The Defected Thread...

[Rolls]

Saw a few cops myself on the way in to the dinner. Had one drive real slow so I had to pass him on Port Road.

I had a cop do that once so I just slowed down as well and eventually when we were doing 20 I just stopped lol. He drove off.

[jrm]

Well, my first defect notice tonight. Guess it's a "welcome to the owning a skyline" thing.

Two things they've put on my defect notice:

* exhaust noise (98db)

* Window tint (rear glass - 23%)

Not real sure who I can see in a hurry to fix my exhaust lower to 90db. I have baffle thingy which can go into the muffler, but I suspect these arent legal unless welded in (and probably isn't going to lower it far enough anyway).

Now, I also have the factory UV glass on the rear, you can't remove the tint, and changing the glass would be thousands of dollars - anyone know what to do about this one? I have no ideas about what to do with this rear glass - I've checked search, and a few people have mentioned how dark it isi, one guy had an RACQ inspection and it was picked up as a possible problem, but I couldn't find any real answers. The SA Transport guidelines aren't real clear on it either, just stating it has to be 35% or better. They do mention factory privacy glass, but seem to give it any excemption over the 35% thing.

Few other things I'm worried about for an inspection - are they going to check everything?

I've checked my ride-height, it's 340F, and 345R which should be legal according to everything I've read. I still have the factory xenon headlights (compliancing papers said they'd been removed but they hadn't). I do have an apexi pen turbo timer - which I use an as air-fuel ratio meter (all turbo-timer functions are disabled, though it's still hooked up - does that matter?), and a shift light on my steering column. The car is pretty much standard otherwise, spare tyre is yellow and marked with 80jph. My braided brake lines are ADR approved, clear side/front indicators have orange bulbs... I dunno .. I'm trynig to think what I can be done for further - I really don't want to have to pay for a re-inspection. Been trying to read this thread to get tips. Kinda stressing out at the moment

What a pain in the ass... what I get for driving about looking for nice spots to take pictures of my car on a Friday night ..

[scandyflick]

shouldnt have a problem with the privacy glass. if they question it, tell them its factory privacy glass. xenons are in the same category.

exhaust is easy, put the baffle plate in, and stuff the rear muffler with steel wool.

turbo timer will have to be disconnected. and remove the shift light.

[Dohmar]

shouldnt have a problem with the privacy glass. if they question it, tell them its factory privacy glass. xenons are in the same category.

exhaust is easy, put the baffle plate in, and stuff the rear muffler with steel wool.

turbo timer will have to be disconnected. and remove the shift light.

the exhaust isnt quite that simple - if you have a car imported with the 15 year rule u can get away with it, if its been imported with sevs then it needs to meet emissions requirements, which means regency usually get anal and demand that you have a stock exhaust - call mark at Exhaust Technology, he might have a stock exhaust that u can rent off him

-D

[PREISS]

Ive been through 5 times and never had to put a stock exhaust system back on.

Last time I went thru I thought it was kinda loud. Turned out fine.

Turbo timer not just disconnected but fully removed.

[jrm]

MMMm .. just went to my regular exhaust guy and took in the muffler baffle that came with my x-force muffler and he welded that in. Sound levels were then re-tested at 88db, which is under the 90db required. Do you guys reckon that is going to be acceptable, especially with it welded (not just bolted) in? It looks like arse, and the car feels boring and I now find driving it boring instead of putting a smile on my face - but it's now legal db wise. Not sure about emissions, or whether Regency are going to check/care.

I tried talking to the police this morning; went in with the receipt from the work, and the defect papers - figured I'd see if they'd just let me at least have an extension to drive until I can make a Regency appointment (can't do it on a weekend), but they didn't seem interested at all, or interested in just re-inspecting themselves instead of having to Regency it. Any tips/suggestions on this, or am I stuck?

I was figuring I can easily remove the display bit from the turbo-timer, pretty sure it just unplugs, and just leave it in otherwise. It's reasonably easy to remove completely (it's using an inline wiring loom), but if I don't have to, I'd rather not bother. I figure I can stow the Ecliptech shift-i progressive shift light under the dash.

I gotta tell ya, I'm really tired by all of this from the stress and the drama. I don't know how you guys that keep getting defected deal with it. I think I would go insane.

[Rolls]

Did you do a skid at any time? Copper probably saw you rev out a gear or two at one stage then followed you, that's what usually happens. Also why I avoid driving friday and saturday nights, just too risky.

