Silver'Scort

So there i am on the way up to our lasses last night,coming from a 50 limit into a thirty, slowing down accordingly. I get into the 30 limit section which is a main trunk road, lined by houses and businesses. Am in third gear and the car infront is gradually slowing down past 30 to about 25. There is probably three car lengths infront, now am also doing 25 so i gently blip the throttle, and change down the gears third to second, so i would've been pulling between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm, then maintain this speed and gap.

Next thing theres the blues in the mirror, and am being pulled up by a traffic copper.
He proceeds to ask me if the exhaust is standard, and if i bought the car with it fitted. Its clear its not standard so i said 'no,' being straight about it, and that it was on the car when i got it. (By the way, anyone from up our end will probably be able to take a good guess at the officers name.)

So, short story long, he gave me a VDRF under some law showing the car is deviated from standard, construction and use act or some such, meaning that i have to change the exhaust then present it to an MOT tester, or failing that its a court summons.
Now heres the bit that really has pissed me off, ill be the first to say that the car is loud when it is being hammered, it has an Ashley 4-branch and system on it, and sometimes it will even crackle and pop on the overrun, but here i am driving as well as possible, maintaing a good gap to the car infront, well within speed limits, not excessively revving my engine or causing a nuisance and i still get a bloody tug from a copper sat hidden in a side road waiting for a soft twat like me to come through. At 25mph my car is NOT loud or unpleasently noisy. He wasn't interested in the rest of the car, didn't even bother checking my friggin tyres, i could've had tyres down to the cords, all my headlights out and a boot full of drugs and immigrants, but nope. Makes me feel like an easy fucking target. How bored must he have been, to pull for something as petty (imo obviously) as that??

Am going to work now, very grumpy!! Rant over.

creator

id take him to court as long as its on your insurance surley there is nothing he can do.

mercgrey

agreed with creator if its legal on the insurance and is quieter than xxxxx db on tick over apeal it! i hate how coppers have the right to moan about our property if its safe and legal its fucking stupid

eoeumc

iTrader: (1)

When I took my old scoob for its yearly check up, they failed it on a few things and one of those being that the exhaust was not standard and too noisy I was furious but rather than waste my money on another mot station to fail it on the emissions (no cat fitted ) I let it go. Got it sorted and then it passed. I contacted the dvla about it being too loud and what was the legal decibel limit? They replied there is no limit but it is up to the garages discression to decide.

I would seek advice if I was you. Make sure it is covered on your insurance and that your car is fully legal before setting off. I would then take the car to a local garage or to the garage that mot's it last. Get them to do an emissions check and to check the db level. If all is ok I would take the print out to the police station the officer is from and make a complaint about him for harrassment!

Then see what happens

cossiejsy

I would appeal as it sounds like he was bored and wanted to get some brownie points

Pushrod

iTrader: (17)

Or you could just put a standard one on and go to the station. Lets face it it isn't going to be on your insurance as a mod from standard. if it is you need your head looked at more than the copper.

Soft touch, Yes, but you've been collared, you are in the wrong, just get it sorted and carry on. You can refit your ashley again but he will have your number and you may as well have a flashing beacon on your roof.

eoeumc

iTrader: (1)

But that is only if it is illegal. If not then there isn't really any thing you should have to worry about! If you get a didgy copper that says its illegal, you show them a bit of paper to say "No it's not" lol

Do police stations have db monitors? Maybe a check through them will shut the officer up

S1MATT

Yes, but you've been collared, you are in the wrong,

Why is he in the wrong? Its been previously said theres no db limit. Sorry, just don't see why youve commented that.

Ed1

I got told by a traffic officer, when the car came out of the factory it had a db reading, if it is any louder than what is was when it came out of the factory then it is illegal!

i know loads that have had Ł30 for there exhaust being too loud! I was goin to change mine but its not even worth the hassle!

Ed1

I also got told, MOT rules and copper rules are different, I had tights on my rear lights on my old van, went through an MOT like it, a week later i got pulled over and got a Ł30 for them!

Ed1

Thats what i got told by more than one traffic copper, so basicly anything aftermarket is not allowed, ask him a question on towing trailers though, that always shuts them up, they never know lol

Ed1

They love thier DB meters round here, i know of loads of people to get Ł30 for loud exhausts, my mates was about 130db on tick over

brad

We were looking at the rules for this last week

contact vosa , they work to the vehicle builders and constructors manual and everyone (including police) have to follow the guidelines set out in it.

there are no rules as to the volume limit of an exhaust system, which is why mot stations are not required to have db metres on site.

it is down to the officers discretion but you can be issued with a section 59 if late at night and the exhaust is VERY loud .
it really is a grey area that i think you will struggle to win on the side of the road with a copper , however it would get thrown out of court very quickly if your case was presented properly

Pushrod

iTrader: (17)

The car has been modified from standard and the insurance company hasn't been notified. When asked by the plod he admitted knowing it wasn't standard. You have to inform your insurance of any modifications made from standard.

