Discussion
Just doing some spring cleaning in the engine bay. Servo swapped, a few rusty parts cleaned and painted. My exhaust manifolds are quite rusty, so was wondering if it is worth getting some exhaust wrap, if for no other reason than to hide their appearance.
Does anyone know if exhaust wrap actually has any benefit on the S, other than aesthetic?
Any advice welcomed. Thanks
Does anyone know if exhaust wrap actually has any benefit on the S, other than aesthetic?
Any advice welcomed. Thanks
Wrap drops the noise level quite noticeably, also cools the engine bay a little. Once applied and heat cured the wrap is quite brittle and will eventually crack and fall off, so it's something that will need replacing every few years even if you're careful. You can postpone the life by using lots and lots of ties so that big sections can't fall off, but it will still look very tatty. If looks are your primary reason for doing this, be prepared to replace it regularly. (It's a pita to install, btw.)
I used some black ceramic paint which doesn't provide any noise reduction but does reduce heat from the exhaust and looks (IMO) quite smart. I think it was cermachrome or something like that. It's not ordinary exhaust paint and needed the right prep and application but still looks as good as new many years later.
I used some black ceramic paint which doesn't provide any noise reduction but does reduce heat from the exhaust and looks (IMO) quite smart. I think it was cermachrome or something like that. It's not ordinary exhaust paint and needed the right prep and application but still looks as good as new many years later.
Exhaust wrap will make them look better in the short term. It will also reduce under bonnet temps.
The downside is that it can hold moisture on the exhaust. When I had my 350i I fitted new manifolds and wrapped them.
18 months later the new manifolds started blowing as they had rusted through. The car spent about half its time outside and half its time in the garage. I was stunned that they had rusted in 18 months and complained to the supplier. The first thing he asked was "Did you wrap them?"
If the car lives indoors full time it may not be so bad, but wrapping certainly wont make them last longer.
The downside is that it can hold moisture on the exhaust. When I had my 350i I fitted new manifolds and wrapped them.
18 months later the new manifolds started blowing as they had rusted through. The car spent about half its time outside and half its time in the garage. I was stunned that they had rusted in 18 months and complained to the supplier. The first thing he asked was "Did you wrap them?"
If the car lives indoors full time it may not be so bad, but wrapping certainly wont make them last longer.
Fefeu52 said:
you can't do it alone, you have to find a professional to do the job. In UK,
I looked into Zircotec before I did mine. I was put off by some of the benefits they were claiming which did not make sense given what they were actually doing. Most ceramic coatings do need specialist equipment to apply, but the stuff I used did not - it did require bead blasting first though, which requires specialist equipment but is still a lot cheaper than paying for ceramic coating to be applied professionally.Thanks for the info Gents. Glad I didn't buy some now. Ceramic coating sounds a better option, particularly in light of the potential moisture issue! Plus, having taken a closer look at the manifolds today, two of the pipes are nearly touching so would have been a major challenge getting the wrap around them.
Much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
Sandgrounder said:
Thanks for the info Gents. Glad I didn't buy some now. Ceramic coating sounds a better option, particularly in light of the potential moisture issue! Plus, having taken a closer look at the manifolds today, two of the pipes are nearly touching so would have been a major challenge getting the wrap around them.
Much appreciated.
Where you have pipes close together you wrap them as a bunch. Still a pita and only temporary, so I'm not recommending that you wrap them, but them being close together isn't the reason not to.Much appreciated.
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