# Cleaning Stubborn bits of stainless steel exhaust



## timsmr2 (Apr 15, 2010)

*Cleaning Stubborn bits of a stainless steel exhaust?*

Hi All,

Been trying to clean up an exhaust I got second hand it had been on a car that was sat under a tree for many months and so was not in the best shape

here is how it looked when i got it










So attacked it with a scotchbrite, bicarbonate of soda, Autosol and alot of elbow grease and got it to this state.










I then concentrated on the connecting pipe work and got that quite shiny the problem i have is some black marks on the exhaust that i can't get to shift.










so far i have tried (with a microfibre, scotchbrite, fine wire wool pad and about 6 hours of scrubbing)

- Autosol
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Citrus based degreeser
- Extreme wheel cleaner
- Tesco APC

but i cant get them to shift. I have some Megs APC on order anyway so was gonna give that a bash when it arrives.

Was just wondering if anyone knew a good way of getting these stubborn parts off?


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## vince (Jan 1, 2009)

If it doesnt come off with wire wool then they must be pretty deep. Try a fine wire wheel on a drill and just attack the spot areas. Then refine with wire wool and then autosol. 

APC wont touch them i very much doubt....If autosol didnt


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## MistaT (Aug 11, 2008)

Those bits of tar have been baked on by many hundreds/thousands of hours of high temperatures, i found that the tar was actually harder than the metal, the easiest way to remove it was with a very sharp implement, one blotch at a time then level and polish the pipe. It takes ages. IMHO you'd have been better off getting another exhaust if you want it to be that immaculate 

Is it an MR2?


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Ive had quite good results using a wire brush wheel on a dremel and then using a cotton buff wheel after that. If the deposits are really hardcore this may be hard work. And as always,wear eye protection.


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## HalfordsShopper (Jul 8, 2008)

I have cleaned up really minging down pipes on motorbikes with Comma alloy wheel cleaner, and wire wool. It is really acidic, and makes wonder wheels look mild, so make sure u wear gloves.

I've not come across anything on an exhaust system that could stand up to 10 mins scrubbing with this on wire wool. Tidy it up with autosol once its clean.


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## DrDax (Apr 16, 2009)

If its the cheaper grade of stainless it will always tarnish. I changed mine to 304T SS it never oxidises. 7months old and still looks new








You could try and use a rotary scotch pad, I use them to take the lacquer off Ali wheels.


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## J-lou (May 5, 2008)

You could also try piece of sugar (harder is better). I have used that to clean my motorcycle's exhaust and it has worked quite well.


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