My 2003 BMW 320td won't pass the emissions test - I fixed everything else for the MOT, but it was returned with a fail.
It was smoking on acceleration in the past, but is now free of that completely, but I can't get it through this test.

I read new emission levels were introduced this year, meaning around 90% of older diesels won't pass the test.

Broke/unemployment/wahwah/etc means it's this or walking, so any cheap advice would be appreciated.

What was the reading?

Dosing with additive and being taken a 30mile motorway route direct to the testing point got my diesel through last time. ( OH had put 'Cataclean' in for me, but it needs using quite far ahead of test ) Additives not cheap, but are in comparison to loss of car. Good luck next time.

Does it have an emissions sticker on the car somewhere?

I've heard that if it does then the tester must fail the car if it exceeds the sticker.

But if the sticker isn't there then the tester refers to a much higher (but still OK) generic level depending on age and engine size.

I think this is it:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...smoke-test-limits-and-annual-assessments

Other than that, the usual "Italian Tuneup", good quality fuel, service and cataclean should help.

Using the manufacturer plated value is stupid. It wasn’t compulsory for the manufacturer to plate the value in 2003 yet now it becomes a compulsory element of MOT if the manufacturer chose to plate it.

The classic example is a 2002 VW Passat, plated figure of 0.64 against a default of 3.0. There are brand new diesels that might struggle with 0.64.

The 0.64 was the value for a new car, it wasn’t intended to last for life.

Try changing the oil and all the filters, then on the way to the test center, drive in a low gear to increase the engine revs and blow all the rubbish out of the system prior to the test.

"Italian Tuneup" did the trick for me a few years back. I got rid of the car shortly after though. Didn't want to go through that again the following year.

got my old petrol berlingo through using the clean up stuff you squirt up the air intake into carb with engine running.

Going somewhere else a couple of days later did the trick. It was under the specified (co2 was 1.8 on the sticker thingy).
Wonder what happened there? They should give their probe a wipe.