Soon You Will Only Be Able to Fit Type-Approved CATs

The Department for Transport has confirmed that the draft regulations limiting the fitting of replacement CATs to type approved products only are expected to be presented for ministerial consideration this month (June). There is scope for amendments to be made by the minister, but in essence these draft Regulations implement mandatory European requirements, and are expected to become law about four weeks after signature by the minister. The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will then be responsible for policing and enforcement of a law requiring replacement catalytic converters intended for cars and light vans registered from 2001 to be fully type approved.

Paul Hannah, business development director at Klarius Group commented: “In relation to vehicles to which the requirements apply, the Department for Transport have confirmed that the result of supplying or fitting a non-type approved CAT will be to make the company or business responsible and ‘potentially certain officers or equivalent of the company or business’ liable to prosecution with a maximum fine of £5,000. Professional Motor Mechanics need to learn quickly about what to do to adhere to the law and protect themselves; their customers, their employers and suppliers.”

Vehicle manufacturers have fitted catalytic converters to all petrol cars since 1993. Since then the replacement market for CATs has grown rapidly. Now the first wave of CATs designed to meet more recent and stringent emissions standards are starting to fail. A CAT is a higher value item than an exhaust, but the difference in quality between a type-approved one such as a TIMAX brand manufactured in the UK by Klarius, for example, and one which will cause problems is huge.

The law change came about because to achieve Euro 3 emissions regulations manufacturers added On Board Diagnostics (OBD) sensors to the exhaust system on most cars and light commercial vehicles. A poor quality replacement CAT fitted to one of these vehicles will result in the vehicle returning to the garage few months later with the malfunction indicator light on the dash illuminated.

The reason is usually that the Lambda sensor after the CAT has detected that the replacement isn’t working very well (and not at all in the case of some that have been tested), the customer will return with the warning light issue, and a new CAT will usually be fitted.

A legal type-approved item from a quality supplier will prevent the light coming on again, (incidentally the lambda sensor should be changed with the CAT as a matter of routine as these can also cause similar problems). If the correct type-approved item is fitted, then this problem will not occur.