What's a good Chrome restorer/polish for tailpipes?
10-07-13, 11:48 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
What's a good Chrome restorer/polish for tailpipes?
Hi All - my Lexus has Tanabe exhaust and I'm starting to notice little "dots" or oxidation on the chrome. Anyone know a good chemical to use to polish these out? I've heard everything from Toothpaste to Easy Off Lemon Oven Cleaner. What would you recommend to remove these little black dots and help restore my exhaust to looking brand new? Thanks for your help!
10-07-13, 12:00 PM
#2
A quality metal polish will work just fine. Yours is in pretty good shape still.
Apply metal polish to a microfiber towel, spread the polish onto a small part of the exhaust tip, and rub vigorously for a short period of time until you can see that the bulidup has been removed. Wipe the spent polish from the exhaust tip with a clean microfiber towel. Repeat as necessary. Should be quick and easy... maybe 10 minutes to do both tips.
You can see that mine had A LOT more buildup on it than yours... oops
... sometimes my own car gets forgotten about.
It only took a few minutes to get them looking like new using Chemical Guys Metal Polish + Protection. Now they clean up easily since they are sealed.
I would highly recommend following up your metal polish with a dedicated metal sealant to resist further corrosion and to make cleaning much easier in the future. Reapply every few months.
Also - the exhaust is stainless, not chrome. Some chrome cleaners may be acidic and are NOT recommended for stainless!
Apply metal polish to a microfiber towel, spread the polish onto a small part of the exhaust tip, and rub vigorously for a short period of time until you can see that the bulidup has been removed. Wipe the spent polish from the exhaust tip with a clean microfiber towel. Repeat as necessary. Should be quick and easy... maybe 10 minutes to do both tips.
You can see that mine had A LOT more buildup on it than yours... oops
... sometimes my own car gets forgotten about.It only took a few minutes to get them looking like new using Chemical Guys Metal Polish + Protection. Now they clean up easily since they are sealed.
I would highly recommend following up your metal polish with a dedicated metal sealant to resist further corrosion and to make cleaning much easier in the future. Reapply every few months.
Also - the exhaust is stainless, not chrome. Some chrome cleaners may be acidic and are NOT recommended for stainless!
10-07-13, 03:25 PM
#3
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Thanks for the reply zmcgovern4 !! Second time you've helped me with cleaning, actually lol. And you know, I wasn't sure if the tips were chrome or stainless lol but all good. I'll try the polish you recommended because if it can clean yours as good as it did, it should be able to clean mine 
My tips aren't that bad (yet) but I want to prevent any problems before they become too serious.
My tips aren't that bad (yet) but I want to prevent any problems before they become too serious.
10-07-13, 07:49 PM
#4
Polished stainless has a "chrome-like" appearance when done right. You can tell yours is better quality than my M2 exhaust.
If for some reason you find a MF towel is not aggressive enough to remove the tiny rust spots, you can step up to a VERY MILD steel wool (#0000). Use plenty of polish when using steel wool, and follow up by polishing with a MF towel afterwards.
Post some pics when you're done
If for some reason you find a MF towel is not aggressive enough to remove the tiny rust spots, you can step up to a VERY MILD steel wool (#0000). Use plenty of polish when using steel wool, and follow up by polishing with a MF towel afterwards.
Post some pics when you're done
10-08-13, 12:09 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
If for some reason you find a MF towel is not aggressive enough to remove the tiny rust spots, you can step up to a VERY MILD steel wool (#0000). Use plenty of polish when using steel wool, and follow up by polishing with a MF towel afterwards.
Post some pics when you're done
Post some pics when you're done
10-08-13, 01:22 PM
#6
In all honesty... kitchen sponges can be worse than steel wool lol
#0000 is a VERY fine steel wool and is all I would recommend using.
I am 99% confident that a MF towel is all you will need. I rarely have to resort to steel wool, and it is only on the worst of the worst... yours are in very good shape already.
#0000 is a VERY fine steel wool and is all I would recommend using.
I am 99% confident that a MF towel is all you will need. I rarely have to resort to steel wool, and it is only on the worst of the worst... yours are in very good shape already.
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