DFB5.0
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How To Clean, Maintain & Protect Exhaust Tips
Ok guys, let’s talk about exhaust tips! I find this area of car care often gets forgotten. As in a guy or girl will spend plenty of time cleaning and shining the paint, making the wheels and tires perfect, and even making the engine bay clean enough to eat off……………..and often no one sees the engine bay. Yet all of this gets let down by a set of sooty, carbon-stained exhaust tips. It’s like furnishing you home with top notch appliances and comfortable furniture but then forgetting to paint the walls.
All this might sound super-anal, and I suppose it is when you think about it…………….see what I did there? But guess what, keeping your exhaust tips looking great is actually super simple and super easy.
Exhaust Tip Cleaning –
Like anything detailing or cleaning related, a little and often instead of a lot, less often is the key here. Regular cleaning will prevent carbon from building up and baking into the finish of the tips. But if they have been let go, I have you covered with that as well……………..
Maintenance Cleaning – Adding exhaust tips into your normal wheel cleaning routine only adds an extra 30 seconds to the process. In this case, I simply use a wheel brush or mitt with soapy water, but occasionally a little wheel cleaner can also be used. Rinse first, agitate, rinse.
Restorative Cleaning – In this instance, you will need to use wheel cleaners to break through the carbon. For heavily soiled tips, I start by applying a wheel cleaner, allow it to soak, then agitate with your brush or wash mitt. From here, you may need to go back in for second hit. Either an iron remover type or alkaline wheel cleaner can be used. If you have carbon stains, I’ve found Stoner’s Tarminator to be extremely effective at removing this, just apply to a towel and rub till the stain disappears.
PS21 Polishing Soap – You could integrate this product into either of the two methods above and is something EVERY car guy or girl should have in their detailing arsenal. PS21 is an amazing maintenance polish for exhaust tips and other chrome surfaces, killing two birds with one stone. It’s a combined soap and polishing abrasive that you use to clean and polish in one step. Simply wet the supplied sponge, lather up the sponge with product, then scrub the exhaust tip. From here, simply rinse clean. Done.
P21S Metal Polishing Soap 10.6 oz Jar - Skys The Limit Car Care
Exhaust Restoration –
If you maintain your exhaust tips, you will unlikely ever need the following. I’d say most reading here would never need to do this unless you buy a used car that hasn’t been maintained. Restoring the finish can be extremely time consuming, and sometimes you may only achieve an improvement rather than perfection.
In detailing, the classic “start with the least aggressive method first” applies here too. So, start by cleaning as outlined above. I would also use P21S, this is a mild abrasive that could give you the result without resorting to more aggression. From here, you may need something like Tarminator or Koch Chemie Eulex to remove carbon stains and tar deposits.
If needed, from here you would progress to heavy metal polish such as Autosol or the classic Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish. I’d team that with a towel or one even of those polishing cone drill attachments. If this doesn’t get you in the ballpark, you would then be progressing to steel wool or wet sanding, then followed by polishing to refine the finish.
EXPORT Mustang's- These vehicles are sprayed with a black paint as underbody protection. This is applied without much care or attention and results in plenty of overspray. My new car was delivered with this stuff on visible sections of the exhaust tips. I found Koch Chemie Eulex removed this overspray, but any solvent should do it. Just make sure you rinse afterwards.
Koch-Chemie - Eulex | The Rag Company
Exhaust Tip Protection –
This is a tough one because you need to account for the heat generated by the engine and exhaust. In that regard, using a wax or traditional sealant is not going to last very long. In which case, this would be my recommendations –
Ceramic Coating – This would probably be best done with a wheel specific coating to better handle the heat, but most quality coatings will withstand extreme temperatures. Just be sure that the coating you intend on using is suitable for your wheel finish. Expect 6 – 12 months protection.
