End of car modding??? VBOA response

[GreyDJ]

Hi all,

I am the VBOA rep over at Mk2Cav.com and I have just posted this there.

I hope I am not acting out of turn by putting it up here.

This is VBOA's response to the discussions all over the place including here. It started off at the Vauxhall Viva Owners Club.

This is a note regarding a proposed EU law change to the safety and environmental testing of vehicles. The full text can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/doc/roadw ... e/com(2012)380.pdf

This was briefly reported in Classic Car Weekly a few weeks ago. The objective of the legislation is to provide a common European process for "periodic roadworthiness testing", the MOT to us. Sub objectives are to deter odometer fraud through a euro database and enhance the pan-european sale of used cars through common procedures. My first reading of it left me fairly relaxed.

One has to realise that while some countries, like the UK and Germany, have well regulated safety testing already in place, the majority, particularly some of the new entries, emphatically do not. So this is an attempt to bring all testing up to an acceptable standard, which is arguably what we already have.

In so doing it sensibly argues for common standards of testing, testing facilites and training. Manufacturers will be required to release test data to facilitate the process. In making the process common and ensuring that a car tested in Latvia but used in the UK is up to our standards of roadworthiness, I suppose there may be some changes to our MOT testing regime, but as I said above, we already have a well regulated process. The actual testing process will remain the responsibility of the Sovereign State but it will need to comply with this new regulation within 5 years from its adoption.

The possibly controversial bit comes under the eligibility section.

Certain classes of vehicle are to be exempt from "periodic testing" , although in general more are brought under the testing umbrella such as motor bikes, fast road going tractors etc. One of the exemptions is for "vehicles of historic interest". These are defined as being over 30 years old and not modified in major specification or appearance. But as I read it, this only means that an otherwise historic car with a Chevy V8 under the bonnet will not be exempt from testing whereas its standard brother will. It does not mean that modified cars will be declared unroadworthy any more that they are today - its just that they will not be given the option, if the base vehicle was built more than 30 years ago, to absent themselves from annual testing.

The hairy bit will be defining what constitutes unacceptable mods. Is tuning a standard engine OK, fitting a 5 speed box OK, etc etc? This will need careful definition but it appears this will be left to the Sovereign State to define as apart from the phrase "shall not have sustained any change in technical characteristics of its main components, such as engine, brakes, steering and suspension AND that it has not been changed in its appearance" , no further definition is offered.

Bearing in mind this is all about roadworthiness I guess changing the colour of a car is OK but cutting the roof off to make a convertible is not. Now this would be a disaster if it meant that cars thus modified were doomed to compliance failure, but in my reading of the draft this merely defines whether a vehicle has to be tested or not. Most people I know feel scrapping the MOT for older cars is daft anyway and this is plainly where this initiative came from although I am not aware of these eligibility criteria being mentioned in the UK context.

In summary - they want all member states to have a common and rigorous testing process which will require considerable changes in some countries. Some of our vehicles may become exempt from testing altogether as already announced by the DOT. At worst all of our cars will continue to require annual testing to a standard probably not much different from today's MOT.

If your reading suggests VBOAare being too relaxed then let your VBOA rep know so VBOA can raise it with the FBHVC through those clubs who are members.

[v6 steve]

that sounds more like it, i cant see them just stopping all modified cars, yes i think they will keep tightening up the mot rules but that is for all of our safety

[Fraz]

I also got that from the VBOA and after a brief read through there is a few bits ..that would mean a lot of bother to most of us ...including the historic types

(7) ‘vehicle of historic interest’ means any vehicle which fulfils all the following

conditions :

– It was manufactured at least 30 years ago,

– It is maintained by use of replacement parts which reproduce the historic

components of the vehicle;

– It has not sustained any change in the technical characteristics of its main

components such as engine, brakes, steering or suspension and

– It has not been changed in its appearance;

so if you have a very old car and had a colour chage at some point...then your no longer in that class


and if I read this bit right...if you change anything you will need o get a MOt type certificate after doing so ...And I think when you sell a vehicle you will also then the buyer will need to get a fresh MOT

4. Notwithstanding the date of its last roadworthiness test, the competent authority may

require that a vehicle be subject to a roadworthiness test or additional testing before

the date referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, in the following cases:

– after an accident with serious damage to the main safety related components of

the vehicle such as wheels, suspension, deformation zones, steering or brakes,

– when the safety and environmental systems and components of the vehicle

have been altered or modified,

– in case of a change of the holder of the registration certificate of a vehicle

and then this bit ...so if you have an old car you will need a MOT more often

(17) Frequency of tests should be adapted according to the type of vehicle and to their

mileage. Vehicles are more likely to present technical deficiencies when they reach a

certain age and, in particular when intensively used, after a certain mileage. It is

therefore appropriate to increase the test frequency for older vehicles and for vehicles

with high mileage.

[GreyDJ]

I read that too. Lots of interpretation to be made and, unusually for EU stuff, a fair amount of opt out for the 'Competent Authority, DVLA in our case.