New super-MOT?
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Discussion

Parrot of Doom

Original Poster:

23,075 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th April 2006
quotequote all

Agent006

12,058 posts

294 months

Thursday 13th April 2006
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Allegedly it's the usual govenment trick of "say something appaling then they won't mind the toned down version later on".

Fat Richie

1,271 posts

248 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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Parrot / 006 – Yes it is true and it’s definitely NOT the usual "say something appalling then they won't mind the toned down version later on". It is a very real threat.

The good news is that there is an organisation being put together to fight this, spearheaded by both the National Street Rod Association and the National Association of Street Clubs (a confederation of Rod and Custom clubs).

Check out these links for more information (you’ll need Adobe Acrobat for the first):

Summary of Inspection Review - DVLA Sept 2005:
[url]www.nsra.org.uk/downloads/Summary%20of%20Inspection%20Review%20-%20DVLA%20Sept%202005.pdf[/url]

The NSRA response to recent DVLA recommendations
[url]www.nsra.org.uk/editorial13.htm[/url]

Parrot of Doom

Original Poster:

23,075 posts

264 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
It troubles me because the vast majority of people into tuning aren't exactly going to bodge their work. The odd McDonalds serving Saxo muppet yes, but a grease monkey who drives a modded Impreza on a weekend?

More work for idle hands?

MGBGT

823 posts

252 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
Let's face it, we're fighting a losing battle. In due course we will all be travelling along in our satellite-controlled electric buggies at 20 mph (BRAKE will still campaign for them to be made slower) and we will have to lump it. Even a PH sticker will constitute 'modification' and earn you a six-month ban with a £10000 fine (as well as a 're-education course').

The scenario of the Rush track 'Red Barchetta' is drawing ever closer...

The bottom line is the greed of the 'Mother Companies' that control the World's politicians and the uncontrolled 'civil servants' that operate our puppet Governments.

The sh!t will hit the fan eventually, but I feel that the fan will be facing in our direction when it does...

I have no idea where this 'rule of fear' is heading. I am merely riding the tide to see where I get washed up...

MGBGT for BBC News, Paranoid, UK...

Safety Engineer

107 posts

247 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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In two minds about this one, think it's a bad idea as those 'in the know' will do the job properly but have attended a few accidents were rat boy has put a bloody great lump in a nova, hasn't sorted the suspension or brakes and wraped himself one a tree, sounds like this super mot (if done properly) could help keep rat boy and co in safe(ish) cars.

But rather suspect that this will be another money spinner. Me cynical ??

trackcar

6,453 posts

256 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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I can't really see a problem with this as it stands .. except an on-going extra cost of course. But if the test is 100 pounds per year or something is it really going to stop people who properly modify their cars and maybe spend 5000 pounds a year on those modifications?

If it keeps a few of the death traps off the road I'm (at the moment and in principle) for it.

Deltafox

3,839 posts

262 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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So a roll cage constitutes a modified monocoque and will require the vehicle to lose its original identity to assume that of a "Q" plater...oh effing great!

Thanks you interfering cnuts!

autismuk

1,529 posts

270 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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It's the same the country over ; pointless regulation, nasty little bureaucracies playing God. They all want f***** shooting.

nel

4,830 posts

271 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
Welcome to Europe! This is the current situation in France, where modifications to your car that make it different from the version tested by the national homologation body are forbidden unless you're willing to pay for it to be re-assessed. If you make a modification to your vehicle and are then involved in a serious accident (i.e. expensive or involving a fatality) then the insurance company will pay experts to strip the car. If they find a modification that they can argue might have had a bearing on the accident then your insurance cover is void and you will have to pay the damages yourself!

It's a real pain and there is no real mechanism for notifying the insurance company when a modification is made. Funny that the after-market retail business in France is very weak then...

dilbert

7,741 posts

261 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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The next step, after this legislation has been introduced, brings a situation where you are only allowed to drive the one government approved and sponsored vehicle design.

Trabant anyone?

RichardD

3,608 posts

275 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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dilbert said:

Trabant anyone?
My cousin had one, certainly cornered better than a Passat I drove once,

Seriously though, hard to figure out if this is geniune attempt to make vehicles "safer", or control freaks exercising repression of individuality - which seems to be the major theme of modern politics.

shuvitupya

3,338 posts

247 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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Maybe this has something to do with people not declaring modifications to their insurance company.

I was playing around with an online insurance quote, and it added £100 to the insurance if I add a rear spoiler to a model below one that has a spoiler as standard.

If anything is changed from the manufacturers standard spec, the insurance companies will not pay out for any extras you have fitted if they become damaged in an accident or stolen.

groomi

9,331 posts

273 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
In principle this could be a good idea...

If you want to modify your car, then it is probably a sensible move inspect your car to ensure that the modifications do not unduly affect the cars roadworthiness. If this costs a bit more than the standard MOT, then so be it.

