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Cleaning the "golding effect" on 304 stainless exhaust tips
Q. Hello,
I'm in need of a little advice. Just bought an 02 Tahoe that has 304 stainless steel exhaust tips. They are gold in color (from heat transfer I am told) and I have tried to clean with a stainless cleaning product from Home Depot and all manner of stuff under my sink. They still are golden. I even tried mixing up some citric acid and water which cleaned about 50% in patches of the "golding effect" but its not 100%. Repeated applications really didn't improve on the 50%. Do you have a product or a "home brew" or can you recommend one that will help?
Thanks for your consideration.
Duke McKaytinkerer - Biloxi, Mississippi
2004
2004
Blue-Job Chrome Polish
on
Amazon
(affil links)
A. Duke:
Try any commercially prepared metal polish and it should do the trick. Not sure if "heat transfer" would be the correct terminology. Would rather suspect discoloration of the Stainless due to the exhaust temperature. This will, however, continue to be a problem and the tips will require an occasional polish job. Hope this helps.
Bill Miller- Shinnston, West Virginia
A. I've used polishing compounds with good results, like Bill said..you'll have to repeat this process every so often. I've heard that you can have exhaust products ceramic coated and it will prevent any future discoloration...look in any major auto magazine and I'm sure you will find an ad for this service.
Jason Aube- Flint, Michigan
2004
A. No matter what you do or how much you succeed in polishing, the "goldening" will come back from the heat. Welders have similar coloration when tig welding and a STAINLESS steel wire brush can take away the color. Don't contaminate the stainless steel by using carbon steel brushes. You may want to consider putting a polished sleeve around the pipes so that the heat won't transfer so easily and you won't have to polish every time you drive around. Scotchbright and 3M make hand pads for polishing too.
Drew Young- Park Forest, Illinois
2004
Q. I own a motorcycle (Yamaha TDM 900) with a stainless steel exhaust system - I guess type 304 as it is non-magnetic? The header pipes have turned a golden-brown color for the first 40 cm or so from the engine block (I guess from the heat?), which can be removed with fine carborundum paper but returns quickly. Is there any less aggressive way to clean the pipes to save further thinning of the walls, and if possible to prevent recurrence of the discoloration? I would be very grateful for any help with this frustrating problem.
Dr. Ian B. DuncanHobbyist - Hitchin, Hertfordshire, UK
2006
Purple Power
on
Amazon
(affil links)
A. I use Purple Power All Wheel & Tire Cleaner on my bike exhaust. Spray it on for about 20 mins, then wash it off.
It is nasty stuff, so make sure you don't overspray on paint or aluminum, it will eat the finish. Use
rubber gloves [on
eBay or
Amazon] or it will chemically burn your skin.
Your Stainless will look like chrome.
- Houston, Texas
July 9, 2009
April 19, 2010
I tried using Simichrome by Happich now GPE, and Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish and got mediocre results ...
I ordered "Blue Job"
[affil links]. I will also go get a spray bottle of Purple Power All Wheel and Tire Cleaner ...
And I will find out which one empirically works the best. Thanks to all,
George
- Puyallup, Washington
A. Try a product called pickling paste. I use this after I have been tig welding exhausts as this takes out all marks on the stainless steel back to a nice shine.
kyle slaven- peterhead, U.K.
October 28, 2010
A. Just wanted to add: only use 100% cotton to polish, freshly washed with fabric softener.
jed
- sherwood park, Alberta, Canada
January 24, 2016
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