I Got Pinned For Not Having An Cat Converter

[R33-RB26DETT]

I got screwed over by a dodgy Roadworthy, and by my previous owner basically..

I got pulled over by police on the Weekend and they said that they where going to preform a roadworthy inspection on my car.

They couldn't find anything wrong with my car EXCEPT, they say that I don't appear to have a Catalytic Converter, and said that I would receive an EPA Notice in the mail.

They took a photo underneath my car of what appears to be a straight through pipe, and said I should be expecting a $1500 fine accompanied with an Emissions Test. Does this sound right?

Is the officer talking BS? I cant find the amount for not having a Cat on the EPA website anywhere? Has anyone ever copped this fine before? How much should I expect to have to pay?

Also, I bought the car without the Cat Converter and WITH a roadworthy. So its not my fault and I am going to contest this. I am going to sue the pants of the Workshop that approved it for Roadworthy!!!

[RBLUV]

so check and see if theres one there and if there isnt put one on,

whatever you do DONT go to epa without a cat

[R33-RB26DETT]

Obviously, I will need to install a Cat if there is not before I take it in to the EPA.

My question was mainly regarding what the fine for this would be? $1500 Fine for not having a Cat seems outrageous! Just wanting confirmation from other members who may have been in a similar situation please.

Also how can they prove that there was no cat converter in place simply from a photo? Surely they would need to be a more accurate test than just visual examination, for example what's to say its not a High Flow?

Or can they just fine you $1500 without an emissions test and say 'You obviosuly dont have a cat, its just a de-cat'?

Also, is it guarenteed that I will be emissions tested? Maybe they will just check to make sure that I do have a Cat installed when I bring it in?

Edited January 13, 2009 by GTR-PWR

[Al]

I've heard the fine can go as high as $10,000.

This is the first time i heard of anyone getting done for it though, so $1500 is believable.

How old is the roadworthy?

Is the straight through pipe a bolt-on unit?

If it is bolt on, the person that issued the roadworthy only needs to state that it had a cat at the time of inspection and that the previous owner or yourself has fitted the pipe after the rwc was issued. Unfortunately you wont be able to prove otherwise.

If the exhaust is just void of any cat, and has no flanges with a straight pipe, then you MAY have a chance, but the w/shop could still turn around and say the rwc was issued to the car with a std exhaust system fitted.

WHEN BUYING A CAR YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PICK WHERE THE CAR IS DONE FOR A RWC. If they refuse they may have something to hide.

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

where abouts was this?

[Al]

Your response has confused me.

Do you have a "cat" and they are assuming that it has been gutted?

or

There is no actual visual cat in the exhaust system?

[Johnny]

This is the first ive ever heard of this happening, ill be keeping an eye on this thread.

Goodluck with everything, i doubt you will get the fine because there is no way to prove it, a photo isnt exactly evidence that there was no internals; some high flow cats look like race pipes welded into the exhaust (only larger diameter)

A warning i guess for any1 putting in a race pipe is to weld the standard cat plate onto it so it looks standard and police cannot speculate!

[R33-RB26DETT]

Hi Al,

Q) How old is the roadworthy?

A) 5 - 6 Months old now.

Q) Is the straight through pipe a bolt-on unit?

A) Seems to be flanged, with a heat shield surrounding and covering the area.

"If it is bolt on, the person that issued the roadworthy only needs to state that it had a cat at the tim of inspection and that the previous owner or yourself has fitted the pipe after the rwc was issued. Unfortunately you wont be able to prove other wise."

You make a valid point, HOWEVER I know that I got screwed over because I never removed the Cat Converter. I know for a fact that it has never been changed since the time of purchase. Therefore I will threaten the workshop with a laywer and summons to court to pay the $1500 (if thats what it is). Also, the guy I bought it off got his dad's workshop to do the Roadworthy, so its pretty obvious his dad just signed off on it going 'she'll be right'.

The fact is that they signed off on a Roadworthy Certificate which should NOT have been issued, therefore when I approach them they should pay up.

Also I got a pre-purchase vehicle inspection from a Workshop in Melbourne who also didn't pick this up, and I have a detailed report from them too. So even they misinformed me...

Its an absolutely F'kd up situation which is entirely NOT my fault.

[saff_cossie]

Best case scenario, you borrow a cat, I assume the rest of the system is legal and you pass the test with a bit of inconvenience and minimal cash outlay.

I am assuming from the responses, you didnt realise the cat had been removed if indeed it has? It could just be a way of justifying sending you for the inspection.

The 10K Al mentions is if you are pulled over by Vic Roads themselves rather than Police sending you for an inspection.

[R33-RB26DETT]

Your response has confused me.

Do you have a "cat" and they are assuming that it has been gutted?

or

There is no actual visual cat in the exhaust system?

