Cleaning the exhaust pipe

So I did something really stupid today. I decided to wire brush my exhaust pipe. Later I thought about it and wondered if I actually took off any sort of any rust costing. Did I?

 

Doubt it. My exhaust tubing is rusty as all hell except the chrome exhaust tip.

 

I had a lot of baked mud on it. I am a clean freak. So I decided to clean it off. Might regret it now

 

Just hit it with some silver paint or some of that hammered look stuff.

 

Rust coating
Bahahahahaha

No. There is no rust coating on the exhaust pipe.

Honestly unless you buy an exhaust tip and keep it polished every few months efforts to keep the exhaust pipe from turning black and rusting is relatively futile

Wire brushing will not harm it. So I would’nt worry.

If you are a neat freak they do make chrome or black chrome exhaust tips that are easier to keep clean.
Every time you wash the truck spray it with a deIronizer and get a polish ball attachment for your drill and get some light chrome polish and clean it up quickly every wash.
Cleaning the bare exhaust is just too much effort. I’m an avid detailer and thats one part I just go.

 

I have a brass wire cup wheel I put on my drill and use it every few months to keep the exhaust pipe looking clean. It takes about 3 minutes. No sign of rust at all.

 

You could polish it to a chrome finish, will take hours to do.