Catalyst on Diesel Models

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Skipton01

Skipton01

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What is the point of the catalyst on our TDi A2s? It's not a DPF, it doesn't reduce soot or smoke and it doesn't reduce emissions which are not tested for in the UK anyway on diesel cars, even after the MOT changes last May.

If getting a new exhaust, would it be mandatory to have one fitted?

Asking for a friend!
 
Skipton01 said:
What is the point of the catalyst on our TDi A2s? It's not a DPF, it doesn't reduce soot or smoke and it doesn't reduce emissions which are not tested for in the UK anyway on diesel cars, even after the MOT changes last May.

If getting a new exhaust, would it be mandatory to have one fitted?

Asking for a friend!
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I had one stolen one night from a ford galaxy,
Replaced with a straight through pipe made the exact size of the replacement cat just in case, 3 mots no problem.
You could remove core & insert a section of pipe into the cat carcass theoretically speaking.
Kp115
 
I have My friend has the cat, but it's the wrong size and offset to re-fit back into the current exhaust.

A sport cat, or indeed, facsimile piece, could be the way forward. Car has passed MOT since the new regulations came into force, but Halfords have failed it, bizarrely on having the back box removed, however it's since been passed at a different station.

Smoke test has consistently come in at around 0.45, whereas the limit is 3.0 (default value - plate value cannot be seen by tester who cannot remove the bonnet from an A2 as it constitutes removal of parts from vehicle), so without any form of catalyst, the car is putting out smoke at far less than even the latest default value of 0.7.
 
Skipton01 said:
I have My friend has the cat, but it's the wrong size and offset to re-fit back into the current exhaust.

A sport cat, or indeed, facsimile piece, could be the way forward. Car has passed MOT since the new regulations came into force, but Halfords have failed it, bizarrely on having the back box removed, however it's since been passed at a different station.

Smoke test has consistently come in at around 0.45, whereas the limit is 3.0 (default value - plate value cannot be seen by tester who cannot remove the bonnet from an A2 as it constitutes removal of parts from vehicle), so without any form of catalyst, the car is putting out smoke at far less than even the latest default value of 0.7.
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I assumed rear box was required for noise reduction I take it the car is louder though not excessively? I have a friend that's been considering a decat though I've been put off by the anti diesel lobby that's running again. Good to hear low emissions figures from our little 3 pot oil burners.
Wife had Kwik-Fit fail the MoT on tyres, usual MoT tester passed it the following day on the same tyres, who'd have thought it? ?
 
Skipton01 said:
I have My friend has the cat, but it's the wrong size and offset to re-fit back into the current exhaust.

A sport cat, or indeed, facsimile piece, could be the way forward. Car has passed MOT since the new regulations came into force, but Halfords have failed it, bizarrely on having the back box removed, however it's since been passed at a different station.

Smoke test has consistently come in at around 0.45, whereas the limit is 3.0 (default value - plate value cannot be seen by tester who cannot remove the bonnet from an A2 as it constitutes removal of parts from vehicle), so without any form of catalyst, the car is putting out smoke at far less than even the latest default value of 0.7.
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Stay away from Halfords then is the answer,
I faced a £2000 plus bill from VW for the galaxy so went stainless from the down pipe back (powerflow)
Kp 115
 
The car in question has an inline resonated silencer installed in the central tunnel, so although louder, you're right in that it's in no way excessively loud. It's been described before as sounding like a Messerschmit 109 when at full chat on Castle Combe's circuit.

Car is MOT'd for another year, but may get some work done in the meantime to stop the aggro from power-mad testers come April next year. The Halfords tester referred to it being a boy racer car and hand wrote "cat been removed" on the fail form. Doesn't appear in the online results though. When asked what equipment was used to determine noise levels, and when it was calibrated, he pointed to his ears. When asked how familiar he was with diesel A2s and when the last time was that he tested one with a 'standard' exhaust system, he refused to answer.
 
