Are your exhaust tips getting this dirty ?
 

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My X5 is not a diesel, yet my tips are always really dirty. I have to scrub this residue off once a week. Is this normal for the rest of you people ??

I've got a '11 35d. Zero soot at 1200 miles.

Yes. Ours will get like that after a few weeks but it wipes right off and shines up like new. I keep the tips polished & waxed so I'm sure that helps.

I'll throw a few coats of wax on it. See if that help remove it easier.

NORMAL? i think you might be confused my brother, scrubbing your tailpipes weekly is far from normal. to each their own i suppose. :rofl:

i remember this guy on one of the Z06 forums that would put his car on jackstands weekly so he could clean, wash & wax the fender wells and under-carriage.

i suppose if you gots that kinda time..............

don't do that. wax isn't made for the chrome tips, nor will it handle the heat of the exhaust gases.

you can try some chrome polish, which i typically apply once every month or so.

and yes, my tips on the 4.8 gets like that. but then again, i have a lead foot and avg. 11 mpg. :(

It's normal, for crying out loud this is a performance car that should have some dirty spots and battle scars. Leave the garage beauty queen title for the GT.

Hahaha. That might have something to do with it. I like to hear it roar ;-)

I've put only 700 miles on my X5 and my tips look the same!

My X5 is far from a garage queen. But it is spotless 98% of the time. Driving a dirty vehicle bothers me. I go through it meticulously once a week, and wipe it down after any prolonged ride. I'll post pics of my GT one day. You can eat off the Brembo's and wheels on that one :)

Im the exact same way! It kills me having my car at school :(

And a GT? what would you be referring to!?

A very modded Mustang?

See his sig.

Ahh using tapatalk--no sigs are showing up.

Would love to see pictures

Yes that is normal.

You think that's dirty? :rofl: You should see the carbon dripping from my big rectangle exhaust tips! I'd take a picture but the damn snow is higher than the exhaust right now :rant:

Yes, it's normal.

I hate (and unless the weather dictates) driving a dirty car. I dust my car at least 1x a day, clean up any bird dropping or water drops right away with quick detalier and a microfiber rag , clean the wheels 1-3x a week and I clean the front glass 1-2x daily. It takes a matter of mins, and it just feels great driving a clean car.

Kloogy, my '11 35d pipes have NEVER looked like that. Maybe the filters for my diesel are really great...but I have 1300 miles now, and I have never had to clean anything more than water spots from rain and/or some road grime. Not even the slightest hint of black!!

Kloogy,

This is a picture I just snapped of my 35d, this morning (8am on Thursday). I have NOT wiped the tail pipes in at least 10-14 days. No cleaning or wiping at all. I am really surprised a gasoline model would be so much dirtier than the Diesel. Wow, Diesel really is clean & green now :) All you dirty, dirty gasoline burners! LOL :stickpoke

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My 2007 335i had the same issue, and it seems to be related to the N54/N55 turbo engines. If you don't clean it every now and then it can really bake on and become very hard to remove. I found that chrome polish worked okay, but an even better solution is this stuff:
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I've been able to find it at my local AutoZone, and a single can lasted a long time. You simply grab a piece of the cotton wadding and rub it on the exhaust tips, then wipe off the residue. The solvent (or whatever) in the wadding makes quick work of the soot, dirt, etc.

My X5 35d always has very clean exhaust tips. I know that diesels aren't completely clean and green, but I don't mind having relatively maintenance-free exhaust tips. :D

How's that stuff on the paint? I imagine it's a bit tough to get everything given the cut out in the bumper doesn't allow for a ton of space. I'm interested, but I have large hands and really don't feel like having super shiny tips with paint marks around them.

15 years ago you would not have had this issue. The quality of fuel today is less then bad. What you are seeing is all of the "fillers" in the fuel collecting on the tip. (ethenol)

:iagree: this ethanol is crap. Where can i get pure quality gasoline?!

There is a "Getty" gas station close to my house. They even put up a sign, "No Ethanol" ! (picture is not current, but sign is still there)


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i hate it when soot collects on the tip. i just bang it on the bedpost and that usually knocks the slag loose. :D

That's amazing. Looks at how clean that is ! :wow:

What can I say, I love to pollute the air !

:dunno:

That's nothing I also have a 2009 maserati gts cc and u should see how dirty that gets

11 mpg; I'd love to get that!

The worst are the X5/6Ms. If the owners arent on top of it, those tailpipes get TRASHED! I've seen some with ~1000 miles that are done-zo

On my 335i the bumper was similarly close to the tips, and I also have large hands, but it was no problem using the wadding to clean things up nicely. The wadding is cotton and is only as thick as the piece you tear off , and the solvent doesn't rub off or otherwise damage the finish on the bumper. I simply wiped off any that got on the bumper, and after four years of it the paint was still perfect.

I've used Autosol ever since my motorcycle days. A very small dab, and a rag, works perfectly.

I was at the dealership and spoke to the SA about it. He gave me a look like he had no clue what I was talking about. Sometimes I wonder if these guys are stupid, or they are good at acting like it !

neat, do you know if it helps prevent build-up too? I'm also hoping it can somehow lead to keeping the drip to a minimum.

Pics!!! Or you don't have one!:D

It wouldn't do anything for buildup, unless the buildup is accelerated by the tips being dirty, ie more sticks to a dirty tip.

I've been using the same tube of Autosol for years now. I never thought the tips needing cleaning was a big deal.