Do decats invalidate your insurance?

[rabbitstew]

 

Do suppliers mark them for off road use only?

 

 

Mine do, some over here don't... I have done on the website, didn't want to take any risks in this age of blame culture and lawsuits.

 

 

Thats fair enough, id do the same!

 

Ive just spent the last half an hour googling and checking what the laws are. From what I can see there is actually no law saying you have to have a cat on your car.

 

As far as the MOT is concerned its more to do with emissions. The rules relating to this vary depending on how old the car is. For cars before 1975 its actually just a visual check to see if any smoke from exhaust. Then for other years the test gives various different emission amounts which the car must be under. Before 1993 its less strict, but after 1993 the tolerance is a lot less and is as such that you are unlikely to be able to pass it without a cat on the car. But, the MOT itself doesnt say you have to have a cat.

 

This emissions thing is also what the police or VOSA can test for - same as checking for bald tyres etc.. if your emissions are over what is regarded as "road worthy" then your car is flagged as not road worthy and you have to correct it.

 

It also actually all goes on the year of the engine, and not the car. So, if you had some 1970 banger but fitted a 2010 engine in it, then you`d have to comply with the emissions specified for something made in 2010.

[rabbitstew]

Tarmac - this might be applicable to you

 

 

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/additional/fi ... ations.pdf

 

Its saying after 2001 its illegal to sell cats unless they are stamped as approved etc...

[rtbiscuit]

it is a legal requirement that all cars built after 1993 have an emissions controlled CAT.

 

if you take it off after your MOT your car is no longer legal. you would also be invalidating your insurance if they found them after you had a crash, they are prefectly with in their rights not to honour your insurance policy.

 

the only cars with de cats on that pass an mot are those who go to test stations who are happy to stretch/falsify, or even test another vehicle for your MOT.

[rabbitstew]

it is a legal requirement that all cars built after 1993 have an emissions controlled CAT.

 

if you take it off after your MOT your car is no longer legal. you would also be invalidating your insurance if they found them after you had a crash, they are prefectly with in their rights not to honour your insurance policy.

 

the only cars with de cats on that pass an mot are those who go to test stations who are happy to stretch/falsify, or even test another vehicle for your MOT.

 

Where does it say this? I spent ages yesterday googling and couldnt find anything. I even found forums where other people had done the same and not managed to find anything. I know its a legal requirement that all cars built after 1993 have to have a cat fitted when they are made. But, couldnt find anything saying that its illegal to drive a car without a cat fitted.

 

Not doubting you, but would be good to have concrete evidence to settle this debate.

[rtbiscuit]

it is a legal requirement that all cars built after 1993 have an emissions controlled CAT.

 

if you take it off after your MOT your car is no longer legal. you would also be invalidating your insurance if they found them after you had a crash, they are prefectly with in their rights not to honour your insurance policy.

 

the only cars with de cats on that pass an mot are those who go to test stations who are happy to stretch/falsify, or even test another vehicle for your MOT.

 

Where does it say this? I spent ages yesterday googling and couldnt find anything. I even found forums where other people had done the same and not managed to find anything. I know its a legal requirement that all cars built after 1993 have to have a cat fitted when they are made. But, couldnt find anything saying that its illegal to drive a car without a cat fitted.

 

Not doubting you, but would be good to have concrete evidence to settle this debate.

 

let me get home from work, and i shall email the VOSA for a definitive answer, and i shall post up the reply when it comes,

 

logic would dictate that if its a legal requirement for them to be built with, and you need one to pass your MOT, and that by swapping them out at MOT means that your car isn't actually road worthy. which means your insurance policy isn't actually valid. would make me think they aren't legal.

 

but if you want to hear it from the VOSA themselves i'll write it tonight

[Wasso]

Easy answer to all of this.

 

Purchase Motordyne XYZ pipe with race CAT

purchase decats

FIT

DRIVE

ENJOY

 

When MOT time comes along, the race CAT brings you in line with MOT requirements

[rabbitstew]

let me get home from work, and i shall email the VOSA for a definitive answer, and i shall post up the reply when it comes,

 

logic would dictate that if its a legal requirement for them to be built with, and you need one to pass your MOT, and that by swapping them out at MOT means that your car isn't actually road worthy. which means your insurance policy isn't actually valid. would make me think they aren't legal.

 

but if you want to hear it from the VOSA themselves i'll write it tonight

 

Be interesting to see what they say.

 

From my research - You dont need one to pass an MOT. The MOT does not require a CAT on the car at all. The emmisions are checked as part of an MOT and not whether or not a CAT is fitted. As long as the emmisions are fine, the car passes that test so some cars can pass without a cat, others use a cat as a way of reducing the emmisions. Outside of an MOT, if VOSA want to test your car, they too dont care less if a CAT is fitted, they test emmisions. A car could have a cat and still be classes as not roadworthy if the emmisions are too high.

 

There is some interesting stuff in the construction and use regulations regarding motor vehicles which cover emmisons but nothing i can see saying you have to have a cat by law. They also state things like its an offense to have the engine running in a stationary car unless your in traffic or inspecting your engine. And that its also an offense to drive a vehicle which creates "excessive noise". (but it doesnt define what is excessive noise, so my K1 might be okay).

[docwra]

logic would dictate that if its a legal requirement for them to be built with, and you need one to pass your MOT, and that by swapping them out at MOT means that your car isn't actually road worthy. which means your insurance policy isn't actually valid. would make me think they aren't legal.

 

So if my indicator bulb has blown at the point of impact, Im not covered for insurance either? What about if I was speeding before the incident, I believe thats criminal law but I would still get a payout .........

 

The MoT can effectively become invalid the moment you drive off the forecourt but you can still hold a valid MoT, I dont see how it affects any kind of insurance claim. The only way they would avoid paying out is by claiming you had non standard parts on the car, the same as if you had undeclared HFC's that you left in for the MoT anyway.

 

Two seperate issues here - any modification *can* invalidate and insurance policy and any post 1993 car (with a few exceptions, S13 200SX being one of them) generally needs a cat to pass an MoT emissions check - the actual presence of a cat is not a requirement though.