Thoughts anyone?

[bluenose1940]

Have been doing a spot of car cleaning today, inside and out and. When I raised the bonnet to wipe away the inevitable grime that finds its way into the nooks and crannies, I noticed that acertain part was covered in a white substance that can with a bit of effort, be cleaned away but, I am wondering how it got there in the first place.

Also, a couple of metal parts appear to be quite speckled, it's definitely not rust, not sure how to describe it really.

I have (hopefully) attached a couple of images and would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced something similar or, might know what it is.

 

[spacenase]

It could be aluminium oxidation?

[bluenose1940]

53 minutes ago, spacenase said:

It could be aluminium oxidation?

Just looked it up and you could be right.  thanks for your thoughts.

[Whites]

Can it be cleaned or protected ( WD40 ! )

[Britprius]

The strange thing is it also appears to be on the steel components. Do you park in an industrial area  where there may be chemicals in the atmosphere that may be settling out.

John. 

[bluenose1940]

17 minutes ago, Britprius said:

The strange thing is it also appears to be on the steel components. Do you park in an industrial area  where there may be chemicals in the atmosphere that may be settling out.

John. 

Nothing industrial close to me.  I'm 2 miles from the beach!

[Britprius]

3 minutes ago, bluenose1940 said:

Nothing industrial close to me.  I'm 2 miles from the beach!

In that case it is probably salt deposits. Salt eats aluminium at an alarming rate, and of course is known for accelerating rust.

John.