exhaust noise level laws any 1???

[andi1]

My exhaust is very very loud it shakes my mates windows round the corner when i fire it up ive been told. My sister took a phone call from the police asking if any1 owned an astra they want me 2 contact them about the noise before i do this id like to know what the exhaust noise law actually is, basically they said thy`d like to discuss the problem first otherwise my car will be inspected. What should i do?
Must be those bloody mardy neighbours - thing that annoys me is that at night i turn engine off at top of rd and roll car onto drive so not to disturb people but this isnt enough!

any advice appreciated!

[Durzel]

Theoretically you could be done for disturbing the peace, but I can't see what else. There isn't a specific motoring law that covers it afaik.

[Freak]

Dont think there are any restrictions- except for what durzel mentioned?

Tell them to **** off.

As long as there are no holes in it- its legal

[Viper]

Noise

3.10. The external noise emitted by passenger cars has been controlled since 1929 when the Motor Cars (Excessive Noise) regulations were enacted. Since 1973 new cars have been required to meet Europe wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB) in 1976 to the current limit of 74dB. This means it would take seven new cars to make the same amount of noise as a car that just meets the pre-1976 limits.

3.11. This information is available in the VCA booklet, but not contained in car registration documents. No information is published for other vehicles such as vans and lorries.

[Vectra Dave]

I think the MOT tester has to think that it is "reasonably silenced"
On my 1st ever car I fitted a bit of scaffolding pipe from the downpipe straight down the middle with a HUGE cherry-bomb on the end.
I couldnt drive round a car-park without setting off several car alarms as I went past.lmao
It passed the MOT ok as it was securely mounted and didnt leak.

[andi1]

any1 have a noise meter???

[MarkH]

If you've got a recent MOT then you can argue that it must be legal, surely ?

Mark

[green manalishi]

If you've got a recent MOT then you can argue that it must be legal, surely ?

that makes sense, if it got through a mot like that....

surely all they can do is demand a re-test? (your car has to be in a mot passing state whenever you drive it)

if it's gone through it's mot (or if it goes through it again) then there's not much they can do.

don't forget, if someone complains, they have to investigate. outcome might be that they tell your neighbour not to be such a woose.

[DOUGAL]

Ten years ago so might of changed now

Police say too noisey, I say not.

Drive past Db meter at 30 mph, (Env. health Not police).

Distance aprox 10 mtrs, Passedlmao

Twin pipe system 3" each tube, each side fitted with 1 expansion box, 1 turbo muffler and each side fed with a little less than 4 ltr.

I coulden't belive it but was told that buses come under same regs too. To be honest I don't think anyone knew the "law", I diddn't / don't and suspect the evn. health offical / cop bloke were the same.

I know it was too loud, so did they.

DOUGAL

[sean84]

i have a 3" ashley back box and that is well loud. My mum says she can hear me for about a mile. And also my next door neighbour complains of his windows shakin when i start it up. Plus for some reason my dog pukes when it's idling over it effects him as well.

I've also been followed by the police a few times when i've been out. So i'm guessing it is loud.


when i was out 2 days ago i set off about 40 alarms in an underground car park.


I hope there is no law on how loud ur exhasut is cause i'm screwed. The only thing i was warned about when i bought the back box was how loud it was the guy never said it it was illegal.

[andi1]

i feel the problem is with an old fart down the street is having problems with his teeth chattering st 8.00 am each morning when i go to work could be the problem!!???

[RDS]

LMAO @ this my girlfriend says she can hear me coming about 500yds away and thats in the house lmao ******** to them!lmao

[andi1]

thing which annoys me is that i deliberately switch off my engine at top of road when i come in late at night and coast on to drive so not to wake people and i never rev the engine on the drive etc but they still fe*Ki* moan and ring the plod nothing better to do !

[racin_snake]

dont know if this will be relavant bt i know that our racecar can't exceed 105db, and thats aparantly goin to be reduced to 102/3 or summit!! if they say out, just tell 'em you've been racin it at sap or summit, ca there aint no noise restrictions over there!!

[Ian S]

lol @ all you lot with loud cars wouldnt catch me having a noisy car

[DarrenH]

all my noise comes from the engine bay, i'd love to see them try and throw the rule book at that.

[Jamie_F]

on my last astra i had a full powerflow system on it, 2.25" bore to 1 backbox and that was loud, on tick overe it used to burble but as you got going i got really loud, when i took it castle coombe they diddnt realyy think much of it when i was waiting to go out but when i came back i was DB tested as they said i was too loud, i got 128 DB,, result, and they diddnt belive me when i said it was a diesel.

Tom W said he could hear me from the other side of the track from where he was

[smashedupbri]

I got a mate with a street legal chevy drag racer and on idle its loud, away from the lights its deafening, but the mot can only measure dB on idle so he gets away with it. Not sure how loud it can be but to be a street legal racer its got to have an mot and I,ve never heard a quiet one. If its late at night you could disturb the peace but it don't make your motor illegal.

