Emissions on car without a CAT
Discussion
whatsthenews said:
Not sure where to post this and apologies if terminology is wrong
Car is a 2014 VXR Stage 3 tuned/ modified.
Would it be possible for the car to pass the emissions part of an MOT?
For the most part, if the car has no cat, that alone would be a fail regardless of any actual emissions test results.Car is a 2014 VXR Stage 3 tuned/ modified.
Would it be possible for the car to pass the emissions part of an MOT?
Some cars may be able to pass the emissions test without a cat fitted...but whatever "stage 3" is....that would be extremely unlikely.
So really the answer is NO, it would not pass any legitimate MOT.
whatsthenews said:
Thank you.
So if such a car had a MOT certificate then it's a dodgy MOT?
No.So if such a car had a MOT certificate then it's a dodgy MOT?
Unless you can verify 100% it was tested exactly as the car is as you say it is now, and not with different parts fitted for the MOT.
MOT is a worthless piece of paper that only indicates how the vehicle is at that particular moment in time. 20 minutes later, the car could be different
whatsthenews said:
Yes. I think you're probably right. That would be the dealer that sold the vehicle to son back in March.
He naively assumed that because they produced the MOT cert from last year it had a CAT.
Failed it's MOT today on CO and lack of CAT.
You're approaching a six month milestone where your rights change substantially so don't hang about - it may already be too late.He naively assumed that because they produced the MOT cert from last year it had a CAT.
Failed it's MOT today on CO and lack of CAT.
Assuming the cat was missing when the car was bought, the lack of a cat at the time of sale renders the car not as described and not fit for purpose. The dealer would then be responsible for fixing it. Your rights come from the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Here are some explanations from WhatCar.com but you will probably find a similar answer on various consumer oriented websites:
If a problem is found after 30 days, but within six months of purchase, you can request a repair or a replacement vehicle. The onus is on the seller of the car to prove the fault wasn’t present when it was sold; if they can, and you’re likely to have known about it, you won’t get a refund.
If a fault appears after six months of ownership, it is down to you to prove that it was there at the time of purchase. To do that, you’re likely to have to get an expert to examine the car or component and get a written report about it.
The cynic in me wonders whether it's a coincidence that the MOT expired just after the critical six month window.
Edited by GreenV8S on Friday 24th September 18:06
While not ideal, if it still has the lambda sensors (or at least the wiring for them), it should be possible to section the pipe and weld in flanges to take an appropriate cat.
May want to discuss with the people who tuned it what the likelihood is of it working OK like that without being poked at further.
May want to discuss with the people who tuned it what the likelihood is of it working OK like that without being poked at further.
whatsthenews said:
I would think that the description means it's not a road car!
If it was registered and had an MOT it was obviously sold as a road legal car. If your son is going to get any redress, you and he need to get cracking with a serious pursuit of your claim because you're almost out of time, or perhaps already out of it.
whatsthenews said:
Thanks for that . He's doing just that today. That's life , yes. Sure you'd be p...d if a dealer who's AA approved sold you a vehicle that wasn't road legal.
A family run business who pride themselves on honesty and transparency they say. " As a goodwill gesture if you get a quote for fitting a used cat we'll see if we can Buyer should've known. Yes, probably,and probably many people out there driving " track" cars with no cat with MOTs, but that doesn't alter the legalities of the situation.
The cars all over the web,including a video of it being driven on the road.
This is from one ad' we've found . It doesn't actually say what the car had by way of a cat ( or not) . Reckon the text is copied and pasted from the company that did the remaps/ mods.
What car are we even talking about here, even that has not been made clear ?A family run business who pride themselves on honesty and transparency they say. " As a goodwill gesture if you get a quote for fitting a used cat we'll see if we can Buyer should've known. Yes, probably,and probably many people out there driving " track" cars with no cat with MOTs, but that doesn't alter the legalities of the situation.
The cars all over the web,including a video of it being driven on the road.
This is from one ad' we've found . It doesn't actually say what the car had by way of a cat ( or not) . Reckon the text is copied and pasted from the company that did the remaps/ mods.
And the advert clearly says they have removed the first cat....so are there any cats ? You will have zero recourse about a cat missing when it is clearly stated in the advert.
And as already asked, what were the results of the emissions test ?
stevieturbo said:
What car are we even talking about here, even that has not been made clear ?
