Lude Generation

Hello everyone in Englandlandshire. Sorry I've been off the air but I have popped in once or twice for a little shufty.
Anyway, most of my other issues are out of the way so it's time to reaffirm my lurrve for my Prelude. However, this interesting sight has appeared over the past couple of weeks and would like an opinion on what you think it is.
As you can see from the photos ( pretty poor I accept, they're from my phone) I have a lot of black 'dust' that is appearing in the 'cones' (is that the right word?) and also all on the rearmost part of the back box itself.
I've never had it like this before and am wondering what it is. A couple of weeks ago I drove to Singapore with not a problem and when I got back the exhaust did not look like this. I use RON97 Shell petrol normally however, on my trip to Singers I filled up twice with the Shell V-power Racing petrol. I'd also put a bottle of Sonax injector cleaner into the tank about 3 weeks ago.
Like I said, I've never seen my exhaust pipes and back box so dirty with this 'powdery/sooty' stuff. I've felt it and it's not oily, just like a kind of dust. I'd love to hear your thoughts gentlemen. Anyway, here's the shots, interstingly enough, I cleaned the car on Monday and have only been tootling backwards and forwards, so this 'soot' you see here is 48hrs after I'd cleaned it.

The dust settling on the lower half of the cones

Apologies for crappy quality but you can see the dust/soot on the lower halves of the cones.

Here's the back box - this after being washed 48hrs ago.

For a clean freak like me this is heartbreaking.


I'd be so very grateful for any pearls of wisdom from your collective brains. Thanks gents, Simon.

Hi Simon, glad you've got most things sorted on the car now.
That soot in the tailpipes looks pretty normal to me. H22's tend to run a bit rich, so you do get sooty combustion deposits on the tailpipes over time.
So long as it's running ok/not suddenly using loads of petrol or oil, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

Hi Iain and thanks for that. It's weird but it's just started happening and the sooty stuff has never splattered over the back box in this sort of quantity before.
Still, if you say it's nowt to worry about, then it's just another excuse to exercise my OCD cleaning techniques on the tailpipes and back box every week.
Thanks matey and hope all is well your end.

Haven't you recently fitted a decat?...

I have the same on my s;



Wouldn't worry about it

A quick squirt with your favourite acid free wheel cleaner to melt the carbon deposits, followed by a polish up with Autosol or the Britemax twins and job done.

Hi @bennyboy. You are right young man. The exhaust I fitted last year has no cat on it. I guess I can safely conclude that it's really nowt to get my knickers in a twist about, just like @Shiny suggests, a bit of elbow grease and a few dollops of Autosol to dazzle those following me with the sun reflecting off my sexy exhausts.
Thanks all. Much appreciated.