ALANB

Have I spotted a loophole?

Given the following from the MOT testers manual:

Personal Imports
The vehicle will be tested according to its age from first use. The
only exemption to this is if the vehicle owner can present to the
tester at time of test a letter from the vehicle manufacturer stating
that that particular engine as originally installed could not meet the
equivalent British emission standards. If this is the case, then test
to the next lower emission standard.
eg. A 1995 car first used in Africa has a letter from the engine
manufacturer stating that the particular engine (engine number to be
stated) cannot meet Catalyst emission limits, then use the pre cat
limits of CO 3.5% HC 1200ppm.

Subaru (UK) always give the reason for not importing the WRX and STi as being a failure to meet emissions regs, would it not be possible to argue that the car should be tested to the non-cat limit. Thus allowing removal of said device?

I can't quite see how to get the letter from Subaru in Japan though...

Kevshann

At its last MOT, my girlfriend's Corolla (not a grey import)did not have its cat tested, because the engine number wasn't on the computer data base that the testing station was supplied with to operate the machine that analyses the emissions. The tester told me that therefore the car had to be classed as a pre-cat model, with much less stringent emissions criteria. Any 'grey' import will fall into this criteria.

abetts

My STi sailed through the UK emissions testing so I believe the suggestion that IM will not import STi's for emissions reasons is (yet more) cobblers.

vanya gant

the japanese have the toughest emission laws in the world.

I have an STI V which was for sale in a japanese garage.

'nuff said.

yee_har

ALANB - yes, the tester helpfully pointed this out to me last year when MOT-ing my bike and asking about those naughty grey imports "that a friend was thinking of buying" (as my FTO sat in the warm garage at home).

Having said that - and as others have said - I've never heard of a STi or FTO failing a "full monty".

Regards your point about the letter from Japan - if "proof" were ever needed it's nice to think that a letter from Colt GB (in our case) or any one of their million "Not for this country" press clippings might come to our aid! How ironic.

clarence

Japanese emissions standards are more stringent than European standards, the only thing Jap cars don't meet is those stupid EU drive-by noise test. Anyway, the sound coming from the flat-4 engine is not noise, it's music!

Mark Pattison

Lets hope it doesn't go the cosworth way.

Kevshann

I believe the emission problem is due to the amount of sulphur in UK petrol. Japanese petrol is much 'purer', enabling their cars to pass an emissions test that they'd fail if they were using UK petrol. May be wrong about this - can any experts comment?

abetts

OK. Here is the full nine yards.

Emissions results for my STi version 3 when tested by Gillingham SVA test centre. Car with 10,000 miles on the clock, in good health and running on UK SUL petrol.

Fast idle test (2450-3050 RPM):

CO % Vol 0.22 (limit 0.30)
HC ppm Vol 7 (limit 200)
Lambda 1.00 (limit 0.97/1.03)

Natural idle test (750 RPM):

CO % Vol 0.19 (limit 0.50)