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

[dalton108]

Alright I might give it another shot. Having a bunch of wet paper towels clinging to the car seems suboptimal though.

IDK, could be another solution to the vandal problem. Camouflage.

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[M0unt41nm4n]

Alright I might give it another shot. Having a bunch of wet paper towels clinging to the car seems suboptimal though.

Well you can keep spritzing it which some folks do.

 

[Outdoors]

It is a truck. Just a thought. I let mine grow into cool designs, and hope they never go away.

 

[its2kito]

I have my CT now for just over a month and the weather here is cold. It is also snowing a fair amount and magnesium chloride is used liberally on the roads to keep them from freezing.

Finally got warm enough to take the CT to a wash stall and pressure wash all the grime off.

Lots of noticeable corrosion stains from the mag chloride all over the truck.

Is barkeeper's friend still the fastest/least painful way to clean it up? Do I need to use a blue scotch bright pad to work the spots off?

This doesn't look like it will be particularly labor intensive and I know this has been discussed a bunch but I would like to get the most up to date information... it won't be until probably late March that it will be warm enough to immediately give the truck a rinse after driving it on salt covered roads.

Thanks

Martensitic steel corrodes? Wow, that’s news

 

[Crissa]

Martensitic steel corrodes? Wow, that’s news

All steel corrodes, given the right ions and electromagnetic fields.

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

Yeah for one bottle which is pretty easy to use up in 1 single washing, it may not be worth it.

You can easily use 24 of those bottles over a year. Totally savings is $728.00.

I dunno about you... but it takes about 45 seconds to whip up a bottle and over the course of that year, that $728 can go towards a sweet item for your Cybertruck.

It's not like it takes you an hour make this stuff.... yes... about 45 seconds.

No one is going to use 24 bottles per year. I've had my Cybertruck since early April, and a bottle of CitriSurf 77 for 6 months and I haven't used a drop yet (I have used about 1/8 of a bottle of Foamy BKF).

These acidic treatments are for stubborn stains that don't respond to soap and water or Sprayway Glass Cleaner. Other than that, you want the passivation layer to build up and become strong, so you don't get the stains in the first place. If you start going through a whole bottle of CitriSurf every two weeks, you are just making work for yourself (you are doing it wrong). Because CitriSurf strips the passivation layer right off, and now your truck will be more susceptible to harsh chemical, stain, etc., at least until the metal can form a new passivation layer.

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

No one is going to use 24 bottles per year. I've had my Cybertruck since early April, and a bottle of CitriSurf 77 for 6 months and I haven't used a drop yet (I have used about 1/8 of a bottle of Foamy BKF).

These acidic treatments are for stubborn stains that don't respond to soap and water or Sprayway Glass Cleaner. Other than that, you want the passivation layer to build up and become strong, so you don't get the stains in the first place. If you start going through a whole bottle of CitriSurf every two weeks, you are just making work for yourself (you are doing it wrong). Because CitriSurf strips the passivation layer right off, and now your truck will be more susceptible to harsh chemical, stain, etc., at least until the metal can form a new passivation layer.

Umm no. You don’t understand how passivition works with citric acid. You are 100% incorrect. You may be correct with oxilic acid, but NOT citric acid.

Citric acid does not strip the passivation layer off. Immersion of stainless steel in an acid bath dissolves free iron from the surface while leaving the chromium intact. The acid chemically removes the free iron, leaving behind a uniform surface with a higher proportion of chromium than the underlying material.

Upon exposure to oxygen in the air after the acid bath, the stainless steel forms the chromic oxide layer over the next 24 to 48 hours. The higher proportion of chromium at the surface allows for the formation of a thicker, more protective chromium oxide layer.

Don’t believe me? Then do your homework:

https://www.besttechnologyinc.com/passivation-systems/what-is-passivation/

Also… you made assumptions (ASS U ME) with regard to why anyone would use 24 bottles…. In order to use citric acid properly or as per citrisurf 77 instructions, you need to keep it wet for 15-30 minutes:

The parts or areas to be cleaned and passivated should be sprayed, immersed or wiped with CitriSurf 77 to completely wet the surfaces, especially in crevices or in areas where any rust or corrosion may have occurred. The surface must be soaked or left moist with the CitriSurf 77 solution for a period sufficient to remove all free iron and contaminants from the surface. This is typically 15-30 minutes at room temperature

https://citrisurf.com/pdf/CitriSurf 77 Product Information.pdf

How are you going to do that without it drying out with your 1 small-assed 22oz bottle of Citrifurf 77 for your large Cybertruck? You can’t.

