[The Placid Casual]

Now they have been out for a good amount of time, I just wanted to ask you all how your MBP's looks after 1 year+ of use?

I'm not talking about 'vanity' machines that get treated like you are handling Polonium 210, but real machines that are used extensively.

I have used my 2.0 MBP machine daily for work for just over a year now (QA, development etc), as well as using it for home use, and also used it while traveling. This is what is has gone through:

On average 16+ hours work usage a day (yes, I know, but I worked for a tech startup).

Carried in a Timbuk 2 bag on a 30 min train journey every day for 1 year in a sleeve.

Daily gaming daily, mostly WoW.

10 or so foreign trips with work and 2 holidays.

So, how has my machine held up?

If I am honest, not so great...

Cosmetically, the outside of the machine looks great. The lid is flawless, as is the underside of the machine. But this is were the good news ends. When you open the machine, the top case is just plain awful. Where you rest your hands on the machine, there is extensive corrosion of the metal, making it look really 'pitted' with dark spots.

In the 'groove' just in front of the keyboard, the paint has worm off and become dark and dirty. it has 'peeled' randomly across the whole panel.

The Screen, hmm, I seem to have been effected over time by a loss of back lighting over the left hand side of the screen, and until it has been on for over an hour or so, it does not even up.

I also have developed a nice 'white' spot in the centre of the screen, seemingly caused by some kind of de-lamination of the glossy screen. If you 'tap' the area lightly with your finger, it goes away as the layers seem to bond together again temporarily... kind of annoying.

As per a previous post, I have gone through 4 power adaptors :/ the ends just kep coming apart and the actual 'magsafe' connection becoming loose (loose wires, frayed plastic etc).

I also have a big issue with Airport. On my home network (a network of 3 Airport Express), when I move between coverage areas and to a different base station, I get cut off and have to rebook to regain any kind of connection :/

As for heat, not sure why, but it has got worse... I am forever trying to prop it up on books, or get my Coolpad. I use it in bed from time to time, and 50% of the time I get a freeze and shutdown... Just seems, well, meh.

All in all, it has been a good year, but the machine now feels really 'tired'... and I am even thinking of replacing it now, although I can't sell it for anywhere decent money on ebay or in the press as it looks cosmetically not so great at all.

In comparison, I also use a Lenovo T60, with a black plastic case very much like the old 'Wallstreet' Powerbook g3 ones, and it doesn't have a mark on it after a year, and has had no issues at all as to build or performance... :/

Certainly makes you think... Should I be 'going through' a laptop in a year, with 'normalish' usage pattern? I certainly feel the quality has definitely dropped with these machine.

Wondering how other MBPs are faring in the wild?

[PaperNotes]

I can only say that any machine that is used or moved around extensively is going to have wear and tear.

About the circle in the center of your screen, that was caused by sunlight entering the Apple logo on the lid and burning the LCD. Long time PowerBook users have known not to use a Mac laptop facing light, especially outdoors.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by PaperNotes 

I can only say that any machine that is used or moved around extensively is going to have wear and tear.

About the circle in the center of your screen, that was caused by sunlight entering the Apple logo on the lid and burning the LCD. Long time PowerBook users have known not to use a Mac laptop facing light, especially outdoors.

Nope not the sun I'm afraid (very aware of that issue), it is not directly infront of the apple logo, I should have been more specific. It is to the centre left of the screen, and definitely seems to be de-lamination of the 'glossy' layer of the screen, as when you touch it, it goes away for a day or so.

As for wear and tear, yes, I expect some obviously... but why should my MBP look so much worse than say my Thinkpad or Vaio after the same exact same usage?

It is imho down to quality of materials used and build quality as well as design...

Has Apple sacrificed ergnomics and practicality for aesthetics?

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

N
As for wear and tear, yes, I expect some obviously... but why should my MBP look so much worse than say my Thinkpad or Vaio after the same exact same usage?

I can't say I fully agree because I've seen too many PowerBooks and MacBook Pros that have been kept in good condition. With all your travelling around you were bound to pick up wear and tear. Little bits at a time that you don't notice until they build up. Your MacBook Pro is designed as a prestige device which means it has to be looked after, like a sports car. I've seen sports cars that look terrible because owners used them like an every day get around vehicle. In other words use your MBP for your serious work at home or office and use your Thinkpad for your vacations. The Thinkpad being made of thick plastic is better for that.

[The Placid Casual]

I think you just proved my point.

Look at it like this: I have 2 machines, both very similar spec, both similar price. Both are 'Portable' machines, designed to be used on the move and be carried around (allegedly).

By your account, I can use one for traveling around and not see a problem, the other I have to keep indoors to keep it looking good and working correctly. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Or that there is an issue with the quality of the machine I have to keep indoors, while I am able to cart the other one around anywhere without it showing a scratch?

Surely I should be able to expect the same kind of wear from both?

To use your sports car analogy... I buy a Porsche Boxter and I buy a BMW Z4 (both similar spec and price). I do 5000 kms in each a year and look after them the same (as per intended and looked after to maker recommendations). At the end of the 5000 miles one looks great, like new, the other the paint is peeling off? Is that right?

I look after my machines very well, I used to work for Apple, I have all the Apple tech qualifications etc. The machine has in no way been 'abused' or used excessively as I think you may imply. It just wears very badly in comparison to the others I have which are built differently...

With this thread, I just wanted to see how anyone else felt their MBP held up after a year of use...

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

Surely I should be able to expect the same kind of wear from both?

You shouldn't expect an aluminum (hard) case to withstand wear and tear the way plastic (malleable) does. A machine made out of specially fabricated metals should be treated like any other luxury item. That's not to say it has no faults. I wish it was scratch and corrosion resistant, but such a lightweight low cost anodized metal doesn't exist and Apple don't employ scientists who could invent one.

[alangreenwell]

Mine is pretty good on all front, except the base of the machine which has lots of scratches. However this does not bother me.

In comparison to my HP NC6400 which is scratched to hell, and bits are loose and starting to fall off. The hinge especially is really loose and it now needs support to stop it flopping back. At the my MBP is in usable working order. They have both had about the same amount of abuse with the HP being picked up and transported around site, and the MBP opened and closed and moved from location to location.

The only gripe I have about the MBP is the number of screws that need to be done and undone to change the hard disc. I have done it twice now, first upgrade to 160G and a few nights ago I upgraded again this time to 250G. Other than that the machine is spot on and I believe very hard wearing.

[ghporter]

No cosmetic or functional problems in my machine. I have been careful with it, and kept it clean, but it's been with me in class every day, starting up and turning off frequently, used on battery or AC, on my lap or a desk, etc.

I've upped the RAM to 2GB, and that was an easy process, but I haven't taken it apart to upgrade the drive-and since I have the whole 3-year AppleCare package, I'll have an authorized shop do it for me when I get around to it.

[OreoCookie]

I'm fairly happy. The first two months were quite bad: I've had the keyboard, screen and battery replaced. Then I had the battery replaced once more and my power brick broke.

There are quite a few cosmetic problems which concentrate around the hand rest and the frame of the display, basically abrasions and discoloration from the sweat. I have been very careful, but I can't help that my hands sweat when I type. I also have four white blobs on the screen (which is matte), not sure why.

Performance-wise, I haven't had any problems after upgrading my RAM to 2 GB. Unless I run out of RAM which still happens when I use Aperture But other than that, it's pretty smooth in that department.

To people who have managed to keep their ProBook pristine: how did you do that?

[Randman]

Mine is still going strong, used for hours on end each day and no problems whatsoever.

[Sparkletron]

Placid, your experience is not unique. The MBPs are not as rugged as their much cheaper MB counterparts. I don't even consider them to have true metal chassis since there is plastic trim along the edges and plastic bits throughout. I have seen magnesium-alloy notebooks that you could hammer nails with and they still look fresh and new years later. So it's not metal-versus-plastic per se but how much metal and what kind, etc. IMHO, metal is used on the MPBs as a finish. I would prefer half a pound more weight if it would turn the MBP into a tank. I would prefer magnesium-alloy like that used in my rock-solid Canon SLR (not to compare apples to oranges).

-S

[PaperNotes]

What was the name of that thin protector product that covers the palm rest and trackpad?

[Simon]

I've been using my 2.33 GHz MBP now for ~10 months. This is my main machine at work and at home. I took it on several business trips and on vacation. It has been used for ~16h a day ever since I got it. I often use it in closed lid mode with external KB and mouse, so my hands aren't on the palm rests all the time.

