First best answer to Country Boy. I am sure what you are concerned about is the metal corroding away, and aluminum certainly is susceptible to that. Contact with steel can rapidly eat holes in aluminum - see the source. I once covered a stainless steel serving tray of turkey with aluminum foil overnight and found the aluminum perforated (and the turkey ruined) by galvanic corrosion. Now I find it is called a "lasagna cell." Huh.
Some aluminum numbers will corrode. Generally speaking it will not rust. Many GM sub-frames and entire frames are made of aluminum these days.
Aluminum corrodes but it does not rust. Rust refers only to iron and steel corrosion. While aluminium doesn't rust, it often becomes dull from corrosion, and is often encrusted with brake dust, calcium, lime, tarnish, grease, oil and hard water stains. Simply washing it off, will not work, you need something stronger and more effective to do the job. We recommend Flitz Aluminum Pre-Clean to remove the surface grime, corrosion and buildup followed by Flitz polish (paste or liquid) to restore a brilliant shine.
It doesn't rust, it oxidizes. Try bolting it to ferrous metal, then expose to salt-water. Galvanic corrosion will turn it to junk quick-fast.
No, but a thin layer of protective corrosion of Aluminium Oxide will form on its' skin, unless you paint or anodize it.
