How to clean exhaust soot/grime off rear bumper?
 

Are there any tips or products you could recommend to remove a good layer of exhaust soot/grime off my rear bumper? Apparently the original owner of the car never cared to clean that area too much. I haven't really tackled this yet as I wanted to see if I could get any pointers prior to doing so; saving me some time and sweat.


http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/r...mar/soot-1.jpg

Thanks in advance.

Try some good polishing compound wax and a microfiber towel. It has to be a cleaner wax/light compound.

Meguiars No 80 speed glaze, Autoglym Fine abrasive, or even radiant wax polish will work.

So, would you say I should just wash it like normal. Then apply the polishing compound wax with the microfiber towel?

Yup... then I suggest in investing an Exhaust bumper guard.

I had the same issue on my White FD...

my last FD seemed to be ok with this as long as it was cleaned within at least 24 hours.

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll let you know how it goes.

without the wish for making any advertising for a special company, but you asked for a solution...
here is what I used, and the black layer is 100%gone!

I used
DEEP CRYSTAL PAINT CLEANER from Meguiar`s

link:

click

THANK YOU!!!! :icon_tup:

simple green does the trick also

www.autopia.org . Join the forum and enjoy the awesome tips from pro detailers.

I would personally suggest using detailing clay to lift off the debris/contaminates, polish, and a nice sealant or wax to protect the surface.

I'll tell you what worked for me. Just grab a terry cloth or towel, spray some brake cleaner on the cloth and wipe it off. This worked good too even after not cleaning if for 4 months and I just went to clean it yesterday with brake cleaner and it came off within 20 seconds of wiping. After that wash the car or just wax the area and you should be good to go.

Ive removed that stuff from my white FD's bumper with Wax as well. It takes some elbow grease if its really stuck in there but it gets it off. I think using a clay bar got that stuff off faster than wax.

i have a white FD with the same problem... i used turtle wax's liquid ice claybar... shit wipes right off!

This stuff works amazing, it turns the bumper from black/yellowish back to stock. Seriously, I used to use it on all the FDs at Gotham's shop :icon_tup:

http://www.littleeffort.com/

I tried Simple Green, clay bars, cleaners, waxes, etc.

The absolute BEST thing I've used is standard FANTASTIC kitchen cleaner (also the only thing that removes Hawk Blue brake pad dust).

Simply spray on, sponge off. It Does strip wax, so simply rewax that section of the bumper.

Thanks for all the input, guys. I used the Deep Crystal paint cleaner and it worked perfectly! I'll snap a photo today and upload it. So shiny now!

Rich, I've heard of that stuff... I might have to buy some for the future.

All clean and shiny. :)
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/r...r/IMAG0192.jpg
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/r...r/IMAG0193.jpg

My rear bumper was about 10x worse than what you had, I used simple green on the bumper and on my SS RB Dual Tip Exhaust and it cleaned them both up very well and with little to no effort.

Just poured some on a microfiber cloth and scrubbed