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Product Review: Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish

Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish Will Get Your Exhaust Tips Looking Like New!

If you are like most Corvette owners, one of the most important aspects of owning your car is the enjoyment achieved while (and after) cleaning it.  Since purchasing my Corvette a few years ago, I’ve been on a quest to discover the perfect cleaning products for every surface of my car.  I’ve looked for the best waxes, polishes, glass cleaners, wheel cleaners, leather cleaners (and conditioners), engine degreasers, etc.  However, there’s one area that many people (including me) may have neglected when investing in their car care needs: the exhaust tips.

My 2013 Chevrolet Corvette has been used to test many quality cleaning products.
My 2013 Chevrolet Corvette has been used to test many quality cleaning products.

Part of my dilemma has always been that I’ve struggled to find a product that really works that way I want it to.  I’ve purchased a handful of various metal polishes that promise “a bright, shiny finish.”  Unfortunately, these products have either met with less than desirable results, or they’ve required an appreciable amount of work to really get the job done.  I’m not saying I’ve never found a product that gets the job done.  What I AM saying is that, until now, I’ve never been impressed enough with any product enough to write about it here.

That changed this past week after I tried Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish for the first time.

Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish
Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish

I am sure that many of you are probably laughing at me.  What kind of “car guy” doesn’t know about Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish?  I can hear the snickers already.  However, I DO know about it.  I am wholly aware that the Mother’s company got its start by selling this very same polish I am writing about today.  I am also aware that many of their products – including all sorts of polishes and waxes – are well respected (I own several of them) and used by car enthusiasts the world over.

What I had never considered was using Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish to clean my exhaust tips simply because I didn’t keep any in my own arsenal of cleaning products.  In fact, I stumbled across the Mother’s brand polish while looking online for recommendations on how to clean my exhaust tips…and you’d be surprised how many car enthusiasts out there were asking the exact same question I was!

The exhaust tips on my 2013 Corvette coupe from normal driving (I average about 6,000 miles per year on this car.)
The exhaust tips on my 2013 Corvette coupe from normal driving (I average about 6,000 miles per year on this car.)

The truth is, unless you have a lot of chrome or exposed aluminum surfaces on your car (such as trim pieces, wheels, etc.), you probably never spent much time considering the product offerings out there that would best help you get your exhaust tips looking like your car was on display at SEMA.

After doing my homework, I decided to give Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish a try.  I purchased a can of it online (you can order yours here). Upon arrival, I read the relatively simple instructions and headed to the garage to give it a go.  Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much.  I figured it would help lift the carbon and road grit off the tips and improve the overall appearance of the exhaust, but nothing more.

Me detailing my Corvette - and no, I don't always wear my C7.R Corvette Racing gear when I clean my car!
Me detailing my Corvette – and no, I don’t always wear my C7.R Corvette Racing gear when I clean my car!

Setting to work, I applied a small amount of Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish with a microfiber towel to the first of the four tips and began working the polish in a circular motion, slowly making my way around the exterior of the tip until I had put a decent coat on the entire surface.  Then, following the instructions, I continued to work the polish, adding small amounts as I went until the polish started to turn a flat grey color.  Once the surface was uniformly coated, and while the product was still wet (this is important), I took a second microfiber towel and began to wipe away the remaining polish from the exhaust tip.

Let me tell you, I let out an audible “wow” once I saw the newly polished surface.  The exhaust tip, which had been a combination of dull grey and black (carbon from the exhaust) was now shining like a mirror.  It’s the cleanest I can remember my exhaust tips looking since I purchased the car! What made it even more impressive (to me at least) was that it required minimal effort to get a high level of shine.  I worked on that first exhaust tip for no more than 5 minutes, with little more than normal pressure while applying and removing the polish.

After just a small amount of effort, and a small amount of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish, here was the result of my efforts.
After just a small amount of effort, and a small amount of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish, here was the result after my initial pass over the exhaust tips.

I quickly proceeded to polish the interior of the first exhaust tip. It had appreciably more carbon layered upon its interior surface.  While it required slightly more effort than the exterior, the results were the same.  I quickly completed the other tip from the first muffler and then moved over to the other pair of tips and cleaned them as well.  When finished, my Corvette looked as though I had just installed a new exhaust system on it (or at least new mufflers.)

The newly polished exhaust tips on my 2013 Corvette.
The newly polished exhaust tips on my 2013 Corvette.

After using this product for the first time, there is no doubt that I’ll continue to use it – not only on my 2013 Corvette but also on all my other vehicles as well.  (From the Mother’s website): “Their secret formula balances a brilliant shine with ease-of-use for aluminum wheels and automotive trim and accessories, including stainless steel, brass and other alloys. Application is just a matter of a clean cloth and a little elbow grease. Mag & Aluminum Polish is strong enough to put a shine to the most neglected automotive metals, and gentle enough to use on a regular basis.”

For anyone whos been looking for an exceptional-yet-affordable polish for chrome, aluminum, stainless steel, or many other finished metal surfaces, Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish is definitely the answer!!  I plan on getting under the Corvette this week to polish the rest of the exhaust and see how well it works there…I will provide update photos on our Facebook page.

Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish brought the shine out in my exhaust tips!
Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish brought the shine out in my exhaust tips!  NOTE: The polish on the rear splitter was removed and the splitter cleaned after this photo was taken – however, I was losing the light and so this picture was selected for the article.

If you’ve used Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish, we’d love to see your before and after pictures as well.  Please free to email me at [email protected], or post pics on our Facebook page, which you can find by clicking here.