[fat_stag]

wheni got my stagea into sa reg over the pits they messured my rear tint to be 14% but because its a factory item they cant do anything about it. if you get hasseld about it in the future you know where you shand now.

Edited October 17, 2009 by fat_stag

[jrm]

Good to know - but it would be nice to have a piece of paper from Regency to show a cop next time so he doesn't hassle me though... Something tells me it ain't gonna happen, though..

[DSTROY]

Good to know - but it would be nice to have a piece of paper from Regency to show a cop next time so he doesn't hassle me though... Something tells me it ain't gonna happen, though..

Just get them to write on the defect clearence form that the window tint is ok, they usually write a few things on it when you go through then keep it in the car. With the turbo timer just unplug it and shove the wires up in the dash. I did it with the wiring on my boost controller and they didn't find it but they did look for it.

Regency aint as bad as people make it out to be. I've been through about 5 times and past first time everytime.

[Krishy]

the exhaust isnt quite that simple - if you have a car imported with the 15 year rule u can get away with it, if its been imported with sevs then it needs to meet emissions requirements, which means regency usually get anal and demand that you have a stock exhaust - call mark at Exhaust Technology, he might have a stock exhaust that u can rent off him

-D

you just need a baffle plate and as long as it is below the legal limit then you would be ok.....been through a few times through regency with aftermarket exhaust and dump etc and its all been ok as long as the db is below 90 or whatever it is

[Dohmar]

you just need a baffle plate and as long as it is below the legal limit then you would be ok.....been through a few times through regency with aftermarket exhaust and dump etc and its all been ok as long as the db is below 90 or whatever it is

ahh thats awesome - i was sure that regency were more anal about exhausts than that... I think they do require a catalytic converter attached from a certain manufacture or import date, but I feel a little relieved about that... I've never measured the junBL's... while theyre loud, theyre nowhere near as loud as some cars i've heard lately... its more of a drone (considering getting an oval junbl muffler and chucking it between the 2" muffler tips and the resonator.... not sure about performance restriction tho..)

The junBL twins are a bit quieter than the kakimoto cannon that was on there previously, and they actually flow a tad better

-D

[jrm]

You reckon with this x-force muffler baffle plate tack-welded in at four spots, it should be okay?

Kinda like this one:

Muffler guy reckoned it was a bad idea to do more than tack-welding it in and that it should satisfy them - that if he did proper welding it would leave me with a ruined manky tip for if I wanted to take it out for something like a track day. I don't know how nasty these inspectors are gonna be though.

[Dohmar]

You reckon with this x-force muffler baffle plate tack-welded in at four spots, it should be okay?

Kinda like this one:

Muffler guy reckoned it was a bad idea to do more than tack-welding it in and that it should satisfy them - that if he did proper welding it would leave me with a ruined manky tip for if I wanted to take it out for something like a track day. I don't know how nasty these inspectors are gonna be though.

spot welds will be fine. only really need seam welds for stuff that is subjected to pressure or load....

if they diss you on this, i'd be very very surprised. the fact its welded rather than just installed should satisfy them

btw, it is possible to have quiet exhausts which flow extremely well - writeoff has some master crafted exhaust system that remains quieter than my car, even tho hes pulling at least another 130 kw than I - its just a matter of how much ya wanna spend on the exhaust

-D

[jrm]

It cost me like $1100 or so back 2.75 years ago when I bought the car (the exhaust was fitted the next day). I believe it's an x-force turbo-back system. To be honest, I shouldn't complain too hard, I've been driving around without any real police hassle at all from the exhaust at this level.

I've been eyeing off various HKS Silent options, and wondering what's out there, and wondering whether it's possible to get something free-flowing that's quiet and retaining as much of the current system as possible to reduce costs. I don't really know enough about exhausts to know what's possible. The other option is, I just deal with it being like this, and tackle it later when I start doing more mods and require a more free-flowing exhaust. Right now I just want to get past this defect and re-assess from there.

I suspect my thoughts/plans with regards to oil coolers and other modifications may need some re-thinking in mind of keeping this both stealth and legal to try and avoid any future issues. I'm still yet to find an intercooler option that i'm comfortable with to be legal (no cutting). The only thing I've come across so far that seems to fit the bill is the Arc SMIC, or taking an off-the-shelf FMIC (that fits behind the reo without cutting) and making custom piping to the factory pipes. Ugh .. what a headache.

[conan7772]

Don't forget defecting is a Registration related problem

Don't be afraid to dispute it.

Go to the RTA website for PDF's

Click Registration

Click Useful Downloads - Vehicle Standards

Then search for the specific regulation you require.