It looks and feels almost as good as when I bought it. Three minor issues crept up in these past 10 months:

• The space bar squeaks when you hit on the right side; no biggie, but annoying in a quiet environment

• The lid doesn't spring open as much as it did when it was new (I'm now down to about 4 mm gap after pressing the button) -> I've had this problem ever since the first Al PBs came out; it seems the lid spring just becomes weaker with time

• Tiny bulge above the lid release button -> I've had this on two different MBPs. Each time it appeared after the case was banged against something. Obviously the stress on the case is released at the weakest point: a 3 mm strip of thin aluminum that's not firmly attached to an internal frame. Purely cosmetic issue.

All in all I feel the MBP is a very mature platform. I just recently ordered my fourth MBP.

[minitank88]

You can find it here, that's the one i know of, i am not sure if there are any other companies that sell them.

Protection Pack Plus for MacBook™ Pro

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by minitank88 

You can find it here, that's the one i know of, i am not sure if there are any other companies that sell them.

Protection Pack Plus for MacBook™ Pro

I looked at the close ups and wasn't impressed. The finish is so bad it looks like Marware employs underpaid blind Mexicans to cut the shapes out. And it has a big ugly Marware logo under the trackpad.

The one I'm thinking of was linked to about 2 weeks ago and was blended in perfectly. It had the same finish of the grey aluminum and was reusable adhesive on the sticking side. It came in three pieces: palmrest, trackpad, trackpad button.

[striker100]

This is the pet peeve I have with the MacBook Pro, beautiful to look at but somehow it does not inspire confidence as far as durability to me. I always felt I had to be especially careful with it. Sure sitting on a desk as a desktop replacement it's fine and even some light travel but I never thought of it as a real travel notebook. I would much prefer that Apple ditch the aluminum for a good looking plastic / magnesium case like some of the Sony Vaio's. I have a Vaio which I've traveled a lot with for 16 months and it still looks teriffic.

[Andrew Stephens]

Mine is used every day. At work it runs closed attached to an external keyboard and monitor, at home it's a laptop.
All in all the machine still looks pretty good. No flaking as such except the latch release button which is a bit worn.

Where I connect and disconnect the external monitor, the casing has become slightly distorted, hardly much but a mild disappointment in the overall good looks.

I just widh the damn thing would sleep properly each evening when I disconnect it. Every day the same ritual, sleep, disconnect monitor etc, fans kick in machine locks up.

[TailsToo]

I use mine all of the time too - it's in pretty good shape - I had to have the lid hinges tightened, but other than that, it has worked fine. There are some scratches on the bottom of the case, and it looks like the backlight is getting a little weaker, but overall I am still very happy with it.

[imitchellg5]

The one that we use for production at my school is doing pretty good, considering about 5 different people use it per day, and it's constantly in use from 6 in the morning to 4 at night (or later). The trackpad is showing some wear, but that's it. Also, I've noticed like Andrew Stephens that the case is bent a bit by the video output (it's constantly being hooked and unhooked from various projectors though). Overall, it's doing pretty good, although some more RAM is in line (it's a 2.0 GHz with 1 Gb of RAM).

[iREZ]

my mbp recently took a 7ft fall on to concrete and the only thing that broke was the hard drive, it still spins up but it wont mount, and the only thing that happened cosmetically was the thin piece of alu above the express slot bent out a lil, what a trooper.

no laptop would be ok after the abuse i put this one through for the last 1.5 years and this mbp is no exception. i have a scratch on the lcd (2mm long) and a palmrest thats starting to pit (two black dots that cannot be removed), but other than that its still going strong, but it still looks 100 times better than its pc counterparts.

[SEkker]

My almost 1.5 year old MBP has been used every day since I bought it in March of last year.

Has gone to work and back with me every day; has also traveled at least once a month to a trip via the airlines, sometimes more than once a week at times, and has literally gone round the world with me. I think the scariest thing we do is put these through the scanner at the airport.

Had to deal with faulty batteries (both the original and my spare were recalled), but it looks very good. No major issues with the palm rest - but I plug in an external keyboard at work. The screen is not as bright as the spanking new LED-backlit MBPs tho.

