Second hand BMW 318/320D with dirty exhaust pipes

embraer170

I'm on the market for a second hand BMW 318/320D with about 80k miles. Some cars I am looking at have rather dirty exhaust pipes while others are perfectly clean.

Is a dirty exhaust pipe the sign of something potentially wrong with the engine and a reason to steer clear of the car?

I've attached a photo as an example.

TestTransmission

I would hazard a guess that it's pretty normal

Gumbo

embraer170 wrote: »

I'm on the market for a second hand BMW 318/320D with about 80k miles. Some cars I am looking at have rather dirty exhaust pipes while others are perfectly clean.

Is a dirty exhaust pipe the sign of something potentially wrong with the engine and a reason to steer clear of the car?

I've attached a photo as an example.

100% normal.
They do come up well with a bit of steel cleaner and elbow greese, but go look at every E90 diesel out there and they will be the exact same.

embraer170

Thanks. I appreciate the replies.

Is it crazy to go out and buy a second hand with 80k miles? All the cars I am looking at would have a full service history at BMW garages?

bazz26

Mine is the same, a pita to keep it clean. Alot of dirt from the roads gets thrown up from underneth the car especially the rear wheel.

Regarding the cars you are looking at, make sure they have a fully verified service history and have evidence of regular oil and filter changes. Very important that the oil is changed in these engines regularly to keep them in tip top shape.

MetzgerMeister

It's just the difference between an owner who bothered to clean them and an owner who didn't.

If you want them to shine, give them a wash, remove all tar etc. and give them a go of Meguiar's metal polish. Not only does it bring them up a lot but it also forms a barrier on the metal that stops dirt sticking so easily.

_Conrad_

The ones with a "clean" exhaust have just had a more intensive wash at the garage. Any diesel exhaust in particular is going to get black again over the next couple of weeks even if you clean it.

People are so concerned with mileage, some seem terrified of it. The best car out of a pair of cars isn't always going to be the one with the lowest mileage, you could have a 50k mile car that's been abused or an 100k car which was respected and looked after far better. Just buy the car that's in the best over all condition and is the tidiest one you can find, it's not all 100 percent down to mileage and you could make a wrong decision based purely on one car having lower miles.
Just see which items need to be done at what mileage and if let's say a car is supposed to get something every 70k for example then if it's had it done at that, grand (if they've got full service history you'll be able to check it), if no then ask why and see will they either do it for you into the deal somehow or reduce the price to take that into account, if you like the car that is

Northern Monkey

The tip on the 320d(e90) is just a cover, so you can remove it with a torx for easier cleaning or replace it altogether (think it is about £30 from a dealer)

Gumbo

embraer170 wrote: »

Thanks. I appreciate the replies.

Is it crazy to go out and buy a second hand with 80k miles? All the cars I am looking at would have a full service history at BMW garages?

ive bought cars with twice that mileage and sold them no probs!
aslong as they are priced accordinly and are in good condition with good history.

show us a link to the car in question.

Northern Monkey wrote: »

The tip on the 320d(e90) is just a cover, so you can remove it with a torx for easier cleaning or replace it altogether (think it is about £30 from a dealer)

are you sure about that???
any E90 owner i know that have upgraded their exhaust tip to match the LCI car have had to cut the current tip off.

bazz26

The E90 3 Series with Efficency Dynamics from mid 2007, exhaust tip is a straight oval shape and different to the pre ED E90 3 Series which is narrower and curves down towards the ground.

ottostreet

80k miles? Sure its brand new at that mileage!