Policeman told me De-cats are illegal!

[_Tom]

Got pulled last night again for a supposed random check! He looked all round my car and then said, Its one of them fast ones init? I said it quite quick but its only the baby bro to the williams. He then started staring at my exhaust and asked if i have a Cat. I said yeah as i do at the mo. Anyway, he then started to explain that they will be doing checks soon for Cats on Boy Racers cars. I asked why and he said that any car after K plate should have a Cat and if you crash or get pulled without one and you fail an emmisions test your insurance is void as the car is classed as un-road worthy! Therfore making it illegal! Also if you dont have a cat they can make you go and get your car tested to check it passes an mot and then take the certificate in with a producer!

 

[Tom]

with respect a policeman wouldnt know.

Vosa would.

"I asked why and he said that any car after K plate should have a Cat and if you crash or get pulled without one and you fail an emmisions test your insurance is void as the car is classed as un-road worthy!"

but if you decat and it doesnt fail your ok.

 

[Dave]

The policeman said nothing wrong. He didnt say De-Cat was illegal, but that any car after a certain date (i am guessing 93 k plate) was fitted with a cat to comply with emission regulations (i think!).

Therefore if you de-cat it there is a high possibility it will fail an emissions test, therefore failing MOT and not being roadworthy and therefore perhaps voiding insurance. And yes they can make you get a new MOT and produce it.

This is when you bolt on your cat and get an MOT and waste a few hous down the nick in a queue to produce.

 

[Tom]

Yes so having a car that cant pass emissions is illegal.

Decating isnt.

 

[Chris n nic]

Does this count on a new car. No MOT for three years so wouldnt have an emissions test done to let you know it is over the emission limit

Chris

 

[Bryan]

yes, if they check the car, and it fails, it will be deemed unroadworthy

 

[RobFenn]

Thing is what emissions test are we on about? Is there like a pre-92 one? So all cars without a cat can pass that an be ok? Surely all non cat cars fail the most recent emissions tests..?

-Rob

 

[Dave]

Nah there must be like a banding depending on how old the car is.

 

[Bryan]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 25 February 2004


Thing is what emissions test are we on about? Is there like a pre-92 one? So all cars without a cat can pass that an be ok? Surely all non cat cars fail the most recent emissions tests..?

-Rob

cars from a specific year have their own emissions bands that they must fall within

for example, a clio from 96 will have a different limitations than a 03 clio

 

[DJChimera]

If they tell you to take an MOT again, just bang your cat back on and do it. Take it off again when your done - pain in the arse but if it shuts them up fair enough.

As for crashing the car, and then saying it was unroadworthy. I havent personally thought of that, but its a possibility.

The policeman sounds like a c*ck by the way. Boy racer cars? They wonder why they never get any respect off car drivers. Everyones a c*nt in their eyes.

 

[Dave]

Boy racer/ Car enthusiast. Different to tell the difference really aint it.

All in all the cop has been quite helpful as now ppl in that area will know to be wary of cops testing emissions in the future.

 

[DJChimera]

Hang on, if you crash your car with enough effort for the police to be looking over it - chances are the engine will be buggered. So even if they did spot the de-cat pipe, its unlikely theyll get the engine started, and even if it does the results wont be accurate what so ever.

You can just tell them that it passed the emissions test, with the de-cat pipe in at your last MOT - they cant prove otherwise with a written off engine surely?

 

[Dave]

Would you wanna chance it? Esp. if it aint declared and the de-cat wasnt present on the MOT?

You get an emissions printout usually dontcha?

 

[cliosportcraig]

surely if you declare a de cat to the insurers then your insurance wont be invalid !! your car will just be not road worthy !! then you just bolt on the CAT and take an emmisions test !!

 

[Roamer]

Who dont declare a decat ffs????? its a bit of pipe, and I havent had a sniff of trouble declaring either of mine :S

 

[_Tom]

Well the policeman i was chattin to said they can even impound your car now until the emmissions test! Theyve also got mobil testin units which they can make you wait for until they arrive! The guy had answers for everything!

 

[Roamer]

So what if they can impound your car? dont make a difference, cos after the emmisions test (which you fail) you are allowed to do corrective works on the vehicle and have it retested...... so????

bloody hell, are decatd cars SOOOOooooo high up on the traffic polices agenda? if so I think we should take a few of them off traffic and put them down on beat where they could do a bit more good for the country.

 

[_Tom]

Well im just telling you what they told me! And yes they did say they are trying to clamp down on decated cars!

 

[big hp]

I just phoned a family friend who is a traffic officer in the Thames Valley area. He said if this copper said this he is talking out of his arse. Tax, insurance etc etc is there top drive. He said, for one how many coppers even know what a de-cat looks like as opposed to a cat. Plus who wants to go rolling around under a car looking at a roasting exhaust. Sounds like the officer was feeding you crap, seeing how willing you were to accept it.

 

[m_darby]

i have seen these mobile emission testing vans. it was on the main road form skeg-vegas to ingomels. the coppers stopped any car with has a boy racer look. in skeggy that was nearly ever car!

 

[cliosportcraig]

an officer couldnt even get his head under my car !! let alone see if ive got a de cat !!!

