So I have a GReddy catback exhaust and its really the only thing that doesn't shine anymore on my car after my new paintjob. There some tar and lots of exhaust soot. I was wondering if anybody has polished/cleaned up their exhaust tips, and what you have used. Wasn't sure if just plain old metal polish would work. Here's some pictures:

Stainless steel polish works great. Before you polish it, clean the hell out of it with purple power or some equivalent.

Mothers Mag & aluminum polish works great.

Theres some stuff I used to polish my Brass for my uniform....
They are plastic now so I don't remember what it's called but I know you can use it for other metal's too

codym said:

Theres some stuff I used to polish my Brass for my uniform....
They are plastic now so I don't remember what it's called but I know you can use it for other metal's too

Click to expand...

Barkeeper's friend?

I second Mother's MAG with a good soapy scrub before you start. Otherwise the nasty black grit that's in the surface of the metal will just spread around and the piece wont shine as much when it's done.

PieEyedPiper said:

Barkeeper's friend?

Click to expand...

Yeah that rings a bell. I used that crap for everything

Where do we start.Aluminum polish,really fine sand paper, SOS pad with elbow grease.I've used all of the above.The SOS pad is great because if you have some pitting it should take care of that and come out real shiny.

There are a variety of metal polishes available but they are not all compatible with all metals. Read the label. Brasso, barkeepers friend, mother mag polish, flitz, nevrdull.
Or if you're really nuts you take it off the car and use one of these with jewelers polish


Yes that is mine.

Well I am probably not going to remove it seeing as how that would be a huge headache with the rust. I have a dremel I can use with a polish head on it. I bought a 3M pad for sanding between paint coats, but I don't think it'll be rough enough to do anything. I think if I can get the tar off, I can use some 800/1000 grit and then polish it out from there.

Autosol I use and its a great product even the old guys use for polishing! I spent a few hours on 1 wheel once and it looked brand new and this was on an old 46 pop with deep dish 10" rims so your tip should be about half that! I did this on my oem tips and it worked really well

Autosol for the win!

It's nearly impossible to keep exhaust tips clean. I've resorted to using steel wool or a scotch-brite pad and going with the "brushed metal" look. I actually prefer it now.

urbansmoker1 said:

Autosoil for the win!

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Click to expand...

Thats the stuff!!! I dont and wont use anything else unless I send it to a polishers

turtle wax polishing compound always cleans my stainless very well

ec17pse said:

Thats the stuff!!! I dont and wont use anything else unless I send it to a polishers

Click to expand...

this!

Use any metal polish you'd like. you can also use 0000 steel wool to assist for a little more bite. Once you are done polishing, seal it with a paint sealant.

+1 for steel wool.

The finish up with 1000, 1500, 2000 grit and some Mothers polish. I use the billet polish myself, although it's harder to find. It shines a little more in my opinion.