# Seeing some DPM on the back of my car - UPDATE to the UPDATE



## bayoucity (Jun 11, 2010)

cssnms said:


> Tailpipe pic. Car washed last weekend.


Jealous.


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## mecodoug (Nov 30, 2007)

My pipes look like that, actually worse. I do have 16,000 miles and I have never cleaned the pipes. I think that is normal and (forgive me) it does not bother me in the slightest.


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## János (Jun 19, 2010)

I get a very fine layer of grime around the back of the car. Unfortunately I don't wash the car very often (it is parked outside and gets coated with city dust within a few hours). I think the stuff at the rear is probably road dust, pollen, and a little bit of soot. Thank goodness for Tasman Green. 

My tailpipes have a dirty spot at the bottom, very similar to the pic posted by grapes87. It was quite a bit less noticeable several months ago so I think I'd better see about polishing them. Would Brasso or toothpaste work?


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## 01silvercoupe (Jul 27, 2011)

*Soot on rear of car*

My 2001 330ci has soot on the rear bumper as soon as the day after a wash. I assumed the car was running too rich .....but now see the "problem" is not unique to my car. I have 85000 miles and the car is in excellent condition though I thought it needed to be tuned because it seems the power less than it should be and I thought the soot was a sign that the mixture was off. Seems to be burning more gas than normal too.


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## János (Jun 19, 2010)

When getting behind the wheel recently I noticed that I had a bit of oily/powdery grime along my right thumb. At first I didn't think much about it but the second time it happened I realized I probably got it from handling the trunk lid. I haven't examined the underside edge of the trunk lid but will do that soon. 

I think it might be a good idea to have my exhaust system checked out.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

See, not if you used the handles on the inside of the trunk lid to shut it then you'd never discovered that


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## János (Jun 19, 2010)

I usually do use the inner handle, so I think it might be when I open the trunk using the latch rather than the keyfob. 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Bimmer App


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Just remember to never ever touch the paint. It is sensitive and gets its feelings hurt easily. I always use the latch and never noticed something on my hand. I have beige interior and am pretty paranoid about checking my hands for anything that might hurt my interiors feelings.


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## ncbuckeye (Sep 9, 2011)

cssnms said:


> I am very anal about keeping my cars clean so I might be more sensative and thus keen to notice it then most. I would be willing to bet my next paycheck it is DPM vs road grime. I do not see a lot of soot around the tailpipes or no more then what I would consider "normal." As mentioned previously, I've owned white cars before and never experienced this issue. The DPM I am seeing starts to accumulate almost immediately after I wash my car and doing some spirited driving. It is a very fine black powdery substance, that when I run my finger across it it leaves a very distinct line and black on my finger. If my car were any other color it would not be noticable to the eye at least until it accumulated to a point where it might be more visible or after it rains.
> 
> I would be very interested to hear from another AW d owner as to their experience/findings. Or maybe one of you guys that thinks your car is clean right now, go rub your finger across your rear bumper and tell me what color it is after doing so.


I have an AW and I notice exactly the same thing. It has done this since I got it. Never bothered me any. Don't misunderstand- I would bet I am every bit as anal as you are on car maintenance. As a matter of fact, when I first saw it, I was surprised not at the soot, but that the soot would stick to my multiple Zaino-layered finish that I spent days layering on .

My pipes will also get a very slight darkening at 6:00 which comes off very easily with Nevr-dull. This doesn't bother me either. It's a nice reminder of that wonderful power plant under the hood :thumbup:


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## F32Fleet (Jul 14, 2010)

bayoucity said:


> Wait ! I believe it is normal to have those thin layer of black soot in the rear & its PIA to keep them clean if you have AW. Am I wrong?
> 
> p/s: Attached photos are showing rear view & close-up of the black shoot. BTW, I been bad & she hasn't been washed for 4 weeks. Please tell me it is normal.


You live in Houston. The VOC's and burn off (flare) blowing in from Deer Park and Pasadena could easily cause that IMO.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

BMWTurboDzl said:


> You live in Houston. The VOC's and burn off (flare) blowing in from Deer Park and Pasadena could easily cause that IMO.


Hah, if that were true then my white truck would show it well


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Looks like a common concern on many different makes and models, in other forums.

Are you really concerned about it?:dunno:

The rear of the car is the low pressure zone so any road dirt, dust, soot from brakes and exhaust will settle back there, especially if it is wet or moist.

I've got a black car anyway, who cares?:jack:

I'm pretty sure just about any car will have some amount of build up back there. Do a wipe test!


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well I had to pick between be concerned about this or about doing oil changes early ....


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## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

János said:


> I get a very fine layer of grime around the back of the car. Unfortunately I don't wash the car very often (it is parked outside and gets coated with city dust within a few hours). I think the stuff at the rear is probably road dust, pollen, and a little bit of soot. Thank goodness for Tasman Green.
> 
> My tailpipes have a dirty spot at the bottom, very similar to the pic posted by grapes87. It was quite a bit less noticeable several months ago so I think I'd better see about polishing them. Would Brasso or toothpaste work?


My pipes looked similar to the pictures that were posted. I'm not crazy about keeping my car clean since I park it outside, but I thought the pipes could use a little attention. I had some Meguiar's Mag Wheel and Aluminum polish that I use for another car. Five minutes and they cleaned up like new.


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