I had a full afterburner decat on my classic very loud didnt get pulled once over here but i used to crawl past any cop cars/stations and give it hell elsewhere :norty:

My new car will have

Powerstation mani and up with hks down+cat and blitz catback might be pushing it a little with that tho :p

i was behind them an they pulled in to follow me. Its very loud i know but i never go round town or any of that jazz.

My gf is annoying me about it saying i think you should take it off. No chance in hell of that. If anything i will buy a bung for it

I'd say they should act on the noise of bloody mopeds! Theyre dangerous when theres a bunch of 10-15 17yr old moped riders doing laps of the town centre who all drive in a little formation ive seen no end of near misses and the noise they make is so annoying!!!!

im leaving it on

Good man :thumb:

Does that mean every exhaust fitted by the likes of Kwik Fit is illegal as well. They are mostly all "pattern" exhausts not genuine OE items. Every Fiesta or Mondeo fitted with a mild steel cut price jobby would be at risk. Nearly all replacement exhausts have different sound characteristics to OE ones as well.

Like you say "a grey area".

Mark ;)

exactly!

I have to admit I have a big bore backbox, it's not too loud - but does look a bit dated now. I still have the original box to swap if I need to.

Have things moved on to the point where it is not acceptable to have these exhausts? Even though we may think they sound great?

If changing your exhaust is illegal i dont get why the Police dont sit at TK maxx carpark an nail EVERY single car that sits in there on a Friday Saturday night.

It seemed to me they had time to waste as they never noted it down or any of that jazz

I hope this copper doesnt come across us at the next Moray/Inverness Run. Then he will hear LOUD

Rich

Very true.

Its just so stupid. They wonder why we think little of them because they have a proper ****ty attitude towards people like myself.

I was polite to them, didnt talk **** or any of that an all i got a a nasty attitude.

Next time they will get the big **** you

I live on a busy road and can tell you that mopeds and unsilenced motorcycles make much more noise than any car exhaust I know of. What is it about cops and scooby's :cuckoo:

Your not the 1st Connor and not the last. If yours is legal (like mine) then let it go to court. I did and won ;)

Pay the fines and you will get stopped all the time, its nothing more than a cash making exercise.

There are many areas you can challenge this on, their are more holes in the procedures (or lack of that they use) its almost too easy.

Did they sound test your car?

Was it in accordance with BS5130 using certified equipment?

What did they compare it to (to determine its too loud) and how was that certified?

This brings back memories... anyone remember my run in with the police?

I got collared with a £30 fine for having the straight through Blitz NUR Spec R system and the two officers just would not listen to anything I said - apprently they now have detailed knowledge of Subaru's.... *coughollox*

I was given a lecture about how I can only have the manfacturer/factory fitted exhaust otherwise I am breaking the law.

When I questioned the legality of every exhaust fitter in the UK I was told very bluntly they were illegal.

So I would take it with a pinch of salt, they obviously don't know what the facts are and it's one of those optional laws being slowly enforced onto people.

I can see where the police are coming from, if your driving up and down a local street playing the trumpet through your 100+ db exhaust they won't take kindly to it.

In my case I was singled out, when I sent a detailed and well written letter to the local constabulary asking for copies of the so called law stating my exhaust was illegal (and as such any other exhaust fitter) I never heard anything back.

So my exhaust stays on, bung free

Thanks for the info people

Finalzero - Did you have to pay a fine then or did you "fight" it

Can anyone send me some info so i can read up on this an be more "knowledgeable" if i ever get pulled again

Absolutely. It would be a massive mistake to presume that labour government equals communism. Extremism isnt politically sided...

did they not mention anything about the 4 kilos of coke on your back seat:wonder:

i got pulled the other day for my front plate being too small, 1st in a year of driving with it.
got the old "do you know why we stoped you" from the 16year old cop.

