Awning rail discoloured

[CaliBear]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone has had their black aluminium awning rails (Not the wind out part just the side mounting rails) discolour?

Our van rails have gone really purple like the way cheap anodised parts go when exposed to the sun/UV.
It has been like this since we picked up the van from new, although seems to have got worse over time to the point it looks pretty awful now.





Any ideas on how this could be sorted or would it need the whole aluminium rail pieces replacing? If so what kind of work would it be to change them could it cause more damage than it is worth? I only ask as it's purely cosmetic but annoying for such a new van (about 7 months old).

 

[2haw]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone has had their black aluminium awning rails (Not the wind out part just the side mounting rails) discolour?

Our van rails have gone really purple like the way cheap anodised parts go when exposed to the sun/UV.
It has been like this since we picked up the van from new, although seems to have got worse over time to the point it looks pretty awful now.

View attachment 62918

View attachment 62919

Any ideas on how this could be sorted or would it need the whole aluminium rail pieces replacing? If so what kind of work would it be to change them could it cause more damage than it is worth? I only ask as it's purely cosmetic but annoying for such a new van (about 7 months old).

I was looking at mine again only yesterday and they have also gone a purple colour.

It’s in for a service on Friday so will ask them what they think!

 

[CaliBear]

I was looking at mine again only yesterday and they have also gone a purple colour.

It’s in for a service on Friday so will ask them what they think!

If you don't mind, could you let us know what the response is from the VW dealer?

 

[OGII]

Hi, this is common (and other posts cover it)

Concensus is the cleaning fluids used by hand car washes cause it. It can be brought back to original colour. I can’t remember what people used, a search will find the answer.

 

[CaliBear]

Hi, this is common (and other posts cover it)

Concensus is the cleaning fluids used by hand car washes cause it. It can be brought back to original colour. I can’t remember what people used, a search will find the answer.

Thanks for your reply OGII.

I did search the past threads and found people had suffered with pitting on the surface from some sort of contaminate, but this was on vans alot older than a year. Having now seen T5/T5.1 Calis with their awning rails still black it made me wonder if there had been a faulty batch.

I have found some info on anadising and this issue of black anadising going purple and it seems it is to do with the sealing of the black dye during the anadising process possibly not being curred properly allowing the dye to fade.

https://www.finishing.com/366/02.shtml

I will have a another search, but as I had mentioned in my post it has been like this pretty much since new just seems to have got worse over the last 7 months ish and it's never been near a hand car wash other than my own fair hands

 

[OGII]

WD40 was the wonder solution. Ours is a 2018 model year and it did it after a few months, albeit not quite to extent of the lilac shade in one of those images. Not tried WD40 myself, it did look better after polishing, suggesting contamination/residues. Be interesting to see what your dealer says. Good luck

 

[Perfectos]

Thanks for your reply OGII.

I did search the past threads and found people had suffered with pitting on the surface from some sort of contaminate, but this was on vans alot older than a year. Having now seen T5/T5.1 Calis with their awning rails still black it made me wonder if there had been a faulty batch.

I have found some info on anadising and this issue of black anadising going purple and it seems it is to do with the sealing of the black dye during the anadising process possibly not being curred properly allowing the dye to fade.

https://www.finishing.com/366/02.shtml

I will have a another search, but as I had mentioned in my post it has been like this pretty much since new just seems to have got worse over the last 7 months ish and it's never been near a hand car wash other than my own fair hands

Hi CaliBear
Generally silicone based products will return a discoloured black surface back to black.
Disclaimer: I have no experience of this but it may be worth a try on an inconspicuous part of the trim ( just don’t spread the silicon products onto the paint work as silicone is not liked by paint shops, as it resists water based paint / products )

 

[CaliBear]

Hi CaliBear
Generally silicone based products will return a discoloured black surface back to black.
Disclaimer: I have no experience of this but it may be worth a try on an inconspicuous part of the trim ( just don’t spread the silicon products onto the paint work as silicone is not liked by paint shops, as it resists water based paint / products )

Thanks for the info Perfecto and OCII!
Will give a hidden test patch a go with some silicone spray/wd40.

 

[2haw]

I did mention this to the service guy yesterday who said he had never heard or been asked about this before.

He said he could take pictures and take it up with VW and see what they say.

After thinking about the possible work involved removing the Internal headlining to get at potential fixing bolts, I told him not to worry about it!

Sorry I wasn’t much help!

 

[Bigted]

I did mention this to the service guy yesterday who said he had never heard or been asked about this before.

He said he could take pictures and take it up with VW and see what they say.

After thinking about the possible work involved removing the Internal headlining to get at potential fixing bolts, I told him not to worry about it!

Sorry I wasn’t much help!

I believe they are bonded on so only glue!

 

[CaliBear]

I did mention this to the service guy yesterday who said he had never heard or been asked about this before.

He said he could take pictures and take it up with VW and see what they say.

After thinking about the possible work involved removing the Internal headlining to get at potential fixing bolts, I told him not to worry about it!

Sorry I wasn’t much help!

Thanks 2haw for letting us know how you got on.
My thoughts are kind of the similar to yourself, as in how much work/disruption it would be to replace and if it would cause more issues while doing so.

Taking our van in soon and will see what they say and what work would be involved to replace.

 

[Steve and mary]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone has had their black aluminium awning rails (Not the wind out part just the side mounting rails) discolour?

Our van rails have gone really purple like the way cheap anodised parts go when exposed to the sun/UV.
It has been like this since we picked up the van from new, although seems to have got worse over time to the point it looks pretty awful now.

