Laws on no backbox?

Daaryl

Veloce wrote: »

I don't believe there is any specific legal requirement to have a backbox on your car but you must comply with noise regulation (and emissions) you'd fail an NCT for having an exhaust that's exceeds the legal limit on both.

Was it just the backbox removed? Was there any resonator on the midpipe that was also removed? The exhaust at that db is very high - I'd have thought it was decatted or something.

Yes it was just the backbox removed, It still had the cat and silencer in it still, And no the midpipe was not removed, The db was 104 on my old e36 which was a complete ****box of a car!

colm_mcm

that number plate is def obscured by the surround


that's before you get to it being a non standard size with smaller font (yes i know these plates can be allowed when the car will not fit a standard size plate. this is clearly not the case here though)

Daaryl

colm_mcm wrote: »

that number plate is def obscured by the surround


that's before you get to it being a non standard size with smaller font (yes i know these plates can be allowed when the car will not fit a standard size plate. this is clearly not the case here though)

Maybe so, There was gaurds behind me when i was driving slow by avoiding potholes, getting over speedramps and avoiding shores sticking up in the ground, If any of those had a problem with the car why didn't they stop me then if it's so dangerously defective? I agree with the plate being obscured but it's not like the whole bottom numbers are covered, You can still make out what numbers they are.

L1011

It's obscured, regardless of how obscured.

Your car is hilariously non road legal and every further justification attempt digs you deeper. Either get it released and sell it or let them crush it as you can't afford it

selectamatic

OP you're wasting your time asking "experts" on boards for advice about a modified car when it's quite clear that many have a particular grievance with such vehicles. Why people can't let each to their own I'll never know. Wait for the car to be psv'd and you'll have your answer, keep in contact daily with the guards as I have heard of cases of cars being left for overly long periods of time in limbo while waiting for the psv officer to carry out his/her job.
Chances are it may pass the db test since it has the cat and first silencer still fitted, if lowered correctly you should be sound aswell as long as it can get over the ramp onto the lift you're ok it may be an issue if the rear tyres are rubbing however if as you say it only happens with weight in the back you should be alright. They may warn you over the number plate. Since the diff isn't welded you should be fine as I'd say the primary reason the car was lifted was to try and catch you with an arc spec diff.

People need to calm down a bit when it comes to the persecution of modified cars, the car culture in Ireland is very safe and subdued compared to other countries it's not like there's an epidemic of kanjo racers or street outlaw type drag racers tearing it up around the country it's mainly lads putting their own hard earned cash into a hobby they adore.

Very nice e36 by the way op I'd be more of a fan of ducktail/rocket bunny style spoilers but as a whole your car looks super clean.

goz83

selectamatic wrote: »

OP you're wasting your time asking "experts" on boards for advice about a modified car when it's quite clear that many have a particular grievance with such vehicles. Why people can't let each to their own I'll never know. Wait for the car to be psv'd and you'll have your answer, keep in contact daily with the guards as I have heard of cases of cars being left for overly long periods of time in limbo while waiting for the psv officer to carry out his/her job.
Chances are it may pass the db test since it has the cat and first silencer still fitted, if lowered correctly you should be sound aswell as long as it can get over the ramp onto the lift you're ok it may be an issue if the rear tyres are rubbing however if as you say it only happens with weight in the back you should be alright. They may warn you over the number plate. Since the diff isn't welded you should be fine as I'd say the primary reason the car was lifted was to try and catch you with an arc spec diff.

People need to calm down a bit when it comes to the persecution of modified cars, the car culture in Ireland is very safe and subdued compared to other countries it's not like there's an epidemic of kanjo racers or street outlaw type drag racers tearing it up around the country it's mainly lads putting their own hard earned cash into a hobby they adore.

Very nice e36 by the way op I'd be more of a fan of ducktail/rocket bunny style spoilers but as a whole your car looks super clean.

If he can afford to be buying alloys and new tyres, he can afford the tax. The OP has consistently tried to play down the issues with the car. The photo Colm posted clearly shows how illegal the plate alone is, with the digits obscured. I hope the new tyres are no thinner than the current ones, because he would be better off painting a coat of latex on the bare rims.

I'm not against modding. I'm against putting the safety of others at risk because the the car is heavily modified. If the tyres are rubbing, or you have to slow to a half mile per hour to get over a speed bump, there's going to be questions asked.

selectamatic

Car wasn't lifted due to tax from my reading of the thread op said its out since end of January, Its was lifted due to having no back box and the guard suspecting it had a welded diff. It hasn't got a welded diff and since the rest of the exhaust system is intact there's a chance it may not be too loud so chances are it'll pass a psv test, therefore it is highly likely that the car in question is a road worthy and safe vehicle, OP may get a talking to about the number plate however that alone doesn't constitute the vehicle being labeled unsafe. Rear tyres slightly rubbing occasionally on arch guards is not wildly dangerous its not ideal, however it isn't unsafe so long as the tyre isn't showing signs of wear and also just because they are low profile tyres doesn't mean they are unsafe either if that was the case nearly every sports car in the world would be unsafe.
Just because a car is heavily modified doesn't mean it is putting the safety of others at risk, this is the type of overreacting I was referring to in my first post. There's a big difference in a car lowered on coilovers and fitted with an lsd than a car on cut springs with a welded diff but most people fail to recognise this.

