AA issues MOT warning with drivers at risk of failing over one part
The President of the AA has warned UK drivers risk failing their MOT test by modifying one car part. Edmund King, President of the AA, warned that modifying a car exhaust to make vehicles louder could backfire, with the issue likely to be picked up by mechanics as part of an annual test. The MOT test does not have a specific decibel limit on exhaust noise and cars are not measured with any specific tool.
TL;DR
- Modifying car exhausts to be louder can lead to MOT test failures.
- MOT testers can fail vehicles for exhaust noise that is an 'unreasonable nuisance'.
- While there's no specific decibel limit, examiners compare noise to a standard silencer.
- Illegal exhaust modifications can result in a 'Major' fail, taking the car off the road.
- New cars must meet progressively reduced UNECE noise limits, with current limits much lower than in 1978.
- There is public support for 'noise cameras' to crack down on excessively loud vehicles.
- Trials for noise cameras have been conducted in cities like Bradford, Bristol, Great Yarmouth, and Birmingham.