In this case a "repatriation", i.e. a British car sold in Japan, and re-imported one year ago.
Pros and cons of the particular car are covered elsewhere, this post is NOT about the car, but I would like to ask advice on the administrative "challenge" or otherwise.
Apparently all appropriate action as far a registering the car for UK use has already been taken, but rather than taking the sellers word for that, is there a hit list of processes to go through.
Currently, if I go to any car insurance comparison site for an insurance quote and enter the Registration Plate number, the car indeed does come up, so clearly it is on the system.
It is also taxed, and MOT'd and currently being driven on UK roads.
So all seems kosher
but, the speedo and tacho are still the orginal, in KM. Seller says he wants to keep the car as original as possible, and who am I to argue with that sentiment, but what about the legality?
does the car require conversion to Miles for tacho and speedo? if so does that not necessitating "zeroing" the clock as a new set are fitted.
Leaving aside the choice of car itself which is being discussed on this forum elsewhere, I would be greatful for some tips simply on this issue, namely the purchase procedure of a repatriated import.
Guy
Guy
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I imported a LHD Fiat Ulysse from France a couple of years ago, it did not need to have the speedo and mileometer changed to get it registered, MOTd and taxed here. No worries on that score.
If it's road legal now, then you won't need to do anything. With LHD cars (I know your example is RHD), you don't even need to change the headlights, just get beam benders to point the beam the right way. Something which a local indie MOT tester told me wasn't the case, and proceed to charge me a fortune to change the headlights. Sucker that I was. I later found out it had been unnecessary, and I even refitted the LHD lights, attached beam benders and it passed its next MOT. The original garage will get no further business from me, and I have made sure they're name is mud amongst my local acquaintances. So much for a trusted local indie, Kwik Fit put me straight.
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there is no way beam benders will be anything like right and i agree with your mot garage the lights should have been swapped ask them to show you the pattern next time
kwik fit are wrong
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So how did it pass an MOT with the bean benders, bell boy? If the bent beam was good enough for the MOT, it was good enough to be on the roads, no? If the beam benders are fitted correctly, I don't see the problem. Neither do the MOT authorities.
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a beam bender chops the top off the pattern
it should be a fail
as i said ,look at the pattern next time, all a beam bender does is look after cars coming the other way so you dont blind them,are you seriously saying you would permanently drive round in a car with poor headlights
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They always seemed fine to me, no different from normal. There are different types of benders, mine didn't chop anything off as they were 100% translucent - not bits of black tape.
Maybe you need to write a stiff letter to VOSA! :-)
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As its over 10 years old right hand drive and was originally a british car it was probably fairly easy to just register it at the dvla as it doesnt require a mrs (previously sva)
There is a possibility a car like this may have been personally imported to japan when fairly new so the original number plate could well have been reasigned when it returned to gb,
a look at the registration document front page bottom would confirm or deny that the plate it now has is transferrable or not,if not then its a new plate given to it when imported.
I still think the kmp speedo should have failed the mot mind.
As for mileage you leave it as it is and just remove the speedo face plate and put an mph fascia on,im sure this would be easy to do
Forgot to add the new rules and i think its now £110 per application,its not easy getting a conformity certificate by any means of the imagination so always assume you wont get one from the manufacturer
tinyurl.com/ypawpj
Edited by bell boy on 30/06/2009 at 11:55
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So how come my Km/h speedo passed 3 MOTs, all at different garages, including the one it passed in order to register the vehicle in the UK in the first place?
Why are you advising people to spend money they don't need to spend?
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i said i think the kmp should be a fail,ive never submitted a car with one on so cant be sure,however as a sva import it had to be changed to comply
i dont understand the spend money bit?
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i dont understand the spend money bit?
Would you do the change for the OP for free? If not, and if he doesn't want to do it himself, it'll cost money. Maybe a lot - these are expensive cars to run and get parts for. Perhaps it needs a whole speedo rather than a "card" as with another contributor's Honda. I don't know, but I do know it's likely to cost money he doesn't need to part with if he does some simple maths and can read Km/h.
Also, I don't know what an sva import is, but my own import of a vehicle whose model and type was already known to VOSA didn't require any (type) approvals, just an MOT which didn't fail on it having a Km/h speedo. I suspect the OP's intended car wil be a similar case to mine.
Edited by Alanovich on 30/06/2009 at 12:32
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I believe bellboy is giving you correct information here about the speedometer (should be miles) and the odometer. It is cheaper to change the face card only to mph than change the whole unit to record in miles as well. This simple swap was done to my imported Honda and the old kph card is in the glovebox in case it has to be changed back. However, check the history thoroughly if there is a possibility it was originally UK-registered and don't rely on the V5C. My Honda has no number plate restriction mentioned but does say on the first page under special notes that it was first registered overseas. If yours says the same then you should always declare this to your insurance company and expect a slightly higher premium. With a valuable car it isn't worth the potential hassle of being told in the event of a claim that any third party is covered but your damage or costs are not because you didn't tell them. May be worth trying a relevant owner's club site to confirm whether which are the differences in Japanese and UK specifications. The VIN number should tell all.
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If he's correct about the speedo, then the requirements have changed in the last year since I last MOTd a LHD car with a Km/h speedo without needing to change it.
