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The exhaust tips on my 2010 997.2 C2S have been super dirty since I purchased it in April 2017. I have tried soap and water, scrubbing with rags and green scrubbing pads and brake cleaner. Tips remained filthy. Couldn’t tell if they were stainless steel or chrome or dirt pipes, until I tried 000 grade steel wool. Wow! Took all the crap off easily. Now I think they are stainless steel.🤔
Cleaned with brake cleaner, filthy looking
Last edited by David Berry; 05-31-2020 at 05:19 PM.
I tried 000 steel wool with Bar Keepers Friend, but if you let them go for a year, they are very difficult to get back. It might be time to look for some new ones-in black.
I tried 000 steel wool with Bar Keepers Friend, but if you let them go for a year, they are very difficult to get back. It might be time to look for some new ones-in black.
No - it is not difficult to get them back - if you use the correct product. (See subsequent post...)
I don't let mine get too dirty, but sometimes they do in the winter as I DD my car, and in the Pacific Northwest it pretty much rains every day. I assume most of the discoloration on the tips is combustion byproducts, particularly partially burned fuel (i.e., the black soot).
When I wash my car, the first thing I do is spray the tips thoroughly, inside and out, with Bug & Tar Remover (not particular about the brand), then I go about washing the car normally, avoiding getting any water near the tips until I am ready to clean them -- perhaps 15 minutes or so later.
Next, I take an older, well-used microfiber rag to the tips, polishing the Bug & Tar Remover all around like the shoe shine guy at the airport. The crud usually comes off readily at this point.
Also, never rinse a rag with Bug & Tar Remover on it in your regular rinse water or your clean wash bucket at the Bug & Tar Remover will utterly kill your detergent and you'll have to mix new.
Then I rinse the tips well, and repeat the entire cleaning operation using my clean bucket with a standard mix of car wash and lukewarm water and my wash rag (a Griot's mop-head type), and rinse again.
Chemical Guys Heavy Metal Polish worked great (and fast) for my really dirty tips. Applied liberally with a scotchbrite pad, took about 10 minutes to do both sides without removing them from the car.
i've used mothers for years. i usually clean/break down the surface initially with nevr-dull and follow up with mothers.
X2. I take the tips off the car and get after it with a soft rag and the Mother's polish. Just brought the tips back to shiny condition again on my recent purchase after what appears to be zero cleaning by the PO.
That said, I finally gave up the SS finish on my previous 997 C2S and had those tips powder coated black. First application didn't make it through one weekend of DE so had them redo the tips again with a high(er) temp black. That finish had some texture to it but did hold up. Not sure if I will coat my current tips or just plan on polishing a couple times a year.
You mean, there's hope?
I removed the tips off one side last year, scrubbed with a scotchbrite pad for a while. I thought I was able to restore some shine, but then I compared it to the unremoved side, and realized there was no change..... I figured they were a lost cause.
This will be project #1 on the list this weekend.
05-31-2020, 04:48 PM
How do you clean your exhaust tips?