Armour Detail - Wheel Coating | The Rag Company
Dr. Beasley’s Metal Coat – I don’t know what they put in this, but Metal Coat is the best I have encountered when it comes to exhaust tips. This is a high heat nano coating that will protect treated surfaces, as well as making it easier to clean going forward. This product is much easier to work with than a ceramic coating, but without a drop-off in performance. Can be used on chrome or stainless-steel finishes and is said to last up to 3-years.
Dr. Beasleys Metal Coat 8 oz.
Gyeon Wet Coat / Capro Hydr02 – This will be the easiest solution here in that its water distributed and activated. Simply spray onto freshly cleaned and still wet exhaust tips, then rinse immediately with water. Done. This can also be used on wheels and will give you 4 – 6 weeks durability.
CARPRO HydrO2 Lite 500ml (17oz) Ready to Use Formula!
Gyeon Q2M WetCoat – Car Supplies Warehouse
Poorboys Wheel Sealant / Mckee’s 37 Ceramic Wheel Sealant – This is like Metal Coat, but with reduced longevity, expect 3 – 6 months. Can be used on all exhaust tip finishes.
Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant 8oz
Tools & Towels -
- The key thing here is to NOT use a good towel for these jobs. Metal polish and other solvents will ruin the towel used. Either use an old or B-grade towel, or something like the TRC Rip-n-Rag which are very cost effective considering the one-time usage. Use these top apply your protection as well.
Rip N' Rag - Multi-Purpose Microfiber Towels | The Rag Company
- Polishing Cones can be messy and probably best left for the inner surface rather than splattering polish around the body work.
- Wheel mitts can also be helpful, they will even protect your hand from the razor-sharp Mustang tips.
ULTRA Wool Wheel Mitt | The Rag Company
- Wheel cleaning brushes like the EZ-Detail are your fried here, which are able to conform to the often space restricted areas around exhaust tips.
Big EZ Detail Brush
Final Thoughts –
Once cleaned, restored and protected, your exhaust tips won’t be an afterthought. For me, the finishing touch for any detail is applying the tire dressing, it just makes a clean car POP. The same mentality applied to exhaust tips, they can compliment your car……………….but also drag it down when neglected.
Happy Pipe Cleaning!
Ok guys, let’s talk about exhaust tips! I find this area of car care often gets forgotten. As in a guy or girl will spend plenty of time cleaning and shining the paint, making the wheels and tires perfect, and even making the engine bay clean enough to eat off……………..and often no one sees the engine bay. Yet all of this gets let down by a set of sooty, carbon-stained exhaust tips. It’s like furnishing you home with top notch appliances and comfortable furniture but then forgetting to paint the walls.
All this might sound super-anal, and I suppose it is when you think about it…………….see what I did there? But guess what, keeping your exhaust tips looking great is actually super simple and super easy.
Exhaust Tip Cleaning –
Like anything detailing or cleaning related, a little and often instead of a lot, less often is the key here. Regular cleaning will prevent carbon from building up and baking into the finish of the tips. But if they have been let go, I have you covered with that as well……………..
Maintenance Cleaning – Adding exhaust tips into your normal wheel cleaning routine only adds an extra 30 seconds to the process. In this case, I simply use a wheel brush or mitt with soapy water, but occasionally a little wheel cleaner can also be used. Rinse first, agitate, rinse.
Restorative Cleaning – In this instance, you will need to use wheel cleaners to break through the carbon. For heavily soiled tips, I start by applying a wheel cleaner, allow it to soak, then agitate with your brush or wash mitt. From here, you may need to go back in for second hit. Either an iron remover type or alkaline wheel cleaner can be used. If you have carbon stains, I’ve found Stoner’s Tarminator to be extremely effective at removing this, just apply to a towel and rub till the stain disappears.
PS21 Polishing Soap – You could integrate this product into either of the two methods above and is something EVERY car guy or girl should have in their detailing arsenal. PS21 is an amazing maintenance polish for exhaust tips and other chrome surfaces, killing two birds with one stone. It’s a combined soap and polishing abrasive that you use to clean and polish in one step. Simply wet the supplied sponge, lather up the sponge with product, then scrub the exhaust tip. From here, simply rinse clean. Done.
