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Standards, dear boy, standards...

Reducing the precious metal content within exhaust system catalysts is an obvious way for fakers to gain cost advantage at the expense of air quality. Without some kind of regulation, governments found that stringent exhaust emission legislation for new vehicles risked being undermined by relatively poor quality parts, as the cars aged.

Therefore, the United Nations applied regulations for motor vehicle exhaust systems, which most of continental Europe adopted, although the UK has done so to a lesser degree. UN ECE R103 is the appropriate ruling for replacement pollution control devices, embracing not just catalytic converters but also DPFs and SCRs. The edict stipulates that replacement systems are tested to ensure that they can deliver the required anti-pollution standards. In the UK, this requirement is limited to vehicles registered after March 2001. BM Catalysts confirm that, because the regulations relate to the UN and not the EU, they are not associated directly with EU membership.

Exhaust pipes and silencers are governed by separate UN legislation – Regulation 59 and 70/157/EC before then. In any case, the UK has not adopted these rules. Yet, as Klarius produces complete exhaust systems, it reveals that exhausts can be sold legally in the UK that have a detrimental effect on noise, emissions and even fuel economy. The company reveals that, although not necessary for the UK, it complies with the UN rules anyway, because it exports exhausts to the EU. Klarius highlights that this is important technically, and is beneficial to car owners and society overall, because all parts of the exhaust system must work in harmony to work properly.

Enforcing the rules

While exhaust pipes are available that are not type-approved and, therefore, are unlikely to work as well as those that are, they are not illegal in the UK. Yet, non-compliant catalysts are.

BM Catalysts highlights enforcement as an issue. While the DVSA's Market Surveillance team has worked hard to ensure that the regulations are being followed, non-compliance remains a notable problem. While some of these instances could be due to genuine mistakes, such as distributors not using the correct cataloguing, or not interpreting manufacturers' data correctly, some instances can be more invidious. Poor internal processes can result in products approved to the incorrect EURO emissions rating, or unsuitable parts being supplied for a vehicle. Yet, it appears that some

Trusting recognised brands and well-established suppliers will help you avoid fake and low-quality systems instances of type-approval non-compliance are designed to deceive, such as exhaust components wearing fake approval numbers.

BM Catalysts' internal research has uncovered that fake exhaust components tend to be more prevalent among Internet sellers. One such issue is a component wearing no markings. Both Klarius and BM Catalysts share their findings of exhausts sold to UK customers that do not meet the required standards, such as catalytic converters that do not comply with certain rules of the legislation, especially around heat-shielding, which could increase the risk of a vehicle fire.

Identifying the fakes

The sole attraction with low-quality and fake parts is cost. This price advantage is possible, because they are built to a lower specification, or they have not been tested against any particular standard. Manufacturing costs can also be shaved by, for instance, reducing precious metal content in catalytic converters. Yet, this is very hard to identify by sight alone. Without cutting the unit open, comparing the weight between the removed and new system may be a clue. Look also for identification markings, especially on the catalytic converter, and quiz your supplier if you cannot find any.

Klarius reveals that, with exhaust systems, budget brands shave costs on the silencer size and internal design complexity. This results in greater back pressure and higher noise levels. Not only are harmful pollutants the upshot but also the customer faces increased fuel consumption, making non-compliant exhausts very much a false economy.

WHAT IS EXHAUST TYPE-APPROVAL?

Quality companies developing and producing type-approved exhausts must follow the stipulated standards. Their products are tested independently and issued with type-approval certificates. The typeapproval number (including the e-number) must be marked on the product.

Companies can be spot-checked at any time. An annual Conformity of Production Audit sees an approval authority inspecting production and stocks, to check that quality standards are being followed. If successful, a Conformity of Production certificate is issued.