Lexington, SC (WLTX) - The Lexington Police Department took to Facebook Tuesday to inform the community about loud muffler complaints, and warns they could get drivers fined.
We've all heard it, cars and trucks revving up, but where does the loud sound come from?
"A muffler, what it does is it takes the original sound from the motor and muffles it down, so when you think about a muffler just think about it quieting down the sound," The Muffler Shop of Columbia Shop Manager Angelo Smith said.
Of course you can get a performance muffler, but Smith said some of the obnoxious noises come when people take off their catalytic converter. Having a catalytic converter on your vehicle is an EPA law because it makes toxic gases, less toxic.
"You can have a good performance sound with having a muffler on your vehicle," Smith said. "That's what the mufflers are for and to get it extremely loud having that catalytic converter off makes it almost unbearably loud on some vehicles."
South Carolina law states every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order to prevent excessive or unusual noise. The Lexington Police Department said they have always been alert for excessively loud mufflers and that this isn't a war on mufflers.
The police department also responded to many questions and comments from the community saying the citations are usually "fix it" tickets because compliance is their objective with this reminder.
For more information on the State's regulations regarding mufflers, click here and for more information on The Town of Lexington's regulations regarding mufflers, click here.