Cleaning Competition Exhaust Tips

[Sinandgrin]

I’ve done a few searches on this thread and in other forums but haven’t come across cleaning recommendations that pertain to the black tips on the competition exhaust they came with my 2016 M5 that I recently acquired.

How are folks cleaning the tips and tending to the carbon build up?

The outside of the exhaust tips on my car wasn’t too bad and I was able to get these cleaned up fairly well with just car soap and elbow grease, plus some light use of wheel cleaner in a few areas but the inside of the tips hasn’t really been that easy to get cleaned up. There remains a fair bit or carbon build up. I’ve seen some people use steel wool and was wondering if this can be used on the black competition tips as well.

[NotSooFast]

Originally Posted by Sinandgrin

I’ve done a few searches on this thread and in other forums but haven’t come across cleaning recommendations that pertain to the black tips on the competition exhaust they came with my 2016 M5 that I recently acquired.

How are folks cleaning the tips and tending to the carbon build up?

The outside of the exhaust tips on my car wasn’t too bad and I was able to get these cleaned up fairly well with just car soap and elbow grease, plus some light use of wheel cleaner in a few areas but the inside of the tips hasn’t really been that easy to get cleaned up. There remains a fair bit or carbon build up. I’ve seen some people use steel wool and was wondering if this can be used on the black competition tips as well.

I use the same brush and method as my tires (not rims).

[Noggie]

I generally use wheel cleaner for regular cleaning and/or fallout remover for really dirty tips.
Get something like Iron-X or Bilt Hamber Korrosol to remove carbon buildup.

I usually use wheel cleaner like P21S, Bilt Hamber Auto Wheel or Rim7. Just spray some on the tips when I wash the car and let it sit same as on the wheels.

My black competition tips are not kept by previous owners, I'm getting some e-bay replacements. When I pull them off I plan to have them cleaned, assessed and possibly refurbished.
At that time I plan to clean them in my ultrasonic cleaner.

I would not use steel wool on black tips, you will probably scuff the anodized coating, at best making them matte/dull.

[Sinandgrin]

Thanks all for the input. I ended up starting with regular car soap and a wheel brush which got the outside looking better but didn't help much with the carbon build up on the inside. Then I moved up Adam's Wheel cleaner with a wheel scrubbing mitt and then on to 0000 steel wool. The steel wool and wheel cleaner definitely got the carbon off to expose that the anodized coating had been eaten through at the inside edge of the tips, so mine too look to have been poorly maintained by the previous owner.

I didn't notice any scratching or dulling of the tips by using the steel wool but would probably not make this a regular cleaning practice as Noggie stated it can dull them and will also look to buy some replacement tips down the road once I figure out how easy it will be to take off the old ones and install new ones.

[Pri.M5]

Any pics of the final result? I've been wondering the same thing.