You'll eventually find it in there somewhere.

Edited October 17, 2009 by conan7772

[jrm]

Hrmmm .. what a fun coupla days.... Been trying to put together a checklist for my car - so far:

* Just had tyres/suspension checked out by tyre guy (and 4 new tyres fitted .. too much scrubbing on inside .. ugh ) ..

* Spare tyre has 80kph written on it

* Ride height is 340 front, 345 rear to the eyebrow, which according to SA Transport site is the minimum legal - so *should* be good here.

* Only had my brakes serviced recently, calipers/brakes all good, ADR lines are legal

* Vehicle Standards have told me the rear factory glass is fine (cop at station where I had the car cleared for driving until inspection didn't believe me "so any car can just drive with as dark as they like if they came from the factory? I dont think so!")

* I just personally did a major service, so new aircon/alternator/power-steering belts, new oil, new o2 sensor fitted ..

* Checked all my window washers, wiper blades, no cracks in any exterior glass

* Front seats all move back and forth fine, seatbelts all in good condition, and pre-tensioners work.

* Planning to remove all the sub, carpc, amp from the boot ...

* Engine isn't blowing any smoke, no oil leaks

* Horn is working

* No rust in any panels

* All undertrays, guard linings are in and bolted up correctly

* Checked all my interior bulbs (one of the map lights was busted), indicators, parker bulbs, highbeam all working fine...

* Exhaust noise fixed with a baffle in the muffler, not touching anything under-body. My performance feels like crap, and boost levels are much lower than before, but what can you do?

So only two things I have to worry about I can think of:

* ride height is on legal minimum, hoping that's okay

* xenon factory headlights - my compliance papers said these were removed, but they sure are still the factory xenons when I bought it. I can't imagine how much that would cost to fix. What's the likelihood of the inspector picking up on it?

[Matty 31]

Hrmmm .. what a fun coupla days.... Been trying to put together a checklist for my car - so far:

* Just had tyres/suspension checked out by tyre guy (and 4 new tyres fitted .. too much scrubbing on inside .. ugh ) ..

* Spare tyre has 80kph written on it

* Ride height is 340 front, 345 rear to the eyebrow, which according to SA Transport site is the minimum legal - so *should* be good here.

* Only had my brakes serviced recently, calipers/brakes all good, ADR lines are legal

* Vehicle Standards have told me the rear factory glass is fine (cop at station where I had the car cleared for driving until inspection didn't believe me "so any car can just drive with as dark as they like if they came from the factory? I dont think so!")

* I just personally did a major service, so new aircon/alternator/power-steering belts, new oil, new o2 sensor fitted ..

* Checked all my window washers, wiper blades, no cracks in any exterior glass

* Front seats all move back and forth fine, seatbelts all in good condition, and pre-tensioners work.

* Planning to remove all the sub, carpc, amp from the boot ...

* Engine isn't blowing any smoke, no oil leaks

* Horn is working

* No rust in any panels

* All undertrays, guard linings are in and bolted up correctly

* Checked all my interior bulbs (one of the map lights was busted), indicators, parker bulbs, highbeam all working fine...

* Exhaust noise fixed with a baffle in the muffler, not touching anything under-body. My performance feels like crap, and boost levels are much lower than before, but what can you do?

So only two things I have to worry about I can think of:

* ride height is on legal minimum, hoping that's okay

* xenon factory headlights - my compliance papers said these were removed, but they sure are still the factory xenons when I bought it. I can't imagine how much that would cost to fix. What's the likelihood of the inspector picking up on it?

sounds like you've covered it all, if the engine bay is nice and clean you'll be laughing. didnt really need to remove the subs and amps from the boot, as long as its all secured and the wiring is secured every 30cm you'd have been fine. as for the ride height, if its legal then its legal. there shouldnt be a problem with that. dont know about the headlights, personally you can only try ya luck i spose

[Rolls]

Hey what about side indicators guys? do you need them? My R32 came from VIC and was registered/complied and it only has the bulging side indicators from the headlight assembly, nothing specifically mounted on the side. I've heard VIC are more lax about compliance etc than SA but will I pass a regency inspection without them?

[Dohmar]

Hey what about side indicators guys? do you need them? My R32 came from VIC and was registered/complied and it only has the bulging side indicators from the headlight assembly, nothing specifically mounted on the side. I've heard VIC are more lax about compliance etc than SA but will I pass a regency inspection without them?

it might depend on which rule the car was imported under, but my gtr has only the bulging front side indicators, no indicators on the side panels

-D