Can Am paint shows marks - any advice on removing them?

[carsong]

I have a question about the paint jobs on Can Ams. I was watching a You Tube video showing the new 2020 Can Am RT. I noticed that the paint looked horrible, much like mine. Primarily the glossy panels. My Spyder is matt black, with some gloss black panels. The matt paint is fine, but the gloss looks terrible. Lots of swirl marks, and seemingly permanent finger prints. It was like this when I bought it, and I thought I could easily polish them out. I've worked on it, but with no luck. Nothing has smoothed them out. I made the mistake of attaching a Go Pro suction mount on one panel, and it left a mark that I can't remove! I'm a little afraid to use a more aggressive cutting compound. Does anyone have any advise? I've never had a problem with any of my vehicles in the past. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[merlot]

Totally agree. Swirl marks throughout.
Take the bike to a paint shop for best advice re cutting compounds for the clearcoat

Russ

 

[timd35]

I was wondering that myself. I picked up a new 2019 F3-S back in September and it had those swirls in the gloss panels as well. To me it looked like it had been cleaned with an abrasive material.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Due to Canadian laws, BRP only uses " water based paint " ….. imho it's not as durable as what is used in USA ….. Mike hyea:

 

[Navydad]

We use the same paint here in the good old USA at least we do at the truck factory where I worked. It can look great if done properly, but it is an exact process. It's easy to get swirls and defects and once the clear coat is applied the problem is compounded. Clear coat is a must because the base paint is not very durable at all. Manufacturers use a low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint because of environmental concerns and laws. We get some really pretty colors with this paint, but the durability stinks. Unfortunately a lot of the defects we see are under the clear coat making them tougher to repair.

 

[campermac]

In case anyone is interested, here are the paint codes for Can Am

 

[happyspyder2039]

Try this it worked great on the black nose piece of my 15 rt-s.
3M 05996 Machine Polish

 

[stevencovert]

Try this it worked great on the black nose piece of my 15 rt-s.
3M 05996 Machine Polish

I agree - good results here too.

 

[pegasus1300]

Campermac, are you able to access the codes for other years as well? Where did you find these. I need to find the codes for the 2012 Lava Bronze. thanks for your help.

 

[Motorcycledave]

they are only allowed to use water colors in California as well, some folks ride over to Nevada where
they use real paint and not the water based stuff for paint work

Due to Canadian laws, BRP only uses " water based paint " ….. imho it's not as durable as what is used in USA ….. Mike hyea:

 

[campermac]

This is what I found for you

paint codes lava bronze
BASF=W887279
PPG=931120
BRB=B-330

 

[pegasus1300]

Thank you very much.

 

[Snoking1127]

In case anyone is interested here are the paint codes for Can Am

Missing, BRP calls it Ivory:
The paint code for 2017 Champagne Metallic straight from BRP.
BRP: B-390
B.A.S.F.: 934639
PPG: 944074


Available on 2017 and 2018 RTL

 

[NoTyme]

I also have paint issues on my 2023 RT Limited. It is a shame that we spend thousands of dollars on a machine and their quality control sucks. My paint is not my only issue.

 

[vtrider]

I had John, a friend of mine, who runs and owns a detailing shop look at my new 2023 RT Sea To Sky after I put on about 2000 miles. I also noticed swirl/scratch marks when I cleaned and polished it. Espacially the (piano black) panels around the speakers, dash, glove box, ext... Anyhow, John did a complete polish and cermaic coating detail on my RT and it came out looking great! Some of the glossy panels were difficult to remove the already damaged paint scratches, but it was much better than it was. The ceramic coating won't damage or change the color of the paint, but it does protect the clearcoat with a nice hard glass shine. Since I had my RT ceramic coated it also repels water, dirt and dust much better. This type of service can also be done to matte finishes as well. Just a FYI!

 

[LesGrossman]

** just noticed this is an old thread from 2020 :sour:

If you wash your bike with dish/detergent soaps (Dawn, Ajax, etc), it's very bad for painted surfaces with clear coat. It will strip off any wax/polish product you've used on it. And it makes the clear coat more susceptable to light scratching and swirl marks.

If you wash or polish using a heavy hand in a circular motion with contaminated sponges, pads or cloths, it will create swirls in paint. Especially soft paints, like most black pigments are!

