2008 BMW 135i: Attention to Detail...It Matters

I wish the 135i had a dual outlet setup similar to the 335i's, especially since it has the power to back up the aggressive look.

So you pay premium to have the exhaust look dirty all the time. Brilliant.

I want one of these sooooooooo bad but I need a sedan. =(.

BMW's should have the option of anthracite-colored alloy wheels, so the notorious brake dust build-up would also be invisible.

so its just a darker shade so the dirt doesnt show...not that special

"BMW's should have the option of anthracite-colored alloy wheels, so the notorious brake dust build-up would also be invisible."

lol +1

""BMW's should have the option of anthracite-colored alloy wheels, so the notorious brake dust build-up would also be invisible."

lol +1"

+1
I hate cleaning my MINI's wheels, what a pain. I wouldn't mind a darker exhaust tip. I'm not into the chrome anyways.

Why not make the ENTIRE CAR out of that anthracite material? Then you'd NEVER have to wash it!

This reminds me of the "why don't they make the entire plane out of the stuff they use to make the black box?" discussion.

I'm not sure why.

This post has really hit a new low...

Maybe it's because the default exhaust tip color for cars is bright chrome that having something different that's shiny AND hides dirt indicates attention to detail?

I agree that attention to detail is important and makes an impression on some consumers. However, I don't know if I'd say that BMW's reason for using smoked chrome (sorry, "anthracite") was to ensure they always look the same at a glance - whether dirty or clean. Did you hear that from BMW? Or is it your own hypothesis?

I think it's just a styling move on their part and in that respect, I think it looks great, but styling IS subjective.

I agree with louisweil. Maybe you can show us how you burned your leg on it!

Speaking of bias.

if this was the aura, they'd complain the tips not chrome like other cars.

way to twist something into a postive.

or like bmw's attention to detail on the mini-s, with the burn your leg exhaust, just so its in the middle and cute.

I'm surprised at the hate this post generates. It seems that no car in the fleet is safe from hate.

If you look closely at how the exhaust tip is styled, it's actually a really good idea. It has chrome rings right at the edge, so when you are standing 5+ feet away you see the chrome touch....but the rest of the pipe is coated in that nice smooth anthracite finish.

I don't know about you guys, but I know keeping my chrome exhaust tip (and by tip I mean it's about 6-8" long) clean from road dirt, salt, and baked on crud is really difficult.

I think this styling "solution" offers the best of both worlds.

I agree with the sentiment that BMW and manufacturers that use higher-performance brake pads stock, which dust a ton, should offer anthracite/gunmetal colored wheels as an OEM option.

As for offering a paint option that doesn't show dirt and you never have to clean...that's called metallic silver. It hides dents too.

Joe

Attention to detail is putting condensation drain holes in the bottom of the exhaust tips an inch or two back, so sooty water doesn't stain the bottom lip of the exhaust tip. Does the 135 have these drain holes? A lot of manufacturers don't - Infiniti and Audi are two that come to mind.

That is a great point :)

I know my 06 SI doesn't....maybe my 08 LGT does, because those exhaust tips are shiny and new looking after 6k miles and I've barely touched them.

Joe

Is this really worth a blog post?

...and is it really worth me posting a reply?

As long as it's being discussed..... I think the way they are cut to the angle of the bumper shows nice attention to detail. Our '07 328 has them with no chrome, no coating, no angle cut.....they just stick straight out the back. This was changed beginning with the '08s

I am tired of hating, I got nothing bad to say about these dark pipes.

Dood, you have become lazy..

"Dood, you have become lazy.."

Alright fine, here are my comments.

I don't think BMW made the pipes dark to hide the dirt, I think they are dark to match the dark gray bumper trim piece, and also like other have mention, it is nice for the pipe to be at the same angle as the bumper, which BMW have always done on just about all of their previous cars. The E36 M3 angled pipes stand out the most in my mind.

Those are all great attention to details, which is a given for all fancier cars anyway, nothing new.

If BMW in fact made the pipes dark to hide the dirt, then all BMW tailpipes would be that color, but they are not. I think the color of the pipes are determine by the exhaust cutout surrounding bumper color, when the surrounding is body color, the pipes are chrome (335i), the 135i got dark gray trim piece, so the pipes are dark. The older X5 4.4i got black pipes surrounded by dark gray bumper trim piece.....ect.

Also like other mention, if they color things to hide dirt, they all should have dark wheels to hide those crazy pad dust.