I need help making my exhaust system and other components fight the war against salt this winter. any tips?

 

Bring it to the self wash bay car wash weekly, spray the underbody with the high pressure rinse gun... and rinse off the car while you're at it. been doing this every winter with all my cars and all hold up well, with noticeably less rust underbody than my parents cars which get a little less loving.

 

I have a full T304 stainless exhaust and it still got a wee bit tarnished throughout two salt laden Michigan winters. I have a Magnaflow muffler and it's the item that started to get the most rust spots. I'm not sure what kind of stainless steel they use but I'm not too impressed. There really isn't much you can do to prevent the assault. I've read about people dousing their exhaust in WD40, but it's just going to get washed off eventually. The only other thing I can think of is the nasty "Ziebart" coating made famous in Michigan. It's thick, nasty, and practically like a oil sludge coating, but it'll keep the rusk away LOL! The bad part about Ziebart coating is that they do the entire underside of your car so all your suspension bits would get coated in that nasty stuff. I wouldn't do it

 

I just asked about rust prevention in one of the coupe threads. I have used waxoyl on my rovers in the past to help prevent rust. You can apply it yourself and reapply when you need to. It is a rust prohibitor that land rover guys use on the underbody and cavities of our trucks. I think I will be using it on my coupe when it finally arrives. waxoyl

 

Youz in troublezzzz

 

Yeah you know how rediculous NOVA is about salting the roads.. looks like i might have to get a new exhaust every year fml
ill deff try that wax stuff though

 

That steel you have isnt stainless so your gonna need some type of coating that will not burn. You could try high temp paint.

 

is there any high temp clear?

 

Not that i know of, take it off and spray the piping black. I think the muffler has a coating on it but im not sure.

 

Now im gonna have have to cut off my exhaust and then seal it back on ugghh.. Effort.. Ill see what paint options the internt has.. i might even be able to paint it while its still on the car if i do find a nice clear or glossy silver

 

there might be enough room to paint around it as long as i can get it up on a lift

 

What you really need to do is get yourself a winter beater. I ended up doing this after two winters. I just couldn't take it anymore! If you want to keep your MINI long term this is the best option IMHO.

 

im a kid. i can barely afford my modding addiction

 

Ha, I'm 27 now, so I guess I'm officially out of that stage according to the world. I would say my $1500 Pontiac Sunfire mod is the best mod yet!!!

 

500buck winter better is what I do. Drove a 87 mustang in neohio 2 winters to keep my r56 charrie.

 

You could get your exhaust hi temp ceramic coated, it's shiny and would theoretically help power a bit by keeping the exhaust gas hot for longer.

Sean

 

I like that idea

 

Salt isn't active at freezing and below. So basically, as long as you get the salt of the car before it gets warm, you'll be fine. The exhaust will likely be the only thing that needs anything done to it and I'd just wrap it with exhaust wrap. I drove my '10 M3 through the last two German winters (the worst in the last 50 years) and I did nothing but make sure I put a few layers of my favorite sealant on the car and it was fine. Oh, and don't wash the car. It's unnecessary and will cause more damage to the paint. Wait until the spring to do that.

 

Ok the ideas are just getting better and better. i love this idea. such an easy thing to do. i think i found a winner and also about not washing the car. you think i can still do a no touch power wash, cause i cant stand a dirty car