Aluminum trailer care

[YamahaF200]

My MagicTilt aluminum trailer is looking a little weathered and needs some TLC. What is the best way to regain that "New" look?

Thanks in advance

 

[jkust]

There are aluminum cleaners that will make it look new again in as fast as you can blink when you apply it. Purple Power comes to mind or any Pontoon cleaner. Be careful though as some of them will take any clear finish off of the aluminum if applied straight out of the bottle. It will look like it just rolled off the assembly line but won't be as finished looking. Then there are some that barely seem to do anything but don't destroy any clear finish. I learned that lesson the hard way on my previous aluminum dock. The dock looked brand new again but the little bit of clear finish on it was gone and it reflected sun like crazy. If you mix the product with a lot of water, it won't act as fast or be quite as aggressive. The Purple power is meant to be applied without diluting as it even comes in a spray bottle but I'd dilute it a lot and figure out the optimal mixture from there.

 

[airshot]

Once that clear coat protective wears off the alum will oxidize, use cleaners to get it clean again but now it will oxidize even faster. Alum has a natural defense against corrosion and that is to oxidize itself, yes it looks ugly but that is alum natural defense. Your only choice is to keep cleaning but do remember this...each time you remove the oxidizing you are also removing a tiny amount of the alum itself, so continued cleaning would over a long time erode away the alum frame.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Agree with airshot.