[andi1]

yes i think this `disturbing the peace` is the problem but how can they prove it??

[sean84]

the only way the police can prove it is bring a reader out to ur house and test ur car.

Thats the only way i can see them catchin u. But do u really think the police want all that hassle they'll prob give u a warning and tell u to change ur exhaust and hand in a garage thing so they know u've changed it lol if they do goto a garage and get someone to sign that it's ok.

Problem solved and if ur neighbours complain just do what i do lol make it louder.

I'm not up to revving the car up till it's on the red and playin my music up full lmao they've not complained again cause they know i'll find something else to annoy them with

[green manalishi]

sell the car and buy a monster truck tractor unit. tell your neighbours that you've become a freelance haulier. they'll soon wish you got you're old car back.

seriously, what a load of twaddle. did you're car get an mot? got tax? right then, you're road legal. f**k 'em then.

spend the next couple of evenings on the driveway revving the 4rse off it, and when they ask you what you're doing say you're trying to measure noise levels 'cos some fool complained.

in fact, just ignore the whole thing, it'll probably just go away of it's own accord. they'll test your car, they'll shrug their shoulders, thay may give advice, you will do nothing, and there you go.

[Crash Test Mark]

Originally posted by andi1
My exhaust is very very loud it shakes my mates windows round the corner when i fire it up ive been told.


Must be those bloody mardy neighbours - thing that annoys me is that at night i turn engine off at top of rd and roll car onto drive so not to disturb people but this isnt enough!

any advice appreciated!

The real advice that nobody seems to be giving is that you need to think about others for once. Everyone hates you. You wake up their Kids, you're rude, obnoxious and selfish. They won't be happy until the car is scrapped. And the police : They are going to get you !

Now, what I suggest Is that you work out a way of silencing your beast, without affecting the performance. It might be hard but for the sake of everone else do it.

Just because it might be legal does not make it socially acceptable.

Note : Nothing Personal just the guilt of finding out that the neighbours moved because of my 4 into One Straight Through Exhaust firing up at 7 am Every Morning (Z900)

[green manalishi]

i want a house in the middle of nowhere, cos neighbours do me in.

they either, make big noise with music, lawnmowers, builders whatever, or complain when you start your engine, or keep a car on your own drive for more than a month.

our neighbours complained 'cos we threw out the manky carpets that came with the house. i didn't want my sproglets crawling on a 10 year old carpet that some stranger had been keeping dogs on, eurgh. anyway, busybody next door wants us to buy more carpet because she gets disturbed by the noise of the kids (2 and 5) running around on the bare floorboards! cheeky cow! she says it can't be healthy, but i've sealed all the joins between the boards with silicone sealant, and given it a few coats of floor paint. it's great, theres no dust, no stains, they can crap and pee on it, no bother. stoopid woman next door can swivel.

that's why i say feck 'em.

anyway, we've just bought a piano so that should wind her up. we didn't do it on purpose, but y'know, this is why i think you should live your life and stuff your neighbours.

let them buy another house if they want to live elsewhere. so what?

there's people living by the docks on the mersey and the council put a water treatment plant on the doorstep. it really hums badly even on cold days. now that is what i would consider to be a problem.

one of my mates in glasgow lived opposite the entrance to a hauliers and at 6 am about 30 or 40 lorries would start up, warm up and then que to get out onto the main road. the noise was probably 50 times more than your (relatively) poxy exhaust pipe (no offence).

so they should get a grip. tell them to watch neighbours from hell, then see how bad you really are.

[Crash Test Mark]

We all have neighbours that get on our TEETS, but why make it worse ?

I told a bloke a work that I had a problem with mine and he said seriously he could set up an accident, but I'd have to pay. I told him that was not on. AND NO NO NO NO.
I try to avoid him now !

I've started saying hello to them and it really naff's them off !

Knowing that they might know someone who can arrange an accident for me in return has really helped put in in perspective.

[green manalishi]

yeah, erm arranged accidents are a little bit over the top lmao

i'm just saying there are worse things to live with than loud exhaust pipes. are you sure your neighbours didn't just move cos they wanted a bigger / better house for your kids? it would be typical that a neighbour said they moved due to your exhaust just to put a sly complaint of their own in.

i always try to remain courteous to our neighbours, and offer to help eg when they're doing a big job in the garden (they're an old couple) but i will not let them rule my life. i do try not to take the pee, we warn them when we're going to have a party, and at the last one, we tried to stop the flames from the bonfire going too high, and tried not to make too much smoke. that didn't seem to bother them, yet the overhang on our front hedge does!

sod em. they'll move if they're really unhappy. but i want to move asap, cos i don't like neighbours either. just can't afford a big house in the country yet!