Reddit reviews ACF-50 Anti-Corrosion Lubricant Compound - 13 oz Aerosol - MUST SHIP GROUND!

This man speaks truth; give it a try.

Once the rust has gone, you will want to put a treatment on top of it to stop it coming back. Whilst tin foil and water will remove the rust, it will not protect the (now damaged) metalwork from getting rusty again. Several routes to go down here; for chromed metal (think suspension forks or chromed mirrors) you can get Autosol. This works a bit like a toothpaste that is buffed in and does protect for a little while. You can then use a lot of ACF50 and work it into the area good and proper, leaving it to dry naturally if on non-engine parts (or go for a ride around the block and bake that stuff on if on the engine).

In my experience, a combination of Autosol and ACF50 works wonders. Basically you want to remove the rust (tin foil), neutralise it as much as you can (Autosol) and then seal it (ACF50) from moisture to stop it coming out again.

Actually this is wrong. Aluminum is highly corrosive, which is actually a good thing, well mostly. It quickly oxidizes forming a thin "skin" that protects the underlying material from most weather and chemicals.

In the aviation world corrosion is a big concern and we generally deal with it through use of zinc-chromate primers or sometimes plating which has various approaches. You can even use wax if you really want to, think BoeSheild T-9 or ACF-50.

As for why it is good for bicycles. Probably the biggest two factors are low cost and the ease with which it can be extruded, milled and machined into usable shapes for bicycles. All things being equal if I was building a bicycle out of a metal it would be Titanium hands down. If I was building to a price point however, Aluminum wins.

I use ACF-50 Anti-Corrosion Lubricant Compound. It works well on my old bike, but I live 10 miles from the salt water.

Premium eMTB bikes using motors like the Bosch and Yamaha are probably the most water resistant. I expect that manufacturer information will provide very accurate information about water resistance.

If they have issues about water damage they are not going to admit it, but if you look through their warranty information and see they have exceptions about water damage then it's a safe bet they know they have some issues. That's just how these sorts of things work.

More affordable ebikes like the Sondors or Crosscurrent or things of that nature are just going to be using the same sort of Chinese parts that you can get with DIY... it's just that they pick some of the better quality stuff. Check out their warranty information and see if you can find exceptions regarding water damage.

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For DIY bikes and hub motors... Most of the time people buy the cheaper stuff that isn't really water proof. It has to do with tolerances and such things.

For example:

When motors get used they heat up and the air inside of them expands. It gets pushed out through the wires and cracks in the gaskets and such things. When they cool down then the pull air back into them. If the air is very moist then it will draw that moisture back into the motors. The air cools further in the evening, the water condenses and turns into droplets.

After a few months in very wet climates they can develop a small puddle inside of them. The steel used for magnetic steel on the rotors is particularly vulnerable to rust.

When steel rusts it expands it' original size by 7x or 10x and the rust jamming up the motor is likely the most common killer of direct drive motors outside of accidents.

People try all sorts of things to make things water proof, but often make it kinda worse. Like trying to use excess amounts of silicon to seal controllers or replace motor gaskets.

Often it's better make it easy for water to drain out of electronics then it is to try to seal it up. If you go and look at outdoor electrical enclosures quite often they put weeping holes on them to allow water to easily escape rather then trying to make them permanently water proof.


But because it's all DIY you can still put extra effort into it and make things extremely water proof. Not enough to throw the bike into the ocean for a week... but it certainly can easily withstand a few years of being outdoors 24/7 if you want.

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Some tips:

• A simplest approach is to use dielectric grease on plugs and such.
  
  
• Motors and controllers that use HiGO connections are less likely to experience issues with water and are a sign of higher quality.
  
  
• Many type of frame-mounted battery packs can experience damaging corrosion on the battery contacts. The contacts use copper and such things, which tarnishes and builds up corrosion easily. Using water proofing spray like ACF-50 will keep them looking brand-new for years.
  
  
  and a few other things like that. Check out endless-sphere for tips.
  