The keyboard is looking a little dirty - I suppose I should clean them - but every key still works.

[mfbernstein]

The paint wear and tear is understandable, if unfortunate.

But the freezing/overheating, bad wireless and screen issues sound more like a symptom of failing components/bad software than overuse. They are not 'normal' in any sense of the word, certainly not for a machine only a year old.

Sounds like a visit to AppleCare is in order.

As to the general question, my 9-month old MBP is certainly in no worse state than TiBook was at that age. On the other hand, that TiBook went for almost 2-years without a hard crash or kernel panic. Not-so the MBP...

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by iREZ 

my mbp recently took a 7ft fall on to concrete and the only thing that broke was the hard drive, it still spins up but it wont mount, and the only thing that happened cosmetically was the thin piece of alu above the express slot bent out a lil, what a trooper.

no laptop would be ok after the abuse i put this one through for the last 1.5 years and this mbp is no exception. i have a scratch on the lcd (2mm long) and a palmrest thats starting to pit (two black dots that cannot be removed), but other than that its still going strong, but it still looks 100 times better than its pc counterparts.

You have been **very* lucky, almost to a point of miracle tbh with regard to the fall... My first Macbook Pro that I got through work (a 1.83 cd model) suffered a premature death from much much less...

The MBP was in a neoprene sleeve, in a case, then in a Timbuk2 messenger bag. I came in from work, put the bag on a dinning room chair about 2.5 feet from a carpeted floor. My phone rang as I came in through the door and I quickly placed the bag on the chair, but it was on the edge. It rolled off the chair and fell on to the floor very lightly...

I thought there was no way it could be damaged due to all the protection it had. How wrong I was.

The MBP obviously hit on its corner when it fell... this is what was replaced by Apple when it had to be repaired:

Bottom case (totally warped)
Hard drive (wouldn't spin up)
Logic board... (Magsafe and USB jacks had become dislodged from the board, and it kept freezing or giving distorted video.
Top Case

I had a bill for over £800 ( I got a small discount as I knew the repair centre well)

The same has happned to my Thinkpad and Vaio many times, and I have seen no damage at all

[dantewaters]

Actually I brought mine from a guy on here who had it since Feb 06 and it's fine...
It came looking perfect I brought the following for mine speck product case (nice external shell)
Speck (see thru version)

A marware wrist rest:
Protection Pack Plus for MacBook™ Pro

And lastly iskin keyboard cover:
iSkin Protouch

Gotta protect your investment it's vital...

[PaperNotes]

This is military grade, apparently used to protect helicopter blades, and comes with lifetime warranty

Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch invisible SHIELD | Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch Skin | invisibleSHIELD

[highstakes]

Mine is about 1.5 years old and there are minor cosmetic damage (on average, gets used for about 10 hours a day), other than that, the machine works like a charm.

[~bash $]

ApplePeelz also can prevent any wear on the palmrests without altering the look of it. Power Support USA used to make something that did this as well, but they've gone to the Marware model of things as well.

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by ~bash $ 

ApplePeelz also can prevent any wear on the palmrests without altering the look of it. Power Support USA used to make something that did this as well, but they've gone to the Marware model of things as well.

No lifetime warranty and site lacks good photos.

Invisible SHIELD's reputation is hard to pass up for that.

[sedlacek]

I'm a scientist and I do exclusively data reduction in both X (Igor Pro, Mathematica, LabView) and Parallels (got windose-based Matlab [Mathwork's wants to charge me for full price to get an X version....don't think so], LabView, MathCad) with my MBP. In addition to data analysis I also do the usual proposal/paper writing using OpenOffice. Then, after a typical 12 hour day, I bring my MBP home and log on to my AE-based network for either additional work or surfing. I take my MBP on every work-related trip (and sometimes on personal trips....precisely what you'd expect from a science nerd :-) ). So I think give is a pretty good work out. Oh yeah, I never turn it off, only put it to sleep.

The one investment I made when I this computer last fall was to get Boog's Vyper sleeve (Laptop Bags, Laptop Backbacks and Laptop Sleeves by booq(R)). Once when I was in airport several years ago the stap on my bag broke resulting in breaking of my PB's hinge (and I wasn't going to take that chance again). Anyway, my MBP has held up quite good, but I just two weeks ago had to have the keyboard replaced under warranty (I've got about 3 weeks left to decide whether I'm going to get AppleCare...that's another subject).

