Since the Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, the last day of a year is also called lunar New Year's Eve (Traditional Chinese: å¤§å¹´å¤, Pinyin: dÃ niÃ¡nyÃ¨, translated: old, large, huge, major, important year's night).
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.
Go with an aluminum patch. Use aluminum rivits or screws. Avoid stainless or other metal screws due to the interaction of different metals. Use a sealant like 3m 5200 or Boatlife. Do not use fiberglass to patch aluminum. It just doesn't hold up well.