Kat1170

goz83 wrote: »

If he can afford to be buying alloys and new tyres, he can afford the tax. The OP has consistently tried to play down the issues with the car. The photo Colm posted clearly shows how illegal the plate alone is, with the digits obscured. I hope the new tyres are no thinner than the current ones, because he would be better off painting a coat of latex on the bare rims.

I'm not against modding. I'm against putting the safety of others at risk because the the car is heavily modified. If the tyres are rubbing, or you have to slow to a half mile per hour to get over a speed bump, there's going to be questions asked.

Ferrari, Lamborghini et al ???

TitianGerm

Kat1170 wrote: »

Ferrari, Lamborghini et al ???

Most Ferrari and Lamborghini have raisable splitters or a system to raise the suspension for town and City driving so you can go over speed bumps at a normal speed.

Veloce

emmetkenny wrote: »

Most Ferrari and Lamborghini have raisable splitters or a system to raise the suspension for town and City driving so you can go over speed bumps at a normal speed.

Not entirely true - it's an optional extra to have a lift kit added and many of those cars do not have them installed. Plus, they only raise the front end about 1.5 - 2 inches. You'd still be crawling over speed bumps with wheels and tyres alone costing €4k+

rab!dmonkey

emmetkenny wrote: »

Most Ferrari and Lamborghini have raisable splitters or a system to raise the suspension for town and City driving so you can go over speed bumps at a normal speed.

Normal speed? I don't think so.

TitianGerm

Veloce wrote: »

Not entirely true - it's an optional extra to have a lift kit added and many of those cars do not have them installed. Plus, they only raise the front end about 1.5 - 2 inches. You'd still be crawling over speed bumps with wheels and tyres alone costing €4k+

If you can afford a Ferrari you can afford the optional extras

Either way a Ferrari is designed like that and the OPs isn't.

The OP also hasn't answered if he informed the insurance company if he had his car modified because if he hasn't his policy is void and that's asking for trouble.

PS I've nothing against boyracers/modders at all. Alot of my friends have them and my family have them as well.

Nonoperational

Nothing wrong with having a modified car as long as it's tasteful and safe. Sort it out and you'll have no issues.

roverrules

Daaryl wrote: »

Can somebody help me out here, My E36 got seized for having no backbox on it, There was a complete exhaust system on it, But just a small bit past the rear wheels to the rear bumper was straight piped, The exhuast still have a cat and a silencer in it so it wasn't loud at bar it idling and small bit loud in 1st and 2nd and it was grand then, Is it legal to have it like that with the cat and silencer in it? Or do i need the backbox too? The car is booked in for the test for the 3rd of march, I had another e36 with the exact same exhaust straight piped from just behind the rear wheels to the rear bumper and nothing got said in the test centre just the fact it was 104dbs, So could anybody shed some light on the legal side of having a backbox or needing one if a cat and the silencer is still in it?

NCT should have failed it at 104 dB, permitted maximum is 99 dB, then there would be no disagreement.

dr.fuzzenstein

Nonoperational wrote: »

Nothing wrong with having a modified car as long as it's tasteful and safe. Sort it out and you'll have no issues.

Well, tasteful depends on the person. It should hardly be a criteria of roadworthiness.

goz83

selectamatic wrote: »

Car wasn't lifted due to tax from my reading of the thread op said its out since end of January,

I would say it was certainly a factor. The OP brought it up as if it wasn't an issue, excusing himself saying he had no money to tax it, while spending a fortune on mods.

selectamatic wrote: »

Its was lifted due to having no back box and the guard suspecting it had a welded diff. It hasn't got a welded diff

That's what the OP said he suspected. And we really don't know if the diff is welded, or not, but I would give the OP the benefit of the doubt there.

selectamatic wrote: »

and since the rest of the exhaust system is intact there's a chance it may not be too loud so chances are it'll pass a psv test,

We don't know that the rest of the exhaust is intact and saying there's "a chance it may not be too loud", followed by "chances are it'll pass a psv test" is somewhat leaning toward the realms of fairy land.

selectamatic wrote: »

therefore it is highly likely that the car in question is a road worthy and safe vehicle,

And now it's highly likely to be road worthy? OK. Well, the test will give results. I imagine they will demand a change, or two.

selectamatic wrote: »

OP may get a talking to about the number plate however that alone doesn't constitute the vehicle being labeled unsafe.

I agree. The number plate has nothing to do with safety.

selectamatic wrote: »

Rear tyres slightly rubbing occasionally on arch guards is not wildly dangerous its not ideal, however it isn't unsafe so long as the tyre isn't showing signs of wear

I totally disagree here. I wouldn't drive any car that had tyres rubbing. The OP says the tyres rub when someone is in the back. Tyres rubbing can cause a blow-out. Not something you want to happen doing 120 on the motorway. Someone elses attitude towards tyres cost me a spinal disc, so excuse me if I think I have a bit more to say on unsafe tyres. They are the only things keeping the car on the road. Anything which reduces their safety, when the driver is aware of this, is absolutely reckless and that person should not be behind the wheel of a car.

selectamatic wrote: »

Just because a car is heavily modified doesn't mean it is putting the safety of others at risk, this is the type of overreacting I was referring to in my first post. There's a big difference in a car lowered on coilovers and fitted with an lsd than a car on cut springs with a welded diff but most people fail to recognise this.

