I Hate The Law!!!!!

[NeX]

hey all,

i have spent a good few hours now trying to find out what modifications are legal. i have searched nearly 150 websites, all of which contradict each other, a have sent emails to VOSA and DVLA and i have gone out of my way to ask a real life police man (not the thin metal ones with yellow boxes for heads)

no useful infomation yet...

also i don't want to ask you guys if my ideas will be legal or not cos its gonna be a supprise one that i will show you from the computer in prison >>

can anyone tell me the 100% true, legal source for car modification and SVA laws plz because this is driving me mad,

i am starting to see why people don't bother trying to conform to the law, its a waste of time.

i was stopped the other day, and it took 3 police officers to work out if my tinted lights were legal or not, they even had to phone their office... if they don't know then i think i am shafted....

 

[Pete]

Construction Design and Use regulations IIRC are the definitive answer. Basically everything has to be approved. Tinted lights are subjective, do they pass enough light etc... There is no hard and fast answer on modifications really. Will it pass an MOT is basically the beat bobbies fall back (i.e. can I issue a vehicle defect rectification notice or should I be issuing a summons to court), Traffic officers, many of whom are approved vehicle inspectors, will look to see if a vehicle is safe.

 

[curtis]

Construction Design and Use regulations IIRC are the definitive answer. Basically everything has to be approved. Tinted lights are subjective, do they pass enough light etc... There is no hard and fast answer on modifications really. Will it pass an MOT is basically the beat bobbies fall back (i.e. can I issue a vehicle defect rectification notice or should I be issuing a summons to court), Traffic officers, many of whom are approved vehicle inspectors, will look to see if a vehicle is safe.

Is there anything you can do if they are wrong and wont accpet it?

As in if i have my rear windows tinted (passes MOT etc) and they say its wrong, what can i do?

 

[tse_adam]

so is it tinting you want to find out about? cos finding about everything would be very time consuming lol.

From what i know about window tinting, the front windscreen obviously cant have any tint, driver and passenger side windws must have at least 75% of light transmission. You can have as dark as you like for the back 3 windows. if you stick with that figure you will pass the MOT and the police without any troubles. The percentage of ligjt transmission can be a bit subjective but asking your installer for legal tints on your front windows, they will normally do the job right for you.

 

[NeX]

Construction Design and Use regulations IIRC are the definitive answer. Basically everything has to be approved. Tinted lights are subjective, do they pass enough light etc... There is no hard and fast answer on modifications really. Will it pass an MOT is basically the beat bobbies fall back (i.e. can I issue a vehicle defect rectification notice or should I be issuing a summons to court), Traffic officers, many of whom are approved vehicle inspectors, will look to see if a vehicle is safe.

i see, where can i find info on construction design and use regulations? do you think that if it passes and SVA test that it will be considered legal?

other thing is that MOTs don't cover everything, for example you can pass an MOT with illegal tinted windows, because they are not set up to test for that. so a car can have a legitimate MOT but still be illegal...

 

[Pete]

well what did they do thats wrong? if they issued you a VDRS notice, go to your MOT station and get the form stamped. If they issue a notice of intended prosecution don't sweat it as soon as the CPS lawyer catches wind of it the officer will get told to bin the file. If for some bizarre reason it did get to court, go to court tell with pictures showing that it's your back windows and not your fronts that are tinted, show that you've the two mirrors required and say it's no different than buying a new people carrier as most of them have limo tints in the back these days.

i see, where can i find info on construction design and use regulations? do you think that if it passes and SVA test that it will be considered legal?

other thing is that MOTs don't cover everything, for example you can pass an MOT with illegal tinted windows, because they are not set up to test for that. so a car can have a legitimate MOT but still be illegal...

http://www.roadtransport.com/RoadLegal/11944/vehicle-safety-regulations-lighting-cu.html - HGV based info but gives the acts involved.

I can't seem to find any non-lorry info, bummer. Not got a traffic officer to hand and I've not been issued with the traffic officers companion (SYP have one for traffic officers) which gives clear detail of all the relevent laws.

 

[NeX]

so is it tinting you want to find out about? cos finding about everything would be very time consuming lol.

from what i know about window tinting, the front windscreen obviously cant have any tint, driver and passenger side windws must have at least 75% of light transmission. You can have as dark as you like for the back 3 windows.

me personally i want to know about chassis modification and engine requirements, but i want to find out for myself so i can be sure on exactly what i am doing...

things like:

does an exhaust need a silencer?
where can the exhaust exit?
what is the requirments of the firewall?
what is the limit of the width of the car?
what is the legal requirements of side repeaters? can they be near the back?

and other things...

 

[Pete]

Sounds like whatever your doing will need SVA'ing. The SVA handbook will have EVERYTHING you need to comply with, I seem to remember from Chanel fours whackyraces.

 

[NeX]

http://www.roadtransport.com/RoadLegal/11944/vehicle-safety-regulations-lighting-cu.html - HGV based info but gives the acts involved.

I can't seem to find any non-lorry info, bummer. Not got a traffic officer to hand and I've not been issued with the traffic officers companion (SYP have one for traffic officers) which gives clear detail of all the relevent laws.

thanks for that,

it looks like you have to write to them and purchase a manual! HA! they won't let the public research the laws without paying for them. they are making it extra hard for the people trying to do the right thing

 

[Pete]

Tell me about it, my day job in building consultancy, practically no legal stuff is freely available. We have to subscribe to resources to get things like british standards etc... It's an absolute pain.