 

[Bryan]

Quote: Originally posted by m_darby on 25 February 2004

i have seen these mobile emission testing vans

i ave too, around Stockley Park on the now infamous sunday night events

blocked every exit to the roundabout and tested EVERY car, mine failed on the emissions, had to have it retested (car was taken off road after that as it needed a new ECU)

 

[Martin]

I am running de-cat but have not has any attention from police since I traded in the VTR and got the Williams! Used to have de-cat on Saxo but never had it checked when I was pulled.

 

[Rajk]

I have seen the mobile vans too, i think they are trying to target some of the older vehicles on our roads, like the mini-cabs that blow out loads of smoke and cars which look like they could be better positioned in scrap yards. You have to remember that there are too many cars on the road, especially in London, but Im not trying to justify why they are there, as I believe that the motorist get kaned everywhich way.

TBH a copper would know what a DE-CAT was if it hit him/her in the face and the same applies for insurance companies!

 

[lastmanjackson]

Without reading the rest of these posts here goes

If the car requires the cat which if I remember rightly is after 1992, then it must be fitted and working.

If your cat fails the MOT then it needs to be replaced before you are road legal. If you take it off your not road legal.

It is the same with small number plates. If you go to an MOT station they will fail it for this (unless you know the guy). The reason for the failure is it isnt road legal.

In other words any car post 1992 with cat must have it fitted and working otherwise you could get done. This isnt a points offence, you would probably just get a requirement to have it re-fitted and MOTd to prove its been done along with your producer

 

[Roamer]

Quote: Originally posted by lastmanjackson on 25 February 2004

In other words any car post 1992 with cat must have it fitted and working otherwise you could get done. This isnt a points offence, you would probably just get a requirement to have it re-fitted and MOTd to prove its been done along with your producer

Nope, there is no legal requirement for a cat to be fitted to a car for the MOT, there is no visual check on the MOT - only the emmisions test, and if it passes it passes, end of, cat or not it just has to pass emmisions.

 

[Mondial172]

A friend got pulled on the South circular in London. Stopped him for a routine emmissions test! My friend was drive a month old Honda HRV and couldnt believe hed pulled pulled! Needless to say the car passed by miles and he went on his way but was late for work in the process.

 

[maaaaaartin]

Post 92 cars will be subject to a Catalyst (closed loop) gas test. It is unlikely that it will pass this emission test without a cat.

 

[lastmanjackson]

Probably didnt make myself understood very well.

Yes it is emmissions based but as maaaaartin has just added, without it, it will fail so my first post applies at that point.

 

[Neil82]

You would fail an MOT for loads of little things (lights, seat belts etc etc) does that mean the insurance can null your insurance????????????If you declare the de-cat its fine...

 

[rasp]

thats my next mod quoshed then, nice noise but if you screw up like run someone over you could be right up the creek without a paddle

 

[Neil82]

Make sure your car is 100% right because by what your saying if you car has any MOT failing fault you will get done if you run some one over.

 

[SaxoKiller]

Its a shame we all have to watch what we do all the time, the coppers should go and find someone whos perhaps, i dont know, doing some crime?....

 

[royalsgoingup]

decats after 1993 are illigal!!! As cars must be fitted with catalytic convertors to keep emmisions down, th eonly way a decta wont harm u is if it has been declared on your insurance AND it was on the car when the MOT was taken. I got stopped in my saxo for an roadside emmisions test and failed as such i had to put the cat back on and get a new MOT all within 14 days.

Also just wanted to check something i applied a decat to my saxo and seemed to lose a lot of low down torque, same thing happen on clios??

 

[jonnyboy]

Decats ARE NOT illegal

If they tested your emmisions at the roadside and you failed that would be illegal but the act actually removing the cat and driving without it is NOT ILLEGAL. Anyone ever been done dor "driving without a catalytic converter"? Ive never heard of it.

 

[® Andy]

Well if you really want to settle this you can read the MOT rules here ...

- Exhaust - http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_710.htmhttp://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_710.htm

- Emissions - http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_730.htmhttp://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_730.htm

Decats arent illegal. Incorrect emissions are! Cats scrub the last bit of the emissions out, so if your engine is clean enough already (modern engine runs about as lean and clean as it can whilst still working effectively), you can pass the emissions test without a cat. Some of cars do ... including the car of the manager at the garage I was watching them do MOTs at today.

If you have a decat, but you arent sure that you can pass an emissions test (eg. you havent been MOTed with your decat on), then suppose you are taking a risk etc..

 

[Neil82]

A 172 will not pass an MOT with a de-cat, will be no where near passing..

 

[Neil82]

"b. a silencer in such condition, or of such a type, that the noise emitted from the vehicle is clearly unreasonably above the level expected from a similar vehicle with a silencer in average condition."



If thats true surely the Supersprint straight through exhausts will fail the MOT.

 

[Dave Hester]

I know in some cases with people that have decats fitted to their cars, that the car would maybe pass the emissions if an ecotek was also fitted

 

[cliopower]

they are not illegal but they can do you if your car fails the emissions test without a cat as im sure its been said a million times before. You might be able to get away with a 1.2 for something small but theres no chance of getting a 1.8 down so it would be illegal. you could however put a de-cat on and you gas instead of petrol which woukd obviously pass any test.