HOWEVER, if the super MOT deems your car to be no less roadworthy than if standards, then the insurance companies shouldn't be able to load your premium - other than perhaps for increased risk of theft.





Ofcourse, in the real world we all know that it'll end up the other way around. If you have to get a super MOT carried out at xxx pounds, then you'll have to decalre it to the insurance company who will automitically load another xxx pounds onto your premium because you are clearly determined to drive a modified vehicle.

trackcar

6,453 posts

256 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
Deltafox said:
So a roll cage constitutes a modified monocoque and will require the vehicle to lose its original identity to assume that of a "Q" plater...oh effing great!

Thanks you interfering cnuts!



is there more info other than that presented here? i can't find the info to which you're referring on a quick read-through.

dilbert

7,741 posts

261 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
groomi said:
In principle this could be a good idea...

If you want to modify your car, then it is probably a sensible move inspect your car to ensure that the modifications do not unduly affect the cars roadworthiness. If this costs a bit more than the standard MOT, then so be it.

HOWEVER, if the super MOT deems your car to be no less roadworthy than if standards, then the insurance companies shouldn't be able to load your premium - other than perhaps for increased risk of theft.

Ofcourse, in the real world we all know that it'll end up the other way around. If you have to get a super MOT carried out at xxx pounds, then you'll have to decalre it to the insurance company who will automitically load another xxx pounds onto your premium because you are clearly determined to drive a modified vehicle.


I reckon there's more to it than that.

For example, when you change the shape of your vehicle, maybe by adding different wings, will you have to go through a crash test with your new design, in order to prove that it is as safe as it was before the modification?

For me, I know that I might be able to afford to bring the modifications together in an affordable way. I doubt I'd be able to do the crash testing.

Strictly speaking, there is quite a strong argument for this sort of legislation. I don't agree with it, but unfortunately the masses consider elevated saftey to be paramount. It doesn't matter to them that there are statisically fewer of us, and that that reduces the risk.

They say that if the risk is there, it should be eliminated if it can be. The only question is "Can they?".

Edited to make sense.

>> Edited by dilbert on Friday 14th April 13:25

mojocvh

16,837 posts

292 months

Friday 14th April 2006
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So what about Kits?? will the fact that it has been sva'd circumvent this pish??

MoJo

blueyes

4,799 posts

282 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
nel said:
Welcome to Europe! This is the current situation in France, where modifications to your car that make it different from the version tested by the national homologation body are forbidden unless you're willing to pay for it to be re-assessed. If you make a modification to your vehicle and are then involved in a serious accident (i.e. expensive or involving a fatality) then the insurance company will pay experts to strip the car. If they find a modification that they can argue might have had a bearing on the accident then your insurance cover is void and you will have to pay the damages yourself!

It's a real pain and there is no real mechanism for notifying the insurance company when a modification is made. Funny that the after-market retail business in France is very weak then...


Same in Italy.

Being Italians we just stick it back to standard for the MOT or find a "tame tester" and take a chance.

"I don't like that rule... so it doesn't apply to me"

Fat Richie

1,271 posts

248 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
Deltafox – spot on with your evaluation! The problem being faced here is that the police are seeking for modified vehicles to be identified at MoT time and then any vehicle that has been modified should then have to go through the SVA test.

Now, this will not affect any kit car built since 1998 when SVA was introduced. Anyone who knows anything about putting a car through SVA will known that fundamental engineering principles aren’t as high on the list of priorities as the minutiae of the radius on the wiper switch knob and such like – you can’t even have a steering wheel with slots or holes in the spokes!

Any car modified before 1998 or modifications made to a car originally built before that date where the owner wants to keep the essence/spirit of the original vehicle is highly unlikely to pass SVA.

The major identification point that the police are seeking is that any vehicle that does not have an original unmodified chassis or monocoque should automatically have to go through SVA regardless of age.

So, as Deltafox quite rightly says “So a roll cage constitutes a modified monocoque”, yup, you’ve drilled holes that weren’t put there by the factory, that’s a modification, off to SVA you go. Seam-welded shell on your road/rally car? That’s modified then. Boxed chassis on your Austin Seven Special? That’s modified then. How many Lotus Cortina / Escort Mexico / RS2000 replicas are there out there? You get the picture?

Sorry Trackcar, like any legislation or proposed legislation you can’t hope to understand it in sound bites. Check the links in my original post for more information.

Unfortunately Blueyes, with the introduction of the computerised MoT that’s no longer an option in this country. Whatever a car has failed on or had advisories on will be flagged up wherever you take it. Big Brother is watching you!

trackcar

6,453 posts

256 months

Friday 14th April 2006
quotequote all
You must be reading a different article to me then, all I can see is references to kit-build and *radically altered* vehicles. At no point does it say that adding a cage to a car and making *non-radical* changes will make a vehicle eligible for SVA.

I read it as the scope was to (rightly in my opinion) test vehicles which are significantly altered away from the original design ..

It may be the thin end of the wedge, but it *is* the thin end, from how i read it.