Ed1

Its a Vtec turbo, he had to take it off the road, they also said it was too low!

Pushrod

iTrader: (17)

Yes but if you look, the original offence wasn't for noise polution or any noise related offence. It was because his car deviated from standard. I would guess had you an insurance certificate, or had since showed a cert. showing they were aware of such mods then you would have been let on your way.

Ed1

Dont know how low it was but if you had anyone in the back and went over a cat eye it hit the underside of the car pretty pointless imo!

It was wound right down on the coilovers



Note the masssive discs on the back, its running over 300bhp too

rostill2007

look like drums to me

rs tingle

iTrader: (1)

I always thought it was 89 db as for a kit car they carnt be over that to pass an iva test

Jimbo.

Yes he acknowledged that it has an aftermarket system and that it came with the car, but where did he say that he hasn't declared it on his policy??

Ed1

I know, i was being sarcastic

They are still std set up from when it was a 1.4

Pushrod

iTrader: (17)

He dosen't, but if he has all he has to do is show it to the cop and job done. End of.

If he hasn't and he admitted he knew it wasn't standard then that's also game over.

I'm also just making the point that Mr PC didn't write him up for the noise it made. Cops must know this is such a grey area so it's far easier for then to go down the modded from standard route as I would guess very few, including myself, can be bothered to inform insurance companies of every mod.

johnandhissaffy

iTrader: (1)

don't what ever you do go court they always win in this thing just change the exhaust saves all the hassle mate,
you'll lose in court anyway mate

kosman

was it pc im a wanker who bums sheep piss-stain payne by any chance? bout time that cunt got a kicking again,he got me in my old xr4i,im not saying do this but he toldme get my exhaust changed,i told him he had no chance because it went threw a mot,never sent ticket off,never got car checked and never heard anything,so i think he knew he was in the wrong.

he keeps eyeing me up when im in cossy,he got no chace if he thinks im changing exhaust on that,it walked its mots with exhaust and emmisions checked first time.

edit to add my 4i had a straight through exhaust,it was mega loud,used to make people look around if i wailed it up terrace road

tejy

iTrader: (1)

looks bloody nice mate did you get something called a probation? thats what i got last week ...

there was a cop van, traffic officer and an astra for little old me when i got pulled over

kosman

yeah did get that,just screwed the fucker up

CosworthGuy

130 on tickover??? was your mate pulling your leg. A boeng 747 is about 130db on take off, at about 150 db a human cant even swallow, i know civic turbo's can be loud but i wouldnt have thought that loud

Rick

I had this once when i had a temp exhaust on my car which was really loud. All you have to do is goto an MOT station, they will take a look at your exhaust and as long as it is secured and isn't stupid loud they will stamp the VDRF. Take this back to the police station and job done.

Rick

focusv8

This would seem to cover the Offence;


Regulation 54 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
provides for the fitting and use of an exhaust system , including a silencer , to all vehicles propelled by an internal combustion engine.

(2) Every exhaust system and silencer shall be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not after the date of manufacture be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases.

ben_frst

as said as long as its on you insurance vdrf stamped then take it and the bill to the police station along with a bill for your time @Ł35 an hour see how they like that

you would be charged and fined for wasting their time why not have a go back

ben_frst

yes the ESCAPE (not expolsion) of exhaust gasses ie holes in the system gaskets ect

Silver'Scort

[quote=kosman;4717912]was it pc im a wanker who bums sheep piss-stain payne by any chance? bout time that cunt got a kicking again [quote]

Lmao Mr Mellor, you got it in one, I knew the first person to read this from up here would know which copper it were!

Silver'Scort

The issue was more to do with the 'noise' of the exhaust rather than whether or not it was standard, he only asked if it was a non standard part so he could then quote me, more or less to the letter, what 'focusv8' has posted up.
The car had it's MOT a few week back and nothing at all was mentioned about the exhaust, but i guess the MOT tester and the noise limit are irrelevant when it says this in black and white - and shall not after the date of manufacture be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases

I guess the only thing really for simplicity's sake is to get it stamped by our MOT fella and send it off, which should shut him up. Purely a case of wrong time, wrong place, and a bored traffic cop with absolutly sod all better to do. The amount i have past and never batted an eyelid is massive, as i might have said earlier i wouldn't mind if i was driving like a tit through a town, and causing annoyance, but i was just minding me own business.

I have got a janspeed pipe tho, so i might whack that on and see if is any quieter first

kosman

he's such a wanker kid,never known such a prick in me entire life.