I'm a little more than dissapointed in my MBRP exhaust, it has a little over 3000 miles on it, and it just looks terrible. I pressure-wash my truck alot, and always rinse underneath, but looking at this exhaust, you'd sware it isn't even stainless, and has 100,000 miles of salt use.....My stock exhaust looked cherry with 45,000 miles, this stuff has 3, and looks terrible.....Anything I can do to clean it up? Unless there was some mixup, and I bought stainless, but only got aluminized??? I can definitely tell that the tip and muffler are a different metal than the rest, as they still look half-way decent. Thanks for any opinions/solutions.

Did you buy the 409 or 304 stainless,they sell both. The 304 is higher quality and will not discolor as much. The 409 can form a small amount of surface rust discoloration.

409 has a higher iron content so it will surface rust but not rust through. 304 will not rust almost at all but can still rust slightly (sand or polish it back up). how much rust are you talking? pics?

I'll have to get some pics, it was the cheaper stainless of the two, 409 I believe, I still didn't expect it to rust this much so fast.....

I had a few friends that will never buy stainless again b/c they went with the 409 instead of the 304. they run aluminized now

T409 stainless will develop surface rust, but its not going to rust through. If you dont want rust, T304 is the only solution. Magnaflow, Banks, among other exhaust manufacturers all use T409.

After the salt stops hitting the ground, try using fine (0000) steel wool and some wheel cleaner. Works like a charm. Mine is speckled too, but this cleans it right up.

thats why i dont really think its worth the extra money for stainless, it is stiil gonna rust and look the same as aluminized, ive had the same aluminized exhaust on my last two trucks and its holding up fine, also exhaust will last way longer on a diesel because on a gas vehical they always have that moisture sittin in the exhaust, you dont get that with a diesel

I have a 409 Stainless exhaust. If you want it shiny, you have to maintain it. We have AWFUL roads up here in Kodiak. The winter leaves a terrible black-sand coating on everything as the plow trucks dump beach sand or ground up lava or whatever the hell this stuff is EVERYWHERE. White trucks turn black up here and the only thing I've found that's been able to cut this grime of sand paste has been JP5. I'd bet kerosene or Heating oil would work too. My entire TRUCK gets a wipe down 2x a year with JP followed by a dish soap bath, clay bar takes care of whatever is left. The grit is awful.

Anyway, my 409 Stainless exhaust looked like a cement tube after the first winter, the jet fuel cut through the grime and a Scotch pad took off the rust spots. If you want it to look pretty, it takes work. I use ACF-50 or Corrosion-X and a Scotch pad to maintain the shine in crappy weather. Seems to keep the black grime from sticking, I'd expect it'd work the same for salt/rust/oxidation. It sucks to have to get under the truck and polish the exhaust, but you paid for it and want the shiny pipe under there, so take care of it.

Yeap, if it is a 400 series stainless it will turn a deep red/brown colour and rust. 300 series stainless has lower carbon content and resists corrosion more. If there is an "L" after the series, it means low carbon, and is better at fending off corrosion.

Why does yours rust? Because you have a low grade of stainless steel.

Thats why when I bought my mbrp duals, I went with aluminized. I've had stainless before and they always looked like crap, especially with the surface rust. I can buy another kit with the money i saved not going with stainless.

Glad I spent the extra coin and got the 304. Looks good all winter just spraying it down at the carwash. The first bucket wash in the driveway this spring I'll hit it with a scotchbrite pad and it will shine like brand new. Put the exhaust on in summer of 2005.

How much different does it look from a stock exhaust? Just wondering which way to go.

stock exhaust is aluminized so ......... I'd go with aluminized myself and did.

What about the new powder coated or painted MBRP thats out, would that be better than SS or aluminized?

Hard to say. The coating comes with a one year warranty, the system has a 3 year warranty. The stainless kits both T409 and T304 come with lifetime.

I've always gone with stainless back in my camaro days all the way through my '05 and '08 Duramax's. I always got 304 on my camaro exhausts and they stayed pretty much rust free and would polish to a shine like no other. My first two duramax's I got 409 stainless and was not impressed at all. Surface rust just weeks or days after install. On my '09 I went with aluminized and couldn't be happier. It shows no rust and will probably last longer than I own the truck plus its cheaper. Aluminized is the way to go IMO.

Yes, i would go with aluminized, being that it rust from the inside out, you will or should never get that with a diesel as established up further. Plus, its cheaper ;)!