hey all.

i got pulled by the police today and told my exhaust was too loud.. which to be fair it is quite loud.

he told me i should change it, or prove it was legal, but wasnt given a rectification notice or a producer.

i went to a few local garages and exhust places in search of a decibel meter to see how loud it was and noone had any and looked at me a bit weird when i asked.

i researched it on the net a bit and there is apparently no legal limit but the vehicle should be no louder than standard? but according to MOT it is down to the testers discretion to pass or fail an MOT on excessive noise and I've not had a problem before with MOT on my last polo.

I dont have the standard exhaust to put back on it and not really got the money to replace it.

its not even that modified, i still have the cat and the centre silencer, its just a backbox.

i was thinkin of going to my local garage and talkin to an MOT tester to see if he thinks its excessive, if not get a written note saying its not illegal/excessive?

anyone got any ideas on legally how i stand about not changing it?

cheers

if they didn't giv u a note, then they also have no record of pulling u over, keep it the way it is. i guess they were just having a moan.

as above . i did think that their was a legal level but obiously not , the limit for a track day is 99 db

yeh, there are alot of disputes about it but while i have been searching i cant find any set level and isnt it innocent til proven guilty?

the police cannot do anything if there is no law to state it. If your car passed its last MOT with that exhaust then surely they cannot touch you

Just seen this mate. I know of louder exhausts than on yours, from following you that day it's loud but nothing to worry about really...

just tell them that's not loud..... they should see your old one :)

Lol i have told them that.. but not quite as bluntly.

Yeah its not loud but the backfires and popping is the loud part

If its any help my mate's old man is an MOT tester and I asked him about legal limits on exhausts.

He said the OLD rule was that aslong as the exhaust wasn't louder to another similar car of same make and model then it was ok...he said he always argued that the similar car could too have a loud exhaust and so passed the ones that wern't excessivly loud.

However he said that now that ruling has changed and for the MOT it should be compared to a similar car of same make and model but with a standard exhuast and judged against that. Apparently its a new ruling but I'm not 100% but thought I'd mention it, if it helps

so does that make pretty much every sports exhaust illegal? cos i would say the majority are louder than a standard....

You would think so!

I got exhaust too loud as an advisory on my MOT... The guy said it was borderline fail but liked my car so passed it...

cheers, that helps.

the policeman hasnt stopped me again, i think he knows that because he didnt have any actual proof that i wudnt change it.

Also its MOT time soon so will see then what happens, should be ok as have passed cars with same exhaust before.

cheers guys

police car only do you for public order... I'm not allowed out in my car between 11pm and 6am coz of my exhaust. if they try and fine you or anythin daft they have to do a noise test which 75% of cars dont carry the equipment to do it so just fuk them off

yeah thats what i thought, they didnt have the facilities to do a noise test.. one cop on his own in a panda car...