Polishing exhaust tips and pipes

It's all about the sound.

Performance cars and bikes have a special voice, a sweet note that many of us fall in love with in the different vehicles we own or desire. Some people might call this device an exhaust, but any car guy or girl will tell you it's a whole lot more than that. On that very place where so much joyous sound comes from is an area of the car that strangely begins life as one of the shiniest parts of a car, but due to its closeness to the ground, carbon build up from long sporting drives and not to mention all the debris that gets swirled around at the rear of the car, you get all manner of dirt and grime bonding onto it, leading to it fast becoming one of the dirtiest parts of the car.

Over time, it slowly becomes dirtier and dirtier, till it's almost unrecognisable. This quick guide is about how to bring the chrome and polished stainless or even titanium types back to like new again with a couple of popular products from our great car care range.

Cleaning out the pipes

• First thing to do is spray our Orange Agent degreasing citrus cleaner directly onto the area to be cleaned. Spray it about 15cm away from pipes.

• Leave it sit for a minute, then get one of the brushes from The Foursome set of brushes, (we like to use the Nuts & Guts or the Big Boy Brett brush for this job). Spray some Orange Agent into the brush and then clean right around the pipes. 

• We also like to clean the carbon deposits inside the exhaust while we're at it. Get a good sized bucket and half fill with a capful of any of our car washes in it. Spray the inners with Orange Agent and then unceremoniously clean them by sticking our Flat Head wheel brush up the pipes, spinning it around and cleaning the insides. Its small head design works a treat for this job on most bigger bore exhausts. Be warned, as this can get quite messy, particularly if you're using the "in and out" technique with a bit of speed for cleaning them. 

• Rinse off with water and wipe the pipes clean/dry with a Dirty Deeds microfibre cloth. Don't get too much water inside the exhausts.  

• If there is an excessive carbon build up (like on many turbo powered cars), or road tar around the pipes, it will need a clean with our Ta Ta Tar, or a clay bar if the tar is older. 

• Once you're done with the grime, you now want some shine. So grab our Metal Polish and a couple of our Dirty Deeds microfibre cloths.

 

Polishing the pipes

• The Dirty Deeds cloth is a low pile, strong and very effective cloth we have that is great to use when metal polishing. Fold the Dirty Deeds microfibre cloth in half or quarters, longways.

• Apply three or four dollops of Metal Polish across the middle of the cloth. It's worth noting that this polish doesn't work as well when you use too much, so don't smother it too heavily on there. 

• Wrap it around the exhaust, holding onto both ends of the cloth and gently pull it from side to side in a moderate fashion.

• Slowly work your way around the exhaust, for around 15 to 30 seconds. Add a little extra couple of dollops of Metal Polish to the cloth as you move to a new section, or if it appears to have dried out. Don't forget to polish around the inside of the tip by hand as well.

• Once done, wipe the freshly polished area clean with a second clean Dirty Deeds microfibre cloth and inspect the exhaust tip. If it looks like it could still get better, repeat the process once more. Always turn the cloth to a clean side for subsequent product removal. 

• Our Metal Polish offers a sealant in its formula as well, so it should keep the shine in longer and be easier to clean from now on.

Once you're happy with the results, take her for a good drive to blow and dry out any water from that might have gotten into the exhaust. 

Any questions?

You can get these great car care products at most of our great retailers nationwide. Find your closest one in the link at the bottom of this article. 

If you have any questions or feedback about this article please contact us by email - info@bowdensown.com.au or call our office on 1800 351 308. 

Love your car,

Dan Bowden