Uk Goverment Restrictions

[Green giant]

Hi My local importer tells me that as from April this year our beloved Tony and his cronies are putting restrictions on grey imports from Japan, IE no more Estimas / Lucidas produced after 97 will be allowed on british roads unless they were already registered before April 2004. This goes for alot of other models also.

Apparently they tried it with the Detroit Dustbins until Mr GW Bush got a strop on then they backed Down. Is it time for imported owners to bombard our MP's?

Can anyone confirm the info my dealer told me!! as I was trying to obtain a 98 Grand Hiace MPV. : :ffs:

[Kelvyn]

Not sure thats quite right, there has been a rule change for sure, but I thought that it mainly applied to MODIFIED cars. This appeared on the IMOC site a while ago

Got this off the Skyline forum, which could well affect MR2's:

As we always like to keep everyone up to date with any changes that may affect skylines and performance car owners, the following news is just about as bad as it can get.

We have just found out through the back door today about new rule changes for all vehicles under 10 years old, skylines included, that will seriously affect anyone trade or individual importing any sports vehicle of any make that has even the slightest after market modification, add on, or any item fitted that is not factory non standard.

i.e If a car has an after market front bumper or spoiler it will cause a possible change to the airbag sensor / inflation point, and the only way that you can produce evidence of compliance is to have a model report done on the car, which could cost up to 10 grand!

Under the new enhanced ESVA legislation we have been led to believe by the Vehicle Inspectorate that only cars first registered from Jan 97 onwards will be affected by the new enhanced rules and that any car ,for instance first registered before that date will only need a japanese De-Registration document with Japanese type approval numbers to be sufficient evidence of compliance for 1994/1995/1996 cars under the 10 year rule.

The jobsworths have moved the goalposts yet again and now state that any non standard fitment or modification will be an immediate test failure for ESVA! on pre 1997 vehicles also!

This includes the following:

1. Any aftermarket bodykits

2. Non factory standard alloy wheels where the factory radius size is different

3.suspension

4.Intercoolers ( GT-R 33 models exempt as it is fitted standard ) but must be Nissan!

5.Exhausts and downpipes etc

6. all visible non standard engine mods such as:

Air Induction kits/ Turbochargers, Turbo boost controllers, dump valves,air horns, pipework, radiators, brakes, brake Discs, etc

7. ECU's

In fact any item that is non standard factory fitted including interior guages, gear knobs etc, just about any item that will give the jobsworths an excuse for a Vosa inspector to fail a car.

This has very serious implications for all of us buying and using any kind of modified cars, as the sheer cost to change everything back to standard could cost more than the actual car cost and cause everyone massive expense and headaches getting things done.

Another example of the !Removed! UK over regulating and attack on the motorist by this poxy labour government!

I have today spent over 3 hours on the phone to VOSA Swansea trying to get any kind of reasonable conclusion to this totally unexpected situation, and to be honest it is a waste of time trying to be objective and get any kind of sensible conclusion from the head of ESVA at VOSA, Swansea, they just do not want to know and are sticking rigidly to the legislation as they see it.

All that was written in any information sheet or rule book issued by them was the following:

Any vehicle coming under the enhanced regulations first registered prior to 1st January 1997 will only have to produce a Japanese D-Registration document as proof of acceptable type approval.

What they are now saying without any warning to the Motor Trade or personal importers is that if a car has even one or more after market modifications, then the Japanese type approval for these cars is null and viod and you have the chioce of either changing everything back to standard or getting individual type approval model reports done for an individual car, which is totally impossible and quite frankly <the spuds of lurrrrvve>s, as you would have to change everything back standard to comply for a model report anyway! thus costing twice as much all round.

It is not viable to get an individual model report done for just one individual car

This seriously affects all modified type sports cars that we all love:

Skylines, Supras, Evo's, honda's, GTO's etc, so the only way that we will get anything resolved or changed at all is for every sports car owning enthusiast to send a petition or similar letter of protestations etc aimed at the vehicle inspectorate, or the next thing that will happen is they will bring in similar legislation for MOT's etc and then that will definately bugger things up.

