Help needed (from Germany)
Help needed (from Germany)
Author
Discussion

longbow

Original Poster:

1,610 posts

264 months

Monday 20th September 2010
quotequote all
Hi peeps. Well I have now moved out to Germany and thought it would be best initially to leave the Cerb at home until I settle in and get to grips with life over here. Well two days in and I'm already working out a plan to bring the Cerbie over - tax free 102 octane fuel and the autobahns are just too irrisistable...........

Anyway, the slight problem is the British Forces Germany registration process - specifically the MOT style test and other requirement. Whilst the headlights are easily fixed (my HIDs can be unscrewed at turned to adjust the beam slant) another issue has be a bit perplexed. Cars need twin reverse lights and the fog light must be on ze left. From memory, with my spider rear lights, the reverse is a single on the left and the fog is a single on the right. So, can anyone confirm whether the lights can be easily 'unscrewed' from the black plastic moulding from inside the boot, or will the clear plastic covers have to be removed? Shame I can't get to the car to check, but this is bugging me at the mo......

and that is before I even think about the emissions tests and handbrake etc etc.............

Ireland

3,517 posts

243 months

Monday 20th September 2010
quotequote all
Your car is the same year and model as mine and in my car the lights are removed by taking out 3 screws.

I changed from the chavvy ones that were in it when I got it to a set of bog-standard Fiesta ones in about 5 minutes.

So, going on that it should be a doddle but they are TVR's after all so you may have to change everything from the headlights back. biggrin

longbow

Original Poster:

1,610 posts

264 months

Monday 20th September 2010
quotequote all
Thanks! So, do you mean the whole black plastic bit comes away into the boot by undoing just 3 screws? That sounds far too easy!!!


Gazzab

21,640 posts

311 months

Monday 20th September 2010
quotequote all
i think that you have not got the original fiesta lights?

HarryW

16,028 posts

298 months

Monday 20th September 2010
quotequote all
I reckon 3 screws and a bit of mastic myself.
Either way does it matter as they are original festa lights then you must be able to source German spec festa lights of that era and bobs your mothers brother compliant lights, simples no?

guenzo

4 posts

192 months

Monday 20th September 2010
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Hi Longbow

I am from germany and own a 97er 4.2 Cerb. This one has only one reverse light, where is the requirement of having 2 coming from? If your car has to undergo german MOT (TÜV) drop me a PM, maybe I could be of help.

Regrads

Günter

JensenA

5,671 posts

259 months

Monday 20th September 2010
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It looks like your car has the 'newer' rear lights - 4 round lights at each corner? (well one of them is a reflector) If so the perspex covers do have to be removed to get access to the lights. Easy to remove, and easy (but fiddly) to put back on with the good ol' silicone selant.
You could remove the stick on reflectors and fit additional lights in there place.

Mr Cerbera

5,151 posts

259 months

Tuesday 21st September 2010
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Good morning Sir,

Had a similar problem when preparing mine for the same situation in Luxembourg.

Offside mounted foglights would make every Peugout 206 illegal in Germany as they are centre-mounted
Twin reversing lights would make (almost) every Peugout illegal in Germany !

I can only assume that your Testers are being aholes (as they were for me here). I had to repeatedly take mine for tests until they eventually realised that I wasn't trying to set myself up as an importer and realsied that it was just my one and only baby that I wanted to register.

My '01 4.5 has the four, circular-light cluster. The bulbs are accessed from the boot. The lenses are stuck onto, what is effectively, the exterior moulded body so I had to cut the clear cover-lenses off, change the light lenses and wiring over and re-bond the lenses back on in order to comply.

To help you feel better:- I also had to produce letters from the garage of purchase and the factory to prove that the car was sold and built by authorised agents banghead

Best of Luck thumbup


Edited by Mr Cerbera on Tuesday 21st September 08:41

GO LEO

108 posts

194 months

Tuesday 21st September 2010
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Hey,

I just brought my Cerb through German MOT (TÜV) earlier this year.
What other people have written here is true but even more important is that you find yourself a "good" MOT test engineer. If the person is not interested in your car (maybe even sees it as an interruption of his daily routine testing boring shooping cars) and has never seen a Cerb before and knows what is factory standard and what isn't - forget it.

E-mail or PM me and I can send you details of a guy who will make your car legal in Germany given that your car is technically OK (this includes adjustment of the brakes incl. hand brake to deliver enough and right/left balanced braking performance) and you have done front and rear light conversion.
To be safe I would have the car checked through by a German workshop familiar with TÜV tests. They can easily tell you whether it is going to pass from a technical side.

All the best and make sure you give me a shout once you are on the road. We are a small but active community here in Germany with regular meetings and weekend blasts around town.

Greets from Frankfurt,

Leo

high52kojak

505 posts

226 months

Tuesday 21st September 2010
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GO LEO your in Frankfurt?

I am also in Frankfurt, well Kronberg, and I have my Cerb also here although still on UK papers.

Seems to be quite a few Cerbs around the country.

zx10ben

1,074 posts

197 months

Tuesday 21st September 2010
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Unfortunately, the test Longbow is referring to is not the TUV otherwise he would have been fine!
Cars owned by British forces based in Germany must be BFG'd, this test at first glance may seem a bit gash, but in the same instance can be extremely anal. There is no grey area in BFG just rules, black and White! Hence I have held off on my quest for TVR until I am posted back to the UK next year. For Longbow to actually get his car on the system he will have to get his lights done exactly as directed by the testing office, ste I know, but that's the way they work over here!
Slightly off topic Longbow, I don't suppose your username has anything to do with your job? Off to Gutersloh per chance?
I need to see your beast whilst you're over if you have a spare afternoon sometime!
Cheers Benn

longbow

Original Poster:

1,610 posts

264 months

Friday 24th September 2010
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All, many thanks for the replies - I will respond in detail to those based here in Germany, but at the mo I still have no phone or internet etc in the new house so am currently sat in an internet cafe!

I've got my VR4 Legnum booked in for its BFG test next week so I'll see how that gets along and how 'anal' they are with that. Since it is a japanese grey import and are rare as hens teeth, it will be a good test of how flexible the system is. All that said, the perks are great once it's registered - BP have 102 Racing Fuel, and shell do the 100 Racing stuff too - great for turbo cars running slightly higher boost :-)