Mark in Baltimore

I know this is well-talked about topic but I am amazed at how nicely the stock exhaust tips polished up.

After trying to fit my ex-Bill Walczak Supercups on and finding that I needed a new set of metric hex socket bits before I could remove the muffler strap, I decided to get rid of the crud that had built up on the pipes. Lowe's sells a series of graded polishing sticks made by Mibro that efficiently cleaned and shined up the stainless steel. I also bought four or five cotton buffing wheels to use with each grade, as well as an arbor (Sears) to hold the wheel onto my drill. It helps to have a drill that spins at 3,000 rpms or higher; my electric one was only good for 1900, so I had to borrow a faster one.

The stock exhaust tips were quite easy to clean up. One pass from the #3 polish/clean compound was enough to change the color of the metal. I continued with the #3 until the grain of the metal was fairly smooth, finally turning to the #5 light polishing compound. It took a few concentrated passes with this grade to bring the metal to an almost mirror-like finish. My crappy photo doesn't do the reflection much justice.

Also, I'm wondering how long the shininess will last. Any ideas?

Mark in Baltimore

Shot of the exhaust tips

rcwelch

Mark...I had my stock tips professionally polished three (3) years ago and I use a little hand polish about once a month after washing the car and they look just as shiney now as they did when I puy them on. They really look great on next to my Iris Blue body

DJF1

Regarding the Supercups....it was one DE weekend for me... Then the blue/gold stains re-appeared.

fluid15

Mark,
Glad you hear you polished up the tips. I really like the effect they add to my car. I had mine polished a few months ago and they still look great. I too use a little polish on them every few weeks to keep them looking good. Great ROI project.

Mark in Baltimore

RC - how much did it cost to have the tips polished? I thought about going this route but thought doing it myself would be fun. It was some work but, ultimately, rewarding.

Danny - Yeah, I've read on here that the Supercups turn blue very quickly. Oh, well, at least the caked on crap is gone. I was wondering how dull the stock tips look after a few weeks of driving.

Fluid - thanks. The dull tips never bothered me too much but I wanted to give 'em a shot after reading about how nice they could look and hearing about how expensive aftermarket tips are.

rcwelch

Mark...it cost $70.00 to have them done and they looked like a mirror when they were done...they still do.

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks, RC!

PSU-993

Hey guys -- I'd like to have my tips polished. How do I find someone to do it?

Mark in Baltimore

If you look under "plating" in the yellow pages, you'll find lots of businesses that plate and polish.

PSU-993

Thanks Mark! I wasn't sure where to start.

Carrera Mike

Mark,

I polished my tips(2 weeks after I got the car in JUL) with a regular Never Dull. I took them off(replaced the hardware with new stainless bolts and nuts from Home Depot/old ones were badly rusted), and work on them on my coffee table in front of the TV while watching Speed Channel. Spent less than 1.5 hours and they are still shinny. I think they'll stay like that for a long time as long as you run the soapy sponge (when i wash the car) around them. I even squeeze the sponge in between the bumper the the tips to get their top washed.

Thanks for the tip on the engine tray. I'll be removing it soon..

Mark in Baltimore

Mike,

Thanks for your tip. Good to know Home Depot has large SS hardware.