Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I am a complete "merchant banker", (no slur on that profession intended, merely using the use of cockney to avoid offence). Only got my 7 in December and so have been aching to use it - unfortunately I went out one late night and didn't clean immediately upon return – bare Ali! After only 500 miles my 7 now looks like it is entering puberty with spots up the back panel. I have searched on this forum and applied plenty of right arm action to the problem using Autosol and other suggested substances. (My wife is now convinced that due to my increased muscle tone in my right arm I am abusing myself in the garage!) Spots are still there – are they now a permanent “feature” or does someone have a miracle acne cure for my baby? Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 You wont remove them ☹️ dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 B*ll*cks 🙆🏻 Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangely Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Have you tried Mothers? I've never had an ali car, but it did a good job on my windscreen surround many years ago. It didn't fix the pits, but it got all the other crap off. James Whiting still seems to sell it: http://www.jameswhiting.com/page3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Now there's an excuse for getting the ali painted. SV R300 (by virtue of spec not price) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbell Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Bare ali is a RPITA If you`ve tried all the usual cleaning products with no joy then I`m told that the only way is to get to it with wet and dry. I never had the balls to do this on mine which wasn`t really bad enough to take the risk I`d speak to someone who has been there and got the t-shirt before trying it though Needless to say my new car is being painted. If it gets chipped I`ll get it resprayed :-) Have engine, diff, tacho, clutch and a sexy ultra lightweight flywheel.......need car I`ve seen the future.....and it`s powered by duratec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Think I'm going to have to live with it - not sure I'm brave enough to take wet & dry to it and painting will be an option if my polishing arm starts to look like Popeye's. Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manky Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I'm three quarters through polishing my Seven. I'm using Autoglym polish and it took me over two hours to do just the bonnet. The car was looked after by its previous owner, but not polished. I think I can see why now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julians Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Wet and dry does work (you need an extremely fine grade of paper though and its not cheap), my bare ali car was covered in marks, so I wet and dried it, then polished with autosol, it got most of teh marks out,took about 5 hours though. I reckon if you're more patient than I am you could have it mirror finish again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Thanks Julians - you have encouraged me into action - will attempt wet and dry behind the spare wheel as a tester. (Then try and sell the therapeutic benefits polishing can have on the body and soul to my wife in an attempt to get another set of hands on the job!) Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julians Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Just make sure you get the finest paper available, the stuff I got came from a yacht chandlery (cost near enough £50 for 50 smallish sheets), used for finishing fibreglass I think. Its almost smooth to the touch. And doesent last long when polishing ali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Thanks will do. Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prisoner66 Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Mr B....... If you use the wet & dry...use it wet and the grade you want is 1200 grit. Use this only for the more serious marks though. Autosol can be used next, but this will only give you a rough finish and should be followed through with Mothers all over again. Then...just when you think it's all over...polish it again using Meguiars Gold class metal restore and protector. OK now the inside tips only use something like Meguiars polishing pads with the Autosol & Goldclass polishes to apply the polish. Remove it using top quality Terry towelling ONLY (Meguiars sell them)....Before you give it a final polish sprinkle flour onto the surface (dont use self raising...your car will grow ). I joke not, the flour absorbs the nasty black residue and makes a final finish much easier to achieve. Only ever do a small section at a time...say 18" square too. Also dont think hours...think in terms of days, the only way to get it right is to spend a day on the back panel another day on each side panel and a day for the bonnet.....Oh and another day for the scuttle and awarkward bits (mind your fingers!). After a few days you should end up with a good finish to be proud of. The marking will not happen if the polished surface is intact, but it is advisable after rain to take off the droplets with a chammy leather. A well polished car should stay like that for months in between polishing though, it wont chip and in a funny sort of way you dont need to wash it so often It's only a personal view, but I think Real Sevens should be in Ali, it demonstrates very clearly the workmanship involved and avoids any mistaken identity with some of our more plastic orientated cousins. Carbon Fibre is of course welcome wherever and in any colour. ... Edited by - Prisoner66 on 16 Mar 2004 16:15:29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Excellent thanks Prisoner. Glad you mentioned the flour – my neighbour was in the household cavalry and he used Autosol and chalk on his shiny bits – I am a bit gullible and he enjoys trying to make me do stupid things – (rang Buck house last week )– and I thought he was winding me up! 😬 Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Cat Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I'm lazy... and busy. Bought a beautifully kept Ali body Cat and sent it straight to the paint shop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prisoner66 Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 You're welcome Mr B, just remember that a well polished body doesnt need to be absolutely mark free a bit of ageing looks great. When you think bare ali, dont think cars, think of aircraft, many of these are bare aluminium and keep their finish very well despite the punishment they get from weather and airbourne debris hitting it at 200mph+. You certainly dont polish an aircraft every week either... 😬..Do You? And think of the weight saving!!!!! People spend £800 on carbon fibre to save 2kg. Leave the paint off, save the same 2kg and keep £1500 saving on the paint to make it go faster......Is that logic or what? Edited by - Prisoner66 on 16 Mar 2004 16:40:40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B Posted March 16, 2004 Author Share Posted March 16, 2004 Aircraft - certainly not - am having enough grief with lowflying wheeled variants! Beaulieu No.18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harold Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 I have a new S V .had to chose ,Paint or V V C engine, no contest. I polish with Autosol but when it dries on the mutton cloth I use turps substitute to complete the polish by thining the autosol ,final clean mutton cloth completes the job----no problem ,by the way I sprayed underneath and inside the engine compartment prior to build [primer under and top coat ] 3500 miles since august plenty of salt no obvious damage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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