MOT Test Changes From 1st Jan 2012

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John

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Exhaust CATS and upcoming MOT changes...

As we approach the revised MOT I think 01/2012, is there any more knowledge about the CAT situation (specifically regarding those with multiple CATS and 1 or more having been removed) i.e.:

"No, your car still has a CAT fitted, regardless of how many it came with, so it is fine - it's only for cars that have no CATS whatsoever even if they still pass the emissions"

PASS

...or...

"No, your car came with X CAT(S), it should still have X CAT(S), regardless of whether it passes the emissions test or not"

FAIL
 
As we approach the revised MOT I think 01/2012, is there any more knowledge about the CAT situation (specifically regarding those with multiple CATS and 1 or more having been removed) i.e.:

"No, your car still has a CAT fitted, regardless of how many it came with, so it is fine - it's only for cars that have no CATS whatsoever even if they still pass the emissions"

PASS

...or...

"No, your car came with X CAT(S), it should still have X CAT(S), regardless of whether it passes the emissions test or not"

FAIL

Spoke to my son in law who is an apprentice mechanic at an mot testing centre/garage & this appears to be a grey area,looking at the changes that are coming in to effect it appears de-cats could be a fail although i'm not sure on that?
 
Will they have a chart for every car ?

I suspect for the first few weeks they will be a bit zealous , and then it will be a quick glance under the car after that. 'Yeah , it's got a cat !'

I was going to have a straight through pipe put in mine , but suspect i will just get the cat cut open , innards removed and then welded up again now. That way it will still be in place.
 
I got word from my inde today, from the MOT place he uses, that if your car doesn't have the same number of CATS that it did when it left the factory, it will fail.

Going to get pricing but I the empty CAT box might be an idea - unless they have some funky gadgetry to work out it is empty...

I might be considering that Meisterschaft after all then...

:D
 
There is always more than one way to skin a cat.
 
Market for high flow cats will go up then :)
 
does anyone know the exact date when the new MOT rules come into force?

i want to get my alfa MOT'd prior to selling it but it has the engine management light on so would like to get it done before the new stuff comes into force but i also need to do some more work fixing it beforehand so need to know how long i have left!

also the new W124 MOT is due end of january.... wonder if i can get it MOT'd prior to this to avoid any stupid fails, but i suspect the W124 is fine anyway on that respect.

thanks

Derek
 
:devil:I suppose, thinking outside the box, you could just leave that cats alone in the certain knowledge that removing them would only have given you such an insignificant increase in power that you would only notice due to placebo effect.
Oh, and all the asthmatic kids would probably thank you too (except the ones who like a nice V8 sound).:devil:

(BTW I know asthma is more affected particulates which cats have no effect on)
 
does anyone know the exact date when the new MOT rules come into force?

i want to get my alfa MOT'd prior to selling it but it has the engine management light on so would like to get it done before the new stuff comes into force but i also need to do some more work fixing it beforehand so need to know how long i have left!

also the new W124 MOT is due end of january.... wonder if i can get it MOT'd prior to this to avoid any stupid fails, but i suspect the W124 is fine anyway on that respect.

thanks

Derek

New rules begin 1st Jan and depending on the exact date for the w124 you might be able to get a '13 month' MOT by presenting it early (within 30 days of expiry)
 
Surely this new legislation should not be retrospectively applied ?
 
but suspect i will just get the cat cut open , innards removed and then welded up again now. That way it will still be in place.

Dont cut open the cat then its obvious what you have done, just remove the cat and get a long iron bar and spike the insides till it breaks up and pore the broken bits out. Thats what we do for people in our workshop..George..
 
Surely this new legislation should not be retrospectively applied ?

Think of the money that can be made children. All these dangerous old cars with an airbag light on.
Seriously though, while it's daft that suddenly a car will suddenly be deemed unroadworthy because whoever bought it new paid extra for ESP or airbags while a base model of the same car will be fine it's not that different to how things currently are except that the things being added to the test cost more to fix than foglights or hazards

I forsee a little cottage industry involving timers for dash warning lights...
 
Just wire the ECU/Airbag lights into the Oil light and scratch off their original contacts ;)

On they pop when you flick on the ignition, off they go when you start the car :)

As for the Cat, get a shop to cut the cat out leaving a bit of tubing either side of it. Weld on a couple of vband clamps. Do the same for a straight bit of pipe. Walla! Interchangable straight pipe or cat :)

(new guy making his mark):ban:
 
:devil:I suppose, thinking outside the box, you could just leave that cats alone in the certain knowledge that removing them would only have given you such an insignificant increase in power that you would only notice due to placebo effect.

Mine had the CATs cut out before I bought it for, I think, sound reasons, which is why I've left them.

I don't suppose the power will be any different, and if it is, you wouldn't notice at this level.

I think I will need to find a pair of knackered CATs as I just have straight through pipage.
 
Yup the main reason is to increase the sound, rather than for more power. I was debating having it done on my SL, which is still pretty muted after removing the centre muffler. I agree that breaking up the matrix seems to be the best solution now, aftermarket/high flow cats would do the job too but at significantly higher cost!
 
dont know what this new law change is but surely the car will fail its mot on the emissions.also the cats do contain platinum and other precious metals so id save all the ceramic bits you smash out it is very valuable as scrap including the dust.
 
dont know what this new law change is but surely the car will fail its mot on the emissions.also the cats do contain platinum and other precious metals so id save all the ceramic bits you smash out it is very valuable as scrap including the dust.

There are a number of MOT changes coming in on 01/01/12.

One of them is that if your car does not have the same number of CATs that it left the factory with, in my case 4, then it will fail.

This is regardless of whether it passes or fails the emissions test. However, E55s with only 2 CATs normally pass emissions.
 
dont know what this new law change is but surely the car will fail its mot on the emissions.

As above, they supposedly meet the UK emissions limits without the secondary cats. The primary cats are left - apart from anything else they have the lambda sensors on them.
 

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