What's the latest recommendation for removing corrosion stains from road salt?

[canyoncarver]

I’ll vouch for the foam BFK. It works great, does not polish - it’s basically wipe on wipe off.

It might be worth a shot but I doubt it's going to be strong enough to remove what I'm seeing on the truck. Might just have to go straight to the liquid.

Sponsored

 

[Crissa]

For salt you just need lots of water and a teeny amount of surfactant.

The more pure (less minerals and conditioners) in the water, the better. Hard water is more difficult.

For salt-spots that don't wash off, that's what light acidic cleansers like citrisurf and bar keeper's friend are for.

It's all just chemistry, trying to guess the chemistry of the spot and what will put it into solution. And sometimes a surfactant will work on one thing but a different surfactant will work better on another - but that's true about cleaning anything! It's more about the stain than the surface.

-Crissa

 

[Kryptek]

Use the BK soft or spray, it removes all those little peck marks but use a micro fiber towel with the softer side down. I then cleaned with non amonioa windex then a final clean up with denatured alcohol all micro fiber clean towels

 

[Crissa]

I then cleaned with non amonioa windex then a final clean up with denatured alcohol all micro fiber clean towels

You probably only need one or the other. Water is usually sufficient. And be careful with the poisoned alcohol; it's still more poisonous than regular ol' ethyl or isopropyl when the vapors are inhaled.

Bar Keeper's Friend and other acid based cleaners work better if you rinse and use a surfactant first to remove oils.

-Crissa

 

[smg]

You probably only need one or the other. Water is usually sufficient. And be careful with the poisoned alcohol; it's still more poisonous than regular ol' ethyl or isopropyl when the vapors are inhaled.

Bar Keeper's Friend and other acid based cleaners work better if you rinse and use a surfactant first to remove oils.

-Crissa

Isopropyl works so magically well as a final wipedown. Leaves no streaks and flashes off almost instantly.

 

[HaulingAss]

BKF is a polish; I would highly advise that you do not polish this truck.

You need to passivate the steel. If you want to do much less work to restore it, consider using a metal specific ceramic coating.

That's not correct. BKF is not a single product, it comes in various formulations. The BKF that I use, and that I see most often recommended here, is not an abrasive polish, it's simply an acidic cleaner. It's the "foamy" formula and comes in a pump spray bottle. Works great for the most serious stains.

Also, you don't need to passivate the steel, it will self passivate when exposed to moisture and air (oxygen). You can use the non-abrasive (foamy) Barkeepers friend, wash it off with soap and water, and let it self-passivate.

 

[HaulingAss]

Be aware that you will have to polish the entire truck evenly in order to prevent wild variance between the panels. Make sure you have several hours to dedicate.

highly not recommended for anyone completely new to polishing as well.

I would avoid polishing at all, unless you are refinishing the truck with a random orbit sander (due to surface scratches). I would not use anything abrasive unless you are refinishing using a random orbit sander. And that is only required to take care of scratches. Everything else will clean up beautifully with either just Sprayway, or soap and water or soap and water and Sprayway, or foamy BKF and soap and water. When you use foamy BKF you don't need Sprayway, and if soap and water or Sprayway is enough you don't need BKF.

If you do need to polish out scratches with a random orbit sander, you only need to do the surfaces that lie in the same plane as the inconsistencies you are trying to fix. In other words, you don't polish by panel, you polish by plane.

Several hours is enough to completely refinish all the panels on a Cybertruck in the worst condition (using a random orbit sander). If you are doing a complete refinish, I recommend starting with foamy BKF so the panels are clean and uniform before applying the new texture with the RO sander.

 

[canyoncarver]

10yrs cleaning and repairing my SS
Parts
1. Grain direction find by bright light
2. WD40 oil never ever window cleaners and no chlorinated scrubber cleaners
3. Green 3M Scotch Brite or for lesser SS tarnish Blue Scotch Brite
4. In line sander (NOT ORBITAL) only clean or burnish in the SS grain direction
Directions
Spray SS area you want cleaned or reworked with oil WD 40 or equivalent.
General finger prints oil + T shirt wipe in SS gain direction only
Rework SS blue or green Scotch Brite with liberal amounts of WD40 rub in the grain direction
Clean up spray with WD40 and wipe area with T shirt again only in the SS grain direction

Now
If Tesla has orbital sanded any body panel you can on a final cleaning reapply that orbital scratching but only do that for appearance matching.
Green 3M Scotch-Brite

This is interesting information as I've never seen the recommendation for WD40 oil and definitely never seen people say not to use window cleaner.

I might try this on one panel and see what the results are.

WD40 is primarily a water displacer so I am surprised it would have an application like removing heavy oxidation from stainless steel.

 

[REM]

That's not correct. BKF is not a single product, it comes in various formulations. The BKF that I use, and that I see most often recommended here, is not an abrasive polish, it's simply an acidic cleaner. It's the "foamy" formula and comes in a pump spray bottle. Works great for the most serious stains.

Also, you don't need to passivate the steel, it will self passivate when exposed to moisture and air (oxygen). You can use the non-abrasive (foamy) Barkeepers friend, wash it off with soap and water, and let it self-passivate.

I put that caution up there when I see people recommend generic BKF because the vast majority of people will grab the polishing compound from their local big-box store.

The passivation is for when you are trying to reach an even oxidation across a panel. I haven't cleaned the bugs off my front bumper for several weeks for example, and I will need to buff and then passivate the whole panel next time I do, or those bugs with still be there in spirit lol.

This spring I plan to apply a metal ceramic coating after super cleaning the truck. looking forward to it.