I am not 100% sure whether I do yet. How can you be without opening it up? - WHICH THEY DIDN'T! This is exactly my point, how can they fine you with just looking at it and going 'You obviously dont have a Cat its a straight through pipe?'. It doesnt seem very fair.

You would think that they would need to get the EPA to prove that its not a high flow cat since they didnt look internally or run any emissions tests.

So that why I am think the Officer is just talking BS, and saying that I will receive the $1500 fine.

[R33-RB26DETT]

This is the first ive ever heard of this happening, ill be keeping an eye on this thread.

Goodluck with everything, i doubt you will get the fine because there is no way to prove it, a photo isnt exactly evidence that there was no internals; some high flow cats look like race pipes welded into the exhaust (only larger diameter)

A warning i guess for any1 putting in a race pipe is to weld the standard cat plate onto it so it looks standard and police cannot speculate!

Thanks mate, yeah its totally unfair and a shitty situation since I was sold the car with a Roadworthy especially.

If I had guttered it or installed it myself I would cop it sweet, but no way am I going to sit back and take this crap. no freaking way.

[R33-RB26DETT]

where abouts was this?

Since this will most likely be going to court, I would rather not say specifically.

Just that I was pulled over at the shops and got out of the car with my girlfriend, some guy was saying 'Nice Car' and thumbs up - then an officer came running over from the other side of the road and said bring your car over here mate where going to run through it.

I did nothing wrong and was simply targeted because I drive an Import, its absolute BS.

[R33-RB26DETT]

Best case scenario, you borrow a cat, I assume the rest of the system is legal and you pass the test with a bit of inconvenience and minimal cash outlay.

I am assuming from the responses, you didnt realise the cat had been removed if indeed it has? It could just be a way of justifying sending you for the inspection.

The 10K Al mentions is if you are pulled over by Vic Roads themselves rather than Police sending you for an inspection.

Correct, I wans't 100% sure although I did suspect it a few months after a purchase the vehicle, in retrospect I should have got it checked and then fixed.

But I thought since it passed Roadworthy it should be fine..

At least I didnt get the 10K Fine!! That would be seriously not good.

[MYRB30]

That $10,000 fine is actually under the EPA act, which is not the road/traffic act, hence its a different section of law, I think the max fine caould be $20,000.

Yes that has been dished out before.

Usually to those who flout the Law big time, no cat, loud as exhaust, programmable ecu thats not been approved etc etc.

I have heard of people having to sell the car as they couldn't afford the fine and repairs to get it road worthy.

[Al]

I have seen some pretty dodgy concealments of a straight through pipe that can be seen a mile away.

What side of town are you on? Maybe someone is willing to met up with you and see whether the cops are mistaken, thus putting your mind at ease, or explaining what the cops have seen, thus you know what's going on.

As someone else explained; you may have a magnaflow cat fitted, or similar, that looks like a straight through pipe or even a "hotdog" resonator.

I am on the West side of town, if that helps.

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

my advice.... get a cat that looks enough like the pipe thats on there now and front up with that and tell them to stfu!

make sure the rest of the system is legal tho...

[R33-RB26DETT]

I have seen some pretty dodgy concealments of a straight through pipe that can be seen a mile away.

What side of town are you on? Maybe someone is willing to met up with you and see whether the cops are mistaken, thus putting your mind at ease, or explaining what the cops have seen, thus you know what's going on.

As someone else explained; you may have a magnaflow cat fitted, or similar, that looks like a straight through pipe or even a "hotdog" resonator.

I am on the West side of town, if that helps.

Thanks mate, Im in the East side of town and I am taking my car in to the mechanic this week to get them to look over it and fix my 02 Sensors in readiness for emissions testing. So I will know for sure then.

The current pipe does 'look' straight through, as does this one in the below picture:

The only difference between mine and the one in the picture is that mine doesn't have a slight buldge, it just runs straight the whole pipe with a much smaller bulge near the flange.

[RBLUV]

my mate got pulled over by pettet who saw that he had no cat, instantly wrote him an epa, he simply changed exhausts to one with a cat went to epa and bobs your uncle, no fine was issued to him by the police or posted in the mail to him, but im not sure if they can even issue the fine them not being epa,

and yes it really was pettet, to make it more believable he got 4 of us at once!

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

yeah but this guy took photo's

[R33-RB26DETT]

my advice.... get a cat that looks enough like the pipe thats on there now and front up with that and tell them to stfu!

make sure the rest of the system is legal tho...

Yeah thats exactly what I was thinking.

Although a high flow pipe with a straight though pipe appearance would be less likely to pass emissions.

Therefore I may need to go an oval shaped design with a cermic core:

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Ca...ly-t244139.html

This would help ensure I pass emissions testing.