Was on my way to see Paul at Zen today when I got a tug from the men in blue. One was an older guy and obviously a Subaru fan but the other one (early 20's) must of been an Evo driver. He had a right chip on his shoulder for some reason and set out to find every thing he could.

This is the list he came back with :-
1. No seatbelt
2. Windows tinted too dark
3. Windscreen Sun strip in swept area
4. Front number plate too small
5. Illegal back box (non Subaru equipment)

Seatbelt fair enough, tinted windows fair enough, sun strip fair enough (it's only a small one, doesn't go any lower than the sun visors though).
Back box !!!! He reckons any exhaust that is non standard is illegal, WTF
Front number plate is smaller than a normal UK plate but I thought imported cars could run a smaller plate. I read that the letters could be 69mm high and plate length 280mm. When I questioned him he said that was wrong.
The young copper wanted to issue a prohibition notice and have my car taken away because of the back box and sun strip but the older officer said that was not nessary.
Ended up getting just a seat belt fine.

When he measured my windows it came back as allowing 45% of light through. I visually compared my tints to the tints in his Volvo. They looked the same, but when I asked him to use his gauge on his own car they both refused.

Fu*k I hate jumped up little coppers like him. He also said he tried to stop me last week but by the time he had turned round I was out of sight.

 

Jobsworth little tossers mate. I know there are SOME decent ones out there but the little uneducated chimps like the one who stopped you give the decent ones a bad rep.

The only way he could say it was illegal would be because of the excessive DB level

 

I love it when they ask "have you ever been in trouble with the police before ?"...."I'm not in trouble now fella"

Take it on the chin, and forget about it, we all know they exist

Talking to a mate in with the Scoobycity guys, up suffolk way you have it pretty bad on exhaust haters. I'd personally get a more standard looking exhaust as they seem to be pulling scooby exhausts right left and centre

 

promise im not trying to defend em, but he could have ordered you to get the sun strip, exhaust, tints and plate fixed within 7 days then shown to an mot centre for confirmation... Used a great deal down in devon and cornwall..
Is the back box race spec our too loud? Just worth remembering that hes no doubt circulated your vrl on the police national computer with those "issues" so watch out for his similarly anally retentive mates!!
Good luck and safe driving...

 

I`ve always had the most respect for the Police.... Until.....

I got a pull a while back in my previous Scooby near Dundee...
I wasn`t pulled for speeding, or any kind of bad driving.... NO, it was more important than that...... It was my exhaust.....

It wasn`t loud when I was pulled, I was happily burbling along a dual carriageway at 50mph.

I was pulled cos the officer noticed I hadn`t got an exhaust bung in place.
So, he gave my car a 12 month "ASBO" cos it "HAD THE POTENTIAL" of being a noise nuiscance..... ...

The most ironic thing happened as he was awarding my ASBO, a scroty corsa with a back box bigger than his wheels zoomed by at 60mph making more noise than the Space Shuttles Final lift-off...The copper didn`t even bat an eyelid.. (I guess he got his quota with me and my potential)...

 

fit smaller wiper blades so they dont sweep into the sunstrip,

imported cars can run a smaller plate,as per dvla website.and the traffic cop that done me last yr for my small plate told me only imports can get away with it lol

was it the front windows as u can tint the rears as dark as u want.

 

Some right royal **** retentives out there....but a fair few are decent enough.. Sorry to hear about your misfortunes fella....

 

Any exhuast other than standard is now classed as illegal on an mot test before it was just down to the tester's descretion(sp) if it was to loud

 

Hang on, so my prodrive fitted backbox shouldnt pass?
Hmm,

 

^ Where do you stand on imports that have got through SVA's with noisey Jap exhausts ? what do you revert back to ?

 

Wouldnt the mot tester revert back to the old db-meter for this?

 

They'd have to be pretty **** to do that, hopefully any decent tester would have a quiet word in your ear about any after market exhaust

 

Must have been lucky, it passed last monday. Tester remarked, "gotta bit of go, aint it" as he delivered it back to the garage..
Will look out for a stock scooby exhaust for next year... Anyone got a bit of 10mm lead pipe with a.rubber bung in it? Grin...

 

The exhaust thing is complete crap.
After I got to Zen i told Paul and Richard about it. Basically the law states that the exhaust must not be louder than a standard fit from the manufacturers. The problem is that Subaru don't issue any data regarding DB level.
So how can any Police officer / MOT tester prove that my current back box is any louder than standard.

 

A lot of coppers I know use their heads... And their ears.. If it sounds ok and looks professionally fidded theyll pass by. Looks like a halfords reject or sounds like a bee in a biscuit tin, and youll get a tug.. Not very professional, but sensible?

 

Mine isn't over loud. They didn't even mention it being too loud just that they could see it was non standard.
I really could have had a row with the scrawny little **** but after I heard the words 'prohibition notice' I bit my tongue.

 

Just nod apologise, act dumb and plead ignorance

 

But notice who took control? The elder officer. Would he rather have a car enthusiast like you on the streets saying nice things about the police or teen nutter pimping his ride from hafords and prob driving sans licence/tax/insurance??
As has been said, smile, nod, thank and drive...

