Cops and engineer's certificates

[tk80]

I was driving down the highway (coffs harbour) in my qld registered car when one of our friendly highway patrol officers issued me with a defect notice and a $200 fine for having an aftermarket exhaust with no engineers certificate.

What's that all about? i explained to him that it's not the law to have an engineers certificate in qld.... his response, 'you're driving on nsw roads so you have to abide by our rules.' if that's the case, the cops could have a field day up at the nsw qld border.

they didn't even test the exhaust for noise...

anyone out there have a similar experience? i would have thought that i could get off the hook considering the car is registered in qld....??? also, is there a time limit between modifications done to the car and the engineers certificate to approve the modification? i had the exhaust on for less than 24 hours!

to the guys in coffs.....hope you're on standby cause next time i come through i'll be mashing it in 5th at 300+.

[R33S2]

I hate NSW cops

[someonestolecc]

Damn that sucks.

Although in QLD you do have engineers certs - they give you "TIC" plates (transport industry consultants).

Ehm - is it not loud? if it isn't I'd fight it - especially if they didn't test it.

[Mulkers]

I hate NSW cops

Ohh God, if only i lived in NSW. Should come to vic.. or hell , actually the latter would be more friendly and fun

[tk80]

how detailed are the engineers certificates? what's stopping you getting a 2" exhaust system checked and approved, then putting on a 3" system?

[someonestolecc]

I have mine saying 3" exhaust all the way through to barrel shaped muffler with 4.5" diameter tip. So they can get some detail.

[Silver-Arrowz]

I ponder how they can issue a fine without absolute proof that the car's exhaust is over the legal limit? Someone care to explain?

Anyhow, cop has a point there. Your on NSW roads so you abide by NSW rules. Each state has it's own set of rules and it's up to you to find out about them and follow them. It's just the way it goes. At the same time I think it's just down to luck. The copper saw you and singled you out.

[predator]

I thought you just had to abide by the licence rules for NSW, but as the car was rego'ed in QLD the car itself had to comply by QLD rules.

I wonder what happened if you just didn't pay it? or just ripped the defect notice off?? How can they cancel your rego in QLD?

Why not just ring up QLD transport and ask??

[BHDave]

I thought you just had to abide by the licence rules for NSW, but as the car was rego'ed in QLD the car itself had to comply by QLD rules.  

I wonder what happened if you just didn't pay it? or just ripped the defect notice off?? How can they cancel your rego in QLD?

Why not just ring up QLD transport and ask??

bingo. That is the way it is.

You could probably throw the defect in the bin with no harm done to be honest. There's a bit more to defecting an out of state car than a local one.

[lismo]

I live in coffs and own a modded R33 and i have been put through so much by the cops here. From rejecting a qualified engineers certificate which was supplied to me through the RTA, to blatenly lying in court. You wouldnt believe half the sh*t i could tell you. Because of them i have been forced to move interstate (QLD) but wouldnt have if it wasnt for the local higway patrol. I find them to be extremely arrogent and rude without being provoked.

Take them to court about the fine......they are a law unto them selves and just think they can get away with anything here. See an experienced traffic lawyer first, but im pretty sure you can stick it to em.

As with clearing your defect i wouldnt bother because its QLD rego'd they can not cancel your rego, but i was told by one of the highway cops whilst being defected that if i had QLD rego and didnt clear it they can ban me from driving in nsw with those modifications. And im not sure if you'd be able to (if you lived in nsw) change it to nsw rego if it is listed as defective.

[Jax]

Fellers, See also New South Wales Forum "Advice Needed - Received a ticket for Exhaust" I have sent him a PM, re how to best fight this. This is rediculious, we should find some way to get to-gether on this. These impossible to comply with differences have got to be resolved. The Police are Police, not Gods, not infallible and not unable to be beaten.

[DivHunter]

funny, as I zipped around NSW at 110 (where applicable) with my vic Ps (which look like inverted NSW red Ps) with 0 problems except for a few locals not liking P platers passing them for some reason (literally speed to pass me then slow down) but then this was in a Magna VR-X (2001 model not the ugly ass one) and a Fairmont Ghia V8 with a 3" straight through exhaust etc.

If I tried it in the R33 might be a little different.

If it is legal in QLD you can fight it and win, you can even get off parking fines if the way you parked is legal in your home state

[R33S2]

I live in coffs and own a modded R33 and i have been put through so much by the cops here.Because of them i have been forced to move interstate (QLD)

I feel your pain because they did the same to me except Yamba, is why I said b4.

[1989GTR]

DO NOT DRIVE IN COFFS HARBOUR WITH A MODFIED CAR OF ANY KIND. SIMPLE. YOU WILL BE DEFECTED....

[predator]

sounds like a shit hole..

[D-G]

My brother bought his Supra stock from Toyota about 2 years ago now and the cops made him test his exhaust. It was a little over the noise limit, they made him PAY for a totally new exhuast. I dont understand why it was his fault and why he had to pay for a new one. But he didnt argue with it because sometimes when you try to wreck the law for them doing the wrong thing, they will get you even worse just for embarrasing them, if your half right and half wrong on this matter, i say drop it for now until something more happens or they drag it on. Just one persons opinion... =]

Err i forgot to mention that you are in NSW, so im not 100% on the laws up there, you might be right on this. hehe

[justin911]

I think the trick is to just agree with whatever crap there saying when they pull ya over and be nice. It can turn ugly so quickly when the 400lb police woman thinks she heard you say you "werent speeding????".

Half the probs the people with the real illegal mods as well though as oposed to just the police...

[The_Paladin]

just out of interest. i wonder if they could arrest someone for drink driving if they seemed drunk when spoken too. even if there was no breathaliser/blood tests to prove they actually were. that's kind of the same principle. if it's illegal to go over a certian noise limit but the cops guess if it is or not, that simply can't be the law to guess.

[yaf28f]

Here is my story.

I have a riced up FTO with ACT rego and driving it in sydney. So police pulled me over and gave me a defect for 3 things (fake bonnet clips, bright white parkers-slight bluish tinge, and headlight eye lids and even tried to defect me for my bonnet painted black) Yes it's pretty rice. The funny thing is they didn't defect me for the pod filter.

anyway, after fixing these things up and paying some mechanic 5 seconds worth of work to say it's all ok. I rock down to the RTA to get it certified that it's all fixed. the lady told me the cop didn't even record it on the system and shouldn't be defecting me unless it was a major defect(non roadworthy).

So the police was just being a prick and wasted my time and money.

Hope none of you guys get into this problem.

[Jax]

Will all in NSW please look on General Maintenance forum at 'Modified Exhausts & The Law, Ta