Following my previous post on VOSA’s proposed changes, more detail included below.

These are all new confirmed VOSA stipulations which are being applied to MOT tests gradually throughout 2011/12 as a result of new EU directives.

Steering control

Change to MOT: Where a steering lock mechanism is fitted as standard, testers must now check if one is present and operational.

Steering system

Change to MOT: Before the days of MOT Computerisation, many testers incorrectly failed steering and suspension ball joints if the dust cover was split or missing.  These items will be included in the test – so if a ball joint dust cover is missing or no longer keeps the dirt out, testers will  fail the vehicle.

Power steering
Changes to MOT: Checks to power steering will now include a check of the fluid level. But because there is no need to remove the reservoir cap, the check will only apply where the fluid level is visible in the reservoir.

Any inappropriate repair or modification to a power steering component will result in a failure – so a pair of tights in place of the drive belt will not be acceptable!

The serious misalignment or fouling of power steering components is also  failure. If fluid pipes are excessively corroded, this will also be a failure.

If a power steering warning light is illuminated this is also an automatic MOT failure.

Parking brake lever mechanism and associated mountings
Change to MOT: Electronic parking brake (EPB) controls have been added, and MOT testers will make sure that all parking brake controls have not been ‘inappropriately repaired or modified’.

If the vehicle is fitted with an electronic parking break, the MOT testers will check for any warning lamps indicate a faults.  If there are, again this is a fail.

Anti-lock braking systems
Change to MOT: Where there is a warning light illuminated, this will be an automatic MOT failure.

Brake performance
Change to MOT: Another new MOT rule which will be in place before end of 2011,  if during a
decelerometer test, the vehicle deviates from a straight line whenthe parking brake is applied, guess what… it’s a fail!

Click the below images for an overview of confirmed MOT changes

http://wrecks2riches.co.uk/2010/10/2011-changes-to-mot/

Some further info on the potential changes to MOT’s from 2011.  (Potential is the key word here, I don’t profess to be an expert on these changes, and as yet I haven’t read anything confirming the changes definitively)

The rules seem to be driven by an updated EU directive, which looks to align our testing rules to the rest of Europe. Link to directive below

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:173:0047:0072:EN:PDF

HID lights – In my mast post I’d commented about how these would be an MOT fail. This seems pretty common sense, as I mentioned all cars fixed with Xenons, should be self levelling / adjusting and by law should have headlight washers. A large proportion of after-market kits wont have any of these. Hence why other drivers are always being dazzled by cars with after-market kits. Link below shows the Department of Transports view on after market HID kits.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

Chipped ECU’s – Very little detail has been provided on if/how VOSA would approach testing for Chipped ECUs. The general consensus is that it could not be enforced. In some parts of Europe this is upheld, and its illegal to chip cars.  So if the EU rulings does require us to align, it wouldn’t seem too far fetched. Personally I think it would be absolutely crazy, and would be unenforceable. Will wait and see if/when VOSA issue more details.

Wiring harness – This seems to be common sense, although lots of MOT testers have raised queries over how much additional time and subsequently £££,  it would add to the MOT. Checking wiring harnesses takes time, and its not something which is currently done in detail. Again, will have to wait for more detail from VOSA.

Warning lights -  This covers SRS airbag, Power steering, and ABS . If any warning lights are illuminated, it will again be an MOT failure. Likewise, this rule seems like common sense from a safety perspective, and would be a simple check for any MOT tester to complete.

MOT Frequency - There are rumblings about changing tests to every 2 years, again to align with Europe. At the moment nothing has been confirmed, but if the MOT is getting bigger, taking more time, and costing more. This would at least make it a bit more reasonable for MOT testers and customer alike. Will have to wait and see how it works out.

Will be adding more detail as soon as I find out anything new.

Source: October 2010 VOSA newsletter (Link and relevant extracts below)

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/MoT%20-%20Issue%2048%20-%20Oct%202010.pdf

For Sale: 2003 BMW Z4, 3.0i roadster

Not salvage, and never been damaged or repaired. Selling my pride and joy, details below.

Had the pleasure of owning the zed for over 2 1/2 years now, and unfortunately its time to sell to upgrade to a 911. Spotted the perfect one so looking to try and sort my funds out ASAP, hence forcing the sale of zed slightly earlier than I had wanted..

