Looking for a little help.
A marine dealer recommended Bio-Kleen Fiberglass cleaner to a buddy of mine. He told him he could soak the entire hull and motor with it….
It reacted with the plastic on his Verado.
They (Bio-Kleen) are closed for the night, otherwise he would just call.
Is there any remedy??
He’s tried vinegar, The Works, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol and even re-wetting the area with Bio-Kleen to see if it would reactivate it and rinse off.
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Soft scrub bleach?
Magic Eraser by Mr Clean will do it. The sponge is awesome! Give it a try and report back
I’d wait to see if the Bio-Kleen folks have a suggestion.
I’ve scratched plastic with softscrub and a magic eraser.
Use a lawyer
Wow for an eco friendly product that looks bad !
crap man, keep us in the loop I am curious what will happen with this.
I’ve scratched plastic with softscrub and a magic eraser.
X2 Those will likely take some of the sheen off of it.
Well…….not good news…..
He talked with Bio-Kleen this morning……Permanent, irreversible damage.
The cleaner takes the dye out of plastic. Nothing he can do. They recommended Spray Paint!
His wife is going to send me a picture of the label (he’s at work). He said somewhere on it [it] says “may discolor plastic.”
He admittedly didn’t read the label word for word before using it, because the marine dealer he bought it from said they’ve used it for years and it’s the best thing ever…..spray away
It wrecked his plastic rod holders too….and he’s worried some over-spray got onto his Terrova (he had to leave for work out-of-town this morning, and won’t know until he gets back home).
Long story short, keep that crap as far away from your boat as you can. The potential negatives far outweigh the positives.
From the pictures he sent me, I wouldn’t doubt it would destroy expensive electronics in minutes….. Luckily he had his graphs off the boat.
That sucks.
How did he apply it? Spray it on and leave it?
I don’t trust any cleaner to not cause damage if left on.
Apply/wipe off/spray with hose to rinse.
I wouldn’t blame the product, I would blame the dealer who told him to spray it on the outboard. In fact, maybe name that dealer so we can avoid?
Maybe they were recommending it for use on hull and below-waterline parts? For that application, their “just spray it on” advice would probably be sound? Giving them the benefit of the doubt – maybe they didn’t forsee someone woukd wash their rod holders and motor cover with hull cleaner?
With the degree of damage – it sure looks like they must be using it differently.
Maybe they were recommending it for use on hull and below-waterline parts?
He told him he could soak the entire hull and motor with it….
Either he listens as well as he reads product labels, or the dealer who sold him the product messed up badly.
Guys, I’m not saying it’s Bio-Kleen’s fault or the dealer that sold it to him.
I’m saying that I would stay away from this product, there are others that will clean just as well, without harming plastic.
Yes, he took word of mouth advice from the dealer. Yes, he followed the “let stand for 5 minutes” instructions from the bottle. He did not follow the “may discolor ‘some’ plastics, test small area first” label on the plastic bottle it’s stored in.
When the Bio-Kleen guy asked how long he let it sit, he responded “Five minutes, like it says on the bottle.” The Bio-Kleen guy said that he should only let it sit for 30 seconds…..and five minutes was way too long!
Lesson learned the hard way, it sucks and he and I are just hoping to save someone else grief.
The product is designed to clean many more things than just Fiberglass. It says boat hulls, DRIVES, props, trailers, campers, tires, rims, metal, sinks, etc etc etc.
The problem is boat hulls have a fair amount of exposed plastic, including your rub rail, through hull fittings, gas fillers, fuel tank vents, outboard housing, etc. Not to mention other plastic nearby, like trim, rod holders, graphs and trolling motors.
It says to use on trailers, but trailers have plastic parts too; like fenders, lights, license plate holder, bow roller, rollers, etc.
On your boat and trailer there are probably 15-25 different kinds of plastic. Some are probably safe, other aren’t. Are you going to spot test each one to see if it’s safe???
He’s not suing anybody, but you can bet your ass he will never recommend one of their products in the future.
Buyer beware. If you use this product, keep it away from all plastic, and rinse off right away if you do get some on it.
Thanks for posting B-Man.
Insurance claim…might get a new motor.
Insurance claim…might get a new motor.
????
The motor is fine. There is just cosmetic damage on some of the midsection and rear panels.
The painted areas are fine (cowling and lower unit)
Definitely not getting a new motor……and probably not worth an insurance claim on the plastic unless the pieces are ridiculously expensive.
Hopefully he can find some new/used plastic at a decent price.
Definitely not worth an insurance claim unless the pieces are ridiculously expensive.
Hopefully he can find some new/used plastic at a decent price.
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Most cowl, decals, etc. are crazy expensive!
I would definitely check with insurance. I’ll bet that’s a few grand in damage between the motor and boat parts. I’ve been really surprised what insurance will cover on boats. He should call his agent and at least check.
Seems like an unfortunate accident but that’s what insurance is for.
I would definitely check with insurance. I’ll bet that’s a few grand in damage between the motor and boat parts. I’ve been really surprised what insurance will cover on boats. He should call his agent and at least check.
Seems like an unfortunate accident but that’s what insurance is for.
I agree!
If someone keyed all the way around your car or egged it and ate all the paint, but there was no mechanical damage, wouldn’t you turn that in?
Same thing.
Do you happen to know which of the bio Kleen products he used? I have been using the bio kleen detailing spray cleaner/wax for years with great results. Both hull and Yamaha motor cowling. I usually wipe off almost immediately. I sure dont want that happening to my boat/motor.
Thanks, Matt
Thanks for the report.
Good time for a reminder…when applying these products, especially for the first time, apply in a small area and see how it reacts.
Hopefully you saved someone else from this disaster. I know you said your buddy isn’t pursuing anything with the dealer but I give him an ear full!
Do you happen to know which of the bio Kleen products he used? I have been using the bio kleen detailing spray cleaner/wax for years with great results. Both hull and Yamaha motor cowling. I usually wipe off almost immediately. I sure dont want that happening to my boat/motor.
Thanks, Matt
It’s the Fiberglass Cleaner
He said it was on the motor for only a couple minutes, on the boat for five minutes. It didn’t harm the boat, just plastics.
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i wouldn’t blame the product at all. Seems pretty obvious what it’s supposed to be for. I think a better statement would be to read labels on application method.
Thanks!!
i wouldn’t blame the product at all. Seems pretty obvious what it’s supposed to be for. I think a better statement would be to read labels on application method.
Personally I would blame the product 100%! Who sells a boat cleaner that can’t touch plastic? Heck, it’s in a spray bottle and spray bottles do just that… they spray. Put the product in a container and recommend it’s applied via a rag.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Andrew Pansch wrote:</div>
i wouldn’t blame the product at all. Seems pretty obvious what it’s supposed to be for. I think a better statement would be to read labels on application method.Personally I would blame the product 100%! Who sells a boat cleaner that can’t touch plastic? Heck, it’s in a spray bottle and spray bottles do just that… they spray. Put the product in a container and recommend it’s applied via a rag.
it’s a hull/bottom cleaner, with directions to dilute it 15x for normal use and only use full strength for heavy buildup. I figure anything suitable to take on heavy duty scum, algae, oxidization, etc. Is not something I’d expose to plastic at full strength – but if my boat bottom is dirty I want effective, not necessarily “plastic safe”. My boat doesn’t have a ton of plastic near and below the waterline.
Most cowl, decals, etc. are crazy expensive!
Yep, they are. The hood for my motor is over $500 without decals.
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