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Rusty Muffler - Can It Be Painted?

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Old 09-01-2008, 02:13 PM
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Rusty Muffler - Can It Be Painted?

This muffler/exhaust part has become a little discolored, rusty, and unsightly. You can't see a lot of it from the road, but it is noticeable enough to take away from the looks of the car.



What are my options?

Can I paint it?

I am not aware of any silver paint that might hold up to the heat this part receives. Painting it black is an option, considering the car is Brilliant Black and there are a lot of good heat tolerant black paints on the market designed for BBQ grills.

And I am assuming that simply polishing it up with a good aluminum or metal cleaner would probably be a waste of time. Or would it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Attached Thumbnails Rusty Muffler - Can It Be Painted?-rusty-8.jpg  
Old 09-01-2008, 03:09 PM
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You can get some high temp paint for engines to paint them. but to paint it u have to get rid of the rust first, which is pretty time consuming.

you might want to consider buying a new stainless steel exhaust. say, Mazdaspeed one. saves u couple of lbs + better flow + better sound = orgasm

Last edited by nycgps; 09-01-2008 at 03:30 PM.
Old 09-01-2008, 03:12 PM
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I'd go with your first option of painting it with some heat tolerant paint. BBQ grille paint may be your only option for that, however, I would check the heat levels for the caliper paint. You will be able to get a silver in that type of paint. Unfortunately this is not a permanent fix because it will eventually wear off. My dad used to use bbq paint on his exhaust for his VW Karmann Ghia. It would need to be re-applied every few months or so.

If all else fails--time for some aftermarket exhaust!
Old 09-01-2008, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by nycgps
You can get some high temp paint for engines to paint them. but to paint it u have to get rid of the rust first, which is pretty time consuming.

you might want to consider buying a new stainless steel exhaust. say, Mazdaspeed one. saves u couple of lbs + better flow + better sound = organism
i hope you meant orgasm
Old 09-01-2008, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by nycgps
You can get some high temp paint for engines to paint them. but to paint it u have to get rid of the rust first, which is pretty time consuming.

you might want to consider buying a new stainless steel exhaust. say, Mazdaspeed one. saves u couple of lbs + better flow + better sound = organism
organism.....??? LOL
Old 09-01-2008, 03:13 PM
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I sanded mine with a red scuff pad and refinished it it BBQ Hi heat paint.
Old 09-01-2008, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Silver_Surfer
I sanded mine with a red scuff pad and refinished it it BBQ Hi heat paint.
Black or Silver? "Galvanized"?

And if Silver or a galvanized color.....where did you get it?

Last edited by To be named later; 09-01-2008 at 03:26 PM.
Old 09-01-2008, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by cjkim
i hope you meant orgasm
Originally Posted by 05rex8
organism.....??? LOL
blah, Auto correction can sometimes be .... confusing lol
Old 09-01-2008, 03:42 PM
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organism

think I just found my new sig
Old 09-01-2008, 04:05 PM
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it rusted already?
have you tried a metal polish?
Old 09-01-2008, 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Jedi54
it rusted already?
have you tried a metal polish?
Have not tried a metal polish, and there is only slight rust on it, it is not a heavy rust.

I'm wondering if a metal polish is even worth attempting.
Old 09-01-2008, 04:11 PM
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I would give it a shot. Try using some English Custom Polish on there
Old 09-01-2008, 04:14 PM
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BTW - it is not rust because we have a stainless muffler . Just discolouration from the heat , so it will come back again if you try to polish it out .....
Old 09-01-2008, 07:55 PM
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Depending on how bad it really is(hard to see in the pic) I always use steel wool to shiine my tips up on my stainless and my stock one when ihad it possible this could work but like i said depends on how bad it really is
Old 09-01-2008, 08:20 PM
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steel wool is great if you want a billion tiny scratches on something.
Old 09-01-2008, 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Brettus
organism

think I just found my new sig
DIE !!!!!!!
Old 09-01-2008, 10:59 PM
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[QUOTE=nycgps;2622214]DIE !!!!!!! [/QUOTE

what's wrong - miss your daily organism ?

Last edited by Brettus; 09-01-2008 at 11:29 PM.
Old 09-01-2008, 11:25 PM
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[QUOTE=Brettus;2622223]
Originally Posted by nycgps
DIE !!!!!!! [/QUOTE

what's wrong - miss tour daily organism ?
lol !

I HATE YOU !!!!!
Old 09-01-2008, 11:31 PM
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no worries mate - I'll change my sig. again in a few weeks - haha
Old 09-02-2008, 03:13 AM
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Originally Posted by 05rex8
I'd go with your first option of painting it with some heat tolerant paint. BBQ grille paint may be your only option for that, however, I would check the heat levels for the caliper paint. You will be able to get a silver in that type of paint. Unfortunately this is not a permanent fix because it will eventually wear off. My dad used to use bbq paint on his exhaust for his VW Karmann Ghia. It would need to be re-applied every few months or so.

If all else fails--time for some aftermarket exhaust!
+1 on the BBQ paint. BBQ paint VS fire... BBQ paint wins.
Old 09-02-2008, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by To be named later
Black or Silver? "Galvanized"?

And if Silver or a galvanized color.....where did you get it?
Black. Bought it from ACE Hardwear. They also had your color.
Old 09-02-2008, 09:56 PM
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you can get some stuff called "rust destroyer", it's a primer you just paint over rust and it stops the rust from spreading, I don't know if they make a hi temp product or not though.
Old 09-03-2008, 04:19 PM
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As an FYI, I've had good results with Eastwood's high temp paint on exhaust manifolds and non-stainless exhaust pipes.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...emType=PRODUCT
Old 09-04-2008, 12:59 PM
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Try this DEI high temp silicone paint for exhaust... can be found at any auto parts store. 1500 degree protection. It runs around 7-8 bucks a can...


Old 09-07-2008, 02:21 AM
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The After:



All nice and shiny. You can see the reflection from the red boxing glove.
Thanks for the heads up that the part is stainless steel.

I went to Pep Boys and picked up two products. I bought Nevr Dull based on positive feedback from this board, but did not use it on the muffler as I thought I would end up using all the product just to clean this one part, but I'm going to save it for other cleanups.

The selection of paste products (preference) that specifically stated they were safe for Stainless was limited but there was a "Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream" that said it was safe for Stainless. It worked very well, easy to use, did not require a lot of heavy rubbing.

Once again, this board and you folks have shown to be of great help. Thanks.
Additionally, I am beginning to be more and more impressed with some of the bells and whistles on the RX8. Sometimes we knock it for lacking some feature or having some fault. But last week I learned there is a cabin filter that can easily be replaced, and this week I learn there is a stainless steel muffler. This is in addition to many other features I have "discovered" recently reading this board. Maybe these are standard features on newer and nicer cars, I dunno, but they weren't standard on the other cars we own or have owned.
Attached Thumbnails Rusty Muffler - Can It Be Painted?-untitled.jpg  

Last edited by To be named later; 09-07-2008 at 02:23 AM.


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