mdricken

I removed my clogged catalytic converter last year and replaced it with a strait pipe. Today I went in to Midas to finish the job and remove the old clamp that held the converter on.

Pretty soon the manager came in and asked me to come take a look at the car. He said he removed the clamp that had shifted way back by the muffler but he could not fix a loose clamp holding in my strait pipe stating that, with all involved, the fines could add up to $15000.

My question is, if it costs Midas that much, how much would they fine an individual?

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

I know it's steep.

...in the thousands....

My feeling is that it's not worth it for a daily driver. Not worth the risk, and not worth doing something illegal. For a "fun" car, or a project car, well....let's just say a lot of us aren't running cats. That still doesn't make it right. I'm buttoning up all my header and engine mods with no cats, but once the wrinkles are all ironed out and the car is running well, I'm gonna get a Catco put on.

...Just food for thought.

mdricken

Well if it's in the thousands i may hit the gas next time a cop wants me to stop!

But has anybody ACTUALLY got BUSTED or even caught by a cop? It seems getting caught is so rare its not even worth replacing.

2.73's Suck

Im not sure about Iowa, but in CT people that came in the emissions stations only failed the test (whether it passed the gases or not) if they didnt have cats. Its dealers and repair shops that got the $10,000 fine for tampering with the cat.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I have never heard of individuals being fined, only repair shops.

darbleinad

a few years ago, Ontario started an emissions testing program. it is full of contradictions and misinformation, such that those with modified engines or engines that were not available stock swapped in, are allowed to be tested as "hot rods". this is simply a sniffer test with looser standards. no pollution equipment is required on the vehicle. this is what i did to get my car to pass.

now here's the catch, there are mobile, road side inspection emissions "cops" that can and will pull over whom ever they want, when ever they want. even if you show them your pass certifcate, they will fine you for each piece of emissions equipment missing, even though you passed the etest as a "hot rod". not sure of all the fines, but a missing charcoal canistor is worth 350 bucks i am told, a missing convertor maybe be more.

so, as a result, people that have passed the etest before (whether it be a reuglar one or a "hot rod" test), are being pulled over, in some cases given a road side sniffer test, and being fined out the ying-yang by these emissions "police".

needless to say, i do not want to meet up with these individuals, as my fines would add upto well over 1000 bucks, easily.

anyway, i would find out if this type of enforcement exists where you live. if it doesnt, i wouldnt worry about have a cat. if you have a sniffer test and some mobile emissions enforcement, then a cat might be a good idea.

by the way, these emissions police are part of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, not actual police.

gearrrhead

I think the bail is like $2500 or $5000. I don't know what the actual fine after court would be proably $500-$1000. As of right now I think it would take you being ignorant to get a personal fine. I mean our cars our low enough than I dont' know if a cop would even be able to tell if you had a cat on or not. I have never had a cop try to crawl under my car before and I have had plenty of catless loud cars. even been pulled over for noise with a car than had the cats removed. I mean if you drive you car to emissions missing a cat and then tell them you took it off I am sure you could find a way to get yourself fined but that would be just stupid.

Now once the cat is gone if you start taking it in places then IMO you should make sure they are cool with it. I do all my own work and we don't have emissions where I live. I would not even take a car that had no cat to a shop like midas as they will not touch it. you may be able to find a smaller shop that will be willing to break the law. I took in my y-pipe to a local exhuast because I did not have a welder at the time and they could see the cat was gone and they were pissy about even welding a pin hole.

my .02 would be add in a flanged cat and make a identical off road pipe. then if you need to take the car in or anything like that you just take 15min and throw the cat back in. I kept my cated stock h-pipe for my mustang untill my waranty ran out so I could swap it back in if I needed any waranty work.

Fredless

When I did my motor swap (L03 to 350 H.O. crate motor) I went up to the same backwoods country exhaust shop in the little town north of me for the guy to cut out my converter and put in a straight pipe. He told me absolutely not because the fines would be enormous if L.E. found out. He told me, the loophole was that he could not remove any emmissions equipment IF the car was already equipped with it.

I knew a backroad up to the shop, so I got out my sawzall, cut the thing off and drove it up there with an open y-pipe and I used some metal wire to hold the I-pipe up. Then he welded a straight pipe in.

Of course the transaction was cash only.

BUT I do NOT drive my car daily, maybe once a week on a saturday or sunday when its nice and I'll go to the beach at the farthest or take my girlfriend for a ride with the tops off...then I put the car back in the garage to sit for another week.

Personally, I despise being behind a muscle car or truck that has un-converted exhaust. Its annoying and smells horrible...so thats why I drive my car just for short trips and pleasure only, I do plan on buying a 3" catco cat. The probably 2-3hp gained by a straight pipe is not worth it in my opinion, especially when high flow cats are reasonably priced.

mdricken

I DID! I got stopped on I-380 a few years ago for not having a license plate up front and also speeding.

Anyway, after the cop was done looking at the front of the car for no license plate, he goes over to my right side and bends over and looks down under the car (probably for the cat). I never thought much of it then since I had the cat on, but that must be what he was looking for.

What an a-hole - anything to make your life miserable!

nick418

yeah my dad owns a gas station, and owns a emission machine. He said if he passed a car without a cat then its a $10,000 Fine or over certain amount of time in Jail (years). Over a lousy cat *cough* *cough*

hey mdricken, i kno somone who gutted his cats and put a strait pipe threw them and the placed the Cat shield over it (weldin it) and cops look under and they just see the cat shields

Air_Adam

Where I live, there is no fine for doing it yourself. No ticket or anything either. You won't get in trouble here if you remove it yourself, but shops can get HUGE fines if they get caught removing them.

Around here though, when people get exhaust made without a cat on a car that originally had one, they say its a "race car" with a wink and a nod.

nick418

Really? That weird, if a shop does it they can get in trouble, but if you do it you wont. Yeah sounds like my uncle. He told me "Nick, if you remove your cats , you will atleast get 50hp at the wheels."

Air_Adam

I kid you not! Its true!