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#Post#: 99837--------------------------------------------------
TDI conversion legal?
By: pesto Date: November 9, 2015, 2:36 pm
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I'm thinking about a tdi conversion but in Sweden it seems
almost impossible to get an authority approval. How do you
handle this in GB? Don't you mention the modification?
#Post#: 99838--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: kev Date: November 9, 2015, 2:50 pm
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If you don't tell anyone, we won't.
Yours,
88" 200TDI. :toothless:
#Post#: 99839--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: hippydave Date: November 9, 2015, 2:52 pm
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All fully legit over here just inform DVLA of change and it goes
on the vehicles V5, inform the insurance and hey presto fully
legal vehicle.
#Post#: 99843--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: Peter de Dawg Date: November 9, 2015, 6:04 pm
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I assume in Abba-land the powers that be are even more gay as
regards 'nasty' engines and 'emissions' and all that fictional
euro bullshit..
..as mentioned above , just don't tell the bastards :toothless:
I'd think it unlikely that you'd be caught... tho if you are
you'll probably get bummed by Big Sven in the prison sauna..
:smile1
#Post#: 99845--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: jonny Date: November 10, 2015, 2:00 am
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Put a 2.5 N/A in, i'm sure they wouldn't notice then, no turbo
sticking out :smilewide:
#Post#: 99846--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: CaptainSlow Date: November 10, 2015, 6:58 am
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We're quite lax in the UK pesto. We can change engines,
gearboxes, axles, pretty much anything to be honest, and
usually, as long as its done in isolation, we can get away with
it even if it is properly disclosed. If more than one change is
made, then we have a points based system which dictates whether
the vehicle needs to be inspected as a 'radically modified
vehicle' (see
HTML https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/radically-altered-vehicles<br
/>). Its possible to lose the original registration number if th
e
minimum number of points isn't achieved. But, unless someone
knowledgeable spots it, it is very hard for the authorities to
identify any changes, which is why we have some tax exempt (ie
supposedly manufactured before January 1974) Defender Td5s about
!!! OK, its a bit of an extreme example, but there are plenty of
MoT testers that overlook such things so you can imagine what
else gets through the annual tests!
Sometimes an insurance company will ask for an engineer's report
to prove that any conversion work is safe, but usually even that
isn't asked for.
HOWEVER, if there is an accident, all of a sudden all these
modifications are scrutinised with a view to making the vehicle
owner liable for all injuries and damages. It gets very nasty
very quickly, particularly if modified brakes or steering is
involved. The only reasonable defence in these circumstances is
to have an independent motor vehicle engineer's report attest to
the competency and suitability of the modifications.
There have been many attempts by the EU to curtail our lenient
attitude to modifications, but so far they've been rejected by
our government. I'm sure that we'll inevitably get more
stringent regulations though, even if an EU wide regulation is
not implemented. In the meantime, we have 100s of potentially
dangerous vehicles (or 'tastefully modified' depending upon your
point of view) on our roads.
(My view is that we should be able to modify our vehicles to a
reasonable degree, but they should be professionally examined
and the MoT test should be a LOT more thorough. This may upset
some ppl, but there are some genuinely dangerous cars out there
that shouldn't be legal - even if it isn't your car, it could be
the one coming towards you one day, so we should all be
concerned).
<stands back and puts on tin hat>
#Post#: 99849--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: jonny Date: November 10, 2015, 11:59 am
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you wont get much of an augment from me Sam. The amount of dodgy
vehicles that are about that aren't safe is scary. It's the same
with the MOT exemption. I don't agree with that either. I have
done a couple of old cars for people that were MOT exempt and it
was scary to see that bodging that had been done to keep them on
the road as there was no pressure for the MOT. The majority of
people who have older vehicles look after them well but there
will always be the odd one taking advantage.
Saying that, i have done some small mods and not declared them.
Suspension lifts etc. But i know they were done safely and
properly because i did them. An engine change i would declare
though, just to be on the safe side. Quite often makes next to
no difference on insurance price anyway.
The SVA test (not sure if the name has changed now) can be a
pain in the arse. I'm talking about choppers and trikes, as
thats what i have had to use it for a couple of times. Although
i can see the point as at least it is safe, even if they do take
it a bit far.
#Post#: 99850--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: pesto Date: November 10, 2015, 1:18 pm
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Thank you for bringing light to the darkness. To be honest, your
answers are what I've expected. Nevertheless I'm happy to hear
how your are dealing with the situation.
@ Jonny - there is already a 2.5NA mounted
My biggest concern would be to get in a situation where my
insurance won't cover e.g. an accident where humans get injured.
#Post#: 99857--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: CaptainSlow Date: November 11, 2015, 7:01 am
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The mainstream insurers tend to avoid anything modified - they
won't even quote on them, but there are a few specialists who
see modified cars as their core business. These insurers are
open to most modifications, but as usual, if anything isn't
fully disclosed, then they'll make the insurance policy null and
void if a claim is made. They will also ask for an engineers
report if there are any unusual modifications - such as a
spring-over-axle conversion for example. If you can provide
evidence of your own competency, then they usually will accept
that - for example I hold a C&G 383 Motor Vehicle Engineering &
Repair qualification which I've used on occasion to avert the
need for a full engineers report (the list of modifications on
my last car ran to two pages of A4 :smilewide: ). That gets
them off the hook, but in the event of an accident the crash
investigators will still be looking at the mods first as a
potential cause. And of course, anything undeclared will still
void the insurance regardless of whether it contributed to the
accident or not...
What I tell people who suggest not declaring a mod, is that it
WILL be used to allow the insurer to avoid paying out on a claim
- insurers are a business who's only concern is to make money,
so any get-out will be used. I know this first hand as way way
back I had a car which was declared as being parked in the
garage overnight; One night I was awoken by two men literally
ripping the doors off the garage, so after chasing them off I
moved the car onto the driveway and parked it under my bedroom
window. They came back later and took the car without me hearing
them, and the insurers subsequently refused to pay out as the
car wasn't in the garage when it was stolen - if I'd left it in
the garage, even though its doors had been ripped off and the
car was obviously vulnerable, they would have paid out, but as
the car was on the driveway, no. That cost me £3000, which was a
lot of money back in 1990, maybe £10,000 now? Thats a lesson
that is never forgotten!
#Post#: 99863--------------------------------------------------
Re: TDI conversion legal?
By: NoelC Date: November 11, 2015, 2:40 pm
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The long and the short of it pesto is the authorities don't
really care too much about modifications here in the UK. I
declare the mods on my Land Rovers to the insurers and they note
them on the policy. The only thing they seem to be scared of,
even some of the specialists, are LPG conversions. Both of mine
I fitted myself and as there is no legal requirement for an
inspection any insurer that asks for one gets the :finger: and I
take my money elsewhere.
I'm not convinced we need more burocracy aimed at the vehicle.
It's a common misconception that a significant percentage of
accidents are down to vehicle defects when it isn't the case.
From the Government's own statistics only 2% of all accidents
are down to vehicle defects, and 3% of fatalities. Of the fatal
accidents caused by vehicle defects 50% are down to defective
tyres. As a by-the-by exceeding the speed limit is only a factor
in 5% of all accidents and 14% of fatals, another "trendy" thing
to blame which isn't a major cause of accidents.
The most common cause? Failing to look properly. 42% of
accidents. These stats show the system of MOT testing works,
much as we find it a PITA.
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