superjimbo

Hi All,

So my HKS exhaust rides a bit high on the driver side and as a result, it started to melt the plastic portion of my bumper (I have an AP1 bumper even though my car's an 05). Anyhow, the melted plastic dribbled on to my exhaust tip. What's the best way to get the melted plastic off exhaust without scratching the heck out of the metal. Thanks.

Jim

wanabe

jim- use something not metal- like an old credit card. slowly peel the plastic off. then use some steel polish... be patient - gonna take some time and a few tries but you can get it-
when using the card take plenty of time and don't push hard

Sabre

Seems to me it wouldnt be a bad idea to have the car running during your removal process. Have the pipe warmed up to help soften the plastic a bit?

Just a thought. Never had to do anything like that before.

superjimbo

Thanks Wanabe - so you think with a bit of patience, it'll peel right off? I sure hope so! Thanks!

superjimbo

yeah - I was wondering this too. I'm assuming that it would help get the plastic off by having the exhaust warm. I'll try getting it off while it's cold and then try this if that fails. Thanks!

NFRs2000NYC

I was gonna say re-melt it, and wipe it off.

superjimbo

Hi Guys,

So it appears that the plastic is stuck on there pretty good. I'm having issues getting everything off. What about using any extremely fine grain steel wool to polish my exhaust? Is that going to damage anything?

radcliffe1

I've got the same problem.
A plastic bag got sucked under the car at speed on the freeway.
It stuck itself right on the bottom of the exhaust.
It has not come off and is turning black.

Maybe the sandpaper idea is the answer.

superjimbo

This past weekend I decided to take care of my melted bumper and exhaust tip. Here's what I did:

Removed the bumper for better access

First I worked on cleaning up the bumper. I have an AP1 bumper so it was the black plastic trim around the exhaust tips that melted. It looks like the exhaust tip jumped up and pressed against the plastic when it was very hot creating an exhaust impression in the plastic. I clipped off the big chunks of melted plastic first then went to work with some sandpaper. I sanded down the plastic and smoothed everything out. Once I got the general shape I liked, I used some very fine grain sandpaper to smooth out the scratches in the plastic and give it a nice finish. Later, after I reinstalled the bumper and washed my car, I soaked the black plastic trim with some 303 and let it sit. I came back about 30 minutes later and used a dry rag to soak up the excess. Looks nice!

For the plastic melted on to the exhaust I tried picking at it with a credit card and using my hands, but had no luck. It seemed like the plastic had infused itself in to the metal and it just wasn't coming out. So I got some fine grain steel wool and went at it. Looks like new again!

Also, I headed over to Spugen (an s2000 shop here in socal) and had them adjust my exhaust so it was even and not riding so close to the bumper

radcliffe1

Superjimbo,
Sounds good on the exhaust sanding.
I'll have to try that - just hate having that plastic affixed to my otherwise 'wacko' clean car.

Glad to hear your bumber cleaned up nicely.