I need help!

Went and bought some Salt away today to clean the engine compartment of my seadoo. It had some white residue on the rubber tubes, etc. I sprayed everything down, got a towel and started drying off the engine. When i got to the bottom part of the engine (metal part with black paint on it) the paint started chipping off and underneath the paint it looked like sand/salt. I was left with metal that had a white residue covering it and big paint chips missing in different parts. I decided to leave it alone and ask what my next step should be. At this point i know ive been ripped off. I was told it was never takin in the ocean and with 20 hours and it being a 2011 i would have never expected what i assume to be some serious corrosion taking place. You live and you learn i guess. Needless to say this is what i am left with and im hoping for some tips, ideas, etc. thanks everyone..

Re: I need help!

Need better pictures of the corrosion.

That pic shows the oil filter. Is the paint peeling on the engine itself?

Re: I need help!

Yes, the paint that they apply to the engine to protect it from rust and corrosion is what is actually coming off. I was able to clean some of the bare spots with a wire brush, etc. Here is a better picture of the issue.

Re: I need help!

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 4-tec has an aluminum block. Your paint failure is indicative of non-primed aluminum, thus it looks like a factory defect in the paint job to me. Certainly, salt water itself would not cause that kind if paint failure.

In my reply to your other post I said to see if it was salt and then take appropriate action. Maybe you didn't need saltaway. Simply tasting the white residue would confirm it. It could have been the reside from liquid car wash that the previous owner used to clean it.

If you intend to use the boat in fresh water (and you keep the inside of the hull dry) you should see no "corrosion". Aluminum doesn't rust. Any white oxidation can merely be wiped off.

My suggestion would be to show it to a SeaDoo dealer. If it is truly a paint defect I'm sure they would honor it even if its out of warranty. (If it happened to you it happened to a bunch more).

If you have no local dealer, just run it and keep an eye on the performace.