THE REPERCUSSIONS
THERE are a few considerations you’ll have to make when you find yourself with that cheap block-off plate and a set of screwdrivers in hand. The first and most likely to make people pause for consideration is warranty.
Most manufacturers are well within their legal rights to knock back any warranty claims that are even loosely related to a modification you’ve made, legal or otherwise. As the EGR system is directly related to a turbocharger, failure down the track could see you out of pocket for any repairs, even unrelated problems where the EGR removal shouldn’t have caused an issue can still see you in a battle with Fair Trading to get things fixed.
From there the serious risks start. Sure, you’ll cop an on-the-spot fine from Mr Plod for driving a defective vehicle if you’re found, but there are much bigger things to be concerned with than that.
The NSW Protection of the Environment Operations (Clean Air) Regulation of 2010 states: “The owner of a motor vehicle who uses the motor vehicle, or causes or allows it to be used, must ensure that at the time of that use, any antipollution device that has been fitted to the motor vehicle has not been removed, disconnected or impaired, or adjusted or modified in such a way as to result in the emission of excessive air impurities by the motor vehicle”.
The penalty that little piece of legislation can net you is 200 penalty units as an individual or up to 400 as a business. Big deal, right? Well, it would be if penalty units weren’t around $150 a piece in some states. That’s a maximum fine of near on $30,000 for blocking or removing your EGR system or DPF from your exhaust. Are you likely to get caught? Probably not, but don’t go bragging about it on social media, either. At the end of the day there are smarter ways to get the job done that won’t ruin you financially.