P21S Metal Polishing Soap 10.6 oz Jar - Skys The Limit Car Care
Exhaust Restoration –
If you maintain your exhaust tips, you will unlikely ever need the following. I’d say most reading here would never need to do this unless you buy a used car that hasn’t been maintained. Restoring the finish can be extremely time consuming, and sometimes you may only achieve an improvement rather than perfection.
In detailing, the classic “start with the least aggressive method first” applies here too. So, start by cleaning as outlined above. I would also use P21S, this is a mild abrasive that could give you the result without resorting to more aggression. From here, you may need something like Tarminator or Koch Chemie Eulex to remove carbon stains and tar deposits.
If needed, from here you would progress to heavy metal polish such as Autosol or the classic Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish. I’d team that with a towel or one even of those polishing cone drill attachments. If this doesn’t get you in the ballpark, you would then be progressing to steel wool or wet sanding, then followed by polishing to refine the finish.
EXPORT Mustang's- These vehicles are sprayed with a black paint as underbody protection. This is applied without much care or attention and results in plenty of overspray. My new car was delivered with this stuff on visible sections of the exhaust tips. I found Koch Chemie Eulex removed this overspray, but any solvent should do it. Just make sure you rinse afterwards.
Koch-Chemie - Eulex | The Rag Company
Exhaust Tip Protection –
This is a tough one because you need to account for the heat generated by the engine and exhaust. In that regard, using a wax or traditional sealant is not going to last very long. In which case, this would be my recommendations –
Ceramic Coating – This would probably be best done with a wheel specific coating to better handle the heat, but most quality coatings will withstand extreme temperatures. Just be sure that the coating you intend on using is suitable for your wheel finish. Expect 6 – 12 months protection.
Armour Detail - Wheel Coating | The Rag Company
Dr. Beasley’s Metal Coat – I don’t know what they put in this, but Metal Coat is the best I have encountered when it comes to exhaust tips. This is a high heat nano coating that will protect treated surfaces, as well as making it easier to clean going forward. This product is much easier to work with than a ceramic coating, but without a drop-off in performance. Can be used on chrome or stainless-steel finishes and is said to last up to 3-years.
Dr. Beasleys Metal Coat 8 oz.
Gyeon Wet Coat / Capro Hydr02 – This will be the easiest solution here in that its water distributed and activated. Simply spray onto freshly cleaned and still wet exhaust tips, then rinse immediately with water. Done. This can also be used on wheels and will give you 4 – 6 weeks durability.
CARPRO HydrO2 Lite 500ml (17oz) Ready to Use Formula!
Gyeon Q2M WetCoat – Car Supplies Warehouse
Poorboys Wheel Sealant / Mckee’s 37 Ceramic Wheel Sealant – This is like Metal Coat, but with reduced longevity, expect 3 – 6 months. Can be used on all exhaust tip finishes.
Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant 8oz
Tools & Towels -
- The key thing here is to NOT use a good towel for these jobs. Metal polish and other solvents will ruin the towel used. Either use an old or B-grade towel, or something like the TRC Rip-n-Rag which are very cost effective considering the one-time usage. Use these top apply your protection as well.
Rip N' Rag - Multi-Purpose Microfiber Towels | The Rag Company
- Polishing Cones can be messy and probably best left for the inner surface rather than splattering polish around the body work.
- Wheel mitts can also be helpful, they will even protect your hand from the razor-sharp Mustang tips.
ULTRA Wool Wheel Mitt | The Rag Company
- Wheel cleaning brushes like the EZ-Detail are your fried here, which are able to conform to the often space restricted areas around exhaust tips.
Big EZ Detail Brush
Final Thoughts –
Once cleaned, restored and protected, your exhaust tips won’t be an afterthought. For me, the finishing touch for any detail is applying the tire dressing, it just makes a clean car POP. The same mentality applied to exhaust tips, they can compliment your car……………….but also drag it down when neglected.
Happy Pipe Cleaning!
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