In the majority of cases, it does actually. A factory spec car is designed within certain tolerances. When you start d1cking about with the suspension, changing the factory rims for phat & large deep dish and tuning the engine to get more power pumping through the fart cannon, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but the safety of everyone else in your vicinity.

I like subtle mods on cars. I'm not a fan of heavy modding, whether it's just cosmetic, or not. I myself spent thousands modding a car of mine, but it was very subtle and did not compromise the car in any way.

Senna

No back box, but where does that pipe end, if it doesn't reach/pass the lip then it will fail the pcv.

If the guards really had it in for you, they could contact insurance company to see which modifications you have declared on your policy. Lower suspension etc, even an aftermarket backbox can be called a modification by some insurance companies, 123.ie for definite.

Mycroft H

I'm sure most companies would want an engineers report? It's like that with a classic

selectamatic

@goz
OP said the rest of exhaust was intact.
OP said car was lowered legally ie. not cut springs.
OP said guard suspected welded diff however his diff is not welded.
Tax was out by a few days at the time of seizure cars normally with tax out for such a period of time are not seized.
Guard found issue with the sticker bombed side windows however there is no legal basis for this as they are not the primary side windows.
Therefore the number plate and the possibility of the car being too loud are it's only road worthiness faults however full exhaust systems minus rear back box normally passes the db test it may not but they more often than not do.
Hence I said the car is likely to be road worthy. This is all guess work but I fail to see why you think my guess is from "fairy land".

Daaryl

Well it's getting tested tomorrow, And yes all the mods are declared!

selectamatic

Best of luck with her.

colm_mcm

Is this insured as your main car, or is it on 3rd party extension?

Daaryl

colm_mcm wrote: »

Is this insured as your main car, or is it on 3rd party extension?

Main car!

Senna

How did you declare the straight through pipe? Genuinely interested?

Daaryl

Senna wrote: »

How did you declare the straight through pipe? Genuinely interested?

Straight pipe isn't declared, Not sure if i mentioned it or not, I had to take the backbox off as it was rusty with holes in it, While i waited for a new backbox to come..

Stheno

Daaryl wrote: »

Well it's getting tested tomorrow, And yes all the mods are declared!

Daaryl wrote: »

Straight pipe isn't declared, Not sure if i mentioned it or not, I had to take the backbox off as it was rusty with holes in it, While i waited for a new backbox to come..

??????

Black, white or grey, all mods are declared?

Daaryl

Stheno wrote: »

??????

Black, white or grey, all mods are declared?

I didn't have a straight pipe on it when i declared the mods, Still had the backbox on it!

Senna

Daaryl wrote: »

I didn't have a straight pipe on it when i declared the mods, Still had the backbox on it!

You better hope they don't contact your insurance company.

Senna

Daaryl wrote: »

Straight pipe isn't declared, Not sure if i mentioned it or not, I had to take the backbox off as it was rusty with holes in it, While i waited for a new backbox to come..

Back box for your car is 70 quid and can be got in 24 hours if not in stock.
If I was a guard, I'd probably have done you too. Having a bean tin crappy exhaust is one thing, but to go to the trouble of welding on a straight through pipe when back boxes are readily available, with the excuse that you are waiting for one to be delivered is nonsense.
Guards know that a welded straight through pipe isn't a temp fix for a day or two, a backbox with holes in it is TEMP until new one arrives.

goz83

selectamatic wrote: »

@goz
OP said the rest of exhaust was intact.
OP said car was lowered legally ie. not cut springs.
OP said guard suspected welded diff however his diff is not welded.
Tax was out by a few days at the time of seizure cars normally with tax out for such a period of time are not seized.
Guard found issue with the sticker bombed side windows however there is no legal basis for this as they are not the primary side windows.
Therefore the number plate and the possibility of the car being too loud are it's only road worthiness faults however full exhaust systems minus rear back box normally passes the db test it may not but they more often than not do.
Hence I said the car is likely to be road worthy. This is all guess work but I fail to see why you think my guess is from "fairy land".

In fairness, the OP has said a lot of things and has contradicted himself on many. in post 34, he mentions unusually sized tyres on order. :eek:

I don't recall him saying the car was only a few days out of tax when it was taken. If this is true, then it's no saving grace, because he also said he was going to tax it at the start of March for his birthday.

There is a lot of guess work in what you're saying, which was kind of the point, where I said you were leaning to fairy land stuff.

Daaryl wrote: »

Well it's getting tested tomorrow, And yes all the mods are declared!

Well, no, they're not are they? Any changes are to be notified to your insurer right away, not at renewal. Do you have a new back-box ordered?