 

No thats not exactly true, its cars imported before xx date in 1999, imported after that or have the ability to fit standard sized number plates then they have to fit those, small plates are a otherwise.

Tony

 

The fixing bit is correct but not sure about the date part. Found this,,

http://www.craigsplates.com/import-number-plates

 

That links a bag of poo, just another internet company thats not regulated, you should try this link, its an official government one and not some cowboy outfit

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2.../contents/made

There is more stuff around for it, i will have to dig it out when I find where I put it....

Tony

 

the law seem to be clamping down hard at the minute on performance cars as well as VOSA

1. no seatbelt
2. front tints

perfectly good reasons to pull you over

infact you have been lucky as if the tints went below 30% its 3 points on your license and really the copper should have got you to remove them at the roadside before moving on aswell as the sunstrip

so count your self luck

p.s as for the other bits they are being **** but did you give them verbal when you spoke to them or was you polite???

atleast it wasnt VOSA you woud have been truly fecked

 

I got stopped around the Wellingborough area a few days ago.
Was minding my own business and not hooning around when I noticed a black Skoda with two shirts in it behind me.
Within 100 metres all the fairy lights came on so I pulled over.
Similar pairing of younger guy and older guy.
They wanted to speak to me about 'inappropriate acceleration' upon entering a short piece of dual carriageway I had just come through.
Now I am no angel but on this occaision I had no idea what they were on about. After a couple of minutes discussing this I just said 'yeah no problem I'll be more careful' and they seemed satified at that. Older guy walks off to look at the car.
Younger guy then says 'Now, about your number plate' He then proceeded to give me a five minute lecture on number plate legislation.
Have to admit the plate had irregular spacing to make the most of the Scooby spelling in it.
I'm glad they pointed that out to me, it's soooo dangerous and likely to cause some serious harm.

 

If you ever look at Essex old bills scoobys or evos I take it then that prodrive or ralliart exhausts are classed as standard. Pal of mine did his college training with the met old bill and loves his old escorts funny as hell when he gets tugged wipes the floor with them.
"can I clear something officer?"
"what's that?"
"if I was to call you a cu£t you would nick me"
"correct"
" you can't arrest me for thinking, therefore I think your a cu£t!!! Good day officer"

 

Obviously a very jealous copper. they exist everywhere mate. like its been said take it on the chin and if you still feel the need to vent some anger, ring the complaints board. it'll be logged in case he pulls another scooby owner who has the same problems.

 

Well you will get no sympathy from me! what do you expect.

You drive around without a seatbelt, with a small numberplate and tinted windows with a loud exhaust and a stereo in your car.

You are a menace! and should have had your car confiscated and been locked up and have the key thrown away.

 

Seat belt and number plate they could have given you a ticket,

window tints and exhaust they would need specific equipment. If it was the front windows tha where tinted they need a machine to check how much light is passing through.
Simular to the exhaust, they would need a noise level machine, I believe its VOSA that enforce noice and tints more that the Police. I know that is certainly the case in West Yorkshire. This said Traffic do carry tint machine.

I know a lot of coppers, and most of them and decent people and are just doing the job they get paid to do. However much like every job there is a few complete w@nkers which reflect on the majority

 

Mate it's like i said on another thread the the other day, the police are afraid of real criminals so they spend most of there time harrasing the normal traceable law abiding citizens and then go home thinking they are doing a worthwhile job protecting the rest of us from that dangerous element.

LIKE YOU.

Ok so you did break some insignificant laws, but it's not like you were hurting anyone or anything, they were just giving you a tug to see if you were going to give them any jip, and if you did then they were going to shaft you.

Fortunatly you were smart enough to bite your tongue, and they love it when you fall into line and doff your cap, like a good little boy.

Sorry but i think you better sort some of the things they said or you may not be so lucky with the next ones, as they obviously have you tagged now and have been keeping an eye out for you since you wiped the floor with them the last time

O

 

hahah blue for you i got pulled on the a45 just after the mcdonalds roundabout by the same octavia he said he had seen me me using inappropriate acceleration off the roundabout.
this was complete b******* as i was driving normally.
then they checked my car all over tyres tax etc and couldnt find anything wrong and let me go by saying keep that driving to the track to which i replied tracks dont have roundabouts officer!
now if i was driving like a t*** i wouldnt mind but to be pulled for what i suspect was because i was driving a scooby is stupid.
i dont drive like an idiot on the roads as im 36 and have done all that, my car is 100% legal has new tyres and i dont even have a loud exhaust, i have a miltek which is quiet.
maybe hes just upset because he has to drive a skoda!

 

Would be interested to know what the law actually is with regard to aftermarket exhausts then from the above? Actual law with a link to a relevant government/authority website - not my mate said or the police said etc.

If all aftermarket exhausts were illegal then surely all the companies producing them would instantly be out of business? Exhausts just for track/race cars would not keep them going?

Last I read (on here a year or so ago) there was no law governing the size or noise level of the exhausts? Thought LA had the lowest DB rating at 95DBa?