To or not to paint aluminized exhaust

[IRON MAN]

Here in sunny Kalifornia is there any advantage to painting  new aluminized exhaust pipes other than the'll look pretty for awhile.

[CudaMoparRay]

Here in sunny Kalifornia is there any advantage to painting  new aluminized exhaust pipes other than the'll look pretty for awhile.

Not IMO as the aluminized coating should last quite awhile then paint it when it starts to wear out years later if you want.
Another point as far as rust buildup they usually start to rust from the inside as well so painting would only take care of the outside rust problem but not address the interior one.
I just leave them as they come  Especially in our California weather.

[moparmadman69]

I wouldn't. The aluminized finish holds up well. If you want it to look better you can hit it with some 00 steel wool and it will shine up. It will get black grime on it eventually from the insides of the pipes seeping out but then just clean it with brake cleaner, scotch-brite, then 00 steel wool and it will look like new again. If you paint it and then the black soot gets on it then you need to repaint. Best just to leave natural and shine it up.

[Burdar]

From 95-01 I worked at an exhaust shop.  We installed/replaced a lot of aluminized pipe.  Aluminized pipe rusts from the inside out.  As it ages, it turns from silver to a tan color.  This is on daily drivers that see a lot of use.  On our cars, it is going to take a long time for that color change to take place.  The pipes should stay looking nice without having to paint them.  If they do start to discolor, all it would take is to rub some 0000 steel wool on them.  That will remove the discoloration and should bring back the original color. 

[RUNCHARGER]

It's easy to paint them before you install them. I wax and grease remove them, light scuff and spray them. I think they look better when I do them that way and it seems to last.

[jimynick]

It begs the question- why? Shiny exhaust? How about just driving it and basking in the glory of having gotten that nasty dirt on them by doing so? Different strokes...