I had the same issue when I bought mine used. If it's just swirl marks you want to eliminate, polish it using a soft pad with a thick paste/liquid carnuba wax. It helps to fill-in the swirl marks in the clear coat. And when removing the wax, try to keep your hand moving in horizonal/verticle motions, limiting heavy rubbing in circular motions. Note it may take a coat or two of waxing... my CanAm paint needed 3 coats of carnuba wax before I noticed the swirl markes disappearing.

After a good coat (or two, or three) of paste/liquid caruba wax I use a spay wax/detailer, or a wax for plastics like Camco 210 to maintain the polish. And I always use microfiber towels. I find terry cloth towels can create swirl marks due to the large napping in the cloth.

If you wash your used cleaning rags/cloths in laundry detergent, the traces of detergent and conditioners, residue left in the materials can also cause streaking, hazing and swirl marks.

I added a couple pics below... I spent several weekends polishing the Spyder. I'll probably hand wax it again in the fall.

View attachment 209061

 

[LesGrossman]

Peter... thank you for the edit! I was having issues with managing my multiple attachments!

 

[Peter Aawen]

Peter... thank you for the edit! I was having issues with managing my multiple attachments!

You'd somehow got an extra command line in there... It was messing things up; and it took me a couple of tries to find which one it was & remove it without losing the rest. Got it eventually tho! :thumbup:

That aside, your Spyder looks good. :yes: How long does it take you to get it looking like that, and keep it looking like that? :dontknow:

 

[petegtsv10]

Due to Canadian laws, BRP only uses " water based paint " ….. imho it's not as durable as what is used in USA ….. Mike hyea:

Many manufacturers, including Porsche, etc., have been using water based paints for years and creating some of the best paint finishes out there.

 

[LesGrossman]

You'd somehow got an extra command line in there... It was messing things up; and it took me a couple of tries to find which one it was & remove it without losing the rest. Got it eventually tho! :thumbup:

That aside, your Spyder looks good. :yes: How long does it take you to get it looking like that, and keep it looking like that? :dontknow:

I wipe it down with detailer/wax spray using microfiber cloths, after every 2-3 rides, as long as it's not filthy dirty. If it is, it gets washed first with Meguires body wash. For store bought wax products I like Griot's Garage products (AutoZone, Advanced Auto sell it) I also love Advanced Auto microfiber cloths #AC762. I hate sewn edges on cleaning towels, no sewn edges on the AC762 cloths.

Biggest thing to keeping it clean with minimal swirls marks is to use as little pressure as possible. The harder you push/rub, the more likely you are to create swirl marks.

I also use a Porter-Cable DA buffer/polisher. I have not recommened people use that, because without knowledge, they can really screwup a paint job. I use Lake County 5" pads and HexLogic 5" pads.

And if you want to use high end waxes/polishes, check out Detail Kings from Pittsburgh, Pa.

If I could have made a good living from detailing cars and bikes, I'd be doing that for income. However, it's back breaking work, time consuming, and not many people want to pay hundreds of dollars for a proper detail job. But I do love the art of detailing vehicles.

A complete hand wax, DA buffer job takes me about 2-3hrs. Wiping it down with detail spray, about 15-20min.

On all my vehicles... since I have OCD about clean cars and bikes, I wipe my stuff down twice a week if I'm driving them around. I don't wash anything unless it needs it... I always seem to add swirl marks and light scratches when I actually wash them.

And remember if you are wiping down a vehicle, with wax or detail spray, to always turn/flip/rotate your cloth when it gets dirty or loaded with product.

Do NOT wipe or wash wheels with the same cloth or dirty water and then use it to clean the body. Fine metal particles from the brake pads are all over the rims/wheels and will create scratches and swirls on painted surfaces. I always use seperate water and towels for just the wheels and the body panels.

And if you ever drop a towel or sponge on a dirty surface, it has most likely picked up fine debris, which will also scratch paint. Clean the towel or sponge before using it again if you dropped it in the driveway or a dirty garage floor...

And no one takes their bike through an auto wash with spinning cloth wheels, but on a car/truck, those types of car washes are known to beat up a paint job, and add lots of swirl marks.