076CTWRVS

Interesting. The big question is "why"?

I can see it going badly if you don't follow instructions carefully and exactly, because it's definitely nasty stuff. But if it's essentially just a more powerful version of 77, I'm curious to know why the warning. What would it do?

I'm that person who always needs to understand why... ?

 

[ThatGuyBo]

Interesting. The big question is "why"?

I can see it going badly if you don't follow instructions carefully and exactly, because it's definitely nasty stuff. But if it's essentially just a more powerful version of 77, I'm curious to know why the warning. What would it do?

I'm that person who always needs to understand why... ?

Citrisurf isn't nasty stuff, it's citric acid.
77 is designed to remove surface contamination
77 Plus is designed to remove rust, not just contamination.

 

[BrockN]

Citrisurf isn't nasty stuff, it's citric acid.
77 is designed to remove surface contamination
77 Plus is designed to remove rust, not just contamination.

Yes, I realize that. When I say 'nasty stuff', I mean it IS acid and can leave discoloration marks on the metal and even etch it if it's a 'sensitive grade of stainless steel' (per info sheet). You want to wear gloves and you don't want to breathe the mist as it will irritate the nose and throat. It's not exactly Palmolive ("you're soaking in it, Madge!" )

Comparing the manufacturer's information sheets side by side, the only apparent difference I can see is that Plus mentions "If heavy rust needs to be removed, non-abrasive Scotch Brite™ or similar may be used halfway through the treatment. Difficult rust or corrosion must be tested to determine the exact best conditions for removal."

The non-Plus sheet says "If there is rust on the surface that must be removed, you may want to use CitriSurf 77 Plus which has additional additives to aid in rust removal."

The "Chemical Composition" section of both products reads the same... "Citric acid, water, proprietary ingredients". The pH is the same. No hazard information other than for the citric acid is noted on the MSDS sheet. Obviously the difference will be in the 'proprietary ingredients' and I assume that's where the rust remover is. But if it's not specifically mentioned in any of the documentation I could find, I have to wonder how aggressive it is, and why 77 Plus shouldn't be used on the Cybertruck stainless.

Maybe it isn't that Plus shouldn't be used, but rather, since there is unlikely to be actual corrosion on the metal, the Plus is simply overkill?

 

[CybertruckCovers]

We made this quick tutorial for rust removal:

 

[mhaze]

I've got an area about 2x4 inches where it appears the brushed surface finish goes in a different direction - this came about I think from when a bird hit and the front was very muddy. The sand scrapped as the bird impacted.

Well that's what I think happened. Lots of abuse and off road and nothing else. One or two of these snap on plastic pieces under the front and rear bumper caught on something in kind of rough land and came off. They pop back on pretty easy. Maybe I'll just pull them off, come to think of it.

These two cacti are perhaps 4' apart. maybe two feet of the spines bending and scraping both sides. I know I can drive thru with zero damage. No painted vehicle would be anything but totally ruined trying to do this.

 

[SlegMD]

Just did iron remover decon for first time, took 7 rounds lol. HFS is like a sponge for dirt and road grime.

 

[Stuck4ger]

New Cybertruck owner here..... I've heard that the Cybertruck HFS is door-dent resistant. Is it true?

The internet is your friend, bro.

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