Ive just bought a k74 07 reg. I think its an import. I climbed underneath a it needs a new complete exhaust system. It has no catalyst at the moment. I'm thinking of getting a complete system from milners. There is very little smoke from the rear at moment. Must my new system have a cat? I don't particularly want one but I don't want hassle from the MOT station either. Thoughts Nik

if you think about it, they are kind of all imports as they all come from Japan however imports are rare. They tended to come with 2.8 diesels instead of 2.5 units and sported non standard color schemes like metallic red over silver. Many people have removed their catalytic converters and replaced the with decat pipes. I did the same with mine but kept the old cat and put it back on every MOT time. Some MOT places will pass without a cat whereas others will not. I suspect however that with changes to MOT testing and stricter controls of diesels being a hot topic in our ever polluting world that any modification will be outlawed at some point(just my view that's all). On an 07 plate yours will have come with a catalytic converter as standard, if it's not there then it'll have been removed by a previous owner. You will find that if you put a cat back on it again it will feel restricted as the exhaust gasses wont be able to escape as quickly. I noticed a big difference when I put the cat back on mine each year and couldn't wait to take it back off again after each MOT.

Mine just went through it's mot last month with a gutted cat.
I'd rather a proper decat pipe, but can't be bothered swapping them over every year!

Genius! Great idea....Im sure its not difficult to find a gutted cat. Nik

Things are a little up in the air right now regarding what is going to happen MOT-wise this next year. The new system which I think goes into operation in May is far stricter right across the board. However, I've heard that this is just the beginning and that we may be facing is far more stringent testing on emissions equipment that may bring us closer to places like California. This may mean any tampering with original emissions equipment would be an immediate fail. There's also a strong possibility the Police are going to get more powers to check on vehicle emissions and equipment which may mean if they do a random check and find a cat or something is missing then they will have the power to order the vehicle off the road until its undergone a new MOT. Like I say there a lot of speculation going around but, the reality is it's going to get a lot tougher. So I had intended removing mine and doing and EGR delete but honestly, I've decided to leave it all alone.

If it's an import and came into this country without a cat ( like mine did) then it doesn't need one for the mot. If it's not on it as factory standard which they aren't from abroad then they dont fall under the test. The only thing they insist on that's not on are rear fog lights. But like mi lad above says, if a vosa blokey pulls you and goes off on one then it's up to you to prove that it wasn't fitted as standard. Because they don't like the leg work. It's all bloody confusing really. It's like the engine I have in my truck now had a cat on it when it was put into the cars it came from. But my original engine didnt have a cat as it was an import 2.8. So do I need one or not. Who knows.

Really good (and scary) article here re DPFs, catalysts and the new MOT test
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/a...iesel-cars-fail

May well be worth an early MOT for some people

Just got my mot. 07 reg last of the k74 series. It has a decat tube in place..... no comment re lack of cat...I'm back in business! Thanks for help. Next years MOT may be different though...

i can see more people seeking more friendly mot testers, the wall guy who comes up my way the DPF was the first thing he removed when bought the VW van, he handy though so can put it back on if need be. As the article says how would joe bloggs who goes to but a used car know if the dpf has been removed or not i wouldnt have a clue, bet some people dont even know what they are