 

[joseph p]

@REM is correct and maybe he knows more about this than I do in terms of what the grit level is in this foam, but the paste is like using Ajax. This doesn’t feel gritty at all and doesn’t in my experience seem to polish the truck at all like the regular BKF does.

https://a.co/d/g33BfoX

Well, ChatGPT was able to clear that up real quick for me. The foam spray is not abrasive at all which was what I experienced. Here’s a summary:

Bar Keepers Friend offers various formulations, each with distinct abrasive properties tailored for specific cleaning tasks.

Powdered Cleanser:
• Abrasiveness: Contains a higher concentration of abrasive particles, providing substantial scrubbing power for tough stains and deep-cleaning needs.
• Usage: Ideal for restorative cleaning on durable surfaces, such as removing rust, mineral deposits, and heavy grime.

Soft Cleanser:
• Abrasiveness: Features a lower concentration of abrasives compared to the powder, making it gentler on surfaces while still effective.
• Usage: Suitable for routine cleaning and for use on more delicate surfaces where a less abrasive touch is beneficial.

MORE Spray + Foam:
• Abrasiveness: This formulation is non-abrasive, containing no abrasive particles, ensuring it won’t scratch sensitive surfaces.
• Usage: Designed for light cleaning tasks, particularly on vertical surfaces like shower doors, where its clinging foam can effectively remove soap scum and grime without the risk of abrasion.

In summary, the Powdered Cleanser offers the highest level of abrasiveness for challenging cleaning jobs, the Soft Cleanser provides a balanced, less abrasive option for everyday use, and the MORE Spray + Foam delivers a non-abrasive solution for gentle cleaning on delicate surfaces.



Use a dryer sheet to polish stainless steel. From the toaster to the refrigerator to your chrome faucets or fixtures, a used dryer sheet will scrub out hard water stains and remove streaks — making them shine like new.
I wonder about using it on CT?

 

[HaulingAss]

I put that caution up there when I see people recommend generic BKF because the vast majority of people will grab the polishing compound from their local big-box store.

The passivation is for when you are trying to reach an even oxidation across a panel. I haven't cleaned the bugs off my front bumper for several weeks for example, and I will need to buff and then passivate the whole panel next time I do, or those bugs with still be there in spirit lol.

The stainless steel of the Cybertruck will self-passivate evenly if you just park it outside for a day or two in the rain after you remove the previous passivation layer, either by abrasive polishing or using an acidic cleaner like foamy BKF. For the most even finish, it's a good practice to wash it with soap and water after polishing off the passivation layer.

I do think humidity speeds up the self-passivation because I live in the Pacific Northwest and haven't had any problems with evenness of the finish after polishing. My Cybertruck lives out of doors under the trees and it loves being wet.

 

[HaulingAss]

Use a dryer sheet to polish stainless steel. From the toaster to the refrigerator to your chrome faucets or fixtures, a used dryer sheet will scrub out hard water stains and remove streaks — making them shine like new.
I wonder about using it on CT?

No. The secret to keeping a nice finish is to not have oils, waxes and other contaminants that coat the metal or create a barrier. Just wash it with soapy water, and rinse well with water. You want the surface to be exposed to oxygen and water so if the passivation layer is compromised, it can reform quickly.

This is the same reason Sprayway works so well. As a glass cleaner it is designed to remove contaminants and not leave a residue. And the solvents it uses don't remove the passivation layer or react with the metal like ammonia does.

 

[HaulingAss]

10yrs cleaning and repairing stainless steel
Parts
1. Grain direction find by bright light
2. WD40 oil never ever window cleaners, no acidic, and NO chlorinated scrubber cleaners!
3. Green 3M Scotch Brite or for lesser SS tarnish Blue Scotch Brite
4. In line sander (NOT ORBITAL) only clean or burnish in the SS grain direction
Directions
Spray SS area you want cleaned or reworked with oil WD 40 or equivalent.
General finger prints oil + T shirt wipe in SS gain direction only
Rework SS metal surface with blue or green Scotch Brite with liberal amounts of WD40 rub in the grain direction only!
Clean up: Spray with WD40 and wipe area with T shirt again only in the SS grain direction!

Now
If Tesla has orbital sanded any body panel you can on a final cleaning reapply that orbital scratching but only do that for appearance matching.
Green 3M Scotch-Brite

This is the worst advice for Cybertruck maintenance I've ever seen, even worse than Out-of-Spec Detailing.

From what you wrote it's apparent that you don't even have a Cybertruck, nor have you ever maintained one. Some corrections to your many misunderstandings:

You cannot see the "grain" of Cybertrucks stainless steel with a bright light. The grain is microscopic, you need a powerful microscope to see the direction of the grain in the stainless steel.

If you are instead referring to the surface texture imparted mechanically as a surface finish, it is non-directional (because it's applied with a robotic random orbit sander/polisher). All Cybertrucks receive this finish before they leave the factory.

As to never using an acidic cleaner, Tesla recommends Citrasurf 77 and it's very acidic. That's why Tesla recommends it. It works by being acidic and controlling the dwell time.

 

[HaulingAss]

CitriSurf 77 is approximately 1.6 pH at its working concentration; meaning it is highly acidic!

You can not leave this acid on any metal surface.
If you use an acid on SS you must neutralize that acid (sodium bicarbonate) to a A neutral pH level is 7 on the pH scale.
Yes,
You can neutralize an acid with sodium bicarbonate, also commonly known as baking soda
All Im saying is acid any acid must be neutralized and then that metal surface must be some how protected from the elements via wax or oil or ???.

No, you are just plain wrong. The metal does not need to be protected from the elements with any kind of coating, it does great with periodic washings.

You've never maintained a Cybertruck, am I right?

 

[tdmeyers]

BKF works great for me. The ceramic coating from PAN was awesome. Fingerprints are not a big issue anymore. OPT ONR wash & shine works great for a quick clean.

Sponsored