Can a car fail an MOT because of the exhaust?

Question

I HAVE AN 02 REG PEUGEOT PARTNER AND I TOOK IT FOR AN MOT TODAY, DROPPED IT OFF AT THE GARAGE AND THEY PHONE ME TO SAY THE CAR HAS FAILED ITS MOT BECAUSE OF THE EXHAUST. I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THE EXHAUST BLOWING OR ANYTHING. IF A CAR CAN FAIL AN MOT BECAUSE OF THE EXHAUST, WHAT PROBLEMS COULD THERE BE WITH THE EXHAUST.

ANY REPLIES WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I AM DUE TO GO BACK TO THE GARAGE TOMORROW (23/02)

Answer 1

Of course it can,its a major fault if your exhaust doesnt work properly,its probably giving off high emissions,you will have to have it fixed if it is.

Answer 2

Your car is 5 years old. I doubt whether it's an emissions problem. If it hasn't had a replacement exhaust by now, it's probably due for one now.

They don't last too many years. 3 - 5 on average. They usually rust from the inside out. Short journeys are a killer for exhausts.

The rear silencer box usually goes first, due to the build up of condensation at the furthest point from the engine. Holes in the back box are most common, quite often round the weld where the pipe exits the back box.

However, the rear section can be normally be replaced without having to renew the whole system.

Answer 3

Our peugeot failed because of the exhaust, we didn't know there was a problem with it.
It turned out it had a small hole, one garage told us it needed a whole new exaust which was about £300 - £400, took it to another garage who replaced the section for just over £100.
Well worth doing a bit of research

Answer 4

Yes they can. The Exhaust is to stop noise and polution and a broken exhaust on a car is illegal. It must fail its MOT.
The exhaust could be ruptured or cracked and not passing the entire gasses through it. There are all sorts of things that could be wrong with it even a broken exhaust bracket. I would go to the garage and ask them what is wrong with the exhaust and ask to see the problem. It may be a simple problem that is repairable or you may have to replace the exhaust completely.

Answer 5

The current MOT test includes analysis of the exhaust gases for polluting emissions. If this is the reason it failed, it could be because of a faulty catalytic converter (cat), a pinhole, broken silencer baffles etc. A surprising number of things can cause a failure. If it fails on emissions, they should show you the printout from the gas analyser.

Answer 6

If the exhaust is leaking the M.O.T station won't be able to take a correct emission reading so they won't pass it.
If it is only a slight leak you can get exhaust paste to put across the hole but this only a temporary repair.
The only worry is if it is the catalytic converter that has failed these can be expensive anywhere from £80 upwards

Answer 7

I had the same problem once, and yes it can fail mot, you don't have to hear it blowing, it may have a crack on the underneath, middle panel, the back box is the one that normally blows and makes the noise, so if you have a split or something you would not know it was damaged unless you was a mechanic....

Answer 8

Depends on where you are and the standards
Noise Level
Holes in exhaust
Emissions, not necessarily smoke, (that would be an engine problem.)
Ask your garage why they failed it and if you are doubtful take it somewhere else, or ring your Peugeot dealer.
If you are using the dealership get a second opinion else where

Good Luck

Answer 9

it may not be a noisy exhaust it could be excessive CO2 emission due to engine out of tune

Answer 10

Yes, my mondeo did. They replaced the exhaust and it passed.