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I never let my quad exhaust tips get very dirty, so they clean up quick and easy with a little Windex on some paper towels. I fold a paper towel several times lengthwise so I can slip it in between the 2 tips, grab each end, and pull back and forth to clean where my hands can't reach. No scratches or streaks, mirror shine clean, and don't have to worry about washing a dirty rag.
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Wash like the rest of the car on the outside with never dull or simichrome polishing a few times a year.
I also wash the inside of the exhaust pipe with a wheel brush that has been shaked of soapy water. I scrub as far into the exhaust as the brush will go. Still looks like a new exhaust pipe!
I was fixing a few scratches on the bodywork where someone scraped me in a car park. I used 2000 grit before buffing out the scratches and other chips and marks.
I had an annoying mark on the pillar trim between the doors on my 2011 xj where I touched it by accident when bleeding the brakes, this burnt a hand The finished pipe compared to the sooty one below
Scratches buffed out and pipes looking like new
print into the pillar with the brake fluid. I wondered if wet sanding the area and polishing would resolve the issue...It did! I had to buff the rest of them as that one was now better.
For years the carbon deposits on the exhaust tips had annoyed me so I thought I would try the same thing and wet sand it with very worn 2000 grit sandpaper. I went quite hard at it to start with but got gentler as I got closer to the chrome. I also gave the hard water marks a gentle rub and hey presto! The tips virtually look like new. They could use a bit of metal polish to restore the chrome shine but they look fantastic. I would not be surprised if a bit of wax would polish them up like new.
Last edited by jonnystypercooper; Apr 16, 2019 at 02:15 PM.
Reason: Reg plate showing
Having purchased the car with 6000 miles on it the exhaust tips were pretty clean. So all I do is wipe them after each outing and they managed to stay pretty clean. There are also some irregular finishes in the inside but so far they look good at 24,000 miles.
I've got those Borla intercooled tips and use one the free toothbrushes my dentist gives me every time I go in to clean the fins and inner tube, that and a squirt of purple cleaner. A dab of semi-chrome on the outsides and I'm good to go. Actually, come to think of it, they're a pain but they look nice!
Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish has always worked for me. $5 for a little tub and lasts forever. I'm finally getting to the bottom of mine after about 15 years and I use it on a lot more than pipes.
