Bought a car with no cat!

[Deleted User]

Rodney_Trotter wrote: »

Fcuk me they must be bad if you won't touch them.

The ones with the few months remaining, not the ones with the fresh new 12 months on.

Retrogamer

pogg000 wrote: »

more important to know the numbers, as this will tell you whats wrong!

If the cat is missing, the numbers don't matter.
If the cat was missing and the emissions test passed, it would still be a fail for a missing cat

Gavin83 wrote: »

It's not illegal to have no cat but it is illegal if your car emits more emissions than the legal standards, the police can pull you and do a check any time.

It is illegal to remove a cat from a vehicle where one was fitted as standard. Any exhaust modifications / changes are illegal.

The police won't be able to do a visual or emissions test on a vehicle for a missing cat, but sometimes they have a VOSA person with them who can.

Iceweasel wrote: »

This will apply to diesels too - starting in February this year.

A missing DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) will be an automatic fail, irrespective of the car passing the smoke test.

It'll apply to diesels in regards to the DPF, but not the cat

Johno100

Retrogamer wrote: »

It is illegal to remove a cat from a vehicle where one was fitted as standard. Any exhaust modifications / changes are illegal.

Can I have some of what you are smoking please?:rotfl:

Are you or I going to tell the good people at Mongoose, Piper, Milltek that most of their business is about to disappear?

Retrogamer

Johno100 wrote: »

Can I have some of what you are smoking please?:rotfl:

Are you or I going to tell the good people at Mongoose, Piper, Milltek that most of their business is about to disappear?

I'd rather give you information than what i'm smoking :beer:

Exhausts:

The vast majority of large or big bore exhausts are illegal for use on public roads. The fact they may have passed an MOT test is irrelevant as this only checks for exhaust gasses and emission legislation compliance.

Big bore and sports exhaust systems are usually fitted to increase the sound emitted and this contravenes the Type Approval of the vehicle, which is an offence. There is no requirement for police to measure the sound level from the exhaust system, it only requires an opinion that the system is not standard and that it is noisier than a normal vehicle of the same specification.

It is not an offence to sell these exhaust systems, but it is an offence to fit one to your vehicle and drive it on a public road. Motorists who do so would be reported to court and may face a fine and court costs.

Sources

http://www.norfolk.police.uk/safetyadvice/roadsafety/advicetoroadusers/howlegalisyourvehicle.aspx

https://www.gov.uk/noise-pollution-road-train-plane

There is more extensive reading if you do some searches

In short an exhaust has to be "type approved" to use it legally. This means it will be E marked as proof (Piper, Hoffman, Powerflow ect generally are not)

Once it has met the type approval it can be E marked, but any modifications after that mean the type approval is then invalid.

A few aftermarket systems are type approved but it's rare.
Some higher spec Evos, Imprezas and Corsa / Asta VXR's left the factory with type approved performance exhaust systems. These are fine to fit.

Johno100

Cheers, another reason to avoid Norfolk:beer:

Retrogamer

It's one of these things that's illegal strictly speaking but you'd need to be really unlucky to be charged for it.

I'm running aftermarket bigger bore system and de-cat on my TDi and no problems yet.

Johno100

Well I'm running a 200 cell Sports Cat and Cat-Back exhaust on my ST225, 3" downpipe is next on the list.

No problems with the MOT but I must admit the odd old lady has dived into a hedge when the car lets go a lift-off throttle bang.:rotfl:

red_eye

Bantex wrote: »

Sounds like a boy racer jobby. Last owner probably just bolted a cat on for the MOT each year.

Has it got a non standard air filter as well?

whats wrong with an aftermarket air filter?

[Deleted User]

Nothing wrong with an after market air filter if it is tastefully fitted. I intent to avoid buying boy racer modified cars. Always problems.

Weird_Nev

Netwizard wrote: »

was the engine / emissions light on when you purchased it?

I know when I had my S2000 decatted, even with a decat pipe fitted which was supposed to knock the engine light off, it stayed on all the time.

IN general to avoid issues like that you need to get the ECU remapped as well. Either properly, to eliminate the ecu lighting the ECU check light, or in a crude fashion to stop the light lighting even if the parameters are out of bounds.

I'd be checking this R32 over with a fine tooth comb about now. If it's been de-catted, then it's been dicked about with. It could have had a remap, it could just have tape over the Check Engine Light Bulb, it could have had a myriad other professional and unprofessional modifications made to it. Either way, I'd want to know exactly where I stood with it.

It could, for example, have had a supercharger kit fitted and removed prior to sale - which is something you DEFINATELY want to know about.

I'd be looking for suspicious brakcets in the engine bay and cut wiring/hoses and other modifications. Hopefully they just wanted a fruitier exhaust note, but who knows?