But you can with several bottles of it in 1 sitting. So I dunno about you, but if I have to use 3-4 bottles in 1 cleaning, I would rather use pure citric acid at a cost of a couple of dollars rather than $100+.

Keep in mind, that 22oz Citrisurf bottle size was made for most people to clean their stainless steel refrigerator or their grill. Not the surface area of your CT. If you aren’t emptying that bottle and needing more while following directions, you are using it wrong with regard to the size of your CT.

So 24 bottles in a year isn’t so impossible after all, now is it? ?

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

It is a truck. Just a thought. I let mine grow into cool designs, and hope they never go away.

Yeah wipe it down after getting mag chloride on it and look at the pretty designs you get ?

 

[HaulingAss]

Also… you made assumptions (ASS U ME) with regard to why anyone would use 24 bottles…. In order to use citric acid properly or as per citrisurf 77 instructions, you need to keep it wet for 15-30 minutes:

https://citrisurf.com/pdf/CitriSurf 77 Product Information.pdf

How are you going to do that without it drying out with your 1 small-assed 22oz bottle of Citrifurf 77 for your large Cybertruck? You can’t.

But you can with several bottles of it in 1 sitting. So I dunno about you, but if I have to use 3-4 bottles in 1 cleaning, I would rather use pure citric acid at a cost of a couple of dollars rather than $100+.

Keep in mind, that 22oz Citrisurf bottle size was made for most people to clean their stainless steel refrigerator or their grill. Not the surface area of your CT. If you aren’t emptying that bottle and needing more while following directions, you are using it wrong with regard to the size of your CT.

So 24 bottles in a year isn’t so impossible after all, now is it? ?

When acid evaporates it becomes a stronger acid (only the water evaporates). You should be misting it with plain water, not more Citrisurf, to keep it moist as water evaporates and maintain the level of acidity. You don't want to do this in direct sunlight either.

Nobody is going to be going through 24 bottles/year unless they don't have a clue what they are doing. Passivation is a treatment, not something you do every time you wash your truck.

My Cybertruck self-passivates just by parking it outside in the rain and washing it with soap and water. Citrisurf would speed it up but it's not really necessary, especially not to use frequently.

 

[canyoncarver]

Is there any risk to the plastic or rubber trim on the truck if you are spraying citric acid solution on the steel panels and it drips onto those surfaces?

 

[Crissa]

Is there any risk to the plastic or rubber trim on the truck if you are spraying citric acid solution on the steel panels and it drips onto those surfaces?

Yeah, it could get white marks if allowed to dry there. Don't let the acids sit on the plastics.

-Crissa

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

When acid evaporates it becomes a stronger acid (only the water evaporates). You should be misting it with plain water, not more Citrisurf, to keep it moist as water evaporates and maintain the level of acidity. You don't want to do this in direct sunlight either.

Nobody is going to be going through 24 bottles/year unless they don't have a clue what they are doing. Passivation is a treatment, not something you do every time you wash your truck.

My Cybertruck self-passivates just by parking it outside in the rain and washing it with soap and water. Citrisurf would speed it up but it's not really necessary, especially not to use frequently.

?

 

[canyoncarver]

When acid evaporates it becomes a stronger acid (only the water evaporates). You should be misting it with plain water, not more Citrisurf, to keep it moist as water evaporates and maintain the level of acidity. You don't want to do this in direct sunlight either.

Nobody is going to be going through 24 bottles/year unless they don't have a clue what they are doing. Passivation is a treatment, not something you do every time you wash your truck.

My Cybertruck self-passivates just by parking it outside in the rain and washing it with soap and water. Citrisurf would speed it up but it's not really necessary, especially not to use frequently.

I mean, parking it outside and "letting it get rained on" isn't even an option in the southwest or rocky mountain areas. It can go weeks or months at a time without any appreciable rainfall.

Mostly we just get snow, sleet and scorching heat.

 

[TyPope]

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

Same here. Good luck. I'll probably have to do some heavy bug removal. Neat that the windshield stays bug free for the most part, at least...

 

[TyPope]

All steel corrodes, given the right ions and electromagnetic fields.

-Crissa

and oxygen? ;P

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