Hitchcocks Forum

Another basic question I hope you can help me with... On a 2013 B5, as delivered by the factory, are the alloy engine cases, fork lower sliders, etc. coated with lacquer or are they just bare polished alloy? I can normally tell just by looking but it's difficult to tell on my machine, as these parts are quite shiny but not highly polished as such. The reason I ask is that there is some slight discolouration and a few marks that does not come off with normal cleaning, but I don't want to clean it with Autosol until I know if it's lacquer or bare alloy.

Try a small spot with lacquer thinner or turpentine to see if anything comes off. 0000 grade steel wool is ideal for polishing alloy and can be used to remove small scratches and bugs from glass and furniture.

I've a 2015 and use autosol on the alloy with good results. Rest of the time I wipe it with acf50 which keeps the dreaded alloy corrosion away. My bikes kept outside under a cover and after nearly two years the finish is still great.