Paint Sratches

[acpd22]

Is it just me or is the clear coat really easy to scratch? I stopped at the mailbox the other day and placed my mail on top of the glove box and came down my quarter mile driveway. While removing my windshield I noticed two distinct scratches on the glove box lid. I have tried to wax it out. I have used two types of rubbing compound one of which helped a little. Upon further inspection I have noticed several blemishes in the bike's finish. It seem the finish is really soft or something. I did not want a black bike but that was all the dealer had available. I like the look of black but it is such a high maintenance color. Any help with regards to the scratches would be appreciated.

[dlby]

I had a black Jeep Grand Cherokee & HD ultra. Two Beutifull machines. But I learned to not get to freaked out when sunlight hit at certain angles. That said, I purchased a buffing polishing unit with different pads. Does more than you can do by hand. Just go easy.
If its worse than that i live with it or there are color paints on market (pens or spray witch can be used)

I love R&R put another dime in the jukebox baby!

[dlby]

Btw I now ryde a pearl white Spyder which gets pretty dirty before I realize how much it needs cleaned. White is good!

I love R&R put another dime in the jukebox baby!

[al0vely]

I don't like the black either but that was the color I could get a good deal on when in the buying mood. I can't keep it clean ... don't like high maintenance anything. [emoji32]


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[Bob Denman]

If you consider the scratches as "Merit Badges"; they'd don't sting quite as much...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Is it just me or is the clear coat really easy to scratch? I stopped at the mailbox the other day and placed my mail on top of the glove box and came down my quarter mile driveway. While removing my windshield I noticed two distinct scratches on the glove box lid. I have tried to wax it out. I have used two types of rubbing compound one of which helped a little. Upon further inspection I have noticed several blemishes in the bike's finish. It seem the finish is really soft or something. I did not want a black bike but that was all the dealer had available. I like the look of black but it is such a high maintenance color. Any help with regards to the scratches would be appreciated.

WOW - at least there are two people on this site who recognize how EASY IT IS for the paint to get scratched ..... You have folks here who actually Believe wrapping a micro-fiber towel around their wheels will actually prevent a Nylon strap tightened with a ratchet strap will prevent the paint from damage ........ Mike

[rcturner]

Clear coat is very soft. It scratches very easily. Your cars and trucks are the same. Usually the clear coat is quite thick and using POLISHING compound will clean up the problem. If that doesn't do it some 3000 wet and dry paper can be used (wet) followed by polishing compound. All of this is done by hand. No machines used unless you take it to a body shop.

[happyspyder2039]

3M 05996 Machine Polish is what I use

[ruralgirl]

I have the 2015 pearl red, and it scratches if I simply look at it too hard. I've never used anything but water and, only sometimes, a couple drops of dish detergent to gently wash it with a special vehicle sponge. I gingerly dab it dry with soft micro cloths. I've never rubbed it down with any kind of compound. And yet, not long after purchasing it, a 6" long set of numerous, tiny, vertical, side-by-side scratches developed along the top edge of the left rear cargo box. Then the same set began showing up on the other side, along with a couple long, single scratches elsewhere on the body. The only thing that ever touches this trike is my flannel lined, very soft, half-cover. THAT'S how crazy soft this paint is!

[acpd22]

Just so no one gets the wrong impression, I can spell even though I am from Tennessee. SCRATCHES instead of sratches is how I meant to start this thread. If the guys from work seen this after I stay on their butts about spelling on their reports, they would never let me live it down.

[Peter Aawen]

Just so no one gets the wrong impression, I can spell even though I am from Tennessee. SCRATCHES instead of sratches is how I meant to start this thread. If the guys from work seen this after I stay on their butts about spelling on their reports, they would never let me live it down.

I wouldn't worry about it too much acpd, I was just blaming Auto-correct for stuffing something odd during the posting process!! Auto-correct, especially any of the Apple or iPad versions, really can't handle a lot of commonly used words & phrases, especially colloquial phrases, & it tries to correct them into something it 'understands' rather than anything that might make sense, often stuffing up the word & letter spacing too, so you end up with things like s-ratches or worse - and btw, it really doesn't 'understand' very much at all, probably because who-ever set it up learnt 'English' in all its complexity & idiosyncrasies as a second language & hadn't really been exposed to a heap of common usage at that!! (case in point, it just took 6 goes to get it away from correcting the latter word there to '&idiot-something' to idiosyncrasies! - sorry, I used it again, so double that!! ) Add to that the increasing annoyance you get from auto-correct turning itself back on!! Even tho I turn it off at every opportunity, it seems to re-set at all sorts of odd occasions or whenever I re-charge the battery or turn the iPad off!! So Auto-correct is once again currently on here despite it being turned off earlier today!

Besides, most people reading English don't actually read what's written; rather they skim over the text & sub-consciously guess at what the written/typed word actually says - and often enough, if the first & lsat letters are in place with vaguely the correct letters in-bteween they'll 'read' the intended word anyway!! See last above - many just assumed that at first glance, even if you didn't! And then there's 'between' too! So Sratches would probably have been fine for most readers, at least at their first glance anyway!

[missouriboy]

Just so no one gets the wrong impression, I can spell even though I am from Tennessee. SCRATCHES instead of sratches is how I meant to start this thread. If the guys from work seen this after I stay on their butts about spelling on their reports, they would never let me live it down.

