I'd very much like to report a smoky car I followed (for several miles) this morning, but the VOSA "Smoky Vehicle Reporting Form" VOSA 551 appears to only apply to HGVs and PSVs. Am I correct in this assumption, and if so, is there any other means of reporting the car?
It appears to be taxed and insured, at least.
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A smoky car ? That should go in the"Things you don't see now" thread.
I haven't seen a smoky car since I fitted Cord oil control piston rings to my Triumph Mayflower in 1966!
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I had a Morris Minor that used a gallon of oil a week, now that was a smoky vehicle! I remember one pulling away from some lights in Worcester and when I looked in my mirror none of the cars behind me could be seen and indeed they didn't dare even start moving.
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White smoke- Head gasket ?
Black smoke - oil ?
Yes VOSA really only interested in Goods and PSV's and any reports goes onto their files for attention at Testing time or if many reports a visit to the firm.
Unless a Plod is there and then doubtful they would interested for areport to the their Station.
dvd
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I got stopped by plod years ago in my Fiat Panda that was burning a serious amount of oil.
An engine rebuild was on the cards, but being pulled over gave me the necessary impetus to actually get the job done. Plod was very polite, described the car rather jokingly as an environmental hazard, and rather more seriously as being very unpleasant to drive behind, which it was.
I was told to get it fixed or next time it would be forcibly taken off the road. I didn't know whether plod actually had the power to do this, but spent a Saturday happily grinding valves in place as well as fitting new valve seals, piston rings and bearings. The joys of OHV engines.
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Legislation applies to HGV's and PSV's only. Emissions for diesel cars is controlled with the MoT test.
I'm interested because I've got an argument with Ford at the moment that my C-Max CVT diesel auto smokes excessively. They say it's OK, I say not. If there's no legislation, presumably Ford can send me off from their workshop with the car smoking as much as it likes.
There must come a point though when the smoke is a safety hazard to other road users - in which case I'm sure the Police have powers to act
Some wag suggested I put a sticker on the back window saying "smokey - ring this number" (The Ford Customer Relations number)
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The poor devil has enough aggravation already - can't pay his mortgage, bank stopped his credit cards, etc, etc. Now he's got mega engine trouble and somebody decided to send the Old Bill round to pick on him just because they forgot to press 'recirculate' on their aircon panel.
;-)
I get the same urge every time I'm behind a diesel car and get choked briefly when the driver floors the throttle. But it passes...
Edited by mike hannon on 28/11/2008 at 16:38
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Am I the only person here that takes great delight in saving up all the soot in the exhaust for a weekly blast up the motorway sliproad at night? The cloud of effluent that appears in the mirror is fantastic, particularly if it's gone all over someone that was tailgating me.
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Not so much "Things you don't see anymore" so much as "things you don't smell"..... the stink of cheap 20/50 being burned by a Marina, Moggy Minor, or their direct descendant the Nissan Micra.
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Am I the only person here that takes great delight....
No, I do too. Most satisfying in my old Mondeo which chucked vast clouds of cack out of its tailpipes under full bore acceleration, particularly if it had been cooped up in town for a few days. The best thing however, was the complete absence of anything that could be remotely described as performance, which ensured that said tailgater was directly up my chuff as it did so, and therefore got a good dose of soot straight into their cabin air intake.
The PD engines are similarly dirty, but fast enough to ensure a decent air gap to the car behind. You need smoke AND gutless performance for maximum revenge on tailgaters.
Often I thought I'd out-dragged faster cars, but on further reflection I suspect they simply backed off for some fresh air. ;-)
Edited by DP on 01/12/2008 at 09:49
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i have a diesel landrover discovery 3tdi and it smookes everytime i change gear or i i floor it it smokes more but never been stopped by plod and it pass's mot everytime
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Ah let it be! If it's that bad plod will sort it out at some stage.
People who want to spend the time and effort to report this sort of thing are petty and the sort of person I wouldn't want to be stuck with at a party!
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>>>i have a diesel landrover discovery 3tdi and it smookes everytime i change gear or i i floor it it smokes more but never been stopped by plod and it pass's mot everytime <<<
Follow H.J's recommendation at get your self some Miller Diesel Clean.
dvd
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In my original post I was referring to an A-reg (admittedly diesel) car which clearly had badly worn bores and/or piston rings. The smoke was oil smoke not over-rich diesel.
Edited by L'escargot on 01/12/2008 at 15:24
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I don't know if there are more up-to-date posts on this topic. I followed a '51' plate Passat TDi yesterday which was billowing diesel smoke even under light acceleration round town. I was mildly surprised to see most people in this post adopting a laissez-faire attitude - in the four years which have passed, have attitudes (and the law) hardened? I suppose this car must have an MOT of sorts otherwise, with VNPR everywhere, the owner would surely have had his collar felt by now. He also had one brake light not working. The general condition of the car showed it was clearly a long-term stranger to a wet sponge and I dare say the engine is similarly estranged from anyone with overalls and a spanner. Is it worth reporting* - or am I just becoming Victor Meldrew's clone? (* to whom? Local plod? DVLA?)
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or am I just becoming Victor Meldrew's clone?
Yes. That car has some serious mechanical issues. Yours doesn't. Why rub it in with a fit of affected coughing and some sanctomonious coughing?
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