Cleaning the computer under the hood

[BADs Crew]

I detailed out my engine compartment a few weeks ago and it looks pretty good. I used Eagle One Mag cleaner for non powder coated wheels to brighten up the aluminum parts like the AC drier and fittings but my computer is oxidized and looks like crap under there now. Has anyone ever buffed this thing up or painted it? Also the alternator looks crappy too. Anything I can do to that other than replace it?

[killian96ss]

The computer housing and the alternator are both aluminum, so I would imagine any aluminum cleaner should work, but I would be very careful since you don't want to get any of this stuff inside the electronics. When you clean aluminum with any type of chemical you want to make sure that the surface is cool and not hot, because most chemicals will stain aluminum if it's hot, and you will only make it look worse than before you started. Another option would be to polish the aluminum, and then use a sealer like the stuff ZOOPS make which will keep the polished parts looking good for about 2 years before needing to be re-coated. As far as painting, I would only use a black heat dispersant paint on the alternator since it does get very hot. If you use regular paint then your alternator may overheat and fail because it won't be able to cool itself sufficiently.

Steve

[BADs Crew]

Thanks Steve