For the past two years I have carried out the routine servicing of my wife’s 2003 BMW MINI Cooper which has covered 15,500 miles from new. When preparing the car for the MOT Test I noted that the original seven-year old silencer box was badly rusted in two areas and since the car was bought with the intention of retaining it in the long-term, I bought and fitted a stainless steel exhaust from the catalyser back. I sealed all the joints with appropriate exhaust paste and checked for leaks, thinking this would win me some kudos with the vehicle tester. However, when my wife brought the car home after it had passed the test I was chagrined to find an Advisory Notice from the tester: "Exhaust noisy [7.1.2b]". The Advisory Notice has a standard annotation "The items below do not constitute MOT failure items. They are drawn to your attention for your advice only. They are the personal opinion of the tester and are not standards set by the Vehicle and Operator Services agency." When buying the exhaust system, from the local branch of a well known company of Northern spares and fitting centres, I particularly stated that it was for my wife's shopping car and the attractions were the guarantee for the life time of the car and the thickness and quality of the fabrication materials. Nonetheless I have to admit that whilst acceptable whilst cruising, I found it noisy through the gears. Should I worry about the "Advisory" and go back to the exhaust supplier for a quieter model?