Dvla Strike Again

[Guest scrabster]

hi all, read today that the classic car lads are in for a shock.It seems that if you modify your classic in certain ways ie, change a 4 speed box for a 5 speed or change a su carb for a webber on a mini and an mot inspector spots it,he could make you take the car for a BUVI test costing £450,dvla take your log book and reregister it on a Q plate,loose the free car tax aswell. whatever next?

jess.

[Guest kleighton]

Hi Jess,

 

I've a friend with a couple of classic Porsche's who dug this out, looks like it applies mainly to modifications involving the monocoque:

 

mark urban, Totnes , Devon.

 

Hello all, im suprised that no one here has raised this yet, so i thought i would share and show a recent article in a little classic car newspaper.

Ive called the DVLA and BIVA to confirm and this story does indeed check out and guidlines to this effect will be sent out to all MOT stations aparently in the near future.

 

I Have copied the article out in its entirety and scanned it as well.

 

CLASSIC CAR WEEKLY

 

(Wednesday February 17th 2010)

 

FREE TAX LOSS THREAT

 

Classic enthusiasts who modify their cars could face a £450 test, get a Q-Plate and lose free road tax, it emerged this week. Popular upgrades such as carburettor or gearbox swaps could make the car eligible for a six hour assessment ordeal.

 

(Inside Article)

 

Q-PLATE THREAT TO CLASSIC MODIFIERS

By Ian Seabrook

 

Every yea, thousands of classic car enthusiasts modify their vehicles to seek out improved reliability, performance, or comfort. But now, many of their activities could make their cars subject to £450 safety examination under a 27 year old regulation supervised by the DVLA

 

The rigorous test known as the BIVA (Basic Individual Vehicle Approval), takes between six and eight hours to conduct, and is held at only 21 test centres in the UK.

And unlike an MOT test, vehicles can’t be driven to BIVA appointments – they have to be transported there.

Popular modifications among classic owners include engine, carburettor and gearbox swaps, many of which could make the car subject to a BIVA ordeal if the work carried out involves cutting into the vehicles monocoque chassis.

 

Even if a car with a modified monocoque passes the BIVA test, it will be stripped of its original registration number and issued with a Q-plate – a system originally devised for kit cars and specials.

Pre 1973 cars would lose their cherished historic Vehicle status, a rating that exempts owners from paying road tax.

 

The DVLA could decide that an owner who cuts into a Ford Escorts Transmission Tunnel to fit a five speed gearbox has modified the monocoque. Similarly working on a mini’s bulkhead to fit a Weber carburettor or adding a larger engine could count as a modification.

Many owners fit 5 speed gearboxes to classics, and may not even be aware that what they’re doing could be judged illegal. If a discrepancy shows up at the MOT, your car can be called in for inspection and if the DVLA officials don’t like your work, they can cancel your V% registration and order your car off the road.

Stephen Wallace of the Association of Car Enthusiasts, who has been working closely with the DVLA on the issue, adds; “Any cutting of the monocoque structure constitutes a modification and would, under the rules, lead to the loss of the V5C logbook. However, there are such things that can be done to the shell without this happening. Seam Welding or modifications to the arches, for instance, are not considered to be modifications. Nor are crash repairs necessitating cutting and removal of panels or chassis section, or restoration work providing this returns the structure to its original specification”.

Theses specific rules apply only to cars with a monocoque chassis, an advantage that gained popularity in the fifties, and does not effect body modifications to older cars with a separate chassis.

The DVLA spokesperson told CCW, “The guidelines issued by the DVLA for the registration of rebuilt, radically altered or kit cars are set out in the INF 26 information leaflet and are on the www.direct.go.uk

 

THE BIVA RULES

 

For the Last 27 Years, a points system has been in place to ensure that a car is what it claims to be. Points are earned for having original body, engine transmission and suspension components. Five points are awarded for an original body, but points are lost if the monocoque shell is modified in any way, and the car must undergo the BIVA assessment.

The Test is intended to ensure that radically modified or new vehicles made by low volume manufactures are safe. But even if a classic vehicle passes the test, it will be given a Q-plate and will lose its entitlement to free road tax if it is a pre-73 model.

 

WORKING WITH BIVA (FRONTLINE)

 

Some Specialists have found ways of working with the regulation. Ed Bracklick of Frontline Spridgets in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxon, said, “We follow the regulations quite carefully, whereas historically, people would cut into the monocoque to fit a rover K series engine, we can supply a bolt-in kit that requires no cutting”.

[ibrooks]

To be honest I think something like this is needed but I suspect that as usual the authorities will make a hash of it and end up making life difficult for all concerned (whilst taking another huge chunk of money out of the motorists pocket).

 

Any changes to a monocoque (or chassis) really should be properly assessed. I know I've done it and I'd like to think that any work I've done is safe and leaves the thing as strong, or stronger, than it was before I got there but we all know that without some sort of regulation the cowboys out there will do their worst (and they do now). It doesn't warrant £450 worth of inspection though.

 

I think they would have a hard time enforcing the "any cutting of the monocoque" would "lead to the loss of the V5". The sensible option is to lay down some ground rules that if X percent of the shell is left original and the modifications are safe and done properly then the shell is still considered to be the original. After that you stick with the points system and if the car retains enough points from the original then it's still the original car. But then when has this sort of thing ever been done sensibly?

 

Iain

[Guest MarkB]

As i have possibly mentioned before.. VOSA are 20 million in the red, they are looking at anyway they can recoupe money, kitcars were one of the first to suffer, HGV/PSV tests are currently under review.

 

The biggest problems that will arise from the forementioned plans are, 1) its going to put a lot pressure and responsability on Testers like me 2) Its going to create a massive influx in "Bent" tests. 3) It will lose some test stations a lot of custom as the punter who gets reported by a station ain't going to go back to them.

 

I cannot possibly see how they can police this, i have testers who have never tested a "classic", how are they to know the difference between a stock vehicle and a Modded one.

 

can you imagine the size of the testers manual that would be needed.... it would have be to written in the manual all the possible permatations of all vehicle chassis. It cannot and in my opinion will not happen.

[Guest The Modfather]

Do you know if this will relate to historic/classic motorcycles, as in the case of my Lambretta, as that has a race tuned engine, disc brakes, uprated shocks etc?

Thanks

[fry61]

Should be tested to see if the C of G is still acceptable with all those mirrors!!

[Knock-on]

I can see why they would desire to bring this in but enforcing it is another matter altogether.

 

MOT testers look at repairs and alterations to chassis all the time and pass them. However, it's asking a lot for them to identify if a chassis has been modified isn't it.