Exhaust chrome plating repair

[Ashton55]

I had some gel rust remover on my glove and it touched my exhaust. I didn’t notice it until a bit later. The rust remover ate away at the chrome plating on the exhaust. I wiped it off with a damp cloth and water. I have attached a picture of the damage (zoomed in). The size of the problem area is about the size of a half dollar. The damage is on the curve of the exhaust manifold (part # 18519444986). Does anyone know if the exhaust can be purchased in pieces (rather than buying the entire thing)? Looks like the whole exhaust is about $2500! Does anyone have any experience with fixing the chrome plating on any part of their bike? Any suggestions on some solutions?

View attachment 12924

 

[Rufus]

Take it you’ve tried decent chrome polish? Don’t use anything abrasive though or you’ll just scratch it to hell anyway. Chrome is pretty tough stuff and I believe the pipes are stainless underneath. If it’s past saving it would be a case of trying to live with it or buying a replacement part ( if you want the standard look ). eBay does have exhausts on it from time to time now that the bikes have been out a while and you’ll only need the front pipe not a full system. Swapping out should be do-able if you take your time and are fairly handy on the spanners.

 

[Deleted member 1618]

The header pipes are double walled; I've tried Blue Job to try cleaning up some blueing discoloring without any real improvement.

Maybe remove the header and have it chromed by a shop?

 

[XUMERX]

Wellllll I can sell you my entire system for $1200... Im upgrading to prorace.. If you're interested let me know. You pay shipping. my pipes have 800 miles on them btw.

 

[Ulrich]

Just in case you can't save it ... the answer is yes, you can buy parts separate ... this is for the R18 pure/FE ... I am not sure if they are all the same ... if you want a finite answer call the folks from MAX BMW and they will know the exact part number


... and I agree with Rufus ... try Chrome polish, maybe you can make it go away enough to save the header.

 

[Keehn]

If chrome polish doesn't work, I use "0000" steel wool and WD-40 on my chrome pieces to remove super-stubborn grime.

Works WONDERS!

Mike

 

[XUMERX]

orrrrrrrrr you could buy mine

 

[CentralC]

I used wax/polish with a circular electric buffer to remove rust spots successfully. Just takes some time and elbow grease to get rid of the spots. Your mileage may vary.

 

[XUMERX]

psssttttt .. you could buy mine

 

[Deleted member 1618]

Ashton55 - you can always purchase XUMERX's entire exhaust system... If you consider the retail pricing, I think you're getting a better price..

 

[XUMERX]

that’s a great idea!

 

[Ashton55]

Thanks for all of your responses. A lot of good information I will let you guys know what I decide to do.

 

[Deleted member 1618]

Anyone ever use A1 Steak Sauce to remove blueing blemishes on chrome exhaust pipes?
I ask, because someone recommended A1 and swears by it, I tried the Blue Job that my wife got me as a stocking stuffer for X-Mas (actually, I think she miss understood or didn't hear me correctly...); long story short, the Blue Job paste didn't work as expected.

 

[BigJimSlim]

Anyone ever use A1 Steak Sauce to remove blueing blemishes on chrome exhaust pipes?
I ask, because someone recommended A1 and swears by it, I tried the Blue Job that my wife got me as a stocking stuffer for X-Mas (actually, I think she miss understood or didn't hear me correctly...); long story short, the Blue Job paste didn't work as expected.

View attachment 13574

Wonder if the A1 thing is like the Coca-Cola thing. Acids and such in there that clean up the chrome.

 

[Uygurcagri]

Guys do you know how to polish this yellowish manifold? I have tried autosol metalpolish, did not help at all. Autosol blueing stuff says not to use on chrome. I would like to have some shining chrome instead of yellow one

 

[CentralC]

I use oven cleaner on my exhaust headers to clean melted plastic. Try it on your yellowing.

 

[Keehn]

I got an email that this thread was being responded to again. I'll reiterate my previous comment that 0000 (QUAD, four zeros) steel wool works WONDERS on chrome (aka: chromium). The lubricant isn't as important, but IMHO, I wouldn't use steel wool on chromium dry. I could probably google a study between wet and dry and post it here, but there's an old quote about giving a fish or teaching to fish....

A good visual guide to the Mohs scale of hardness shows that steel is softer than chromium (steel's hardness is 4.0, chromium is 8.5):


Source: https://alansfactoryoutlet.com/info...-scale-a-chart-of-the-mohs-scale-of-hardness/

And, a good visual that shows the benefits of 0000 steel wool on chrome surfaces:

Mike

 

[Uygurcagri]

i understand that some bad chrome is used on headers on r18. they get scratched very very easily. not sure how to make them shine again without scrathes. autosol chrome polish wont help

 

[Keehn]

i understand that some bad chrome is used on headers on r18. they get scratched very very easily. not sure how to make them shine again without scrathes. autosol chrome polish wont help

0000 steel wool.

Mike

 

[bdalameda]

When an exhaust header is chromed a layer of copper is put on first. On header pipes usually this copper layer is thicker than on simple chromed parts that are not subjected to heat. The heavier layer of copper helps prevent the header pipes from turning dark blue from heat as the copper distributes the heat more evenly across the surface. The copper is also far softer than the chrome top layer and can be damaged easier than the chrome by itself.