Is that the case?
Change the speedo? Change the lights? I'm surprised we're not being advised that we've got to put the steering wheel on the right side too.
Sure the OP can change anything he wants but he doesn't need to, to the best of my knowledge. Can anyone provide links to the DVLA/VOSA pages which state the need to change speedos etc for MOTs? Prepared and happy to be corrected, but my personal experience tells me it's not necessary, having personally imported an run a foreign vehicle for several years.
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Right hand dip headlamps can be temporarily altered for use in the UK by fitting masks or converter kits which remove the beam 'kick-up' to the right.
A headlamp altered in this way is not a reason for rejection, if
a. the headlamp aim is not rejected for the reasons listed under diagram 1 (except that the top of the beam image will be a straight line)
b. the light output is not unduly
reduced - not usually a problem with commercially produced kits
c. the mask or converter is securely attached
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>found you this
notice the words temporarily
ive finished with this thread
lifes too short
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Speedometer is not a checkable item for the MoT but use of a UK-registered car with a faulty speedometer or one without both mph and kph on the dial is potentially an offence. I presume the majority of modern vehicles whether LHD or RHD should comply with this if built for the European market. However, my Honda's original Japanese dial is kph only so legally unacceptable once UK-registered. I'm sure chapter and verse from DVD will follow shortly. MoT testing stations can make mistakes too. One of my certificates quotes 'xxxxx miles' rather than the 'xxxxx km' clearly marked on the replacement dial.
Edited by Harmattan on 30/06/2009 at 12:42
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use of a UK-registered carwith a faulty speedometer or one without both mph and kph on the dial is potentially an offence.
Potentially an offence? That's not very clear then. Does that mean PC Plod can decide if it's an offence depending on the wind direction?
legally unacceptable once UK-registered
That's a bit of a hole in the system then, isn't it? Means, as in my case, that I complied with all import procedures and made the car road legal, MOT, the lot, and yet it still remained illegal. Not a very satisfactory system.
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No one on a website can say categorically whether your individual vehicle meets the relevant regulations or not. Does it have secondary markings for mph on the speedo? Even if it doesn't then meeting EU construction and use regulations may be enough. Even EU-manufactured vehicles built for non-EU markets like Japan may not comply with EU regulations. Try registering a brand new `Rest of World`Land Rover kitted only Euro 2 emissions compliance in the UK now - speedo dial is the least of your worries.
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Looking at the list of test criteria here ( which is presumably complete) :-
www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm
I can see nothing about speedometers: I'm 99% sure a kph only speedo would fail vehicle construction and use regulations ( presumably meaning potential points on license?), but I can't see what MOT test criterion it would fail on.
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Presumably someone who knows what they're talking about can correct me if I'm wrong, but :-
Regulation 35 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states that:-
Vehicles first used on or after 1st April 1984 the speedometer should be capable of indicating the speed in miles per hour and kilometres per hour. Vehicles may instead comply with EC Regulation (Community Directive) 97/39 or ECE Reg 39.
From:-
www.transportsfriend.org/road/cab.html
I haven't tracked down the source document to check, as 'should' isn't a word I'd expect to see in a legal document.
Thinking about it there are many areas of construction and use regs. that aren't covered by the MOT test - the operation of self levelling headlamps on vehicles with HID lamps comes to mind.
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 30/06/2009 at 13:04
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clearly not an easy question to answer then ;-)
The car was British built by Jaguar for export to Japan, it was sold new by Jaguar Japan and has all documentation to show that.
Japan drives on left like us to beam benders - head lights not an issue
as mentioned the car is currently MOTd and Taxed in the UK, and is "in the system" already
The speedo does NOT have dual markings
So I guess the issue is, if PC plod pulls one over for a bit of judicious enquiring, is the speedo legal or not?. I reckon a dashboard "backplate" with dual markings might be the way to go if I can find one.
Guy
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The car was British built by Jaguar for export to Japan it was sold new by Jaguar Japan and has all documentation to show that.
I would check the underseal on the car. Not sure what Jaguars policy was on cars destined for Japan.
Japan does not salt the roads in winter like the Euro zone. Unless you only intend using the car from May to September this could be an issue.
Edited by gmac on 30/06/2009 at 13:58
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DVLA link on speedometers etc.
tinyurl.com/35dy35
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personally I wouldnt touch a jap spec car (or bike) with a double length barge pole.
as seen on that DVLA link, many differences may be built into the vehicle, ie control units, suspension components etc.
not always a problem, until you need to replace said parts... UK spec engine ECU may not give correct info to the jap gearbox ECU.....
suspension is often softer on jap cars, dampers, springs, bushes may well be different, fine if you replace as a matching set, maybe not so if you only replace the worn items.
antiroll bars may be different, would the local dealer have the correct bushes listed on his catalogue?
in my experience no.... he may have to contact the manufacturers technical department for correct part numbers, all adding to the time the cars off the road.......
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Thanks Harmattan, looks like I was wrong.
It seems there is a hole in the system however, as you can get your imported car registered, MOT'd, taxed and insured without it being necessarily road legal. As I did. I have now sold that car and the new owner told me he was re-exporting it to Italy, so hopefully he hasn't had a problem with it.
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