This is a car I'm looking at. See how the tips are black? I saw dripping when the car was started. Is this normal? Is it an oil burner?!

 

Most of these cars to my knowledge do run a bit rich(black) according to our local dealer...the dripping is just condensation.Every car will drip upon start up in colder climate!

Stacy

 

Mine look like that, except the tips have changed to the same rainbow colours that motorcycle pipes have.

 

My car hasn't used a drop of oil in the 18000 miles I've had it; yet there is soot on the exhaust tips. I think it is mostly from running rich during warm up and short trips.
PB

 

the dripping is water from the cats...perfectly normal...black tips..hard to say cuz exhaust soot is also normal...if it doesn't smoke it probably is not burning oil...if you start the car when cold and shut it off quickly the next time you start it...there could be some smoke...if it is warm when you shut it off there should not be any smoke the next time you start it...

 

oil burning is blue smoke.

 

Also, if you're losing oil because of engine problem you may have similar oil build up in the engine compartment ask me how I know. What you have in the picture appears normal soot build-up.

 

I reached down when no one was looking and stuck my finger in the fluid collecting at the base of the pipe for a feel to see if it was oily. It didn't feel oily. So (and I'm not sure what possessed me to do this) I decided to have a taste to see if I could tell if it was soot or just water. I felt like an experienced archeologist who can, by tasting, tell how old a piece of pottery is. After sticking my finger in my mouth I quickly realized I didn't know what soot tasted like because I had no frame of reference for soot. This was not one of my brighter moments because now I had a mouth full of sooty water and the smartly dressed salesman was coming back over. Do I spit? Did I have a tissue in my pocket? Did he see me fiddling my finger into his car's tailpipe and tasting it? Do I do the unthinkable and.. gulp?

I pretended to cough, leaned back and over and spit it out behind me. I don't think the salesman noticed, but I did have a pretty terrible taste in my mouth for the test drive. Let this be a valuable lesson to you all!

Awesome replies. Thanks guys.

 

That's pretty funny. If the salesman noticed that, he might not have let you test drive the car.

 

These cars run rich especially the new 2009 Carrera S. My tips get a black velvety sooty look all over them and some on the rear of the car.

I wonder is a freeer flowing intake to allow more more into the engine would clear up this sooting isue on the 2009 C2S?

 

Give us some details on the car!

Nick

 

BTw, that soot is loaded with benzo alpha pyrene, anthracene and other pyrolosis products. All are serious carcinogens. I would not do that too many times, since the oral mucosa allow instant passage to the blood stream. I would ask the salesman to taste it..

 

Be advised, sticking your finger in another man's tailpipe and then sticking it in your mouth to taste it usually only happens in prison. I would be careful if I were you.

 

On my 2007 Carrera S after I did the Softronic ECU upgrade flash the tail pipe soot mostly went away. The ECU flash probably was running the engine more leaner. Porsche tunes the cars to run rich to save the engine in case of low grade.

 

I hope this behavior does not carry over into your dating experiences Those pipes look fine. Go for it.