Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing 2018 MoT Emission Test Changes - Pre-cat Plus 8

My pre-cat Plus 8 was MoT tested today and passed. But will that be the last time it does without modification?

In conversation with the tester the spark ignition emissions test came up. Following forthcoming changes in May 2018, the 1 August 1992 registration date of my car is the cut-off date after which the more stringent test introduced in 1996 and its limits will apply to passenger cars - so said the tester.

On reading around a bit I can see what he means. The 19th edition of the emission standard, which I believe will apply after some time in May 2018, includes a large annex listing types of cars for which, when first used on or after 1 August 1992, stricter emissions test limits will be applied. Under manufacturer Morgan the Plus 8, 3.9 efi is listed with tighter limits than have applied to date.

The title of the standards document is “In Service Exhaust Emission Standards for Road Vehicles, Nineteenth Edition”.

However, the title of the relevant annex listing more stringent standards to be applied is “Requirements for Passenger Cars First Used From 1 August 1992 and With Advanced Emission Control Systems”

Do I foresee some interesting discussions with future testers based upon the phrase “and With Advanced Emission Control Systems”, since my car was not and is not fitted with one of these?

Will I have to show that such a system has never been fitted?

Have any others come up against this issue? Any comments or wisdom to share?

As i read it your Morgan was made and first used in 1992 - there was a "transition" period 1/8/92-1/8/95 where by cars didn't have to have cats and the like fitted.( advanced emission control systems) Such vehicles should be subjected to a non-cat test. Its explained in the introduction section of the in service emission standards - its a bit hard to follow granted and confuses a lot of testers let alone car owners.

This hasn't changed in the 19th edition - its the same as now. So please don't be concerned - the MOT scheme isn't out to make lifes pleasures more awkward.

Hello andymot - many thanks for your response.

I read about a transition period but, as you say, it's not as though the meaning is 100% clear. My tester may well be one who has misread things - I hope so!

The meaning I got from the text was that such vehicles (non-cat but used after 1/8/92) could be given the 'benefit of the doubt, if failing the new test' only in the period between the publication of the new standard (Feb 2018) and implementation of the new MoT Manual (May 2018), owing to the need to update exhaust gas analysis equipment in test centres with the data from the table in Annex 1 to the revised standard.

I quite accept that more reading, by me and perhaps others, is necessary but thought it worth putting my thoughts out for some discussion anyway.

Another thought - retrospective application of standards originally applied after 1996 to vehicles first used from 1 August 1992 seemed to me to go against the usual run of such rulings.

Its good to raise the issue - after all the MOT is undergoing its biggest change for many years on May 20th - bringing us in-line with the EU testing directive. (irrespective of Brexit). There have been some scare stories flying around but i can see nothing in the "new" manual that makes running/using our cars any harder/more expensive or problematic.

A huge change is in the paperwork itself - no longer a simple pass/fail but 4 categories = 1. Dangerous defects 2. serious defects 3. minor defects and 4. advisory items.

A "fail" will be issued for any Dangerous or serious defects but a "pass" can include minor defects. An example of a minor defect is 1 of 2 number-plate lights not working. Confused? I'm assured it will all make perfect sense once its up and running from 20th May.

You are 100% correct about retrospective application of standards - i cannot recall it ever happening. After all it would be very unfair to expect a vehicle to perform better than when it was new. That is why the manual is riddled with date cut off points. Its not possible for instance to fail a 1979 car for a non working offside fog lamp because it wasn't required until some-when in 1980 ( would need to check for actual date!)

There is of course no way your non-cat equipped V8 would pass a 1996 on emissions test ( although it might get close)- hence a 3.5% c.o reading and 1200 HC ppm limit is used.

This used to come up alot with Rover metros and Minis from the transition period - 10 - 15 years ago they were failing the normal cat test often and we had to dip into the emissions standards book to check they needed to - many an L and M reg metro lived to fight another supermarket car-park because of the pre 1st Aug 1995 rule. It still applies today but the metros have gone! Long live the Morgans!