She’s been my pride any joy. Well cared for example, washed and waxed weekly, and always garaged. Its a great spec, having professional Nav, TV function, red //M sport seats, and a set of 19” Alpina Dynamic wheels, with Brand New Avon’s. (I’m not currently considering selling wheels separately). These came straight off an Alpina Roadster, so fit with the right off-set’s and absolutely no rubbing!
Its also quite unusually got a matching grey hood, which goes great with the paintwork. Quite unusual, as most zeds seem to have the black hood.

Its had all the ‘usual’ z4 issues resolved in my ownership, notbly…

- Rear springs replaced
- Roof motor replaced
- Central locking ECU replaced
- Drivers window regulator replaced.

Specification:
2003 – 03 plate
54k miles
FBMWSH
3.0L Petrol (231 BHP)
6 Speed Manual
Electric Roof – Hydraulic roof motor just replaced
Cruise Control
3 x Keys (including wallet key)
19″ Alpina Dynamic wheels with brand new Avon zz3′s
Electric Heated Mirrors
Comfort Package
Full and Complete Manuals, Receipts
Red //M sport Heated Electrical Memory Seats
On Board Computer
Headlight Washer
Rear Parking Distance System (PDC)
Sport Button
Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Traction Control
Climate Control
Auto Dip Rear View Mirror
Rain Sensor Wipers
Automatic Headlights
Tyre Puncture Warning System

£12,000

Leave a reply to this post if you have any questions, or want more details.

(Car currently has a private plate, which needs to be removed prior to sale)

Porsche 911 (993) Cabriolet

Cat D.
1995 – N reg
white
55,000 miles

NO DAMAGE. Cat D light n/s side damage 10 years ago. Fully repaired, low mileage Full service history. Drive away.

www.s-w-s.co.uk

Porsche 911 (997 carerra 2s) Cabriolet

Cat C
2009- 09 reg
white
11,403 miles

Damage: NN/S DOOR, N/S QRT, GLASS, REAR AXLE, N/S MIRROR, BACK BUMPER, O/S DOOR, O/S WING AND INNER, O/S SILL, O/S STEERING AND SUSPENSION, O/S HEADLAMP, FRT PANELS, RAD, FRT BUMPER, BONNET, AIRBAGS, WHEEL, DENTS AND SCRATCHES, STARTED

www.bluecycle.com

Vauxhall Astra SRI

Cat U – unrecorded
2009- 59 reg
white
6,763 miles

£6,750

Damage: Light Front & Rear Damage, No Airbags or Suspension Damage, Drive Away, 2xKeys, V5 & Complete Service Pack.

www.ebay.co.uk

Details of how you can follow us are below.

Follow us on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/wrecks2riches

“Will I be able to get insurance on my car if its a cat D or C?”

I’m simple terms, Yes. It shouldn’t be any different than insuring any other car. However you should definitely make it clear to your insurer that it is a damaged repaired car, as this would affect any pay-out if something happened. Likewise the overall value of the car will be affected, so if involved in an accident the insurers would not pay-out full book value for the car.

Another frequently asked question about insurance and salvaged cars is.

“Do I have to tell my insurer when insuring a Cat X or U car?”

With Category X & U cars, there isn’t the need to tell your insurance company unless you would specifically like to. These cars are not insurance write-offs therefore once repaired the overall book value of the car is un-altered. Additionally, damaged on cat X an U cars is usually only cosmetic, and not structural therefore the insurance company wouldn’t be concerned there either.

If you are ever worried make sure you have a chat with your insurer as they will be able to clarify all the above for you.

Aside from the above you shouldn’t have any problems insuring a damaged repaired car.

The advertising slots are available to anyone and everyone, be it a Salvage Yard, a bodyshop, dealer, repairer or anyone else who would like to advertise on an up and coming site which is now receiving hundreds of visits per day!

The following are the rates for advertising:

Graphical Ads:
125 x 125 animated or static ad – at the top of the menu on the right, this will appear on every page of the site. Your company will also get an introductory post, featuring a review, and list of your services on the front page welcoming you as new sponsors. Price £20 per month.

768 x 60 animated or static banner ad at the top of the page under the header, this appears on every page of the blog giving you excellent exposure. You will also get an introductory blog post introducing your company. Price £50 per month. 1/1 available

Text Links:
Link on salvage websites directory page – I already list all the main salvage websites, but for this your site will be in bold, and will be accompanied by text detailing your services and telephone number. £5 a month.

All websites wanting text links must be related to salvage and wrecks2riches.co.uk reserves the right to reject requests that is inappropriate. Payment via paypal is required before any advertisements are put live.

