Spots on Motor??

[jjohnson268]

Hey guys.. I purchased a 2007 Honda Shadow 750C2 in the middle of December. Since then I have noticed that directly below the petcock there are 8 little spots on the motor. I tried to use soap and water to get them off and it has actually eaten through the finish or whatever they put on the motor. I tried to take it back where I purchased it and told them I assume the petcock leaked at one point or another and they told me sorry it wasn't leaking and that a dog most have urinated on it.. Thats the dumbest thing I have ever been told.. Dogs do not pee in drops.. I took an eye dropper and showed them that it was exactly where the petcock would have dripped from.. Didn't matter to them, they said I only had 45 days for cosmetic problems and that my warranty wouldn't cover this issue.. So after arguing with them for an hour over it.. I guess I'm stuck with it.. I'm now at the point where I want to trade it in.. I realize I'm about to take one hell of a loss in money. I paid 7300.00 and the dealer is going to give me 4750.00. However I didn't tell them about the spots on the motor. I'm not trying to be dishonest, but they are already screwing me. Does anyone have any idea what I could do to make them not so obvious? Scrubbing them only eats through the finish even more.. Thanks in advance!

[Clint]

Welcome. Can you give us a photo? The dealer should be treating you better, but I'm not sure what you could do about that.

Frankly, I can't imagine worrying so much about something so trivial. Did you buy it to ride or look at? Go riding and forget it!

[jjohnson268]

No, that's not the reason I'm trading it in.. I want something bigger.. I should have clarified that..I on my way to work now, I will post some pictures when I get back home.. Thank you for your quick response.

[POE-BOY SAMICH]

So if I understand your post correctly, you really have 2 NON-RELATED issues.
1) there are spots on your engine you would like to remove.
2) you want to trade in your bike for something bigger and might be willing to take a big hit on the trade.

Now, without pics, solutions to #1 are going to be hard to come by.

Regarding matter #2, I'm not sure what your question is. If you aren't trading it in because of the spots and the dealer is unaware of the spots while offering you $4750, what is the issue and how is it related to this post?

Note: if you think removing the spots will up the $4750 offer from the dealer, think again.

[Clint]

I see. As I stated recently in another post, I think trading a vehicle is always a foolish choice. If they seem to be giving you a good price for the trade, they're raping you on the new one, and vice versa.

List it on Cycletrader for a few weeks, just to try it. I've sold several vehicles online and gotten good prices on both.

[DS06C50T]

Couple of thoughts here:

1. Can the spots be cleaned up cosmetically, with either high-temp paint?, or
2. Can the spots be removed entirely by water- or sand-blasting the coating off the motor? This will leave a raw, exposed metal surface, but possibly there's a coating that could be applied to prevent rust, etc. Might look good, too with the "jugs" polished out and all shiney!

Maybe contact a quality m/c shop in your area and ask about the spots and options to remedy. They may be able to strip and repaint for a lot less than the hit you'd take on the trade-in. I know you stated that you are interested in trading up anyways, but sometimes after some improvements, we rethink trading in our bikes for something else.

Just some thoughts...

DS

PS- afterthought..... have you tried posting this same question on a Honda chat? Maybe others have experienced same with their Honda's and can offer solutions. Not trying to shove you over to anothe forum, just trying to help you find answers.