3:23 pm, August 21, 2026
A garage has been ordered to pay £1,600 after an undercover investigation caught it carrying out illegal modifications designed to make a car louder.
SVG Motorsport Ltd, based in Taplow, near Slough, and trading as SVG Performance, was prosecuted following an investigation by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Thames Valley Police.
The case centred on modifications carried out by the business after undercover investigators approached the garage posing as customers.
According to reports in the Slough Observer and Slough Express, SVG Motorsport removed the vehicle’s catalytic converter and remapped its engine control unit (ECU) to produce louder ‘pop and bang’ noises from the exhaust.
However, the garage did not tell the undercover investigators that the modifications would invalidate the vehicle’s MOT and make it illegal to use on public roads.
SVG Motorsport Ltd pleaded guilty when the case came before Reading Magistrates’ Court on August 14.
The company was fined £200 and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge as well as £1,320 in compensation, taking the total bill to £1,600.
The prosecution comes amid an ongoing crackdown by the DVSA on garages carrying out illegal vehicle modifications, including work which results in excessive noise or increased emissions.
Removing a catalytic converter from a vehicle originally fitted with one can result in significantly higher emissions and leave the vehicle unsuitable for legal use on public roads.
Chris Dormand, head of the DVSA’s market surveillance unit, said the agency was determined to take action against garages offering the modifications.
He said: ‘DVSA works tirelessly to stop pop-and-bang modifications – removing antisocial noise and excess pollution from our streets.
‘There is no excuse for garages who make these illegal alterations.
‘DVSA will target any businesses who flout the law – as demonstrated by the success of this prosecution.’