  And of course there are people that take things to the extreme. Especially people that want to ride their bikes through streams and such. You can take apart a direct drive motor and spray anti-corrosion spray on it, for example. If you take apart the controller and spray conformal coating and make sure there is ways for water to escape at the lowest point in the mounted controller will make it so it can operate under water. Most of that stuff shouldn't be necessary unless you live in some seriously wet place, like parts of India or something like that.
  

Let's start by saying car covers are a pain in the ass for daily use, the car has to be perfectly clean to prevent it from scratching and it just doesn't work that way unless the car is washed every couple of days.

Instead I'd just wash 1 or 2 times a week, and get a gallon-size of Meguiar's spray wax and Last Touch, because you know you'll be in a constant battle against certain elements, might as well stock up (and you save like 50% just buying in bulk this way). In fact I recommend checking out their entire detailer line because you're going to go through a lot of soaps, waxes, etc. Their gallon of shampoo plus for $20 is a great start. And you can find deals like 3-packs of their supreme shine towels for $6 as an amazon add-on item if you're a prime customer.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D11101-Shampoo-Plus-Gallon/dp/B000EZICII

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-X3002-Microfiber-Wash-Mitt/dp/B000RXKR6M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485457672&sr=1-1&keywords=meguiar%27s+microfiber+mitt

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D15601-Synthetic-X-Press-Spray/dp/B005JPJMI2

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D15501-Touch-Spray-Detailer/dp/B0006SH4NC/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485453717&sr=1-1&keywords=last+touch

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D12001-Glass-Cleaner-Concentrate/dp/B0006SH4KU/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485457691&sr=1-4&keywords=meguiar%27s+glass+cleaner

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Supreme-Shine-Microfiber-Cloths/dp/B0009IQZH0/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485455013&sr=1-2&keywords=supreme+shine

I just buy all their gallon sized stuff and then reuse my old bottles of spray wax, detailers spray, glass cleaner, wheel bottles, etc. Saves me lots of money, like the difference between $100 now or a couple hundred by next year. For instance their gallon size of glass cleaner is probably enough to set you straight on that for a few years, dilutes 10-1 with distilled water. That's 10 gallons of glass cleaner, put that in an old windex bottle and never run out!

Also the Chemical Guy's bucket kit https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-ACC_101-Detailing-Bucket/dp/B001U522GO was a pretty amazing deal and necessary if you're going to use coin-wash bays. However the mitt included is a bit rough, so instead I use a meguiar's microfiber mitt as its the softest I've found so far. The paint on this car is very soft so it's important to use the softest products possible on the paint.

An Invisible Glass Reach and Clean tool has worked out great for cleaning the interior glass and keeping it from fogging up. Great item to have. https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Glass-Reach-Clean-95161/dp/B0017K69MA

And a bird poop tip, keep a plastic container with microfibers, a bottle of water, and a bottle of last touch / spray wax mix in the trunk or behind passenger seat. If a bird hits the car, just soak microfiber with water, apply for 30 seconds, and then clean with the detailer spray / spray wax.

To prevent corrosion, you're going to want to clean deep into the wheel wells and stuff with dedicated brushes and mitts, and then use an anti corrosion product (I ordered some ACF-50 spray recently, getting it in the mail today probably) https://www.amazon.com/Lear-Chemical-ACF50-Anti-Corrosion-Lubricant/dp/B000P1C8UO . You're going to want to check crevices for salt buildup, it can happen on some of the window trim parts, so it might be necessary to remove them and clean them out if it starts to rust underneath. You might want to use dabs of silicone stuff to prevent water and salt from corroding these spots. There are a few posts about corrosion of FT86club forums so read up on them. Also your cabin air filter, leaves and bugs like to get in your cabin air filter and make things nasty. You can easily check / service this yourself, its behind the glove box.