I’m sure you are asking yourself what will be done with the money from advertising. Here are the key points I’m hoping to achieve.

1) Site redesign, more pages and more useful content with hints and tips on repairs, and the best places to source salvage and parts.

2) Directory – a detailed directory digging into the best salvage sites, repairers, and dealers. There will also be the opportunity for YOU to contribute and add your comments and reviews.

3) A guide of buying, repairing and selling a salvaged car, with a real life example, detailed step by step on the site. Purchased, repaired, and then sold.

1. The basics first, check the sellers feedback score. Although e-bay have recently banned anybody leaving negative feedback, its still a good indication on whether the seller is genuine, and describes items accurately and truthfully.

2. Check the location of the car or parts before bidding. There is nothing worse than bidding on a car and finding its 500 miles away, and that you cant view before buying.

3. I wouldn’t ever recommend buying without viewing the car first! Buying a non-damaged car off e-bay is risky at the best of times, as you are trusting the seller to describe the car 100% accurately. With a damaged car its very hard to fully describe/show the true extent of the damage in a few paragraphs & pictures, so always make sure toy view before bidding.

4. If you do still want to go ahead and buy a car you cant inspect, make sure you know a local expert who can insect the car for you. Some local mechanics or bodyshop may help you out for a small fee. (Mechanics or bodyshop owners, if you would like to list your inspection services and associated fee’s on wrecks2riches.co.uk please leave a comment on this post and I will happily start a regional directory)

5. This is more related to parts than anything else, but think very seriously before sending money overseas for car parts! If there really is no other option (which is often the case for more exotic cars). I would suggest you place a deposit, and pay remainder on receipt of the goods. I would never advocate sending full payment for parts overseas, the risk of parts not turning up, or for them being damaged in transit is just too big.

6. Do your homework on how much the car will be worth once repaired. Often once you have factored in parts and labour it will be almost as much as buying an un-damaged example.

7. Don’t get carried away in the bidding process. Its really easy to set your heart on a dream car. Set yourself a ceiling price, and make sure you stick to it. Its so easy to get carried away and overpay for a damaged car, before you know it any potential profit you may have made is quickly eroded.

8. Ask as many question as you need to be satisfied of the history of the car, and try to get as many pictures of the damage as possible. Not only do these help you gauge the extent of the repairs required. They also prove very handy when selling the car, as they show any potential buyer the state of the damage prior to repair.

If you stick to these few golden rules, you should be able to find many a good damaged repairable car on e-bay.

Question
Cat C cars do not have a logbook (V5 document). When the repair is done it will need a Vehicle Identity Check – after I have had this done how do I get hold of a V5 and how long does it take to get it?

Answer:
You can apply for a log book after you have had the VIC test Once completed they will give you a form and it will cost you a small fee (from recollection this is£29.00 but please don’t quote me on that!)
As with most things involving the DVLA obtaining the log book may take up to a couple of weeks, however it is a fairly simple process.

Question
Are the places to get a VIC done all over the country?

Answer:
All the VIC test locations are available on the VOSA website.. here

Question
Surely without a VIC I can’t insure the car, get an MOT or tax. How do I get it there? Does it have to be towed or trailered or is it a bit like an MOT in that it is fine as long as it is pre-arranged?

Answer:
Ideally yes it should be trailered, as mentioned the car wont have a valid MOT, or Tax or Insurance, and should therefore not be driven on the road.

Question
If there is no service history with the car is it possible to track it down? A lot of cars don’t come with aV5 so I wont know who the previous owner is. The car is immaculate from the doors forward and has clearly been loved and cared for up until the moment of the impact. I know you could argue it may not have any service history at all but it looks pretty unlikely.

Answer:
Once you have the v5 you can contact the previous owner, sometimes the supplying garage is on the no plates you could ring them and see if they have history on computer records and may do a print out, you can also get a new service book and keep it stamped from your ownership onwards.
This will require some clever hunting, and some persistence on the phone and Internet, but should eventually be able to track the service history down, and in many cases receive duplicates.

Question
When I come to insure it will I have problems? Will a Cat C car be more expensive to insure or does it make no difference? I don’t ever remember being asked that question when taking out a policy before but I guess the number plate tells them what they need to know?

Answer:
Not necessarily, it may even be cheaper as the overall value of the car is likely to be less, being that the car has essentially already been written off. At worst you should not be expected to pay any extra because you car has been a CAT D or C. Likewise, remember all Cat X car’s wont have been recorded so the insurance company wont know about any damage.