HID lights and MOT
Discussion
VOSA answered my enquiries to say they wrote their regs to account for the new electric vehicle and not be "too onerous" on the owners of older vehicles. They actually suggested I argue that it was unfair that a type approved vehicle from as recently as 2009, with no defects cannot pass an MOT here. I've already tried that but it's nice that they agree.
Armed with this I repeated my complaints to my MP and MLA's and they forwarded them to Alex Attwood who likely forwarded them to the same person(gritted teeth) I dealt with at DVLNI. The reply I got was pretty much the same except with the added info that the Republic of Ireland has introduced a similar requirement for the NCT. New NCT rules state HID lights must be part of a type approved system (ie not aftermarket conversion) and WILL have an automatic washing system.
Looks like we're stuck with it. Away to recondense my urine.
Armed with this I repeated my complaints to my MP and MLA's and they forwarded them to Alex Attwood who likely forwarded them to the same person(gritted teeth) I dealt with at DVLNI. The reply I got was pretty much the same except with the added info that the Republic of Ireland has introduced a similar requirement for the NCT. New NCT rules state HID lights must be part of a type approved system (ie not aftermarket conversion) and WILL have an automatic washing system.
Looks like we're stuck with it. Away to recondense my urine.
If you had your car MOTd in GB it would be regarded as valid as it is part of the UK. So it seems rather infantile that DVA would wish to be different just to be different.
In NI it seems that we are stuck with issues on everything just to be slightly different. Building Regs, Water Regs, MOT, the list goes on. We are paying from our taxes someones wages to rewrite documents by changing a few words on an already existing document and put an NI front cover on it.
the fact that they mention an ROI test is laughable. You wouldnt find the Irish Government changing something to suit NI rules and regulations ( from experience)
If it passed European Conformity then it passed and the rules cannot be retrospective after the event. Write to the European Union
Just my opinion.
Oh and remind Mr Attwood where he currently lives, in the UK not Eire - not trying to be politically annoying, but it seems that its ok to mention something when it suits. If hes that set on the test in ROI then why doesnt he introduce it - because he cant.
If the VOSA rules are ok for England, Scotland and Wales then whats his problem with here.
In NI it seems that we are stuck with issues on everything just to be slightly different. Building Regs, Water Regs, MOT, the list goes on. We are paying from our taxes someones wages to rewrite documents by changing a few words on an already existing document and put an NI front cover on it.
the fact that they mention an ROI test is laughable. You wouldnt find the Irish Government changing something to suit NI rules and regulations ( from experience)
If it passed European Conformity then it passed and the rules cannot be retrospective after the event. Write to the European Union
Just my opinion.
Oh and remind Mr Attwood where he currently lives, in the UK not Eire - not trying to be politically annoying, but it seems that its ok to mention something when it suits. If hes that set on the test in ROI then why doesnt he introduce it - because he cant.
If the VOSA rules are ok for England, Scotland and Wales then whats his problem with here.
Edited by bobd on Tuesday 9th October 19:27
Oldandslow said:
That's way more expensive than buying a set of conventional lights, every year.
You can get £120 day return with Stena.Buying new lights and having them fitted and aligned if you are not able and dont have the equipment is not the cheapest method, or easiest.
Although neither is travelling to Scotland. But at least you could make a day trip out of that.
But the DVA here are not saying they are unique in what they are doing. They wrongly claim this is European legislation and they are just following it. Which is of course nonsense. It all just goes to prove how stupid the people in charge are here.
Complete mindless fools with no ability to apply common sense, and their sole goal is to keep themselves in high paid jobs at all costs, regardless of how stupid they are.
It would be interesting to see what the TUV request of their cars in Germany, which is probably the strictest testing system apart from ours. I'm sure even they apply common sense.
It seems baffling that they are trying to make car modification illegal, yet they are now forcing owners to modify their cars in order to pass an MOT.
( and having just checked the online NCT manual, seems they are equally as stupid ! )
Edited by stevieturbo on Wednesday 10th October 09:28
Depends on your situation. For me it was 2nd hand lights for £60 of Ebay and fitted myself. My mechanic aligned them for free because he's a star but it probably wouldn't cost too much. I imagine if you went to a main dealer to replace your lights it would be very pricey. Brand new set of lights, fitting and alignment at dealer labour rates adds up pretty fast.
Something else I noticed during a glance at the NCT rules....
Windscreen washers only have to work IF they are fitted. WTF
So they insist on headlamp washers that were never fitted in the first place, and dont mind if there are no windscreen washers.
Our MOT2 does require them though.
I'm surprised more people or the press havent been making more of an issue over this nonsense. Maybe fatboy Nolan needs to look into it and have them explain themselves.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-new...
Here is a complete idiots response. ie the DVA
Clearly Tony Morrison, you are a ballbag
And here is one persons solution as they didnt want to drill holes in the car.