glad i never replied with what i was thinking (" you like subaru's but can't afford one")
i was very polite and he just gave me a warning, next time will be £30 fine

now that i am going to have to use.:thumb:

basically the worst realisticly you sould get is a VDRS (vehicle defection rectification scheme).. giving you 14days to get a stamp from a mot station saying your exhaust is road legal passing all tests emissions etc etc...

they wouldnt do you for a sec59 unless you were ragging your scoob at silly hours of the monrning...

tbh being traffic if he honestly thought he was gonna do you for something believe me, he would have there and then...

stick a bung in it for peace of mind.... if you like.. but if you have an mot then its them they would be questioning for why they have passed such a non road worthy exhaust

other thing to be carefull of is, if they want to be picky and you HAVE NOT told your ins company about the aftermarket exhaust then thats just something they will pick you up on...

hope this helps

lucky you just got a warning....

and if thats what you were thinkin then im pretty sure they can aford one considering subarus dont cost much now.. :thumb:

We have quickly forgotten the imbeciles in Scotland nicking new car owners who had PPP exhausts; exactly the same as those used by Police forces all over...

THIS OLD CHESTNUT CONNOR ..

well yes i have been robbed by the police in regards to exhaust syastems twice now , most recently exactly 1 year ago when i said i would take it to court and ended up with a £250 fine !!

Regulation 54 of the contrsuction and use regs is clear as can be, it is illegal to modify a cars exhaust such that it makes more noise than when manufactured.

I would add that elsewhere in the regs 'manufactured' is clarified as first registered (as a type approved vehicle) OR if its been 'remanufactured'.

The Original PPP's fell foul of Reg54 as they were quiet enough to be type approved, but louder than original so were ILLEGAL, they are now a type approved product and a PPP car is classed as having been remanufactured, Subaru UK are the manufacturer of the second phase.

Most quick sh!t etc exhausts are no louder than standard and so are legal.

An MOT tester should fail a car that makes more noise than a standard car, but this is rarely enforced.

That is the LEGAL position, so be aware of the risk and do want you want, but at least be informed!

Simon

i will just be mindful when about town etc an if passing the Police.

I dont tend to see them that much anyways so...........

Just to add does that mean

ALL HKS exhausts, Hayward etc etc are all ILLEGAL

Basically yes. However i would say that not all performance exhausts are that bad. Many tracks have limits now and you can get performance parts that make a decent noise at full chat but don't upset everyone.

Personally i don't see an issue with policing it a little becuase lets be fair some people do take the mick. If you can't have a conversation in the back then there is a major issue!

I have Scoobyworld system and it isfairly quiet, not too much difference from the original twin peashooter at idle but foot down it roars nicely. There is a fine line to walk between a bit of performance and being properly anti social.

That said there has to be a little commonsense from the cops when handing out these notices. Also as a biker i have to say bikers were and are targeted much more by the police. The reason for this is that you can see immediatley whether the can has a e mark or not. It is only recently cars have caught it!!

5t.

my h&s exhaust actually got louder after the first month or so...

i just ease off the throttle in town, late at night in built up areas, or passing a policeman...

there are plenty of other places to enjoy the noise!!!! :)

Connor, let me guess, was it that utter knobend George McKaskill that pulled you? He pulled me a couple of years back, told me my exhaust was also illegal but could say why. Then proceeded to do a dB check on it which he carried out incorrectly. Tosser! I heard that he put a video camera up outside his house to try and catch speeders. :lol1: Look out for the marked X5, he's usually in that.

I can see what is trying to be achieved by this exhaust mularky but IMO it's too complicated to police given zero investment in infrastructure and procedures to test.

I can see everyone getting done at a Magistrates' court but appealing and probably getting the decisions overturned for a variety of reasons. Mostly down to the lack of effective facilities and procedures for the Police to prove their case.

At the end of the day, it's down to the hassle factor. If you continue to get stopped and have to defend your corner. Eventually, you'll get fed up, the Police will get fed up and try to escalate their response or there'll be a big fight. In which case, you won't be needing your car for a while anyway. ;)

J.