So, by and large I've been quite happy.

[pjosborne]

My MBP's coming up 10 months and, although I love it, I have had more problems than usual with this machine. I had a replacement top case (mouse button stopped working) and battery early on and I've just got my machine back after a hard drive swap. This is the first Mac I've had since 1989 where an internal drive has failed. Although I still love it, I no longer have total faith in it (and have learnt the value of daily - rather than weekly - backups.

Peter

[sedlacek]

Ha! I did it to myself. I was just talking about how good my C2D MBP was to me over this past year and just last night the HD went bellyup on me (invalid node structure). And to add insult to injury, since my MBP is still under warranty :-) I went to our local Apple store only to discover that they're closed for the rest of the week for renovations! Argh!! Fortunately I had just performed a backup on friday (so someone was watching over me). (Hence, why I'm somewhat lighthearted about the situation.) I ordered DW earlier today so maybe (if the Gods are kind) I'll be able to repair the disk....but I'm not holding my breath.

Now why did I go jinx myself..........

[tmelcher]

I tend to think I treat computers well, but even so, my MacBook Pro has sustained extensive cosmetic wear and tear. Having purchased it just over a year ago, I would have expected it to look better than it does now. There is a considerable amount of what I guess is corrosion where my hands rest just below the keyboard. In the bottom right corner of my machine, the two pieces of the case have begun to become slightly loose and separate, but not enough to cause problems with regular use.

Also, and more frustratingly, I'm on my second power supply, after the magsafe head of my first one melted off. Apple really needs to work on that.

[ghporter]

It would be very difficult for your hands to corrode that aluminum. More likely it's ground in dirt and skin oils (with the odd bit of gunk and such thrown in). Cleaning that should be a matter of some rubbing alcohol and gentle scrubbing with some soft cloth. The rest does sound like that machine has had an "active" life. It is my impression that "they have worked on" the Magsafe connector-mine has held up fine for over a year.

Edit: oops. Fixed the metal the thing is made of.

[pjosborne]

Originally Posted by Andrew Stephens 

I just wish the damn thing would sleep properly each evening when I disconnect it. Every day the same ritual, sleep, disconnect monitor etc, fans kick in machine locks up.

Is there some reason you do things in this order? I always disconnect the monitor, let the video 'settle' and then sleep the machine. I've never had a lockup doing things this way.

[jamil5454]

I'm thinking about getting some rubber palm rest pads to put on my new MacBook Pro. Usually cosmetic doesn't bother me, but corrosion and pitting on an Apple product are not something I want to show off to my Windows/Linux engineering friends.

[PaperNotes]

For those have seen corrosion look on the bright side. Your computer has told you something about your health. You need to change your diet before all that salt and oil gives you heart disease!

[jlgrandam]

Mine is coming up on 11 months and is still pretty much flawless. I use it everyday for science research. I clean the keyboard and palm rest area with ethanol fairly frequently as I have with my previous powerbook and have no dirt or corrosion to complain of. I have had no problems with the hardware and have not had to contact apple once about it. All in all, it's been the best computer I've ever owned.

[mbo41]

Mine has a bit of a whine from around the screen for the first +-10 seconds of usage, and a bump above the lid latch, but I had a pretty impressive experience of the mbp's durability a few days ago.

I dropped it while running, and it fell (in a bag) against the floor at speed. When I got home I noticed that the corner where the DVD drive is was buckled badly. It was open by a good few mm, and I saw the inside. The whole thing was twisted and the corner was buckled all over the palce. Also, the right hand side of the MBP was bent about 2mm off of its line. It looked all mangled around the bit where the DVD goes in as well.

I was a bit upset by this ... and the MBP still worked fine but made a huge chugging noise when I put a DVD into it.

Anyway, I was a bit down so I got out a hammer, stuck a piece of cloth over it, and started hammering away. Ten minutes later, and honestly it looks as good as new! Only sign of wear and tear is about a 0.5mm seam similair to that near the lid latch, and one tiny tiny mark on one edge where I got particularly aggressive with the hammer.

