I just got done upgrading to some stainless steel brake lines, but in doing so, i kind of made a mess. The fluid reservoir spilled a bit when i removed the cap. It was my first time doing it, so i was a little less cautious then i should've been when removing it. Point is i got brake fluid all over and it being corrosive, it left dots all over the speedometer, inner panels and a little bit on the fairings. Fairings and inner panels are no prob, had to do some touch up painting anyway, so now its just a little more work, but what do you think i should do about the speedometer? I was thinking maybe replacing the plastic screen over it, but not sure how i would get one without buying a whole new piece that could be pricey. I could leave it as a reminder of my carelessness. Any helpful suggestion? Thanks for any input.
Brake fluid everywhere!!! What now?
- Thread starter davet7469
- Start date
BlastOffMike
Member
Sorry to hear that! Nasty stuff brake fluid is. If the marks on the speedo aren't deep, there's a product called "Polywatch" that MAY help. It's intended for polishing acrylic watch faces which scratch easily.
If the marks are deep, like it's pitted, probably nothing you can do about that other than replace it.
That's all I got, hopefully someone has some other ideas.
If the marks are deep, like it's pitted, probably nothing you can do about that other than replace it.
That's all I got, hopefully someone has some other ideas.
BlastOffMike
Member
Best wishes!
Final Impact
Member
This might seem over kill, but its the same process, just a bit more aggressive.
Mask off the good area of the speedo.
Grab some 2000/2500 grit wet dry sand paper and wet sand area. Next use rubbing/cutting compound and polish. Now use fine polish. It will come out but the downside is these parts have some UV protection that keeps the sun from yellowing it. You may need to touch up polish the area on occasion or clear coat it.
If clear coat is an option, use 1500 grit, wet sand the whole thing, dry it and clear it. Done. No buffing.
Works on yellowed head light lens too.
Mask off the good area of the speedo.
Grab some 2000/2500 grit wet dry sand paper and wet sand area. Next use rubbing/cutting compound and polish. Now use fine polish. It will come out but the downside is these parts have some UV protection that keeps the sun from yellowing it. You may need to touch up polish the area on occasion or clear coat it.
If clear coat is an option, use 1500 grit, wet sand the whole thing, dry it and clear it. Done. No buffing.
Works on yellowed head light lens too.
I don't think it's overkill. I think it makes perfect sense! :thumbup:This might seem over kill, but its the same process, just a bit more aggressive.
Mask off the good area of the speedo.
Grab some 2000/2500 grit wet dry sand paper and wet sand area. Next use rubbing/cutting compound and polish. Now use fine polish. It will come out but the downside is these parts have some UV protection that keeps the sun from yellowing it. You may need to touch up polish the area on occasion or clear coat it.
If clear coat is an option, use 1500 grit, wet sand the whole thing, dry it and clear it. Done. No buffing.
Works on yellowed head light lens too.
The following post is my opinion, based on my experience; your results may vary...
Over the weekend, I was working on my car and dripped some brake fluid on my plastic headlight. It made a white stripe down the middle of the clear lens.
I took some 1000 grit wet sandpaper (with plenty of water) and sanded out the white stripe. It took quite a bit of sanding to sand out the affected area. I cut a real narrow strip of 1000 grit sandpaper and didn't sand more than I needed to.
Then I polished the newly dulled area with polishing compound and water. Again, it took quite a bit of polishing to get it back to clear. Then I put two coats of wax on the headlight to seal it.
In the end, it was very close to perfect and you have to really study the area (at an angle) to see a slight difference in the plastic. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it.
If I can offer any advice, I think I should have gone out and purchased some 2000 or 3000 grit sandpaper (as suggested by another poster), but I had some 1000 grit in stock from doing other projects.
I'm assuming that spraying a fine coat of water on the plastic won't damage the inner working of the tachometer or gauge cluster. I've ridden in the rain, but my gauge cluster only received glancing rain across it and not direct spray. You may want to double check with Marthy.
Best of luck with your repair.
Over the weekend, I was working on my car and dripped some brake fluid on my plastic headlight. It made a white stripe down the middle of the clear lens.
I took some 1000 grit wet sandpaper (with plenty of water) and sanded out the white stripe. It took quite a bit of sanding to sand out the affected area. I cut a real narrow strip of 1000 grit sandpaper and didn't sand more than I needed to.
Then I polished the newly dulled area with polishing compound and water. Again, it took quite a bit of polishing to get it back to clear. Then I put two coats of wax on the headlight to seal it.
In the end, it was very close to perfect and you have to really study the area (at an angle) to see a slight difference in the plastic. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it.
If I can offer any advice, I think I should have gone out and purchased some 2000 or 3000 grit sandpaper (as suggested by another poster), but I had some 1000 grit in stock from doing other projects.
I'm assuming that spraying a fine coat of water on the plastic won't damage the inner working of the tachometer or gauge cluster. I've ridden in the rain, but my gauge cluster only received glancing rain across it and not direct spray. You may want to double check with Marthy.
Best of luck with your repair.