Post by thatsawkward on May 28, 2012 12:08:26 GMT 1
Okay, so not really a technical post as such, but I thought I'd share the results of using Optiglanz, marketed as an "intensive cleaning agent for all stainless steel exhausts".....
It cost £12.99 or thereabouts from my local Hein Gericke, but I expect you can get it cheaper elsewhere.
I tried it on 2 bikes, my white Revere and my red Revere. I have to say I achieved better results on the white Revere - I think this may be because I fitted new downpipes roughly a year ago. On the red bike, the results were still pretty good, but I wonder if they were not quite so good because (I would guess) the downpipes are probably several years old?
Anyway, the product states you apply the Optiglaze on a clean and dry exhaust. I was only testing on the downpipes.
The stuff contains a lot of harmful agents, so I did my best to keep it off other parts. The bottle has a spray trigger which is quite good in terms of being able to control the speed and volume of the fluid, so directing the spray is relatively easy.
However, you obviously need to take care as the fluid drips from the pipes onto the engine casing, so I was quick to mop up any spillage and I only left the fluid on the pipes for one minute (the instructions state no longer than 3 minutes).
I applied the agent relatively liberally (though carefully) to both downpipes and left for approx 1 minute. I then quickly hosed the whole area down and also sponged the pipes and the engine to remove any remaining Optiglanz.
I've put before and after pics below, but I am please with the result on the whole. It certainly leaves the pipes in a much better condition to then polish, which I plan to do later. In fact, because of the acidic content of the Optiglanz, I would highly recommend following it with a good polish anyway.....
Results as follows:
White Revere - BEFORE
White Revere - AFTER
Red Revere - BEFORE
Red Revere - AFTER
It cost £12.99 or thereabouts from my local Hein Gericke, but I expect you can get it cheaper elsewhere.
I tried it on 2 bikes, my white Revere and my red Revere. I have to say I achieved better results on the white Revere - I think this may be because I fitted new downpipes roughly a year ago. On the red bike, the results were still pretty good, but I wonder if they were not quite so good because (I would guess) the downpipes are probably several years old?
Anyway, the product states you apply the Optiglaze on a clean and dry exhaust. I was only testing on the downpipes.
The stuff contains a lot of harmful agents, so I did my best to keep it off other parts. The bottle has a spray trigger which is quite good in terms of being able to control the speed and volume of the fluid, so directing the spray is relatively easy.
However, you obviously need to take care as the fluid drips from the pipes onto the engine casing, so I was quick to mop up any spillage and I only left the fluid on the pipes for one minute (the instructions state no longer than 3 minutes).
I applied the agent relatively liberally (though carefully) to both downpipes and left for approx 1 minute. I then quickly hosed the whole area down and also sponged the pipes and the engine to remove any remaining Optiglanz.
I've put before and after pics below, but I am please with the result on the whole. It certainly leaves the pipes in a much better condition to then polish, which I plan to do later. In fact, because of the acidic content of the Optiglanz, I would highly recommend following it with a good polish anyway.....
Results as follows:
White Revere - BEFORE
White Revere - AFTER
Red Revere - BEFORE
Red Revere - AFTER
When we go down to Poole Quay, we can show the before and after bikes 