Bike Carrier Corrosion?

[LordGozer]

I leave my bike carrier on permanently as it’s in almost weekly use.

I hadn’t been able to clean the van for a month but finally managed it this weekend. When cleaning the bike rack which was caked in grime as you may expect I noticed pitting and marks on the rack tubing that I could not remove. Pic above. Sorry not the best as taken at night with a flash but hopefully you get the idea.

Has anyone else got this or a way of cleaning it off?

Thanks all

 

[Tourershine]

You might find that if it's the aluminium tubing, that the salt off the roads have got to it, and any type of polishing off will mark it.

 

[LordGozer]

Thanks @Tourershine it is the aluminium tubing.

Do you think it will spread? There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice on the web about it and the treatment of.

I would like to make it less obvious if nothing else as it really stands out. Maybe I see it more now that I have noticed it though. For something that appears to be designed to stay on the vehicle I would have thought that it would be a bit more hard wearing and resistant, it’s the genuine VW rack.

Assume one option would be to powder coat the whole rack, not sure on the cost of that though or even if it’s possible.

 

[Davejo]

Mine has done the same. I know it’s at the back and subject to road salt and the rest, however I would have expected it to be better quality. The aluminium is anodised and does discolour easily.
Silver powder coating seems a good solution?

 

[CaliStu]

Same here. I've just ignored it but if anyone has a good solution I'll be keen to try it

 

[Tourershine]

Thanks @Tourershine it is the aluminium tubing.

Do you think it will spread? There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice on the web about it and the treatment of.

I would like to make it less obvious if nothing else as it really stands out. Maybe I see it more now that I have noticed it though. For something that appears to be designed to stay on the vehicle I would have thought that it would be a bit more hard wearing and resistant, it’s the genuine VW rack.

Assume one option would be to powder coat the whole rack, not sure on the cost of that though or even if it’s possible.

My knowledge and expertise is with Aluminium panels, and Fibreglasses, but they are always coated, and obviously rarely corrode unless there's an underlying issue. My own bike rack is inside the rear garage of my Motorhome, so is still like new.
However, if it was my own rack and it was as visually exposed as they are on the T6, i'd be having mine powder coated, because the likelihood is it may get worse and look unsightly.
The racks are really easy to strip down, with the exception some have rivets holding end caps, but they just need the heads drilling out.
It's a shame you're not local to me, because we have a really good powder coater that we use for all our business work, but there are loads of companies about.

As for advice on the internet, you're right there, and like every subject, I tend to take most with a pinch of salt (excuse the pun)

 

[Dogs Dung]

i don't think you can avoid that, same sort of racks, supplied by Fiamma on our previous motorhomes, all of them did the same thing.

 

[superflyguy]

Same on mine, but for what they cost to buy I definitely wont be throwing money at it for powder coating, Mine stays on and it gets used regularly so I will just live with it.

 

[Nigel W]

Mine is just the same, a bit disappointing considering how much they cost

 

[Petehelmet]

Had one on my T5 for several years and apart from the aluminium discolouration because of the road salt another place to keep an eye on is the thread on the clamps as mine started to rust after a couple of years. I would suggest some lubricant and run them in and out, if the T6 rack still has them ?

 

[LordGozer]

My knowledge and expertise is with Aluminium panels, and Fibreglasses, but they are always coated, and obviously rarely corrode unless there's an underlying issue. My own bike rack is inside the rear garage of my Motorhome, so is still like new.
However, if it was my own rack and it was as visually exposed as they are on the T6, i'd be having mine powder coated, because the likelihood is it may get worse and look unsightly.
The racks are really easy to strip down, with the exception some have rivets holding end caps, but they just need the heads drilling out.
It's a shame you're not local to me, because we have a really good powder coater that we use for all our business work, but there are loads of companies about.

As for advice on the internet, you're right there, and like every subject, I tend to take most with a pinch of salt (excuse the pun)

Thanks, do you know roughly how much I would be looking at to get it powder coated?

I want to keep the van for a long time, circa 10 years perhaps given what it cost to buy and convert, I think I may try and prolong the life of the bike carrier.

Thanks

 

[Tourershine]

Thanks, do you know roughly how much I would be looking at to get it powder coated?

I want to keep the van for a long time, circa 10 years perhaps given what it cost to buy and convert, I think I may try and prolong the life of the bike carrier.

Thanks

I can only speculate that it should cost less than £100 if you strip the rack down, but that's only a guess, basing it on what I've had done and what I pay for parts powder coated.