Exhaust noise law

[Millar]

A short story:
I took my car across to a local town to meet up with my cousin to show him the repairs to the beemer. On the way in i pulled over to talk to a mate who happens to have a honda civic with a straight through exhaust. Next thing i know the rozers pull up and start snooping around at his exhaust, then walk across and have a look at the E21, but all they do is ask if its mine. They then start quizzing my mate, asking if its been tested before etc etc. In the end they get him to drive up to the industrial estate so that they can test its noise levels with a decibel metre. Later on i drive past the industrial estate to see what's happening up there, and by that time they are testing another car, a highly modified evo. It looked like a non local highway police car (the dreaded volvo), so my guess is that it was doing the rounds around the local towns to try and catch out the boy racers. I can't say i'm against them stopping standard corsa's with stupid back boxes, but i kind of feel sorry for people that do it for performance reasons, like on the evo, and people with old decent cars that at least sound good, like us. Anyway its at this point that i decide to go home, as my car is by far, a lot louder than both of the cars that i saw getting tested.
So my question is, is there a noise level that car exhausts have to adhere to? And because of the age of our cars (E21's) do we also have to adhere to these rules?

Cheers for any help on this matter
Millar

P.s- do the police have nothing better to do, like catch real criminals.

[e21-Mark]

I think that it's just noise levels that apply to e21? I think the exhaust must record a decibel level not exceeding 101 db(A).

This level will be recorded at the height of the exhaust or 200mm from ground level which ever is greater, placed 500mm away from the exhaust outlet at a 45 degree angle to said outlet.

The engine will be run at a speed between two thirds and three quarters of it’s maximum to achieve the recording.

Newer cars must obviously have a catalytic converter in place.

I know that when I lived in Cornwall the Police targeted modified cars as a high percentage had insurance with no mod's declared. In effect their insurance was worthless.

[tommi_e21]

i have been stopped loads of time with stupid exhaust but never been tested.

Wouldnt thought you would get any sort of fine really for it but prob an MOT demander thing stating that you must change your exhaust. but mark your right about them being bastards with the insurance if you havent got everything listed.

they might give you a section 59. my e21 had one and will prob have another one at some point in its life

[Millar]

cheers for that lads, i now need to notify my insurance, and get it tested for db's. i know someone who's exhaust got an asbo, and they got a £30 fine as well.
Its annoying, i live in the middle of the countryside, why did the police waste money investing in a decibel metre.
section 59?

[tommi_e21]

section 59 is a public nuisace thing. like an asbo for your car

first one you get a slap on the wrist
2nd one you get towed (bout £150 to get back)
3rd one car gets crushed.

lasts a year and its on the vehicle not the person so if you sell your car it goes to that person mwah ha ha ha

i got mine for drifting round halfords carpark. apparantly i was upsetting people

[Millar]

haha what a way to get one though! would suck if you bought a car that already had 2 on it and you didn't know...

[murran]

i got mine for drifting round halfords carpark.

heroic!!