What is really impressive: I did all this while the MBP was in hibernate mode, and when I opened it up, it worked like a champ! No need to reboot it even. I then grabbed the whole case and forcibly bent it back into a straight line (it was quite hard to do this and I was a bit worried, but I was on a roll so did it anyway), and now there's not even any chugging noise when I put the DVDs into it!!!

I am now honestly very impressed with the build quality of my MBP!

[~bash $]

Originally Posted by jlgrandam 

Mine is coming up on 11 months and is still pretty much flawless. I use it everyday for science research. I clean the keyboard and palm rest area with ethanol fairly frequently as I have with my previous powerbook and have no dirt or corrosion to complain of. I have had no problems with the hardware and have not had to contact apple once about it. All in all, it's been the best computer I've ever owned.

So my understanding was that this Aluminum is rather porous, even with its low bp @ 25 deg. is the ethanol safe for the machine?

[ghporter]

The case is not "porous" enough for anything to get through it. And if you clean it with the battery out and the power cord not connected, there should be absolutely no problems. The only thing about the "porousness" of the case is that it allows material to get embedded in it.

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

The only thing about the "porousness" of the case is that it allows material to get embedded in it.

That's rather disappointing to hear since I'm planning on getting an MBP eventually. It sounds like the MBPs require more maintenance than my PowerBook. It's been about 4 years and I have never cleaned my PowerBook but there are no palm marks on my laptop. I have sweaty hands too! My PowerBook looks almost like new too so I'm surprised to hear about some of the MBP problems. I believe the MBPs do use a different metal than my PowerBook though.

[SEkker]

I had a PB17 for 3 years before my MBP. The fit, finish and feel of the palm wrests and other metal parts seem very similar to me between the PB and MBP.

[Charles Bouldin]

I use my all day at work with an external keyboard and monitor, then take it home and use it in the evenings as a laptop. I put the Invisible Shield on it the day I got it and the machine remains cosmetically perfect. Apart from the scratch protection, Invisible Shield makes the computer much easier to grip, so I recommend it.

I try to run the screen no brighter than necessary to save the backlight and it has held up well so far. I have had to replace the battery, but that was after a year of hard use.

[osiris]

Pretty much flawless - except for getting the fans replaced (the mobo would overheat like crazy)

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by SEkker 

I had a PB17 for 3 years before my MBP. The fit, finish and feel of the palm wrests and other metal parts seem very similar to me between the PB and MBP.

I don't know what material your PB 17 is made out of but I know that the PB 15s did eventually switch to Aluminum which is that same material as the MBPs. My PB is from the Titanium era. I don't know enough about metals to know which one would last longer cosmetically but my PB looks like new.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by EndlessMac 

It's been about 4 years and I have never cleaned my PowerBook but there are no palm marks on my laptop. I have sweaty hands too! My PowerBook looks almost like new too so I'm surprised to hear about some of the MBP problems.

All I ever use to clean my PBs and MBPs is a damp cloth. Neither my PBs nor my MBPs have any stains on the palm surfaces. No grease, no smudges, no corrosion, no gunk. When it comes to the case surface I don't see any difference between my Al PBs and my MBPs.

[jlgrandam]

Originally Posted by ~bash $ 

So my understanding was that this Aluminum is rather porous, even with its low bp @ 25 deg. is the ethanol safe for the machine?

I've been using 70% ethanol to clean my previous alu powerbook and macbook pro for close to 4 years and have never noticed any side effects. I clean the trackpad and keys too. As a bonus, it also smells nice (to me).

[OreoCookie]

I have noticed side-effects of using 99 % alcohol: just below the space bar, there is a strip of metal where the aluminium coating comes off if yourub too hard/often.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

I have noticed side-effects of using 99 % alcohol: just below the space bar, there is a strip of metal where the aluminium coating comes off if yourub too hard/often.

I have that, but from normal usage. At the moment, there is about 50% of the paint left, thinking of taking the rest of it off, and it looks new and shiny underneath!

[ghporter]

99% isopropyl alcohol can dissolve a LOT of things. Using that strong a concentration should be done with extreme caution. It's also extremely flammable as all get-out, so BE CAREFUL! The coating that protects the aluminum from corrosion is probably already gone if there's gunk in the metal, but other areas should be treated very carefully.