13 May HOW TO Polish Bike Exhaust Pipes

How do I know I need to polish my exhaust pipe?

Well, there are a few signs that will tell you when you really need to polish your exhaust pipes.

These are the signs you’ll be looking for

• Tea Staining: Its a staining that occurs to metal surfaces that are exposed to salt-laden weather. It looks like red surface rust.
• Bluing: When a metal surface is exposed to extreme heat, it turns the metal into a blue looking color (commonly seen on chrome exhaust pipes and welding)
• Corrosion: Very common on motorbikes with stainless steel, chrome or aluminium exhaust pipes, it looks like liquid rust.
• Rust: This is the last sign you want to see, why?, rust occurs when a metal is neglected for months, it first shows up as corrosion, then it becomes rust when it goes into the surface. Don’t worry, this can be fixed.

Once you understood how an exhaust pipes corrodes, you can then decide what type of polishing process you’d like to do:

• For Tea Staining: The best product to remove tea staining on metals is Autosol Metal Life Saver  this will get rid of the tea staining, but will leave the surface dull and unprotected. You will need a polisher to shine and protect the exhaust, you can either use Autosol Metal Polish or Autosol Metal Polish Liquid.
• For Bluing: One of our most popular Motorbike care products is Autosol Bluing Remover which will work a treat on your exhaust pipe. It will also leave the surface dull and unprotected, so you’ll need to apply a polisher as well, it could be either Autosol Metal Polish or Autosol Metal Polish Liquid. Also, you can apply Autosol Motorbike Polish & Wax.
• For Corrosion and Rust: This is where things get complicated because the metal has been neglected for a while. But don’t worry, we can easily turn things around. If you have a buffing machine, it will come handy, otherwise you can do it by hand but might need some elbow grease. Use Autosol Metal Life Saver to get rid of any surface rust or corrosion, rinse off and then apply a polisher, it could be either Autosol Metal Polish or Autosol Metal Polish Liquid. Also, you can apply Autosol Motorbike Polish & Wax.
• Full bike cleaning / detailing: If you want to go that extra mile with your bike cleaning, then it might be good for you to get one of our bike cleaning packs, everything you need to clean, shine and protect your bike is within this packs, Motorbike Expert Pack and Motorbike Starter Pack.

NOW, it’s time to get this rolling:

1- Clean, wash, get all dirt off the exhaust pipe. How? use Autosol Bike Cleaner  or Autosol Fast Clean and Polish
2- Apply either Autosol Metal Life Saver or Autosol Bluing Remover and let it work for a minute or so. 
3- Rinse off or clean with a wet cloth.
4- Apply the polisher, it could be either Autosol Metal Polish , Autosol Metal Polish Liquid or Autosol Motorbike Polish & Wax.
5- Polish in circular motions with a soft cloth to achieve the desired shine.
6- You can repeat all of the above as many times as necessary.
7- Once you have polished the exhaust pipe, regular maintenance will keep the surface in perfect conditions.

If you have any queries, let us know, we are happy to assist you. 02 9905 8400 or info@autosol.com.au