And the advert clearly says they have removed the first cat....so are there any cats ? You will have zero recourse about a cat missing when it is clearly stated in the advert.
And as already asked, what were the results of the emissions test ?
He mentions its a VXR in the first post, and from the ad above saying its 280hp, I would assume that it is a Astra VXR, the AD would certainly suggest that it didnt have a CAT at the time of sale, and it would seem random that someone would go out and buy a stage 3 tuned VXR as their first car, and have no idea what that meant.And the advert clearly says they have removed the first cat....so are there any cats ? You will have zero recourse about a cat missing when it is clearly stated in the advert.
And as already asked, what were the results of the emissions test ?
Easiest solution would be to purchase a standard exhaust for the car, and then get it MOT'd, and then he can either swap the exhausts after that, or drive around with the standard exhaust and massively reduced power.
Smurfsarepeopletoo said:
He mentions its a VXR in the first post, and from the ad above saying its 280hp, I would assume that it is a Astra VXR, the AD would certainly suggest that it didnt have a CAT at the time of sale, and it would seem random that someone would go out and buy a stage 3 tuned VXR as their first car, and have no idea what that meant.
Easiest solution would be to purchase a standard exhaust for the car, and then get it MOT'd, and then he can either swap the exhausts after that, or drive around with the standard exhaust and massively reduced power.
Easiest solution would be to purchase a standard exhaust for the car, and then get it MOT'd, and then he can either swap the exhausts after that, or drive around with the standard exhaust and massively reduced power.
whatsthenews said:
He knew what Stage 3 tuned meant .
For the avoidance of doubt, "stage 3 tuned" means "has been messed about with by someone who uses terms like 'stage 3 tuned'". Who's done it and what they choose to use the term in reference to are going to make a big difference to what's actually been done.Fortunately, you said earlier that your son has been given the details of the company who modified the car, so the likely best option here is to contact them, ask if the car will be running a specifically cat-free tune, whether it'll pass an MOT if a cat is refitted, or if they'll need to change the tune to achieve that.
If you're very lucky and they do these cars a lot, they may have a cat equipped exhaust they've removed from another customer's car to modify in a similar way, and could sort your son's car out with that to get it into an MOTable state.
If they confirm that the same tune the car has on it now is good for an MOT if a cat is fitted, he could get one fitted by anyone able to do the necessary exhaust modifications.
Hopefully they have a record of the car based on the reg or chassis number and can answer this stuff easily.
whatsthenews said:
Oh dear me. I'm hardly going to post a clip from an ad that doesn't refer to the vehicle we're talking about am I? ??No, there aren't any cats. We all know that NOW because the MOT says so.
You're really not being helpful.
If you take the time to read it all, nowhere in that text does it say whether the vehicle does or doesn't have a cat.
That's my point??
It's irrelevant anyway as they shouldnt have been selling a car with no cat as a non competition car.
Off the top of my head, recalling a phone conversation , the CO was 0.7.
The advert clearly says they remove a cat and also do offer a decat for the 2nd cat. And if you read, I asked specifically what car are you talking about...as 2014 VXR really doesn't mean much and could be a few cars.You're really not being helpful.
If you take the time to read it all, nowhere in that text does it say whether the vehicle does or doesn't have a cat.
That's my point??
It's irrelevant anyway as they shouldnt have been selling a car with no cat as a non competition car.
Off the top of my head, recalling a phone conversation , the CO was 0.7.
Really, you're the one clutching at straws here after buying something without due diligence ( and arguably some common sense )
As many threads here go, posters simply do not like the truth being told to them then they go in a huff as it is not what they want to hear.
And the actual results of the entire test are important, not just one figure, in case there are other major issues that might prevent a fail even if a cat is fitted.
whatsthenews said:
He knew what Stage 3 tuned meant
It doesn't have a standard meaning so it's impossible for him to have known what it meant unless he was given specific details of what was changed.In any case, the owner's options are still the same:
- Try to prove it was a pre-existing fault and get the dealer to fix it. This is the approach I'd take, but you should expect resistance from the dealer given that the critical 6 month window has passed - expect to have to pursue this through the small claims court.
- Try to fix it as his own cost, bearing in mind nobody knows yet how much that will cost and it may not be economically sensible.
- Sell it as a non-runner for spares/repair.
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