Exhaust corrosion

[tt509]

mine are going the same

[George H]

Acid free is just a marketting gimic really. If you have a concentrated basic (alkaline) solution you are just going to do just as much damage.

I would use something like Meguars (it is only for cleaning the exhaust after all) to start with. We use litres of Autosol "Metal Liquid Polish" Art No. 01-001210 at work on polishing aluminium products for companies like Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Isuzu etc and don't have any issues. What you have to remember is to put protection on the surface after polishing otherwise the same thing will just keep happening.

I don't use alkaline stuff either, I try to get PH neutral if possible. I accidentally used acid wheel cleaner on my cars wheels (which have diamond turned faces) and it damaged them - see pictures below. Definitely try to avoid acid/alkaline stuff where possible, acid free is not just a marketing gimmick imo.




What stuff would you use to protect the surface afterwards too? Will Swissvax metal polish do?

[blazeguarder]

I use Autosol as well. Cheap, easily available, and does the job well I find. I've heard that these are good, especially the sealant if you're looking for new stuff to try: http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/acatalog/B ... ins_1.html. Not used them myself but they get good reviews.

With regards to this scratching of the exhaust stuff, the sort of steel wool that people use on exhausts is a much finer grade than the stuff used in woodworking or similar. It's not going to put scratches/swirls on your exhaust tip, and it's even less likely to do so provided you use a bit of common sense. Use moderate pressure, don't rub it in circles and make sure you've got enough polish on etc. If you do it on a semi regular basis then you'll be fine just with a cloth - it's just the next step for corrosion that won't shift.

[gavs]

First off, are they wheels made for any of the VAG brands? If so, there are well documented issues all over the world regarding the same effect and even spider webbing on the wheels with machined faces.

I would use something like nanolex wheel sealant after you polish them. Polish is just that, no matter the brand. Polish provides no protection whatsoever.

[DubbisH]

^^^ Have to agree with this ^^^

Hes spot on. I am actually an alloy wheel importer / distributor and we used to have similar designs "polished faced" only for them to come back (usually within 6 months) with "spider webbing or white worming".

This is basically caused by the wheel not having enough lacquer over it. The alloy is basically sprayed silver then the face of the wheel shaved off if you will. Now they could put lots of lacquer on the wheel to prevent the above problems but, if they do so, it makes the wheel look silver again and it loses its "polished face" look. So, they put a minimum amount of lacquer on the wheel so that it keeps its bright fantastic polished face look. As you can imagine, when driving on this type of wheel (especially on our gritty salty roads) all of these factors come in to play and you get corrosion, white worming etc due to the lack of protection on the wheel itself.

*DubbisH*

[WatchcamGTI]

First off, are they wheels made for any of the VAG brands? If so, there are well documented issues all over the world regarding the same effect and even spider webbing on the wheels with machined faces.

I would use something like nanolex wheel sealant after you polish them. Polish is just that, no matter the brand. Polish provides no protection whatsoever.

Very true ... I had an A6 new that never went near a kerb and the machined faces were in a right state after 3 years when i got shot of it.
I cleaned them every couple of weeks as well. Made little difference.
At least monzas are easy to clean.

[George H]

First off, are they wheels made for any of the VAG brands? If so, there are well documented issues all over the world regarding the same effect and even spider webbing on the wheels with machined faces.

I would use something like nanolex wheel sealant after you polish them. Polish is just that, no matter the brand. Polish provides no protection whatsoever.

No they're Aston Martin sport pack wheels.



I will try that wheel sealant and see if it makes any difference, thanks

[gavs]

On an Aston I assume? :)

Similar situation though. I have found a decent layer of baked clear coat works good for machined wheels, you need flawless pre-prep though.

[George H]

On an Aston I assume? :)

Similar situation though. I have found a decent layer of baked clear coat works good for machined wheels, you need flawless pre-prep though.

Yeah, they're on a DB9 Volante



I will try your method on the wheels and let you know how it works out

[gavs]

Very very nice:)

[George H]

Very very nice:)

Thanks