Decat and MOT

[thecremeegg]

My car is a 1991 import Roadster and has a decat fitted (from when I bought it). It's passed MOTs up to this point with it on, but with the new rules is it going to fail regardless of it being an import?

[snotrag]

Depends what it says on the V5.

[ronime]

Also depends on how much common sense the tester is prepared to apply.

My V5C simply states "Mazda" (no model name) but thankfully my MOT tester knows his MX-5s from his Roadsters and correctly tests mine as a non-listed Eunos model.

Edited by ronime on Friday 20th January 20:30

[Oldandslow]

Don't quote me but I believe that a pre 93 import is not required to have a cat and is tested to a less stringent set of emissions rules. As has been said make sure they put it on the computer as a Eunos.

Even at that my 93 import has never even been close to failing on emissions. After 4 years of ownership I thought of fitting a decat pipe and took off my cat. Wasn't easy, broke two of the studs and skinned a few knuckles. Finally got it off and looked inside and saw daylight from the other end. The internals had never been there the whole time I owned it so the cat is not essential to pass an emissions test.

[Zad]

So far as I know it is all driven by the central DVLA database now, and testers are given a specific pass level by the computer. My 1991 XR4x4 isn't required to have a catalyst. I believe that from August 1991 they were required to have one fitted from new, but the pass level wasn't changed for another year, so having one for MoT is optional. Either way, my old car passed it's MoT with emissions lower than catalyst levels, despite having neither a cat nor even an oxygen sensor. I would expect yours to pass fine.