DVSA to take action against MOT stations that remove DPFs, IGA reports The reality Steve Coles, head of MOT at the Independent Garage Association discusses the implications of DPF removal services. SOME firms are offering services to remove DPFs with the claim that it will improve the economy. However, the Independent Garage Association (IGA) is reminding garages that it is an offence to drive a vehicle that has been modified this way, as it will no longer meet the emissions standards the car achieved when it was approved for sale in the UK. The potential penalties for failing to comply with Regulation 61a are fines of up to £1,000 for a car or £2,500 for a light goods vehicle. However, it wasn’t until February 2014 that the DPF was made part of the MOT after, the then Roads Minister, Robert Goodwill said: “I am very concerned that vehicles are being modified in a way that is clearly detrimental to people’s health and undoes the hard work car manufacturers have taken to improve emissions standards. “It has become apparent the government had to intervene to clarify the position on particulate filter removal given the unacceptable negative impact on air quality.” Today, testers can reject because “a catalytic converter or particulate filter [is] missing where one was fitted as standard”. The tester can only fail if it is clear that the filter is missing and there was one fitted as standard.
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The IGA say testers often face the situation where they are not sure if one was fitted as standard and there is no data available that can confirm one way or another. Alternatively, the tester might be able to see that the DPF case is present and connected but with welds showing that, at some stage, the case has been cut open. The tester would not be able to prove that the DPF has been removed. As always, in the situation where the tester is not 100 per cent certain that a failure exists then the correct course of action would be to pass and advise. There has been talk of tighter smoke test values for DPF equipped vehicles to help ensure the DPF is functioning – something the DVSA say will be looked at when time allows. In the meantime, the DVSA is stating its aim to take action against any business that is authorised for MOT testing who also offers a DPF removal service outside the MOT. The agency said: “Authorised Examiners are responsible to ensure that MOT testing is carried out to the required standards. “Where a VTS is offering a service which could undermine this (such as removing or bypassing DPFs) DVSA will consider this as bringing the MOT Scheme into disrepute. “Where the scheme is brought into disrepute DVSA may consider taking action to remove the authorisation if appropriate.”
What the law states It is an offence under the Road Vehicles Regulations (Regulation 61a(3)1) to use a vehicle which has been modified in such a way that it no longer complies with the air pollutant emissions standards it was designed to meet.