more than likely that's just surface rust that will come off with a brillow pad. i had the same thing on my stock tips. i just put a wire brush attachment on a power drill and went to town on them, and they looked brand new.

do you have flowmaster SS cat-back, or the regular flowmasters?

 

I have the regular flowmaster catback but they come with stainless steel tips.

 

Apparently chrome can easily be restored with some mothers chrome polish and a steel wool. Thats what all the bike guys use to restore their exhausts.

 

Thats if their pipes are tarnished...not rusted. Polished stainless FTMFW!!!

 

chrome shouldn't rust. never had problems with my bike exhaust but I waxed everything and kept it clean.

If you get some surface rust but dont wire brush chrome. If you wirebrush stainless don't use a carbon steel wire brush, go stainless or you can make your problem worse when the cs gets deposited in the small grooves you will make and then later rusts.

A good metal polish will have the stainless exhaust looking like new.

 

chrome will discolor, pitt, and eventually rust, dont buy some pepboys tips or anything, get some stainless steel tips

 

no chrome will not rust pit or discolor. BUT anything that is chrome plated will rust and most products that are plated do all of the above due to a crack or flaw in the chrome casuing the elements to get to the parent metal and rust from under the chrome

 

That was splitting hairs since almost everything chrome is chrome plated. Chrome plated steel parts will pit and show rust if not properly taken care of. Chrome exhaust tips are too far back to heat up enough to change color. I have seen cheap chrome wheels on cars so bad that the chrome is just peeling off.

 

Aside from the brilliant shine, things are also chrome plated for its great corrosion resistance, but eventually it will rust. If you will just polish them a couple times a year they will stay good for a very long time.