Summary for stainless exhaust tips Discussion
The thread on cleaning the golding effect on 304 stainless exhaust tips says the discoloration is likely heat-related staining, not just surface dirt. Duke McKay asked for a product or home brew after trying stainless cleaner and citric acid with only partial success. Bill Miller advised trying any commercially prepared metal polish, noting the color will likely return and need occasional repolishing. Jason Aube said polishing compounds can work and suggested ceramic coating exhaust products to help prevent future discoloration. Drew Young added that the golding will come back from heat, recommended a stainless steel wire brush or Scotch-Brite/3M hand pads, and suggested a polished sleeve to reduce heat transfer. Later, Kyle Slaven recommended pickling paste for restoring stainless after TIG welding, and Jed noted that only 100% cotton should be used for polishing. Overall, the discussion favors polishing or pickling paste for cleanup, with recurring heat discoloration expected unless the exhaust is coated or otherwise protected.
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 McKay
tinkerer – Biloxi, Mississippi
2004
2004
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. Duncan
Hobbyist – Hitchin, Hertfordshire, UK
2006
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 [affil link] or it will chemically burn your skin.
Your Stainless will look like chrome.
Scott Berg
– 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
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
. 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
George Govella
– 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
Jed f free
– sherwood park, Alberta, Canada
January 24, 2016