Suzuki cars = no MOT emissions testing required

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I took my Dad's 1998 Suzuki Baleno for an MOT yesterday, and the MOT tester didn't do an emissions test.
I asked him why, and he told me that Suzuki do not provide official emissions data for their cars, and therefor it didn't need to be tested...not even a basic test. He went on to say that NO Suzuki cars require emissions testing.
Now, I've owned an import 1996 Mitsubishi FTO that only needed a basic emissions test...but I'm quite surprised that a 1998 UK market supplied car can get through the MOT without any emissions testing (not that I'm complaining)?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

[MJK 24]

How odd.

A chap was complaining to me the other day that he's paying £200+ RFL on a 2003 Suzuki Wagon R 1.3 Auto as the EMISSIONS are too high.

Bizarre.

[EDLT]

I think he means older cars. They do publish emissions ratings for their new cars, because its here:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?de...

[Rich_W]

This tester is mistaken! (or lying depending on your take)

It's not about the info supplied by the manufacturer as much as it's the rules per age of vehicle. i.e It's easier to pass an old car with some high CO than a brand new car as the limits are different.

[jagracer]

Your tester is heading for a very large fall.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I didn't believe him either...but he showed me some sort of official looking manual listing emissions data for all vehicles - but there were no Suzuki's listed.

The bloke that does my MOT's is, well let's just say a 'friendly MOT tester' - it's quite possible he's doing it wrong and should probably expect the black MPV's and helicopters to arrive soon!

[McSam]

If you could do this with your emissions numbers, Aston Martin needn't have bothered with the Cygnet

[chard]

McSam said:

If you could do this with your emissions numbers, Aston Martin needn't have bothered with the Cygnet

Interesting. Alpina seem to declare thier own figures with no bearing on reality. a supercharged V8 B5 registered in 2008 with only £215 RFL

[Alice Cupra]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I took my Dad's 1998 Suzuki Baleno for an MOT yesterday, and the MOT tester didn't do an emissions test.I asked him why, and he told me that Suzuki do not provide official emissions data for their cars, and therefor it didn't need to be tested...not even a basic test. He went on to say that NO Suzuki cars require emissions testing.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

I call BS, as the g/f's 1999 Suzuki Baleno failed the last MoT on emissions - Hole in the back box which, once sorted, was retested and passed the emissions test.

Well, it did. It's now gone to the great rustheap in the sky, as the list of advisories was as long as your arm, and it wasn't worth keeping for the cost -v- value.....

[Jayho]

:/ Newer Suzuki's definately do... My Ignis Sport failed on emissions last year due to a failed CAT. Ended up spending quite a bit of dosh getting it sorted. And that was by doing it cheaply, without having to pay Suzuki £££ for a new one.

[mcford]

Some of you are getting a little confused. Vehicle excise duty rates are based on the emsissions of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), this is determined by the manufacturer through a standardised test and the results are given as X grams of CO2 per kilometre driven.

The MOT emissions test measures specific pollutants, CO (Carbon Monoxide), HC (Hydrocarbons) and the air to fuel ratio (Lambda). Whether an emissions test is required or not is dependant upon the age of the car and the fuel on which it runs, not on the manufacturer of the car.

On a 1998 Suzuki the tester should have carried out a basic emissions test (BET), the limits being, CO less than 0.2%, HC less than 200 ppm (parts per million) and lambda 0.97 to 1.03 at a fast idle of 2500 to 3000rpm, and another test at idle for CO at less than 0.3%.

If the car fails the BET, it has to undergo a vehicle specific test according to the limits set out in the in service emissions book which is also mirrored on the exhaust gas analyser database. As there is no emission data provided by the manufacturer, it does not mean that the car doesn't have to have the test as provision is made in the MOT testers manual for such a situation. The manual will say to test to CO less than 0.3%, HC less than 200 ppm (parts per million) and lambda 0.97 to 1.03 at a fast idle of 2500 to 3000rpm, and another test at idle for CO at less than 0.5%.

It seems as though the MOT tester has not read the relevant section of the manual and may be heading for trouble if VOSA pick him up on it.