Are there no regulations now on the noise that vehicles (cars) are allowed to make? Deliberate noise from their exhausts, deliberate noises as they change gear, noise from stereos. There seem to be no limits as to what they can get away with, to be noticed..
Yes.
(EU) No 540/2014. "avoidable excessive noise"
Turbo Wastegate? See above.
Yup, £100 fine and 3 points if deemed a distraction to the driver and if parked up comes under 'noise abatement' (difficult to pin down if not regular / persistent).
I guess that's what you get when you are spending ~£1M a day on the Brexit farce and could be ... 'giving it to the Police instead'?
As a lad I modified a moped by taking the baffle tube out of the exhaust and that lasted a day. I screwed the performance and made the ride unbearable. When I built the kitcar I fitted the factory supplied ss exhaust and again, that lasted a fortnight before replacing that with a stock (and much quieter, ss) stock Ford Escort system.
When our daughter bought her s/h Suzuki Bandit 600 a while back she bought the baffle that she found was missing (had been taken out by the p/o) to make the bike quieter.
Our local bike shop hate bikers who go past 'showing off' their loud exhausts as it causes them all sorts of issues from the neighbours, Police and Local Council.
Cheers, T i m
p.s. I used to work with a lad who had replaced the stock (and perfectly matched, legally quiet) exhaust on his bike for some generic aftermarket thing that was a lot louder. Luckily he had the exhaust nicked, so he put the stock exhaust back on and admitted it was a better (quieter) and smoother (better matched, smoother power delivery) ride.
Police can issue a notice under section 59 of Police Reform Act 2002 if a vehicle is being used in a manner which causes, or is likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public.
If they get two such notices in 12 months, the car will be seized.
Wastegate simulator more likely
Andy Burns has brought this to us :
I have never known the police take any interest these days. It is the same offenders constantly driving aimlessly round and it can be absolutely deafening and no doubt intimidating to some..
Do you get a local monthly "police surgery"?
Thanks.
Bless. ;-)
I think it's a shame in a way that many 'kids' seem to have lost (or never gained) the skills or interest to *actually* mod their own vehicles, like we (well, 'they' [1]) used to do in the old days.
By that I mean fitting a Escort 5sp gearbox in a 1300 Mk2 Fiesta, that meant working on the engine bay bodywork to get it to fit (amongst other things). The same guy took the engine out, had it Blueprinted and Tuftrided(sp?) and we put it all back together again, with a mild street cam and they thing flew (quietly). Or, if driven gently would give better MPG.
Now it just seems they bolt on a few brightly coloured bits or chop the springs (without doing anything with the suspension geometry), de-tag it and fit a loud stereo (all without notifying their Insurance Co no doubt). ;-(
Cheers, T i m
[1] If I buy / get a second hand vehicle that has been tampered with I like to put it back to stock wherever possible / practical / affordable. Nothing more comforting that being able to answer the 'Has this vehicle be modified' with a tick in the 'No' box and not have to watch the premium ramp up. ;-(
Probably..
So start a diary and complain in a few weeks time. The police aren't interested in crimes where there is no chance of a clear up so you have to have some evidence.
There's a bloke lives 300 yards from here and when he cleans his car out he has the stereo on full blast. I can hear the thump thump de-thump in every room of my house. I'm going to have to walk up there and have a chat I think.
I'm surprised he doesn't run his battery down.
Years ago my mate Nick actually blew out the rear window of his Escort by turning the stereo up. It just seemed to jump out.
Bill
Bill Wright expressed precisely :
Someone was doing exactly that, the day after my wife passed away, whilst I was trying to get to grips with the mess. I did take a walk and tapped him on the shoulder and told him to turn it down or else. He hadn't seen me approach him, I had shouted to try to get his attention over the din, but he still jumped and went drip white.
His excuse - 'I'm cleaning my car'. I said my partner died last night and if you don't turn it off I will wrap it round your bloody neck. Not heard it since.
fart cans I call them ......just wind up your window...that always annoys them ....
Not that from next year all electric cars that are travelling under 20 mph have to have a noise added to them to protect pedestrians. Brian
Having had an EV for 30+ years now (so well before they were 'trendy' / common) I'm very familiar with the issue of people walking out in front of me. But as a cyclist I'm used to that anyway so am ready for it, more so than when driving an IC car or motorbike anyway.
Milk floats already had such an 'added noise', the sound of milk bottles clanking about. ;-)
Cheers, T i m
Let's hope that rather than irritating beeps, they simply use an engine noise - something that we are trained from early childhood to associate with approaching danger.
SteveW
Bollix.They have always had them. In the UK they have to be able to be turned off. And most drivers do.
Well, tyre noise, the clicking of the contactor and the singing of the trolley wheels on the overhead worked well enough when trolleybuses were on the road.
No doubt the singing of the DC-to-AC converter would be fairly loud - as it is on modern electric trains with motors under the floor where you hear a gradually rising tone which switches back to lower frequency and rises again - as different windings are gradually brought into play.
I was surprised how quite my dad's hybrid car was for the first few seconds after setting off, before the engine had started to supplement the small amount of energy stored in the battery.
It'll be up to the user - like mobile phone ring tones - any sound you like - and that annoys other people.
Outside of any tyre noise and the sound of the contactors cutting in and out, my EV really is silent.
You don't even seem to get any motor / transmission noise (being DC probably).
In fact, for most new passengers the whole experience seems strange.
I turn the key and nothing appears to happen (it doesn't, it just puts power to the contactor activation feeds).
Then I put my foot on the throttle, you get one 'clunk' as all 4 battery pairs are switched in parallel to the motor (so 12V x 800Ah) and you pull away. A further depression of the accelerator, another 'clonk' as the motor is switched from series to parallel wound) and you carry on accelerating. Then to 2 x 24V (series / parallel) and finally 1 x 48 volt (series / parallel) and to about 30 mph.
When you let off the accelerator it comes to a slow halt and when you actually stop, that's again when the passengers look uncomfortable / confused as there is no 'tickover noise', just silence. The next hit of the throttle often has them grabbing for something to hang on to (especially if the roof is down and the sides off) as unlike an IC car or even one with a speed controller, there is no warning of any sort ;-)
The next thing that throws them is the turning circle of a London Taxi, again, especially when the roof and sides are off (I nearly lost my boss that way). ;-(
It also makes for a handy high-power jump-start / booster-pack, as my mate with a completely flat V8 Rover experienced after leaving the interior light on all day / night. He said it had never started so quickly, especially in the winter. ;-)
Servicing is bizarre ... check the battery levels, check the brake fluid level, windscreen washer, tyre pressures and (4 x drum) brakes, erm done. ;-)
No belts, no oil, no exhaust, no coolant, no plugs / points (at that time) ... no TAX or MOT ... or range, speed or safety of course, but as for the last two, if I wasn't in that I might be on a motorbike. ;-)
Cheers, T i m
Given Elon Musk's latest spat, how about the sound of a unicorn fart?
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