1. Cars home
  2. Motoring Rules & Regulations

Ask an expert

Anon
By AA | Moderator | 844 Posts | 25 January 2011 at 9:04am

In order to be fined for a noisy exhaust, does the officer need to use a decibel reader to determine whether it's over the limit or can they deem it too noisy without this process?

Bede

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 12 December 2009

jbiddle
By jbiddle | Community Member | 1657 Posts | 25 January 2011 at 9:12am

The short answer is no, the police don't need to use a decibel meter. They can issue infringements for vehicle noise in one of two ways, both of which are subjective:

1. Under the Vehicle Equipment Rule, the noise output from the exhaust of a motor vehicle operated in service must be less than or similar to the noise output from the vehicle's original exhaust system at the time of the vehicle's manufacture;

2. Under the Road User Rule, it is an offence to operate a vehicle that creates noise that...is excessive.

This is a subjective call by the police. It may very well be that the exhaust complies with the maximum noise limit (which in all likelihood is higher than the manufacturers limit), but if the police consider it is noisier than standard, it is still an offence. The only way to stop getting tickets in future is to repair the exhaust back to the manufacturers original standard, or have it tested using a decibel meter and issued with a certificate proving it does not exceed the maximum limits for that class of vehicle (generally 95 decibels for a car registered before June 2008; 90dB for cars registered after that if built from 1985-on).

Note that exhaust noise is also checked at the Warrant of Fitness in a similar way, but if the inspector considers the noise exceeds the limit of the original manufacturer's exhaust, then they can require the car to undergo an Objective Noise Test using a decibel meter.

The cost of this test ranges from $130-200. If your car fails the ONT, the exhaust will have to be repaired before a WoF can be issued. If it passes they'll issue the certificate of compliance and you can use that to get a WoF. It should also stop you getting tickets under scenario (1) above, but not (2); police can still ticket you for excessive noise even if the exhaust is legal, e.g. revving the engine.