Well I thought this rule was still up in the air but it appears it has now been inforced. When I was stopped a few months ago the officer said my exhaust was illegal because it was louder than standard. When I asked him to prove it and provide the DB rating of a standard impreza he went quiet.
However, a friend at work informed me today of his experience. He owns a 99 UK turbo, looks very standard and only mods are a cat back afterburner and brake upgrades.
He was flagged down yesterday and made to follow a patrol car to a supermarket car park. They informed him they would be carrying out an exhaust DB level check.
They do three tests, one at idle, one at 2500 rpm and one at 4000 rpm. The readings needed to be below 86 DB to pass.
Well he fell at the first hurdle with an idle of 87 DB

He was fined £30 (no points) and informed of what will happen if he gets caught again. Second pull and fail is a fine of £500 and with a third fail they will remove your car from the road.

Needless to say he is now on the hunt for a bung

 

I guess that makes most supercars illegal then

 

Interesting - is there anywhere that this is actually written in statute so we can all be clear on the situation. I don't for a moment trust the spoken word of plod.

 

Don't pay and take them to court, what air pressure, temp, wind speed humidity etc. noise is not as easy to read as say speed etc.

 

In a supermarket carpark FFS

Is that the new technical department of the law these days...The local supermarket carpark with all the background noise and other peoples cars driving past, Where did they get there figures of 86db would be my first question and i am pretty sure it would have to be done in a controlled environment for it to be 100% enforceable. Does this only apply to UK cars or JDM`S too??

 

tell him to rip it up and stick it , its bull**** , as moley says alot of supercars have louder exhausts than the average subaru aftermarket system

 

Bonkers, what about all these stupid Harleys and other choppers riding them

 

Is the SVA limit not 100 db???

 

This is a really serious issue as far as I am concerned, does anyone know any credible leads for the correct/lawful information on db levels so that we can stand our ground on the basis of fact if we are stopped & checked

 

i got stopped and was threatened with testing, lucky for me the machine was sent back to exeter. i was told on the phone by the noise gestapo it has to be under 100db at 4000rpm, mine was 86 on tickover, its now 75 after having the scoobysport backbox opened up and wire wool crap removed and re lagged with proper motorcycle lagging, no loss of power 75dg tickover and 96db at 4000rpm still boosts to 17psi so happy me happy plod , total cost 40quid , and in case anyone wants to know its , headers uppipe 3" downpipe 2.5" system with no resonator so it can be done

 

And that was tested in a controlled environment with known background noise etc etc etc; that is the crux of this debate - how can plod accurately measure the noise of a car exhaust in a supermarket car park

 

Ask for the db numbers to be confirmed in accordance with the relevant road traffic act as surely it must be printed somewhere so they can enforce it.......But we all know there is no such document or at least there was`nt unless they have decided to print one in which case they will have to provide a copy of it

 

I think we are all forgetting one important thing here: the rules say/will say: noisier than the standard car.

Supercars, therefore, harleys, Therefore, will be fine.

Chavved up Novas, Corsas, Fezzies and Imprezas may not......

And as for "take it to court?"
Have any of you ever been to court?
Take it from me, the Mags aren't interested in ANYTHING you say, they are in league with the others to get as much dosh from you as possible.

So: offered £60 and 3 points? Take it to court and the SAME offence gets you £100 plus 4 points plus £150 costs, (and that was going to be £400) despite the FACT that MY witness, who I could have proved was lying, didn't turn up, but THEIR three did. And these days a motorist £15 "victim surcharge"tax.

Aye, take it to court and get your belt undone ready.....

 

Money making plan for plod.....
Most coppers appreciate a nicely modded car.... But there's always one...... They can get a warrent if they want to rev bollocks off my car.

 

They stop me, they can wait for the oil temperature to go over 100 degrees, then it can be revved and only then.

And yes, they'll wait a LONG time.........

 

There is no figure for road cars. If it is im fwked aswell as mine is 109db @ 4000rpm

 

no i just did what they where going to do , 20quid noise meter from ebay and stood 1metre away , poves a point though me and mates conversation peaked at 82db , the law states though if the car is non uk model it must have a sva and must be under 100db. i pointed out to plod the car came from japan like it and couldn't find where subaru had released noise figures for a pre 97impreza his reply was thats fine but the sva is 100db end of get it sorted so i did at very little cost

 

A quick search found this - http://www.suffolk.police.uk/safetya...fications.aspx

Surprised me and will probably surprise a lot of other members!!!

 

SVA noise limit is 101db....

 

lol, that would get larfed out of court. opinion is not law lol

quick search doesnt give any definative nasweres bar the sva thing mentioned above.

 

surely if you go to court they have to prove you broken a law, as there is no limit in place you have broken no law but they could possibly enforce an asbo on noise grounds.

that said though imagine if you lived on a street with kids and people with stupidly loud exhaust keep driven by at full revs.

 

Tidgy I take it by your reply that you are an expert of the law ie Solicitor/Barister/Police officer??? Hmmm probably not!!

As the info I posted was from a Police Force website I think there would be some credibility in it dont you??

And as for a police officers opinion - if a police officer see's you on your mobile while driving and its his opinion that you are doing that I doubt if you would get off with it?? Just a thought...

 

+1,otherwise it seems like we will all have to drive electric cars.SJ.

 

I didnt realise opinion was legally enforcable? unless it is a measurable quantifyable value how can it be leggal?

It's not hard to prove someone was on there phone, if they arguye, call records fromt he phone company.

 

If they do push it forward its just another tax/money making scheme aimed at ripping off those people who love their cars.

The amount of rot boxes and sheds you see driving around that could actually cause harm due to un maintained components is untrue, yet mr plod thinks us driving our cared for subaru is dangerous as we may make a little bit too much noise. Hell some of the exhaust systems cost more than some of the sheds driving round.

The uk is fast becoming a crap place to live. Feel like getting fired so I can live off the state !!!

 

there is no law, but people have been fined and taken to court using anti social behaviour orders on the grounds of excessive noise, the same as if you had a noisy neighbour with a loud stereo.

you may find that where an individual is stopped the local residents have been complaining about noisy cars.

 

I'm from suffolk and there go through phasers window tints and now exhaust noise. To be honest reading what I just have if it went to court it will most likely get laughed out as an offices discretion is not enough.

 

So it says its against the law to fit an after market exhaust !!! So if i fit one from a motor factors that is against the law aswell, even though its no louder than standard ? When did this law get passed ?

 

i bet if you lived on a street where the local chavs roar down it at 6000rpm with htere big bores on you would feel differently.

this is what the police are trying to prevent i would think

 

Taken from your link....




I really cant see this getting a conviction in court. They need to prove its louder than standard.
Maybe the SVA is 101DB but what about UK cars, this officer said it had to read under 86DB to pass. I initially thought the car couldn't be louder than a standard car so where had this 86DB come from. Is this the reading that subaru issued maybe ????