The catalyst is an oxidation catalyst for burning off carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water. The absence of monitoring of diesel exhausts (apart from smoke) at MOT is presumably based on the naive assumption that all cars have original equipment installed. MOT stations are already euipped for making the same measurements for petrol cars. The government's seeming tolerance of services that openly advertise for removal of EGR etc. is also indefensible. The resulting excess emissions will mean that your car will no longer meet it's original emission standard and therefore invalidate your insurance and, more importantly, risk the health of others, including your children.

RAB
 
Bearing in mind that the average life of a diesel catalyst is reckoned to be around 100,000 miles, I'd postulate that the car no longer meets it's original emission standard anyway.

And let's be frank, we are talking about vehicles from the same parent company who said their emissions standards were fine, but then turned out not to be, so I'd place little emphasis on original equipment from VW!!

If it's a health issue we're talking about, then I'm not sure that having a missing or old catalytic convertor on an A2 will make any difference whatsoever and if I were that concerned, I'd not be driving a fossil fuel car in the first place.
 
Catalysts are usually warranted for 80,000 miles so you would expect them to last considerably longer, particularly if they are used mainly for long journeys - a VNT diesel is not at all suitable for continual short journeys anyway. It just emphasises the need for diesel MOT exhaust measurement. The emissions scandal was to do with meeting Euro 5 standards and VW weren't the only company involved - they were just foolish enough to be caught. I think you will find that most Euro 3/4 diesels will meet their standards, or did at least. I for one, won't be buying another fossil fueled car, new or secondhand.

RAB
 
Well, I almost added an iPace to the household last year, but after lies from the dealer concerned, doubts over quality issues, mainly software, and finally the predicted depreciation which was 60% over 3 years, we decided against it and bought a lovely diesel F-Pace.

I do think this will be my last fossil fuel purchase though - I'm actively seeking an electric motorcycle and when the F-Pace reaches it's MOT, we'll chip in for a lightly used iPace at a very healthy discount from new.
 
Olerype said:
Once you go electric, you would never go back to the stoneage
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I've been partial electric with my A3 e-tron. In pure electric, it was great, but as a whole, it was very flawed - the electric car had to lug around a great petrol engine and the petrol was hampered by the weight of the battery and motor. Hence I gave it back and walked away, especially as the balloon payment was more than the car was worth, far more. I don't think I've ever come across such depreciation - £38k to £14 in 3 years!!!
 
Re: Hybrid. Would you say the same of something like the i3 REX?
(where, as I understand it, the small petrol engine is used solely to recharge the battery)
 
Yes even worse; you can not charge on the fly ie you need to stop to slowcharge (instead of plugin fastcharge) and using a low effiency motor to charge batteries with additional 20-30 percent loss is simply put just stupid.

Remember range is overrated. In Norway the statisvally average daily driven distance is 33km=20miles. The two cases a year you need to go 500 miles you either borrow you sisters car, or rent one.
 
Range and rate of charge are still a major issue for electrics. As for charging well not everyone has a garage or drive way, so just waiting for all the injury lawyers claims for people tripping over cables across the pavements. When we can drive full size Scalextric cars then I'll swap.
 
Range and rate of charge is no problem in Norway. But if you live downtown without a socket outlet available, thats a problem. For all others, no problem. 5-7A charging current for 12 night hours is typically sufficient to recharge what you used that day.

If you travel long distance, you need to stop anyway so 30-60 min pause to fastcharge is not that bad every 300 miles or so
 
The new VW ID will have a range of up to 375 miles and all will be equipped for autonomous driving although the firmware will not be available until 2025. The cheapest version will have a range of 200 miles and will cost about €25,000. As a consequence, you can no longer order a new E-Up because it was taking 18 months to deliver and the cheapest ID will be cheaper. The ID will also have water-cooled batteries. Production starts in November and you can order one in May. Not being able to charge at home will be a problem because the public charging system in the UK is not fit for purpose.

RAB
 
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