Well, you did just misspell saw!
P.S. I never even noticed the "sratches" so Peter Aawen is right.

[Bob Denman]

I have the 2015 pearl red, and it scratches if I simply look at it too hard... ...THAT'S how crazy soft this paint is!

It only takes a sharp glance...

[rcturner]

I have the 2015 pearl red, and it scratches if I simply look at it too hard. I've never used anything but water and, only sometimes, a couple drops of dish detergent to gently wash it with a special vehicle sponge. I gingerly dab it dry with soft micro cloths. I've never rubbed it down with any kind of compound. And yet, not long after purchasing it, a 6" long set of numerous, tiny, vertical, side-by-side scratches developed along the top edge of the left rear cargo box. Then the same set began showing up on the other side, along with a couple long, single scratches elsewhere on the body. The only thing that ever touches this trike is my flannel lined, very soft, half-cover. THAT'S how crazy soft this paint is!

A couple of issues with what you are doing.

1. Washing without soap will promote scratches as the soap cushion is missing.
2. Never use detergent on painted surfaces. It removes the natural oils from the paint and damages it. Always use soap. Preferably a soap that is designed for use on clear coat paints.

On colors like red or black, blow drying is probably less damaging than wiping. However, your source of blow drying air must be very clean.

[bcer960]

When i bought my spyder earlier this year. I literally drove it from the dealership to Protex and had "Paint protection film" put over most of the bike. It's a bit costly, but well worth the investment in my opinion.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have the 2015 pearl red, and it scratches if I simply look at it too hard. I've never used anything but water and, only sometimes, a couple drops of dish detergent to gently wash it with a special vehicle sponge. I gingerly dab it dry with soft micro cloths. I've never rubbed it down with any kind of compound. And yet, not long after purchasing it, a 6" long set of numerous, tiny, vertical, side-by-side scratches developed along the top edge of the left rear cargo box. Then the same set began showing up on the other side, along with a couple long, single scratches elsewhere on the body. The only thing that ever touches this trike is my flannel lined, very soft, half-cover. THAT'S how crazy soft this paint is!

#1. The paint BRP uses is WATER based.......#2. Because the panels are NOT metal they can't be BAKED ( ie heated ).......... jmho ...... Mike

[Firefly]

My 2015 F3 had scratches on every panel when I picked it up New from the dealer. They're replacing all the panels at no cost. Actually I'm getting them and replacing them. After 2,700 miles on the original scratched panels I can see they scratch really easily. Will be costing the new panels with either 3M paint protector sheets or spray of some kind.
Mine is black. My blue RT didn't scratch this easily!


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[Bob Denman]

[ruralgirl]

A couple of issues with what you are doing.

1. Washing without soap will promote scratches as the soap cushion is missing.
2. Never use detergent on painted surfaces. It removes the natural oils from the paint and damages it. Always use soap. Preferably a soap that is designed for use on clear coat paints.

On colors like red or black, blow drying is probably less damaging than wiping. However, your source of blow drying air must be very clean.

So far, I haven't noticed the patina type scratches that washing without sufficient (or any) soap would cause. These are serious penetrations of the top layer from mystery contacts. And, FWIW, I use "natural" liquid dish soaps like Seventh Generation (I know - still bad). It's just interesting that my exoskeletal Spyder isn't expected to endure a couple drops of the same soap that hasn't abraded my endoskeletal hands in 6 decades of multiple daily plunges into much higher concentrations.

As far as blow drying, we have so many minerals in our well water, my Spyder would be a leopard appaloosa if I didn't wipe off the spots. Plus, I wouldn't have the patience! After 49 years of laboriously drying my knee-length hair, I recently cut it to a wash 'n walkaway length, and I never want to see a blow dryer again!

[Spyder Wraps Pete]

If it really bothers you we do offer paint protection film.

https://www.facebook.com/PowerSports...type=3&theater

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

All I have to say is scuffs & light scratches have never sunk a sale for me when it was time to get rid of my bike. Not being concerned about them makes for happier ownership.

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[Bob Denman]

...my Spyder would be a leopard appaloosa if I didn't wipe off the spots.

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[hank573]

Gentlemen, I have a 2021 Spyder F3 Base with all gloss black plastic and paint and when I got it home and could really look at it I was amazed at the amount of scratches in the finish...looked like someone had sand on a their rag.....I am not new to black vehicles and have had similar problems and I remember these two products from Turtle wax. Turtle Wax T-11 Black Spray Wax - 16 oz and Turtle Wax T-319 Black Spray Detailer - 23 oz.. After about three coats of the spray wax the swirls and light scratches are aout 90 percent better. Never going to be prefect. The detailer is great after you get back from a ride to get ride of bugs...both have a light acrylic black paint in them and fill the light scratches. Very easy to use spray on and wipe off and buff with dry microfiber cloth....was about 30 dollars for both on Amazon. Hope this helps save somebody's sanity...I am pretty fussy and was getting really pis*ed every time I looked at the bike in light. This has helped a bunch.

[Plarimer]

Get a DA kit from Maguire’s that attaches to your drill. Then by their compound and polish. Works great on black services

[fredgal]

i use a few drop of dish soap in a spray bottle,, spray spyder, the rinse with hose, then use a leaf blower, yes a leaf blower, to blow it dry, this way no water spots, works great,,