I think they had in mind sliding on a decorative (archive)

sleeve like the ones in the BMP catalog, etc. It did take a while to polish the stainless, I stipped the paint off with paint stripper & then sanded them, starting with 320 grit wet-or-dry with WD-40 & worked up with 400, 600, 800, & finally 1000 ultra-fine & then buffed them with a wool wheel & polishing compound.

gale

does seem odd that Eberspaecher would paint over
the stainless tail pipes instead of opting for
aluminized/painted pipes or running them stainless/without paint as you have made them. Guess its added manufacturing cost to remove discoloration due to welding by buffing which would lead them in this direction.
Best Regards,
George
90 735il/145K

By look & color. The aluminized steel has a unique look to it, it's a dull silver-grey, almost has a galvanized look, but without the crystaline surface finish that galvanizing leaves. Stainless looks alot like nickel, the 300 series stainless (type 303, 304, 18-8, etc.) is non-magnetic unless it's been cold-worked or welded. If you know it's some type of steel & a magnet won't stick to it, most likely it's type 304 stainless. Only the rear tips are stainless on the Eberspaecher muffler, all the other piping in the assembly is mild carbon steel with the aluminum clading.

gale

Gale,
How can you tell that the muffler is aluminized
and the tips are stainless?
Thanks,
George

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