Cleaning aluminum siding on my Eagle

[goldgiter]

I took the bus thru a Blue Beacon truck wash last week and the next day the aluminum siding was chalky looking.
I started buffing it out and decided there had to be an easier way to do this.
I ended up using Mothers Aluminum Wheel Cleaner. I sprayed it on one door at a time, wiped it down good while still wet and then wiped it with a dry rag, turned out great!
Directions say spray it on, hose it off after a few minutes and wipe dry, I could not do it that way because I have a crazy dog that hates water when sprayed from a hose but that's another story.
I used 1 bottle of cleaner and it took a little over an hour to do the whole bus.
This worked for me so I thought I would share.

Wes

[goldgiter]

UPDATE;
It rained here early this am, I went to fire the bus up for a short drive and the siding is just as chalky as it was before.
Guess there is no easy fix, back to the buffer!

Wes

[Dave5Cs]

Some say that the big commercial truck washes use acidic cleaners and that's where the chalkiness comes from.
Dave

[DoubleEagle]

Truck washes can be acidic, especially if "tank brightener" is used. It does not work well will anodized siding. Buffing with any polishing compound will ruin the thin anodized layer and require you to rebuff continually. A short term fix to make it look good is to wipe on Sheila Shine stainless steel cleaner, but it won't last long if it rains. The search for a good way to improve old Eagle siding continues.

[goldgiter]

Well I had read on here that you could use brake fluid so I tried that, looked good when I left to go for a ride, looked like crap when I got back.
I am going to wash it real good and try again!

Wes

[bigred]

Found some alum wheel cleaner at a truck stop called Zephyr Pro 40 that has really worked well for me .Don't know if it will do that much for your siding or not .Almost sounds like they steam cleaned it .If that is the case ,that gunk is hard to get off.I have used this on my Alum wheels after that MCGUIRES wheel cleaner messed up my wheels and it did a remarkable job on them .Tried it on my stainless siding and it worked well there also!!

[luvrbus]

Call the truck wash they have insurance your siding is gone now,that happen to me and I even asked if they used acid the guy said no so I let them do the wash and got all new siding out of a $40 wash.It will start streaking now too fwiw I found out later the truck washes recycle the water and have no idea what is in it.

Here in AZ washes are not allowed to use any type acid or recycled water only soap and water and dummy here thought all washes were the same across the US   

[goldgiter]

Well DAMN! I went to the rally at Palmetto Cove a little while back with a dirty bus, decided to clean it up a bit and now I'm off on another adventure, shoulda' left it dirty!

Wes

[DoubleEagle]

My experience with Blue Beacon truck washes (with trucks) is that if you request it, you get special spraying of your fuel tanks with acid cleaner. Of course, if the wash water is all recycled, you can get the diluted acid on your vehicle from all the previous customers. I remember a horror story that was posted years ago about an Eagle that had new siding in the mirror finish, and had been through a truck wash, and then had streaks on the brand new siding. If your siding is original, it might be more difficult to claim that the truck wash did the streaking. If you wash it yourself, avoid using the stronger cleaners like Purple Power; at the right concentration, they will streak as well, in my experience.

[goldgiter]

Now that you mention it I did see them cover the fuel tanks with plastic on a truck that was ahead of me.
Don't know how much good it will do but I am going to talk to the folks at the truck wash today.

Wes

[jackhartjr]

If it was a Blue Beacon truck wash, remind they have cameras in each bay! If you file a claim, you will talk with a very nice man in the mid west that's job is to deny all claims. Don't back down! In my opinion, they should know to not put acid on an anodized bus!
DON'T BACK DOWN!

[luvrbus]

 Stand your ground they will replace it,a siding job on a Eagle will cost from 10 to 15 grand and B&B in Vegas are the best at doing it

[blue_goose]

They know what happened, because they have had to pay before.  Also file a claim with your insurance co and they will help you with your claim.
Jack

[goldgiter]

I called Blue Beacon headquaters this morning and the lady I talked with asked me to take it to the Blue Beacon that washed it so they could look at it and take pictures.
I drove over in my truck and talked to the manager and he came to my house and looked at the bus and admitted that they should not have used the brightener on the aluminum.
He wants to send someone to buff it out, I told him I didn't think that would work but he was welcome to try.
He did try to put some of the blame on me saying someone had probably buffed the anodizing off before I got the bus but when I showed him a door that I had replaced the siding on and it looked like the rest of the bus he backed down.
At least he has admitted they screwed up, I'll just have to see how this plays out!
Thanks to all of you for the advice.

Wes

[Dreamscape]

Sonny Gray mentioned this product to me, he had used it on the anodized aluminum siding on his Eagle, Wipe New. I bought two bottles at WM and applied it almost 2 years ago and it worked great! It will hide the hazing and brighten the appearance a great deal. It covered my ghost lettering so good I can't even see it. The water beads up great and dirt and dust has a hard time sticking to it. It leaves a real slick finish. I might redo it later this summer to freshen it up. It's the only product I've been able to find that brings back life to old Eagle siding. Several Eagle friends have used this and are very happy with the result.