Rules may be rules, but some common sense really needs to be applied. People have even got letters from the manufacturer stating washers were never fitted and cannot be retro fitted. Yet the DVA ignore them.
Windscreen washers only have to work IF they are fitted. WTF
So they insist on headlamp washers that were never fitted in the first place, and dont mind if there are no windscreen washers.
Our MOT2 does require them though.
I'm surprised more people or the press havent been making more of an issue over this nonsense. Maybe fatboy Nolan needs to look into it and have them explain themselves.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-new...
Here is a complete idiots response. ie the DVA
Clearly Tony Morrison, you are a ballbag
And here is one persons solution as they didnt want to drill holes in the car.
Rules may be rules, but some common sense really needs to be applied. People have even got letters from the manufacturer stating washers were never fitted and cannot be retro fitted. Yet the DVA ignore them.
How come he can apply an exemption for SRS MIL's giving customers the "benefit of the doubt" because some cars didn't have it before it became mandatory and yet in the same circumstances not give one for HID headlight washers?
It's a 2 point letter and he contradicts himself. The mind boggles.
It's a 2 point letter and he contradicts himself. The mind boggles.
Oldandslow said:
How come he can apply an exemption for SRS MIL's giving customers the "benefit of the doubt" because some cars didn't have it before it became mandatory and yet in the same circumstances not give one for HID headlight washers?
It's a 2 point letter and he contradicts himself. The mind boggles.
It only boggles for those with some sense.It's a 2 point letter and he contradicts himself. The mind boggles.
So for the DVA and most in the civil service, it would seem perfectly reasonable.
Glimmer of hope. A Caseworker in the office of William McCrea is digging deeper. He contacted VOSA and they told him they are "baffled" by the NI regulation. He's looking into how the regs are being implemented across Europe to see if there is a consensus. Just be our luck if VOSA are on their own 
My car has washers and a leveling system for the HIDs as required in Europe for many years. Where do you guys get your information. If a car is an import from outside Europe (say Japan) then you must make it legal for NI...get the washers and the self levellers.
And the MOT is changed in GB too.
And the MOT is changed in GB too.
My car is 12 years old from before it was a requirement to have washers. There are many older cars with type approved HID lights that don't meet the requirements of the NI test.
Yes, the test has changed in GB too. Our point is that the test requirements in GB are different. Simply put my car will pass in a GB VOSA test station but not in an NI test station
Yes, the test has changed in GB too. Our point is that the test requirements in GB are different. Simply put my car will pass in a GB VOSA test station but not in an NI test station
Oldandslow said:
Hi, my car just failed MOT in Ballymena for having HID lights and no washer system. Just another quaint difference between here and the mainland.
DVLA take new MOT regs and write test guides like this:
Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps MAY be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system. Where such systems are fitted, they must work
i.e. if it aint there it don't matter
DVLNI take new MOT regs and write test guides like this:
High Intensity Discharge (HID) and LED dipped beam headlamps (whether original fitment or after-market) MUST be fitted with a headlamp washing system (a wiper is not required) and be self levelling.
Be aware of this important difference. I'm away to glue a supersoaker to my bumper.
Browsing through your garage I noticed all your 3 cars don't have projector headlights. So why HIDs?DVLA take new MOT regs and write test guides like this:
Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps MAY be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system. Where such systems are fitted, they must work
i.e. if it aint there it don't matter
DVLNI take new MOT regs and write test guides like this:
High Intensity Discharge (HID) and LED dipped beam headlamps (whether original fitment or after-market) MUST be fitted with a headlamp washing system (a wiper is not required) and be self levelling.
Be aware of this important difference. I'm away to glue a supersoaker to my bumper.
Yes, the loom is slightly different between the HID and incandescent bulb cars. I also freely accept that my car is an import and that modifications will be required to suit UK regs. I didn't complain about fitting a fog light or converting my speedo to read miles and kms.
This time though I felt it was unfair that it was a postcode issue, if I lived in England my car would have been fine as it was and not needed new lights. I probably would have left it at that but then I found out that the type approval regs only changed in 2010 and that European type approved cars sold into the UK were falling foul of the same difference in the NI regs.
This time though I felt it was unfair that it was a postcode issue, if I lived in England my car would have been fine as it was and not needed new lights. I probably would have left it at that but then I found out that the type approval regs only changed in 2010 and that European type approved cars sold into the UK were falling foul of the same difference in the NI regs.
It was the European type approval regs which allowed HID s in the UK. Europe was the first to type approve them before the UK...and strictly speaking they would not have been allowed in the UK if the ECE Regulations had not approved them.
Those regulations required washers and levelers.
This predates 2010.
Those regulations required washers and levelers.
This predates 2010.
Well 2010 was the info I got from DVLNI and VOSA when I enquired about why the MOT regs changed for 2012. Both said that it was the changes in 2010 that introduced the need for checks to the MOT and their different interpretation of what was required. It doesn't really matter, my concern is that you are treated differently in NI than in GB.
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