alloy cleaner

[colinw]

hi guys, what is the best alloy cleaner to use or are there any homemade potions that can be used.many thanks

[Russ]

Depends wot your cleaning really. If your just trying to clean the engine fins and all and you have the motor stripped there is no real substitute for vapor blasting. There are many concoctions out there for alloy wheel cleaning which all contain an acid base and I have tried several and in all cases I have found the results dissapointing. Just make a streaky mess. Jizer or gunk are a good bet for degreasing as a first stage clean and I have had good results from just hard work with nylon kitchen scourers and solvol autosol. For polishing cases I have had good results just by using 400 and 600 wet and dry and finishing with solvol autosol. All time consuming hard work though I'm afraid. Hope this has been some help.

[floydsz1]

Hi Colin,
I use solvol but another good polish that i use is BELGOM ALU. It leaves a protective wax film ( invisiable) on the covers (clutch, points, alternator etc). though as russ said if its the barrels, head and crankcase then vapour blasting is really the only way off getting into the places you cant get with your fingers.

[Pigford]

AUTO SOLVOL

I also use Mer as this also puts a protective finish on metal and paintwork

[london calling]

Colin,if you want your alloy parts professionally polishing at a great price then club member Mikey is your man,I'll PM you his phone number.

[dek155]

have you tried brasso not the liquid type you buy it in a tin and it's a bit like wadding, brings alloy up like glass hard work though.

[Pigford]

Apparently Cilit Bang is really good

: Barry Scott


No really

[colinw]

many thanks for the replies about alloy cleaners.i have used gunk to degrease first then given a good wipe round with sugar soap as this has fetched even more crud off.not tried cillit bang yet although i did use it on some stainless steel piping that had hard water marks on and it worked a treat!!! have given a polish with solvol autosol and am happy with the finish.many thanks again.

colin

[dave3d]

HI, Did you ever try the Cillit bang method? Sounds pretty easy, my whole engine is filthy - and the cases need polishing.

[Magnum1]

Tell you what, have to be careful around bearings and shocks. Some degreasers get in and cause all sorts of problems. Can make your suspension squeaky too!
Rod

[Keefleaf]

I looked at Cillit Bang,read the label...Not For Alloy

[compo z1r]

according to MCN peek is better than auto solvol they did a test for the paper to find the best.

[Steve S]

Auto solvol for me,have always used it and always found it the best,tried others but nothing beats it for me.Brasso wadding is very good for keeping your steel spokes shiny and corrossion free.Fiddly but worth the effort.

[sparky650]

Solvo for me ...tiz hard work but the effort is worth it in the end Ive just recently tried maguires metal polish and its not as good as solve

[dave3d]

right, sounds like gunk and solvo for me. I just cleaned my carbs and started my engine for the first time in 4 years. She fired on 3 - amazing - but then I found oil on the front of the casing - looks like a leaky mid gasket. Ouch!