No, they don't get into penalities with our
older cars but they get into them if/when
they modify "later" (air pollution equipped
but younger than 21 years in our state, anyway) and these cars are
disappearing....
not becoming collector's items with very
few exceptions. Being less than 21 years old, cars are still subject to
emissions testing/laws. Can't "modify" manufacturer's
systems.
Fr'instance, I was going to replace the
worn out stock exhaust system on my '85 GTI when I picked it up two years ago.
Car was not 20+ years old so still has to pass CT state emissions
testing/inspection.
Went to my buddy who runs the local Meinecke and who does my older than 20
year old Spridgets (bring my own muffler)
and asked him to forget about the GTI's cat. converter and forward muffler and
to
just install a straight downpipe, and pipe
to the rear into a glasspack I had brought
along. Couldn't do it without breaking
State law and subjecting company to $$$
penalty and possible revocation of state
license....can't "modify". And he couldn't do it today, either. Gotta wait one
more year.
So I had no choice. Had to renew with a
stock (approved) system, including catalytic
converter and both mufflers. And all the
stuff was more expensive aluminized...no
mild steel anymore. Cost me a small bundle
of $$$.
Next time I have it done, the GTi will be
older than 20 years and no longer subject to state emissions inspection/laws.
At that point we can "modify" and as long
as it's not really noisey, the police won't
care. Never had any police ever bother me
in my older Spridgets and my "Vizardized"
1380 '74 Midget with 2" system and Cherry
Bomb was way loud.
Of course, the '74 Midget's
exhaust system was never part of the
mfg's air pollution package, so despite the fact the car was subject to
emissions testing/laws for a good part of it's life,
you could modify the exhaust from mfg's spec. including temporarily inserting a
small "cat" to pass emissions on a souped
motor! After the inspection, you pulled the
"cat"!
And back then, they couldn't look under
the bonnet anyway. Today, they can if they
wish (normally they don't unless you flunk emissions testing the 2nd time) and
everything better be there if the
car is less than 21 years old......or you can't
register the car in CT.
Cap'n Bob
Basic Frog
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