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Wonder cleaning product needed!


Colin Lindsay

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Today I've tried petrol, vinegar, Autosol, Brasso, Astonish kitchen cleaner, Cif Bathroom Foam and paint stripper. Nothing has even made a dent on that greasy film covering the aluminium, let alone the metal itself. I've no idea what that stuff is, the boot floor and the door shuts are all covered in it and petrol takes it off the paintwork, but not the metal. Tomorrow's another day and i'll try another selection of products.

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1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Today I've tried petrol, vinegar, Autosol, Brasso, Astonish kitchen cleaner, Cif Bathroom Foam and paint stripper. Nothing has even made a dent on that greasy film covering the aluminium, let alone the metal itself. I've no idea what that stuff is, the boot floor and the door shuts are all covered in it and petrol takes it off the paintwork, but not the metal. Tomorrow's another day and i'll try another selection of products.

if it is greasy try a paste made of biological washing powder with a little water, brush it on, leave and then use a nailbrush. Keep the mix off your skin. Honest, it will attack asphalt/tarmac. 

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Nice! It might come to that. The grille is covered in a kind of hard black glaze that nothing will shift so far, plus a greasy almost yellow covering that sort of comes off with petrol - sort of, but far too much effort required. You can see the black in between the horizontal slats in my second photo. Nothing will shift it! I'm going to try the suggested soap powder paste (thanks Clive) and see how that goes.

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You've tried foam bathroom cleaner but I wonder if the foaming upholstery cleaner might be more effective.  I've first used it on seats and steering wheels that were about to be scrapped ..I think a prior owner was a mechanic and brought his work home on his hands and overalls, anyway those seats came out looking like new.  The foam of course getting into the grain / all of the corners.   Otherwise are there no alloy cleaners for wheels ..which get embedded in brake dust and sometimes splattered with grease and tar. ?

Pete.

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Won't get near it today... one of those days... so maybe tomorrow. I'm wary, as Clive says, of dissolving dirt, grease and the actual grille itself. It's a spare I bought online to replace the dented original so have no idea of the history, and while I'm not looking for concours a shine in the relevant places would be nice. I have a large drum of Hypochlorite concrete cleaner, and might try the merest, the smallest drop in an unseen corner... timing it so that it cleans the metal without dissolving it will be critical.

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1 hour ago, Patrick Taylor said:

Phosphoric Acid, mentioned by @PeteH is an ingredient in Coca Cola. The classic trick is to put a penny on and it comes out shiny: not sure what will happen with ally.

When I was young we would soak a penny in HP brown sauce, this was before Coca Colawas common.

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28 minutes ago, Mathew said:

Thought i was starting to get on, as wasn't Coca-Cola invented about 1880 ish!!!!

Wasn't common in Derbyshire! Dandilion & burdock was the thing back in the 60s

It lost interest for me when they stopped putting real coke in it. My wife did bring back a couple of coke bags (looked like tea bags) that you put in the corner of your mouth from Columbia a good few years ago. The miners there used them against the cold and conditions.

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16 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Well, the washing powder didn't even make a dent, no pun intended. Nor did alloy wheel cleaner. Will try more suggestions tomorrow.

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I think you have tried just about everything? Brick acid will clean off the corrosion (or should!) but not react too fast with the bare ali. The anodised stuff will be pretty resistant. 

But I think it is either hand it, plus te contents of your wallet, to a pro, or give it a soak in celly thinners to degrease, then a quick rub up with light abrasive, etch prime and topcoat. 

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