I hate you aluminum

Kinja'd!!! "GeorgeyBoy" (georgeyboy)
03/09/2014 at 18:07 • Filed to: rant

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and powerful car wash sprayers.

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DISCUSSION (22)


Kinja'd!!! jkm7680 > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:09

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Ouch! I thought that pressure washers were bad for cars!


Kinja'd!!!  > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:09

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But Town Cars have steel trunk lids...


Kinja'd!!! oldirtybootz > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:09

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Looks like the aluminum hood on my mom's Explorer. Great job, FoMoCo!


Kinja'd!!! Svend > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:10

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Ouch! I've never used a car wash and never will. Hand wash every time.

All you need is a good pressure washer a snow foam lance and snow foam, followed by a good shampoo, rinse, microfibre towel and sealant.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > Svend
03/09/2014 at 18:14

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I'll never step foot in an automatic wash, this was a do it yourself.

Hand wash is always my ideal choice, but it's negative degrees out.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > 
03/09/2014 at 18:14

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Not Town Car.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > oldirtybootz
03/09/2014 at 18:14

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Pretty terrible quality control in the early 00's.


Kinja'd!!!  > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:15

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LS?


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > 
03/09/2014 at 18:21

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Yes


Kinja'd!!! oldirtybootz > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 18:21

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Her Exploder has been pretty damn good for being a first model year(2002).


Kinja'd!!! Klaus Schmoll > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 19:11

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Ouch! I can feel your pain! If my car looked like this right now, I'd... well, to be honest, I'd shed a manly tear.

I had a slightly similar moment last year when I discovered millions of tiny rust spots on the lower half of my cars body. I was in panic, then tried to reason with it, thinking about ways to keep it at bay for the time being (it's a '99 Euro-Accord, so a respray would have been stupid). Turned out it was "rail dust" a.k.a. small metal particles from the brakes that are a PITA to polish off, but at least it's not from the inside out.

Didn't you notice those blisters before you went "all-in" with the power washer?


Kinja'd!!! Frank Grimes > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 19:18

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Take it all off and polish it!


Kinja'd!!! ihbase > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 19:40

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Here is the deal- your paint was heading south long before that wimpy pressure washer at the local coin depository squired a weak mixture of tepid water and detergent across your bow. That paint was already bubbling. You just discovered it with the help of the car wash. Kinda looks like it has already been repainted once. True? -Michael


Kinja'd!!! The Compromiser > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 19:42

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Yes aluminum is a pain. My hood is aluminum with a giant flat black sticker on it. The heat this summer caused it to shrink back around the edges and all its leaving is the glue residue. Heat transference sucks...


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > ihbase
03/09/2014 at 20:28

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Yes I already knew it was bubbling, this isn't the only spot just the worst.

You have a very good eye. A bubble broke the beginning of winter, I cleaned the small spot best I could and put touch up paint over it.

Today at the wash (first time at this particular one), I got a little careless. Ended up breaking the bubble even more, and took off most of my touch up.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > Frank Grimes
03/09/2014 at 20:30

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All of the paint on the trunk or just the bubbling areas?

It's my understanding I'm already contaminated/f'ed.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > Klaus Schmoll
03/09/2014 at 20:33

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Yes I did, and this isn't the only spot on the trunk just the worst. I went to a different car wash today, and it is far more powerful than I'm used to.

The spot was smaller beginning of the year and I tried touching it up. It grew twice as big, and I can expect the rest of the bubble to fall off soon.


Kinja'd!!! Klaus Schmoll > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 20:40

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Is it only the trunklid? In this case, a respray might be budgetable?


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > Klaus Schmoll
03/09/2014 at 20:58

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Yes, maybe in the near future when it's worse. I haven't got a quote yet but maybe $400?

My rear bumper cover also has a scratch and a chip around the exhaust. I kind of wish someone would run into me, would take care of the only flaws on my car haha.


Kinja'd!!! Frank Grimes > GeorgeyBoy
03/09/2014 at 22:13

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yeah might as well remove it all off the trunk and polish the aluminum.


Kinja'd!!! GeorgeyBoy > Frank Grimes
03/09/2014 at 22:43

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That's beyond my bodywork skills. Pretty sure aluminum needs to be prepped in a chemical bath or something.


Kinja'd!!! ihbase > GeorgeyBoy
03/10/2014 at 00:43

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I feel for you. Salt weather state? I grew up in one. Now, each time I work on a west coast car or truck, I am thankful that I do not have to deal with salt anymore.

-Michael