Paint Question

I took my Road King into to HD to check my front brakes. They serviced the brakes no problem. Over then next few days I noticed the brake handle sinking all the way in. I took it back to HD today and they fixed their mistake of not tightening all brake lines properly (of course they didn't admit that). This little problem caused brake fluid to spray all over the front fender. Now to my question....has this ruined my paint? I can't wash off the spray and the paint now has this spray all over it and it won't come off. Help!!!

Thanks ChuckTX .... I discovered the front of the tank has the same problem. Man oh man I am not happy. I'll let y'all know what happens.

There'd be an ass whoopin in somebody's future if my bike wasn't fixed properly. I've said it before and I'll say it again....there's no such thing as an A mechanic anymore, and they (stealerships) don't give a sh*t about your bike when it's in for warranty or service. Good luck and like chuck said keep us posted....

:angry:

Update .... visited with the service manager today .... not surprisingly they claim the leaking brake fluid had nothing to do with their work! Yep, according to the tech's notes, he only services the brake pads and pistons. Since there was no indication they touched the brake lines, it's my problem!! I suppose the loosened banjo nut that cause all the fluid to leak out was just a coincidence that happened immediately following brake service by American Eagle Harley Davidson. Thank you very much, have a nice day.

At this point I could pitch a fit and still get nothing or I could walk with all my future business. It's safe to say that American Eagle Harley Davidson of Corinth, Texas will NEVER see a dime of my business again ..... not even a lousy T-Shirt :angry: Nor will their other shop Harley Davidson of North Texas, Carrollton, TX.

Next step ..... time to get that custom paint job I have been wanting.

Post pics of your ride when you get it back .... I am shopping for painters now.

Dude, I said it before and I'll say it again.....Nobody gives a f**k about your bike except you. The dealers just want your money and that's it. :angry: Their general rule of thumb is deny everything; The customer is stupid and they can't prove a thing. F**king a**hole mentality. :angry: Sorry they're screwing you but it doesn't surprise me at all. Good luck with the paint, I hope it works out. There is this guy around here with the crazy chick avatars......I hear he does pretty good work! :roflmao: Check out the thread mentioned by AFNurse.....

Have you done anything to try to clean it yet? I was under the impression that the newer bikes all used DOT5 brake fluid that doesn't damage the paint. If that is the case with yours, try getting a good cleaning/wax remover from the autoparts store and spend a good deal of time cleaning it and see what happens. If that does not yield good results then try the buffing and then paint as the las resort.

Good luck.

In 05 , I think they switched to dot 4, which will damage paint

Thanks for the feedback guys. You know, I probably should print this thread and mail along with a letter to the dealership owner. As a business owner myself, I would want to know about a situation where my employee is causing me a loss in revenue. Yeah, I think I will do that. Thanks again guys!

i agree

voodoo, i'm with you 100% on your statement. i'm the only one who i trust to work on my bike anymore. seems the botherhood thing stops at the shop door and becomes one big con-job. least if i work on my bike and screw up, i will learn from it. i'm sick of the waiting and lying, and dodging:angry:

All the newer bikes use DOT 5 which is a silicon based brake fluid (DOT 3/4 are glycol based) and will not damage the paint. It is also much more resistant to moisture and heat. If it was an older bike and not DOT 5, the paint would already be messed up bad.

My RK is a 2005. In November 2006 the Dealership put braded cables and brake lines on the bike. Not sure what they used for fluid but based on the looks of the fender and underside of the tank the paint is hosed up!

My 85 took dot 5 which will not hurt the paint supposedly and my 05 takes dot 4 acoording to the manual and the cover of the master cylinder. They changed to dot 4 in 05 from dot 5.

just looked at some containers dot 3 and dot 4 will hurt paint. Dot 5 is silicone based and should not hurt paint. It will not absorb water like dot 3 and dot 4 but it is slightly more comppressible which will give a spongier pedal but I guess if it doesnt hurt the paint that is your tradeoff.

DOT 5 in 1985? Really..........did not know they were using it that far back! Not to get off the thread, but since it has come up that Harley has recently changed back to DOT 4. Apparently a service issue was created from the fact that the silicon based fluid does not absorb water like the glycol base did. That was thought to be a good thing until they discovered that because it did not absorb water, it collected and settled at the lowest point (being the calipers) which causes premature corrosion. DOT 5.1 goes back to a glycol base, but with improved properties over the 3/4.