Exhaust Tip Cleaning

[Locoblade]

I just posted this on the B8 S4 thread on Pistonheads as a few on there were grumbling about how hard it was to get the exhaust tips cleaned up of all the carbon buildup, thought it might be useful here too

I got my two different 10 packs of Dremel type brass brushes through yesterday (about £3 per pack from eBay) so thought I'd have a go at the exhaust tips tonight. I'm pleased with the end result, took less than an hour to do both sides. They aren't absolutely perfect mostly because you can't get between the two tips with the size of brush I bought but they look 100x better now and good enough for now until I get some smaller brushes and have a go at the middle bits. Here's a couple of before and after shots from one side...

I bought a 10 pack of each of these, destroyed about 8 of the flat brushes and 4 of the cup brushes in the process

Certainly beats doing it with wire wool etc, which didn't seem to budge mine at all.

 

[chucky1]

They look heaps better.

 

[Av4nt]

I did mine but just used elbow grease and autoglym metal polish. ... wish id have just done this now lol

 

[Supa Koopa]

Thanks for the tip. That does look much better, but also appears to have taken some of the shine of the chrome, so I think I'll stick to elbow grease.

 

[bonifacy87]

I've also used elbow grease on mine. Worked well. I've used dremel to polish clips on brake calipers when I was painting them, but I've used dremel polishing bits which are made of fabric and polishing paste. It might be safer than wire brushing.
Still a great job. They look much much better.

 

[Locoblade]

I can't compare what they were like new as I've only just got the car and they came in that state but they look pretty shiny in the flesh. I'm sure they could be improved with a wipe over and a quick polish as the photo was straight after brushing, doing it that way would entail way less effort than polishing by hand from a fully blackened tip. Once they're clean though there shouldn't be any need to use the Dremel again as long as they're looked after.

Thanks for the tip. That does look much better, but also appears to have taken some of the shine of the chrome, so I think I'll stick to elbow grease.

 

[Locoblade]

I tried polishing attachments with paste first off, it might eventually do it but would take hours and hours as it didn't shift it noticably in the small trial I did. The important thing is using brass rather than steel wire wheels, brass is softer than chrome so has a polishing action and doesn't scratch, its hard enough to brush off the carbon on the surface but doesn't damage the chrome. Even an accidental touch against the bumper plastic on the inside edge didn't leave a noticeable mark, although obviously if held long enough or with pressure it would.

I've also used elbow grease on mine. Worked well. I've used dremel to polish clips on brake calipers when I was painting them, but I've used dremel polishing bits which are made of fabric and polishing paste. It might be safer than wire brushing.
Still a great job. They look much much better.

 

[Bulldog]

Mine after using meguiars metal polish & zero grade wire wool

 

[Locoblade]

Nice job although a little easier when you don'y have twin pipes! This thread was originally posted on the B8 forum just to show the carbon can be removed in this way with comparatively little effort. It wasn't intended to suggest Dremel brushing alone gave a perfect finish, if I'd known the thread was going to be moved into detailing I'd have got the metal polish out afterwards and made them look properly presentable!