Ive just come to terms that you cant stop this in the winter if you live in a state that salts the roads. The tips on my 3 month old $1000 Borla catback have rust on them, and I live in South Texas with no salt on the roads. Had a customer in here last week with the $800 Magnaflow catback that was on the truck for 8 months, and his tips were completely gold and faded with no shine to them anymore at all. Carven and Moe's Bolt on 5" tips have randomly had rust spots pop up on them. All MBRP tips seem to rust quickly, even their black coated tips. All of these are 304 stainless, but the salt just destroys them if not washed weekly. I wish there was a better answer but every manufacturer has to go through this in the winter months. Best thing you can do to prevent it is wash them every week, and polish them once or twice a year. I know that can be tough when its cold and wet outside, but it is the only way to keep polished stainless tips looking new.