How do you handle super soot covered exhaust tips?

M

Mindflux

New member
I had a client this weekend with a SUV with an aftermarket exhaust where I simply could not get all of the soot to come off the tips.

I sprayed the tips liberally with P21s wheel gel and let that soak while washing the car hoping it would break up the carbon deposits.

Once I got around to actually handling the tips I was using steel wool (#0000) and Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish with less than stellar results. The stuff would simply not budge in the spots where it was considerably thicker.

This has been irking me since I did them because I did not want to leave them in the condition I did but I had already spent a pile of time on the vehicle.

Just looking for some of my fellow detailers tricks to get that soot to just 'melt' right off.
 
I wonder if because it had been so long that the deposits along with the heat generated by the exahust may have caused permanent marks. just a thought.
 
Mindflux said:
I was using mothers metal polish? Did you miss that part or are we talking about different things?
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I did miss that...I'm going to go with Stephan on this one..sounds like the soot is ebbed into the metal...was it smooth on the surface? or rough?
 
Just an update. I ended up using Steel Wool soap pads to get the bulk of the soot off and then #0000 steel wool and Mothers polish to bring the bling out.

Worked exceptionally well! There's a tiny bit of soot left on the bottom of the tips that's just unbelievably stuck but all the visible gunk is gone gone gone.
 
Obviously, I'm a little late and what I was going to suggest is a little out of the detailing norm.

Since it was kind of one of those desperation problems, would oven cleaner have helped?
 
Mindflux said:
Just an update. I ended up using Steel Wool soap pads to get the bulk of the soot off and then #0000 steel wool and Mothers polish to bring the bling out.

Worked exceptionally well! There's a tiny bit of soot left on the bottom of the tips that's just unbelievably stuck but all the visible gunk is gone gone gone.
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This was what I suggested to start with...steel wool will take the bulk off...then metal polish to finish
 
Beemerboy said:
This was what I suggested to start with...steel wool will take the bulk off...then metal polish to finish
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Right, but #0000 steel wasn't cutting it. I had to use a Steel Wool Soap Pad (google it).. which is a soap impregnated steel wool 'biscuit'. Much coarser than #0000 to boot.
 
Mindflux said:
Right, but #0000 steel wasn't cutting it. I had to use a Steel Wool Soap Pad (google it).. which is a soap impregnated steel wool 'biscuit'. Much coarser than #0000 to boot.
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That's called an SOS pad...I have those...I have 4 grades of SW on hand...depending on what I am working on I can increase the coarseness where necessary.

I don't think that the soap in the pad had anything to do with removing the soot...it was the coarseness of the SW that did...I've not seen any exhaust tip that SW would not remove the carbon buildup using various grades...then finishing up with a good metal polish
 
I remember once being told about a cleaner used on firepalces that worked well. I never tried it. I don't even recall what it was called.
 
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