New MOT legislation and more...

[gridgway]

Mmm all very convoluted! Would I be right in thinking that there are two streams here for want of a better word.

The 'will my classic vehicle need to be MoTd?' stream. Answer is that provided it has less than 115% of the original power to weight it won't. If it has a higher power to weight it'll need an MoT.

The other stream is 'is my vehicle too modified to be on the road without having been IVAd?'.

This is not addressed in the answer to Graham's letter I think. Cleverly avoided.

Or am I way off the mark?
Graham

[KS]

Exactly.

On reading through this, the significant point here is the use of the word 'substantially', as opposed to 'radically'. This is actually the same as it's always been, but just that some people have misinterpreted the definitions. A car with an increase in power to weight ratio is, indeed, deemed to be substantially modified. A car that has changes made to the monocoque, chassis, unitary body etc is deemed to be radically modified and therefore subject to the 8-point ruling.

The reply to your enquiry refers specifically to 'substantial' modifications – there is no reference to 'radical' modifications as that was not the subject raised in the original enquiry. The DVLA is very guarded in its replies...

[gridgway]

Ah yes, they probably have a lawyer to draft the replies.

So will the 'November paper' tell us anything? I presume what the owners of radically modified cars want to know is what the DVLA are going to do. Are they going to ask the owners of (classic) cars to self cert as to whether their cars are radically modified every year?

Graham

[KS]

That's what we wait to see - once you're in the 'radically modified' category, that will be it. No need for further certification. As for 'substantially' modified, if you revert your car to stock, then presumably you could seek MOT exemption, not that MOT'ing is a bad thing anyway...

[911hillclimber]

Deleted

[gridgway]

I admire your forthrightness Graham and I know you are mentally prepared for IVA. However if it were me, I'd not be quite so forthcoming if I had what might be classified as a radically modified car!

Graham

[911hillclimber]

Deleted

[KS]

OK, bluntly put, a car which has had the unitary body modified in a structural area (eg, a bulkhead) is considered – according to the DVSA – to have been radically modified. If that car is restored to original spec (nothing to do with the engine, or whatever, purely the unitary body), then it would be regarded in the same way as any other VHI.

That is fairly black and white. Any car can be made to pass IVA given some creative thinking. You need to get hold of Kev Rooney's carefully researched 'Dummy's Guide' on the IVA subject. It is interesting reading and one in which all the information has come directly from contacts at DVSA.

[Nick Moss]

This is getting a bit repetitive....

[KS]

This is getting a bit repetitive....

Quite.

[911hillclimber]

Sorted!
good luck to all affected to one degree or another.

[gridgway]

Excellent, we love a good flounce

Sorted!
good luck to all affected to one degree or another.

[amallagh]

Still no official guidance note issued ? November is running out of days.
Or has that been put on hold ?

[911hillclimber]

I emailed a lady at the DVLA with a host of selfish questions about my particular predicament, inc asking if the guidance Notes will be available in November.
I did this 6 days ago.

Her answer was they could not answer any of my questions, and that the guidance notes will be issued soon.
She hoped that helped me with my questions...

Hope this answers your question Andy.
My far more pointed selfish email to the DfT gent who wrote to my MP in response to my letter to my MP has failed to respond after 2 weeks so far.

I hope all the avoidances to my questions (focused around my the RHD conversion) means something is changing for the good.
I suppose they have until the end of April 2018 ish to issue their guidance.

[defianty]

A snippet of information about the upcoming changes? Found over on VZi this morning.