Could This Be The Beginning Of The End For 'Pop & Bang' Remaps?

In a first-of-its-kind case, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has fined an aftermarket car garage for making tuning 'pop & bang' alterations.

Visit any car meetup and you'll be greeted by the raw sounds of several straight-piped Fiesta ST, VW Golf GTI and Golf R, BMW M 135i/140i and many more, with loud pops and bangs emanating from their ludicrously loud exhausts.

Loud exhausts with pops/bangs and burbles have become quite synonymous with hot hatch enthusiasts. But not just hot hatches as it's fairly common to hear these from cars like M3/M4s, C63s and even Porsches. 

Aftermarket independent car tuning businesses have made big figures in chopping up exhausts, resonators and catalytic converters and then making the vehicle run richer with an ECU remap for those oh-so-loud pops and bangs. 

But lately, councils and automakers have been cracking down on anti-social noises coming from the backend of cars. Just to name a few:

• Anti-noise cameras that fine you for having a loud car in certain locations
• Soft limiters that don't allow you to rev past 3k in neutral
• Petrol Particulate Filter (PPF) that reduce emissions but also reduce exhaust noise
• Reducing exterior exhaust sound but then adding interior speaker sound to compensate

So you can see there is a vested interest in reducing cars' overall noise by both the government and automakers.

A first-of-its-kind case

According to this post on LinkedIn by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), AET Motorsport Ltd based in Wakefield were convicted of fitting an unsuitable exhaust system to a vehicle, as well as an ECU remap, which would make it illegal to be used on the road.

According to the DVSA claims, AET Motorsport Ltd was openly advertising decatted exhaust systems and ECU remaps that would allow for pops and bangs on their website without remarking about the legality.

Apparently, investigators enlisted a Fiesta ST to have work carried out on it. After said work was done they inspected the vehicle to find that it had the catalytic converter replaced by a link pipe, as well as a pop and bang remap on the ECU. 

In the report, the DVSA said that when the car was booked in for the changes, AET Motorsport Ltd did not warn or mention the fact that these changes would give the car an immediate MOT failure and make it illegal to drive on the road.

Kirklees Magistrates’ Court found AET Motorsport Ltd guilty of plainly advertising components (exhausts, decats, link pipes, resonator deletes) that would make a vehicle illegal to use, as well as ECU remaps for pops and bangs that would make an exhaust go above the legal sound limit. 

They were fined a total of £7,234, with the magistrate saying, "this case is a lesson that any business owner has an obligation to know what the law is."

What does this mean for the future of exhaust modifying and pop and bang remaps?

Quite frankly, we don't know.

Is the DVSA going to crack down further on businesses selling these types of services on their websites? Are we going to see the exhaust modification and ECU remap business becoming more of a black market thing where word of mouth is the way to advertise?

The DVSA has described this as a "first of its kind" case and one that could also have ramifications for other aftermarket firms who offer similar services to that of AET Motorsport Ltd.

Speaking about the aftermath of the case, DVSA's head of Market Surveillance Unit has said:

"DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit ensures vehicles, vehicle parts and vehicle accessories sold in the UK meet required specifications and are safe for people to buy. This investigation shows DVSA takes this activity seriously and we will continue to take strong action on offenders"