How to Clean Your Tailpipes and Protect Them From Rust

When washing a car, little (if any) time is spent on the tailpipes. If not taken care of properly, the metal becomes dull and eventually rusted. Shiny tailpipes increase the cars appearance and are very simple to maintain.

Things You'll Need

  • WD40
  • Dish Detergent
  • Rag
  • Steel Wool
  • Garden Hose
  • Clean the tailpipes with the steel wool pad and a little bit of dish detergent. The dish detergent is the best cleaner to use because of its degreasing ability. Do not scrub too hard, or the steel wool may scratch the tailpipes.

  • Rinse the soap off using a garden hose without any attachment. Let the water flow over the pipe; do not water IN the pipe.

  • Dry the tailpipe thoroughly. Spray a good amount of WD40 on the rag and wipe down the tail pipe. Spray a little bit of the WD40 inside the pipe and use the rag to coat the inside. The oil base makes the pipe water resistant, so rust will not form.