Upon some research on the forums regarding the OEM tips that you can purchase from BMW, I decided to tackle this project without shelling out the $100. I know, you're probably thinking "The cheap ones will chip off" or "The fitment won't be right", which were my concerns also in going aftermarket with the tips. However, after going to a few different auto parts stores, I finally found a pair that looked like they would fit pretty well, and also be able to withstand the heat being expelled from the exhaust. The tips appear to be polished metal, more than chrome. I could be wrong, but i did "test" the tips at the store before purchasing. Lets just say that I banged them around pretty hard on a rough surface to test that the outer layer wouldn't easily chip off. Surprisingly, these tips were only $4.99 each. I know...sounds sketchy, but if they happen to oxidize in a weird way or end up chipping I'm only out $10. Felt like it was a no brainer.
You can purchase these tips from O'reilly Auto Parts in the exhaust/exhaust tips section. I've looked in Autozone and Advanced Auto, to no avail. They have the right diameter, but length wasn't correct. The company that makes these is ROL Gaskets.
Fitment was snug even before tightening, so no issues with install. There are 3 screws that you can tighten, which I used only 2 of the bottom screws, since the 3rd one was on the top where I could not reached. Upon tightening, I gave it a good tug to ensure that they weren't going anywhere. The
item # is 583021. I believe they had a max diameter of 2 1/2 inches. You'll know which ones they are, as I only saw one type that looked even remotely close to correct fitment on the e90 pipes.
The only catch is that the screws are a bit long, but I'm sure that you can find some shorter ones to use. I took some pics with the longer ones so that you can see what it looks like with no modification. Including screws, this cost me $10.50, which is about 1/10 of the price of the OEM ones. Call me cheap, but I think of it more as being savvy. I pay money where its worth.
Update: I found that you can buy these online or use store pickup option. Here's the
direct link on the O'Reilly site.