For maintenance, I would NOT go past 5000 miles on an oil change, and be choosy where you take your oil changes. The car likes running on fresh oil period. Buy a 5 pack of oem oil filters and oem crush washers to keep yourself straight for awhile, saves money and time. Or also a fumoto oil valve can save even more effort, as a DIY'er it made my oil changes the easiest thing to do. Check your tire pressure constantly, because a decrease in pressure will make the car drive like crap and will wear your tires out quickly.

Your 60k mile maintenance or therabouts is an important interval. Needs stuff done like spark plug changes, and probably checking the clutch throwout bearing to see if it has become worn. These are expensive and labor intensive, expect a $1000 bill.

I use ACF-50 to keep all bare metals from corroding at work and at home.

https://www.amazon.com/ACF-50-Anti-Corrosion-Lubricant-Compound-Aerosol/dp/B000P1C8UO

I can't speak highly enough of this stuff.

Here are some of my personal supplies and tool recommendations.

An anti-corrosive spray, doesn’t hurt paint but I’d be careful about yours anyway.
www.amazon.com/dp/B000P1C8UO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_5v0NDb496VPF6

A good tire pressure gauge. www.amazon.com/dp/B01J8DLGU2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_dy0NDb58BP0WX

A basic multimeter. www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_VZPFDbGK9FQ5V

A great battery tender, a lifetime purchase. www.amazon.com/dp/B000CITKCE/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_ACFQCb40H0E0K

A very good spray on bike cleaner. www.amazon.com/dp/B0036GK83Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_XB0NDbJZZC76W

A good explanation about testing your battery and charging system, goes well with the multimeter and tender.

https://www.louis.eu/rund-ums-motorrad/schraubertipps/elektronik

These screwdrivers or ones like it are a must. www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7WAHTU/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_i_c_kBB7AbGCN238A

A winter storage checklist, very detailed, and can probably pare it down a little but...

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/winter-storage.html

The best (IMO) winter gas treatment. www.amazon.com/dp/B001CAW2DK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_ryNKDb9RRE8KF

One of many easy to use lift, works for both front or rear, may have a model for a smaller bike, this is for my Yamaha Raider www.amazon.com/dp/B016Z01QYW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_UH0NDbVMTEC9K

A great totally enclosed cover, find the size for your bike. I attach the battery tender, the cord comes out where the zipper meets.
www.amazon.com/dp/B001I7XYZW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_sJ0NDbTJAPEEB

For maintenance questions, a great sub is r/Fixxit.

That’s all I can think of at the moment, welcome to the Club and Happy Trails!

I use either LPS-2 or ACF-50, only because that's what we use on our aircraft, and that's where my tools are. Also, I think they smell nice.

I'd say LPS-2 lubricates better, but ACF-50 has better long term corrosion protection. But any lube is better than no lube, even 3-1 oil.

KTC Riders Maintenance Tool Set and 2 cans of ACF-50

Thanks! You'd recommend just a single application of this stuff? Is there anywhere else in particular that ACF50 comes in handy, to justify buying a can?

My friends in the UK who ride all year round, swear by something called ACF-50. You may wish to look into it.

Spray it on before exposing the bike to salt, wash it off in the spring. I haven't used it but it's supposed to be great. Paging /u/MisterShine to the red courtesy PM phone.

Use ACF 50, and only do it once a blue moon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ACF-50-Motorcycle-Automotive-Metal-Anti-Corrosion/dp/B000P1C8UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376034530&sr=8-1&keywords=acf+50

My experience with chinese motorcycles is if taken care of properly the engine usually runs OK, but everything else will rust to shit very fast due to the poor quality metal.

OP, I highly recommend you pick up some ACF-50 and give the bike a good rubdown with it. It is used in the aircraft industry to prevent rust, and has been used on motorcycles. I live in a rainy humid environment and I use it on my honda.

https://www.amazon.com/ACF-50-Anti-Corrosion-Lubricant-Compound-Aerosol/dp/B000P1C8UO