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| Ianh Member Since: 17 Sep 2018 Location: Essex Posts: 1782  
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As others have said, in the uk it’s just a smoke test with a probe. Which won’t detect if a CAT or DPF has been removed if the engine is running well. However the Department for transport are looking to put more ridged testing in place for vehicles that should have a working DPF.
Changes to the date of the first MOT test and research into other MOT enhancements Updated 25 January 2024 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultation...hancements Emissions from diesel vehicles Another area that we believe it would be prudent to consider changing in 2023 is around emissions – in particular for the correct fitment and operation of emissions control equipment, including diesel particulate filters (DPFs). A DPF is a device fitted within the exhaust pipe of a diesel vehicle which filters particulate matter from exhaust gases. It does this by trapping solid particles while letting gaseous components escape. These filters enable significant reductions in emissions of particulate matter from diesel cars, reducing negative effects on air quality and thereby public health. Poor maintenance of DPFs can affect performance and ultimately lead to the need for repairs. This has led to some diesel vehicle owners removing their DPFs to avoid repair costs, which is both illegal and will lead to excessive air pollution. Testing conducted by the Department for Transport has shown that the removal of a DPF can result in an increase in the number of particles being emitted from the exhaust by approximately 10,000 times. Since February 2014 the inspection of the exhaust system of diesel vehicles carried out during the MOT test includes a visual inspection for the presence of a DPF. The current MOT includes provision to fail a vehicle where this equipment is not present or inoperative – but this is not easy to determine on many vehicles. The current smoke opacity test for diesel vehicles has also been found not to be sufficiently effective in detecting the removal of a DPF for modern vehicles. Given the significant air quality impacts, we are keen to ensure that testers are able to identify missing or defective DPFs. We are therefore committed to implementing more effective testing of particulate emissions from diesel cars to allow for those which have excessive emissions to be identified. Other countries have implemented new ways of testing the tailpipe emissions of diesel vehicles to determine if DPFs are present and working – this is known as particulate number (PN) testing. The use of PN testing at annual vehicle inspections was introduced in the Netherlands and Belgium in July 2022. Germany and Switzerland are also planning to introduce similar requirements from January 2023. Research conducted by the DfT into the use of PN testing equipment for the MOT concluded that it provided an effective means of identifying removed or damaged DPFs, with significant advantages over current testing methods. The DVSA is currently trialling PN testing equipment within select MOT test stations to better understand the practicality of wider roll-out. We welcome views in response to this consultation to inform our implementation of PN testing. We believe that implementing PN testing is the right thing to do, but we are aware that there are some practical considerations that we must work through with stakeholders before we commit to when this should be implemented. One of the practical issues we must overcome is how to encourage investment in this new equipment, whilst ensuring that we provide those motorists with in-scope vehicles (likely to be post 2013 diesel engine vehicles) with sufficient choice in where to get an MOT. In the past we have implemented this type of change by giving garages a period of time (for example, 2 years) to procure the equipment – with in-scope vehicles being required to go to a garage approved for PN testing in that time. We are interested in your views on this phased approach. |
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25th Apr 2024 8:36pm |
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