Polishing Stainless Steel Exhaust Tips?

Butter · 12-16-02, 11:59

Despite my best efforts, I can't seem to get the exhaust tips on my '96 M3 to the luster I want. So far I have:

Polished once with Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish
Used dish scouring pad + water + soap to clean outside and inside of tips, dried, then polished again w/ Mothers

This is the resulting finish:

Not bad, but it just doesn't gleam, especially the inside of the tips. The tips are sort of shiny and look clean, but they aren't "bright." They also still feel kind of gritty to the touch. I just got the car about a month ago, so I don't know what the previous owners' exhaust cleaning regimen was, but it didn't look like they were ever cleaned/polished.

I'm thinking I need a more abrasive cleaner, but I'm not sure what to use or what would be appropriate for this application. Your recommendations would be MUCH appreciated. I'm on a budget, so the cheaper the better. Thanks!

ashsarna · 12-16-02, 12:03

Try the metal polish from PS21. I have heard great things about it (not sure of the exact name) they sell them at CMA.

Butter · 12-16-02, 12:14

Will check it out. I'm just wondering if it's going to be any better than the Mother's as that's also been recommended to me. What to do, what to do?

ashsarna · 12-16-02, 12:27

Actually I had another idea

. You should check out one of the all purpose cleaners (like ps21, emain fabrik or meguiars), they have the capability of decreasing/increasing the strenght. All three products mention are great, try calling CMA, autogeek.net, ect and have them suggest something to you.

ShadowMan · 12-16-02, 12:30

CMA sells a product called "Luster Lace", it's great for polishing stainless exhaust tips. It is basically long fabric strips that are impregnated with polish. You just wrap a strip around the pipe twice, and pull back and forth vigourusly to polish.

If your pipes are really neglected, you may have to do some sanding first. I think I read an article in here about somebody doing that, you might want to search for it just to be sure.

swhtech · 12-16-02, 12:41

Try Eagle One Never Dull....you can usually pick it up at your local Auto parts store.....it's inexpensive and works well....I like it! It's a cottony type material that you rip a piece off and clean the tips with it, then dry it with a MF or soft towel. It's worth a shot for about $5....you probably want to follow it up with the chrome polish that you already have.....here is a link so you can see what it looks like:
http://www.autodetail.com/abi001/sho...=1100&CATID=16

Butter · 12-16-02, 12:46

Thanks for the info, guys! I guess I'm looking for something that's fairly abrasive. Would something like a heavy rubbing compound be effective at all?

Brad B. · 12-16-02, 12:59

I have worked on the same exact pipes that you have. Here's what you need to do: Loosen the rubber bands that hold the muffler to the chassis and let the whole assembly hang as low as you can get it. You will need as much room as you can get. Use your (or borrow) a hand drill with a white cotton buffing attachement. Liberally coat it with red rouge buffing compound (preferrably) or use your metal polish of choice. The buffing compound works much better. You need the speed of the drill to get the shine you are looking for. The cotton will deform enough for you to fit it inbetween the pipes and you can work it at all the angles. It takes some doing. I spent a solid hour on both tips. They will end up looking close to chrome in shine. As far as the inside, I never attempted, or cared, to have that glisten. In fact, I like that to be black.

Pats300zx · 12-16-02, 01:09

You might want to try Mothers Billet Alum Polish. The stuff is incredible and is much better than their normal Alum Polish.

Butter · 12-16-02, 01:36

Well, a trip to the local NAPA store, a $3.87 purchase of the Eagle One Never Dull stuff, two applications / removals, and a follow-up with the Mother's stuff yielded decent results:

The shine is noticeably better now, even if you can't tell in the picture, and I'm fairly happy. I'm going to leave it for now, and every time I wash the car, I'll polish the tips. I imagine over time they'll just get brighter and brighter. After a while, if I'm not happy, I'll take your advice, Brad B., but for now, it's more work than I want to deal with.

Thanks everybody!

Brad B. · 12-16-02, 01:51

Hey, it definitely looks better than in the previously pic.

Personally, I like the insides of my pipes to be flat black and have always painted them that way to maintain an even color. (You will never get rid of the discoloration inside and it get's that way with everyday use anyway) Just a thought.

I see a little corrosion on the muffler facing in the backround underneath there, might want to consider painting that high-heat silver. (See what you get by posting photo's to us Autopians!)

Otherwise, it looks like perfection.

Butter · 12-16-02, 02:16

I can certainly see why you'd want a flat black interior to the pipes. Looks good, easy to maintain. Plus, like you said, it's impossible to get the discoloration to go away. I'm not to worried about the interior of the pipes, honestly, but if you'll notice, it looks like BMW put a little polished "lip" on the inside that cuts off a centimeter or two in. I like it, so I'm keeping 'em shiny.

About that corrosion, well, you've got me paranoid. Here's a better picture so that you can confirm whether or not it is indeed corrosion and if it requires attention:

Gosh, and I thought I was anal about my car being perfect. You guys put me to shame!