So everyone has to get together on this and let other forums know this situation as anyone importing and testing a car that is under 10 years old will have serious to impossible situations on getting a car through the new enhanced ESVA test.

The Vehicle inspectorate senior technical standards official stated that these rules have been in place for all to see since 2001!

absolute crap as this was only a consultation document and had no mention whatsoever about after market non standard modifications to any vehicles first registered before 1st January 1997.

I was told that this was the case with no exceptions as far as they were concerned.

So not only do we have to get a car through emmisions and noise test levels, we now have to totally get a car back to standard for a one off 1 hour test, where once done and passed, you then have to change it all back again.

What an awfull waste of the consumers hard earned cash for a genuine vehicle that will pass the legal MOT and what was SVA type approval requirements.

Its just another kind of stealth tax on the motorist.

I argued back that as we had only been informed today by an inspector of the vehicle inspectorate who had only yesterday been informed himself whilst on a refresher course of this situation about modifications that it was unreasonable to expect us to know if his own employee's did not! which I thought was a legitimate point, but it made no difference.

WE are putting an official complaint into the Vehicle Inspectorate VOSA expressing our feelings and that they are bending the law to suit themselves and the obvious pressure from motor manufacturers to stop imports coming in.

So it seens to me that they are saying any vehicle under 10 years old will have to be totally factory standard otherwise it wont pass the new ESVA test and the cost of importing it and unmodding it will make it far too expensive to bother with .

[webhead]

well we all know what to do dont we its called use your brains for once and vote this goverment out they are clearly against anyone enjoying life,and clearly have no brains as they have just killed 100s of companys off who is going to bother doing there car up if you have to put it back to normal for a mot no 1.

im voting against them, so stick that in your exhaust pipe blair

[2004RAV4]

Sounds like Big Brother Blair is putting the squeeze on the Fast & The Furious-wannabe outlaw street racers. It's about time. Stateside, the pinch hasn't come yet, but I'm sure it's not far away.

Bottom line is this: aftermarket mods for the street appeals to the sensibilities of fools, especially when the majority of them don't know what they are doing to the second most expensive thing they'll ever own, let alone know how to control a vehicle at high speeds. The safety needs of the many far outweigh the frivilous wants of the few.

I salute them over this decision. Keep your blood at the blood bank and not on the pavement.

[Wibble]

Sounds like Big Brother Blair is putting the squeeze on the Fast & The Furious-wannabe outlaw street racers. It's about time. Stateside, the pinch hasn't come yet, but I'm sure it's not far away.

Bottom line is this: aftermarket mods for the street appeals to the sensibilities of fools, especially when the majority of them don't know what they are doing to the second most expensive thing they'll ever own, let alone know how to control a vehicle at high speeds. The safety needs of the many far outweigh the frivilous wants of the few.

I salute them over this decision. Keep your blood at the blood bank and not on the pavement.

what utter rubbish.. the govenment has lost the plot completely.. they are just bowing to pressure from Motor vehicle manufactures who want to sell us brits higher priced lower spec cars.. F**k that! I for one am fed up with being treated as a cash machine by Mr Blair.... /rant

[zero]

Ive got away with that one

I have a 17 year old mkiii supra twin turbo 2.0

Looks Like i Can Mod to my harts content then.

I know the law sucks, i keep getting pulled over for my side light conversion which uses the fog lights as side lights. Big differance being that your side lights are only 21w bulbs, and not the blinding 55w fog lamp bulbs. Than the kids like to have on in the day time. <_< Dont see the reason in that one.

As for the new law. They kept that one quiet as this is the first that i have heard of it. My hart goes to all petrol heads like my self who are just out to have fun.

But soon to have all our toys taken off us buy the evil Blair Witch. :arrgg-matey:

[dawesy]

if the MOT side of things changes then im screwed. the rolla will no longer be a road legal drag car.

why oh why do we put up with this bunch of dictators. last time i checked i lived in a democracy.

where does this government think it will get all its revenue from if they drive motorists off the road?