dvla/vosa advice please - car passed MOT & VIC but is cat B

[Utterpiffle]

Help!

I have just spent the last month or so on and off rebuilding my e55. Build thread here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Bare with me, situation is a bit convoluted...

MOT passed this morning. Went for a VIC test at lunchtime, and I have the pass certificate. (Vosa guy actually commented on how nice the car was). I then went to the local DVLA office to tax the car and apply for a log book, and they said I can't as it is a cat B, not a cat C as I was told when I bought the car. She told me it was parts only and cannot be returned to the road. She also gave me the phone number of Admiral, who she said had written the car off.

I phoned Admiral, and they confirmed it was a cat B, but also said that it had been written off by an independent inspector, so nothing to do with them.

So, I phoned VOSA. Insurance categories are nothing to do with them either, and they put me through to the DVLA central office. Nice bloke I spoke with, but he said he has no idea how the local office can know what category it is, and they should have processed it. He told me to put the following in an envelope, and the tax and reg document should come back: v62 (for a v5), v10 (for tax), VIC cert, MOT, Insurance and the tax money.

I did explain to him that it was a cat B, but he seemed to think it was no problem as I had a VIC and MOT. I don't think he is right though...

Any advice or explanation would be most welcome. What do I do next?

As you can image, I am rather disappointed that I can't drive my lovely car.

[randlemarcus]

What does the HPI check you did before you bought the car say it is?

[GC8]

ABI categories arent the concern of the VRO or the DVLA. My next step would be to escalate the issue to the VRO manager.

[GC8]

Before some wally does it, ignore any and all copy and pastes from the ABIs website: the classification criiteria have nothing to do with anything (including the cars classification category in many cases!).

There are many CatB vehicles on the road.

[Utterpiffle]

randlemarcus said:

What does the HPI check you did before you bought the car say it is?

Yeah, valid point, well presented

Never even thought to HPI a car bought for a grand though. I won't lose money, as it there are some valuable parts on it, but just a bit miffed that I can go through the whole process, and only found out now.

I did check on the DVLA website, and it just said "needs VIC test". Surely you can't VIC test a cat B if you can't put it back on the road? Seems a little daft to me...

[Utterpiffle]

GC8 said:

Before some wally does it, ignore any and all copy and pastes from the ABIs website: the classification criiteria have nothing to do with anything (including the cars classification category in many cases!).

There are many CatB vehicles on the road.

OK, thank you. Excuse my ignorance, but what or who is the VRO officer? Google says its the village revenue officer. Ha!

[V6Alfisti]

Utterpiffle said:

OK, thank you. Excuse my ignorance, but what or who is the VRO officer? Google says its the village revenue officer. Ha!

Guessing vehicle registration officer?

[Utterpiffle]

V6Alfisti said:

Guessing vehicle registration officer?

I then worked that out

[GC8]

Vehicle Registration Office. Its the original name for the DVLA local office before it was dumbed down.

[ikarl]

I have previously had a cat B car on the road. I bought the car with MOT and Tax but then got a letter from the DVLA to tell me it needed a VIC test.
Took it to the local VOSA place who done the check, then sent off the docs to DVLA. Never had any problems after that! Even when it needed taxed, just done it online

[Utterpiffle]

ikarl said:

I have previously had a cat B car on the road. I bought the car with MOT and Tax but then got a letter from the DVLA to tell me it needed a VIC test.
Took it to the local VOSA place who done the check, then sent off the docs to DVLA. Never had any problems after that! Even when it needed taxed, just done it online

Interesting... I have heard of other cat B cars on the road. So what does it say on your v5? Actually cat B or just substantially damaged/repaired?

This is the other way around though. I have the VIC and MOT, just no V5.

[B'stard Child]

I have nothing to add but bugger.........

and best of luck hope you get a result

[ikarl]

Utterpiffle said:

ikarl said:

I have previously had a cat B car on the road. I bought the car with MOT and Tax but then got a letter from the DVLA to tell me it needed a VIC test.
Took it to the local VOSA place who done the check, then sent off the docs to DVLA. Never had any problems after that! Even when it needed taxed, just done it online

Interesting... I have heard of other cat B cars on the road. So what does it say on your v5? Actually cat B or just substantially damaged/repaired?

This is the other way around though. I have the VIC and MOT, just no V5.

It had something on the front page of the V5 that did say that it was on the 'register' - sorry I cannot remember the wording as I no longer have the car

[Utterpiffle]

OK, thanks ikarl. Interesting info though


So, I just did one of those cheapy HPI tests... Yes I know, horses bolted etc.

It was cat B on 4th Oct 2011. However, it is also recorded as scrapped.

I bought it from a mate who bought it breakers. Err, surely the scrapyard shouldn't have sold the car?

Edited by Utterpiffle on Friday 11th October 16:43

[GC8]

Thay shouldnt as it broke their contract with the insurance company, but this doesnt have any bearing on your ownership or registration.

The member of staff at the VRO is incorrect. Id suggest that you pursue it with them before they close down and you have to try to do it over the phone with the DVLA.

This is akin to them saying that failing an MOT test invalidates a still current MOT certificate or that third party other car cover legally requires that the car driven be insured elsewhere. The sort of nonsense that people repeat on forums...

Didnt you question how it had been through the identity check if it couldnt be registered?

Without question, the car CAN be registered; so stick at it. Id ask them to show you evidence that the car cant be registered or transferred by the DVLA. When they cant do that Id probably ask to speak to the VRO manager.

[GC8]

I had a simialr but worse experience with a VRO wally a few years ago. She insisted that my JDM Impreza would attract a £400 per year tax bill because the law said 'first registration' (as it always has) rather than first use.

As it was being registered she was having the £400 no matter what. When I asked her for the CO2 figures required to justify this (obviously not available as they didnt exist) she said that shed use those from a UK New Age car!

I let it go as I didnt have the time to pursue the matter. I spoke to Hull VRO who laughed but I couldnt register it there as they used to have territorial boundaries.

Its still in my garage: the only unmolested, unregistered 1996 Classic WRX 'Wagon in the country...

[Utterpiffle]

Thanks for your replies.

I just spoke to the scrapyard owner and he remembers the car well. He certainly did not issue a end of life cert, as he had the fullest of intentions to repair it himself. He bought the car directly from the owner who crashed it.

So is it possible for a car to become cat B and for the owner to still have the car to sell?

[bmthnick1981]

Utterpiffle said:

...He told me to put the following in an envelope, and the tax and reg document should come back: v62 (for a v5), v10 (for tax), VIC cert, MOT, Insurance and the tax money.

I did explain to him that it was a cat B, but he seemed to think it was no problem as I had a VIC and MOT. I don't think he is right though....

Why not give this a try?

[Utterpiffle]

bmthnick1981 said:

Why not give this a try?

I think that will be my next plan of action...

Also the scrapyard man said he will dig through his emails and try to find contact details for the previous owner. Might shed some light on what happened.

Should work out OK... just hassle I'd rather not have!

[GC8]

Classic insurance frequently give salvage rights to the owner, who can then do as they please with the car.

It might have been intended to be a C, as mistakes can happen. Theyre seldom easily sorted out though. Irrespective of this, you can register the car and the VRO officer was incorrect.