Now that’s what I call exhaust

So late last week I decided to get my car checked out. My sister’s b/f works at a diesel engine specialist and so it made sense.

The problem? Lots of exhaust smoke when I pull away at low revs.

He slammed down on the accelerator and we pretty much filled the small forecourt with smelly black soot.

It was, however fixable. Rather than have a main dealer replace the entire exhaust with a brand new one, it appears there’s a crafty cheap fix. Apparently when the air pressure rises sufficiently a valve opens, causing a loop to form and exhaust fumes to go through the system twice. It the exhaust is very dirty this can cause plumes of black soot to be pushed through under pressure. So a small ball bearing was inserted into this valve to permanently close it.

Problem 90% fixed. It’s certainly faster and produces only a fraction of what it used to. Apparently it’s a common fix that they charge rediculous amounts for. I wasn’t charged.

Result.