View attachment 62918

View attachment 62919

Any ideas on how this could be sorted or would it need the whole aluminium rail pieces replacing? If so what kind of work would it be to change them could it cause more damage than it is worth? I only ask as it's purely cosmetic but annoying for such a new van (about 7 months old).

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone has had their black aluminium awning rails (Not the wind out part just the side mounting rails) discolour?

Our van rails have gone really purple like the way cheap anodised parts go when exposed to the sun/UV.
It has been like this since we picked up the van from new, although seems to have got worse over time to the point it looks pretty awful now.

View attachment 62918

View attachment 62919

Any ideas on how this could be sorted or would it need the whole aluminium rail pieces replacing? If so what kind of work would it be to change them could it cause more damage than it is worth? I only ask as it's purely cosmetic but annoying for such a new van (about 7 months old).

Hi yes I have the same problem on a 69 plate I did mention it today to our VW dealer they looked at it and said yes it was probably due to the plastic inserts that the rails fit into. They really dident seem intreasted which is pretty bad I think .

 

[CaliBear]

Hi yes I have the same problem on a 69 plate I did mention it today to our VW dealer they looked at it and said yes it was probably due to the plastic inserts that the rails fit into. They really dident seem intreasted which is pretty bad I think .

That's a pretty poor response from the dealers!
Definitely nothing to do with the plastic inserts and more to do with the way the dye is not cured properly during anodising, from the research I've found online.

Still waiting for a response from my dealer on this as they are were going to contact VW apparently.
They did say it was bolted through the bodywork and would need the top internal trim removing to replace it, so sounds like it's more hassle than it might be worth. Great way to get away with poor build quality as most people wouldn't want loads of trim panels removed on a brand new van!

 

[Perfectos]

Hi CB

no experience of this product, but it claims to return colour, they state a way to check if their product will work, by cleaning and area and inspecting it whilst still wet, if the area appear darker (more colour) then the product will work apparently.

Restore & Protect Faded, Dull Aluminum Windowframes to Look New with Everbrite

Restore faded aluminum window frames to look new again with Everbrite Coating. Works on any color aluminum. Easy to apply and long-lasting protection.

www.everbritecoatings.com

 

[TripleBee]

Mine's are still black, but spotted in oily colour. Doesn't botter me. I am not going to change them (only glued to the body) because that would make too much of a fuss.
If you are in the van driving it, you can't see it. When camping, I mostly see the other side of the van, which has an awning attached, so less of the rail visible to bother.

 

[Perfectos]

Here is a product that has Youtube vids, not sue if it’s suitable for your application.

 

[CaliBear]

Hi CB

no experience of this product, but it claims to return colour, they state a way to check if their product will work, by cleaning and area and inspecting it whilst still wet, if the area appear darker (more colour) then the product will work apparently.

Restore & Protect Faded, Dull Aluminum Windowframes to Look New with Everbrite

Restore faded aluminum window frames to look new again with Everbrite Coating. Works on any color aluminum. Easy to apply and long-lasting protection.

www.everbritecoatings.com

Thanks Perfectos!
Think I will look into something like this as it might be a more permanent fix than silicone spray/wd40.

 

[AndyWT]

Whilst VW aggressively drives its component costs down and selling prices up, what do you expect... the cost of 3m of anodized alloy profile is peanuts and then the cost of fitting also seems comprised from what I have seen.
I would be more interested if it fell off rather than the color.

Brandrup rail on my T4 Cali from new is still black, still stuck to the van has an awning hanging off it.

Just saying

 

[CaliBear]

Whilst VW aggressively drives its component costs down and selling prices up, what do you expect... the cost of 3m of anodized alloy profile is peanuts and then the cost of fitting also seems comprised from what I have seen.
I would be more interested if it fell off rather than the color.

Brandrup rail on my T4 Cali from new is still black, still stuck to the van has an awning hanging off it.

Just saying

I suppose VW need to claw back some money from the damage caused by diesel gate somehow!

Agree that the quality vs the cost of the vehicle is poor, it's like how far can we go with this before people really stop buying our products!

As more and more people become accepting of low standards of build, customer service etc, the more this will continue to happen and the companies who do care will not be able to compete with the ones who are cost cutting at the expense of the consumer!
Off topic sorry!

 

[Perfectos]

In this instance I think you will find that black anodised parts will discolour to a varying degree over time.

This is a repetitive scenario on many forums, motor industry, camera, telescopes, industrial plant, medical equipment, boats etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CaliBear]

In this instance I think you will find that black anodised parts will discolour to a varying degree over time.

This is a repetitive scenario on many forums, motor industry, camera, telescopes, industrial plant, medical equipment, boats etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree it may happen eventually as have seen it on older anodised bike parts, but these were cheap and not straight away on a brand new van.

 

[MaxRed]

I was looking at mine again only yesterday and they have also gone a purple colour.

It’s in for a service on Friday so will ask them what they think!

I have to the same issue here... What did the dealer say?

 

[2haw]

I have to the same issue here... What did the dealer say?

Hello,

I confirmed on Post 9 on page 1, that I didn’t fancy the potential work involved rectifying it so told the dealer not to bother taking it up with VW.

Sorry I wasn’t much help.

 

[MaxRed]

Hello,

I confirmed on Post 9 on page 1, that I didn’t fancy the potential work involved rectifying it so told the dealer not to bother taking it up with VW.

Sorry I wasn’t much help.

No, it's up for me to be sorry, I should read threads more carefully!