Hey all,
@Toyoyotaco brought his camper back to us on his way home from Billings so we could check it out. We were able to do a little detective work to get to why his extrusion looked like it does in these pictures, and clean his camper up for him with just some soapy water and a green scotch-brite pad.
First, an update:
We’re anodizing our utility tracks now. This is a huge upgrade. Anodizing hardens aluminum leading to a more durable surface and a finish that we’re really stoked about. With regards to speed, switching from powder to ano doesn’t actually save us any time. Considering this is your utility track, and it’s going to get a lot of use, durability is key. Anodizing also takes up less tolerances than powder coating, leading to better fitment during assembly. In the end, we’re always innovating, and we think the anodized utility tracks are all around a step up from powder coat.
So what happened?
Jose saw some smudges and spots on his extrusion that wouldn’t come off when he wiped them with a cloth, so naturally he took his truck through a touch free car wash. This led to the small splotches of discoloration throughout the utility rails that you can see in his photos. Why? Anodized aluminum is hard, like glass hard, and like glass, residue from oily detergents and waxes can leave streaks and marks.
How did we fix it?
The best way to clean anodized aluminum is with a few drops of soap in water, a green scotch-brite pad, and a little elbow grease. This would have taken the initial smudges off and definitely removed the discoloration caused by the car wash.
In conclusion, I’ll do some digging/experimenting in order to recommend the best cleaning practices for campers with anodized utility rails. For now, the best option is hand wash with good ol’ soapy water. I recommend doing this with a beer in hand, cut off jeans, and some very loud ZZ Top. As always, I appreciate everyone’s feedback here (especially @Toyoyotaco’s). Y’all are the best customers and always help us figure out ways to make the GFC experience better and better!