DIY $3.50 Exhaust Header Rust Removal

After quite a bit of use, the once-shiny stainless steel exhaust headers on the BMW R1200GS is beginning to look a little dated. Thick brown-black crud and rust has collected on its surface and looks like it’s slowly eating into the metal. I’ve seen some YouTube videos on an inexpensive homemade solution to rust removal….

$2.50 for the bottle of Harpic, and $1 for the Scotch Brite sponge pad.

Yes – Harpic! That magical toilet cleaner also works great on the stainless steel exhaust headers!

Turning this…
…into THIS!
Before…
…and AFTER!

Didn’t even had to apply too much elbow grease. The amazing Harpic gel worked it’s magic on metal, eating into the crud and surface rust. Make sure to rinse it properly with lots of water when done!

Harpic working on the vario pannier’s exhaust heat shield.
It works! It really works!!
End product! Note that I didn’t even have to use the scouring side of the Scotch Brite pad. This was achieved using only the sponge side!

One thought on “DIY $3.50 Exhaust Header Rust Removal”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *