The law on catalytic converters vs. emmisions

[ChristianM]

All cars manufactured after 1993 must have a catalytic converter.

1. Is it just a requirement for a cat to be fitted to cars at point of manufacture and MOT only? (- i.e. by taking it off after MOT you are not violating the law?)

2. Could post 1993 car (in thoery) pass its MOT and be road legal without a cat based on emmisions being low enough? (- or is the physical presence of a cat required to pass?)

3. If a cat is removed after MOT and you have emmisions checked at the roadside or you have a serious accident and the car is taken away for examination - how is it dealt with (i.e. what is the concequences - fine/points)? - I believe if you kill someone without a valid MOT (not that i'm planning to) you can be in real trouble with the law.

Does anyone know how it works for sure?

Cheers

Christian

[cptsideways]

A lot of post 93 jap cars will pass the emissions test without a cat in place, so long as it passes thats the law covered. I don't see how it would effect any other issues.

[jazzyjeff]

ChristianM said:

All cars manufactured after 1993 must have a catalytic converter. 1. Is it just a requirement for a cat to be fitted to cars at point of manufacture and MOT only? (- i.e. by taking it off after MOT you are not violating the law?) 2. Could post 1993 car (in thoery) pass its MOT and be road legal without a cat based on emmisions being low enough? (- or is the physical presence of a cat required to pass?) 3. If a cat is removed after MOT and you have emmisions checked at the roadside or you have a serious accident and the car is taken away for examination - how is it dealt with (i.e. what is the concequences - fine/points)? - I believe if you kill someone without a valid MOT (not that i'm planning to) you can be in real trouble with the law. Does anyone know how it works for sure? Cheers Christian

I only think this would be an issue in a road death situation if the MOT-failure point caused the vehicle to be dangerous to drive i.e. it may be deemed to have contributed to the incident (for example if your exhaust was hanging off the car because it wasn't refitted properly).

An MOT test is an annual check that your car complies with the law, and operates on the understanding that the car is compliant all year round (otherwise we'd all have to have our cars tested daily). Therefore people who remove cats from cars that are legally obliged to have them fitted are breaking the law (much like the practice of removing the factory silencer from a motorcycle). Whether this would in reality be an issue for you to be prosecuted is open to debate - it depends on how much of a jobsworth your Mr Plod is. However, commonsense dictates that if your car is being examined with as much of a toothcomb required to detect that your cat is missing (unless you happen to blurt it out of course!) you may well be in some serious sh*t anyway...

>> Edited by jazzyjeff on Wednesday 9th November 12:43

[TSS]

If I wanted to remove my cats I’d be very tempted to find an old pair of duff ones and see if it‘s possible to have straight through pipes fitted into them. That way the car would look as if it still had cats.

Presumably if you remove your cats it counts as a modification and you need to notify your insurers.

[ChristianM]

Thanks for the info guys, I also found this...

motester.co.uk said:

6. Your vehicle has had its catalytic converter removed and replaced by a normal exhaust silencer but passes the emissions Test. Does it fail the MOT because it hasn't got a catalytic converter when it should have one? a) No, if it passes the emissions part of the MOT that is acceptable.

I have checked this and it is correct.

Does anyone know what the plod would do if they checked you at the roadside and it failed on emissions...points or fine?

Cheers,

Christian

>> Edited by ChristianM on Wednesday 9th November 13:59

[Mr E]

Probably just a "get it fixed within 14 days" defect notice.

I run with no cats. The insurance company are aware. The car has an MOT.

[hallmark]

I wouldn't mind betting all current cars would easily pass an MOT without a cat, provided the engine is healthy and in good tune.

The emissions limits for an MOT are far more lenient than for the manufacturer's type approval, which is why most cars have to have more than one cat fitted "from birth".

I've removed the centre cat from my car, but left the one in the downpipe. It passed it's MOT fine.

BTW, has anyone thought about how little a cat does relative to it's cost? The limit for CO is 0.35% - that's a third of one percent of all the exhaust emissions, which is surely a tiny problem compared to the few hundred pounds it takes to "fix"?

[Mr E]

hallmark said:

I wouldn't mind betting all current cars would easily pass an MOT without a cat, provided the engine is healthy and in good tune.

Mine failed quite spectacularly on the recent MOT. It overfuels like the space shuttle.

[mybrainhurts]

Mr E said:

hallmark said: I wouldn't mind betting all current cars would easily pass an MOT without a cat, provided the engine is healthy and in good tune. Mine failed quite spectacularly on the recent MOT. It overfuels like the space shuttle.

Mine did that....oxygen sensor had failed.

Also had a Mondeo 130TDCi struggle like hell to get through a few months ago. Engine was 2 years old, 63,000 miles. Needed a bottle of Forte in the tank and a 30 mile thrash to pass.

I read somewhere that certain local authority roadside emission tests give you the option to submit a failed vehicle for later re-test and, if you don't comply, your vehicle can be crushed...

Might be fright tactics.....anybody know?