 

[NeX]

Tell me about it, my day job in building consultancy, practically no legal stuff is freely available. We have to subscribe to resources to get things like british standards etc... It's an absolute pain.

yea that sounds like a bit of a joke, i am sure it costs more for the government to prevent crime than it does to print these folders, or at least put it on the internet, that way people don't have to guess whats legal....

yea i am pretty sure it will need an SVA, i am planning to get it SVA'ed but i wasn't sure if an SVA makes it legal or if it just makes sure its safe and enviromentally friendly. like making a fully SVA'd car but it has blue flashing lights on top which are illegal but they don't stop it from being safe or enviromentally friendly....

 

[capnmchl]

me personally i want to know about chassis modification and engine requirements, but i want to find out for myself so i can be sure on exactly what i am doing...

things like:

does an exhaust need a silencer?
where can the exhaust exit?
what is the requirments of the firewall?
what is the limit of the width of the car?
what is the legal requirements of side repeaters? can they be near the back?

and other things...

I know that to pass an MOT, the exhaust must be behind the last open-able window on the car. I believe so anyway.

An exhaust doesn't need a silencer, but you might get pulled over for breach of sound regulations, especially at night.

 

[Arnold]

You'l probably fail the MOT on noise without a silencer anyway, and i've seen exhausts coming out the front bumper before so the above might be incorrect.. There was a Micra on here who had a side exit exhaust and it was legal

 

[NeX]

I know that to pass an MOT, the exhaust must be behind the last open-able window on the car. I believe so anyway.

An exhaust doesn't need a silencer, but you might get pulled over for breach of sound regulations, especially at night.

thanks mate, problem is i find loads of forums with what people think the law is and everyone says something different, i want to know where i can get the truth.

Dave Bull's car had the exhaust out the front bumper and i think that was road legal, these things are so confusing.

 

[frank]

i think a kerbside exit is illegal, and a tester can only give an advisery but a copper can fail it if it,s over 98db at 3/4 throttle from .5m ?

 

[NeX]

i think a kerbside exit is illegal, and a tester can only give an advisery but a copper can fail it if it,s over 98db at 3/4 throttle from .5m ?

ha thats very specific, i heard it was at the MOT testers disgretion and if it had a legitimate MOT then the law couldn't touch you

 

[nissanmicrak12]

im sure its wrote on the mot that the test does not mean its road legal ? il take a look as im in for one tomorrow lol

 

[Ed]

Construction and use regs is what you want. You wont need an SVA.

 

[NeX]

Construction and use regs is what you want. You wont need an SVA.

cool, do you have any idea where i can find it? also i thought you had to get an SVA when your car has had above a certain level of modification, like when its over 50% of the chassis or something like that

 

[MicraFish]

With regards to exhausts, I would use the Mclaren SLR as an example:

Its exhausts are behind the front wheels and in front of both doors, so I don't imagine the thing with them needing to be behind the last opening windows is true, and I doubt the kerbside regulation is true either - as long as it doesn't stick out a mile to trip up pedestrians, then surely it'd be alright?

 

[NeX]

With regards to exhausts, I would use the Mclaren SLR as an example:
Its exhausts are behind the front wheels and in front of both doors, so I don't imagine the thing with them needing to be behind the last opening windows is true, and I doubt the kerbside regulation is true either - as long as it doesn't stick out a mile to trip up pedestrians, then surely it'd be alright?

exactly, i asked a few people and they were telling me things like: it couldn't be infront of the drivers seat, or that it had to exit on the off side, or that it couldn't be near an open window.... there is so many rumers that its impossible to know what is legal...

 

[Micra 110]

If there was a Book for Car ownership with all the answers in it then we wouldn't have to scour the planet for info but typically in this world of ours simplicity does not come into the minds of the people in charge.

 

[capnmchl]

^ Hence why people get busted for laws, rules and regs that they didn't even know existed, or couldn't find enough about them to make it look illegal.

 

[Alienfish360]

If you had to have an SVA your car would be on Q Plates.

I have an SVA manual in PDF on a CD somewhere, I'll give it to you if I can find it.

But the SVA is very strict and not the easiest to get through. If you're planning on trying to cut and weld the body so it's wider I don't think you can.

There was a golf in a modified mag that had done that, and it couldn't pass an SVA.

 

[Pete]

But he's planning to use a cage to provide some extra strength.

 

[NeX]

If you had to have an SVA your car would be on Q Plates.

I have an SVA manual in PDF on a CD somewhere, I'll give it to you if I can find it.

But the SVA is very strict and not the easiest to get through. If you're planning on trying to cut and weld the body so it's wider I don't think you can.

There was a golf in a modified mag that had done that, and it couldn't pass an SVA.

that would be awesome thanks mate,

yep it will have a full custom roll cage, basically it will almost be a spaceframe with a micra shell over the top

If there was a Book for Car ownership with all the answers in it then we wouldn't have to scour the planet for info but typically in this world of ours simplicity does not come into the minds of the people in charge.

lol agreed, but if people weren't kept in the dark then how would the people at the top stay in control? knowlege is power