[Ferrari Fissatore]

It's dangerous to post specific information up here with regard to this stuff.

There's a lot of stuff here and in the mondial thread that is not right, in my recent experience.

The information seems to be updated and/or new every time I look into it!

Even the governing body has had a new name/web address etc!

Personal imports for 1988 cars or older don't have ANY compliance plate. They just get a paper certificate to keep. It's valid for 30 days to enable registration, then it must be renewed if needed due to reg/rwc work taking too long etc.

If the car has done minimal km since first test, the renewal is a brief inspection, and re stamping of original certificate.

[uzz32soarer]

It's not that the stuff isn't right, but it's completely open to the interpretation of the Engineer and what he deems to be important. And every one of them is diiferent.

Look back a couple of years and all Personal Imports were fitted with a metal yellow plate stating that the car was a PI. Made it easy for purchasers to identify, and harder for sellers to hide.

SA still requires a plate to be fitted. See section 7 of this document: http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/pdfs/personal_transport/light_vehicles_pdfs/Info01.pdf

NSW still does too. See half way down page two: http://www.movemanagement.com.au/pdf/mv_requirements.pdf

As far as I can ascertain this document covering Victoria is current. Page two clearly states the requirement for affixing a yellow personal import plate. http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/B94C9354-8742-4497-A6D9-5434AB2408B3/0/vsi3importedvehicles.pdf

Sure pre 1989 cars don't have to have the yellow plate, but all others still require it.


Why is it dangerous to post up the information?

This is a discussion forum and we are having a discussion, my input being based on personal experience relative to my models.

What we should be concerned about is the cars that are slipping through the system by importers and sellers who have their VASS engineer in their pocket. Are these cars meeting all of the actual requirements or does a 'blind eye' get turned over them?

[Aircon]

why am i suddenly wishing i hadn't bothered?

[waz356]

It's not that the stuff isn't right, but it's completely open to the interpretation of the Engineer and what he deems to be important. And every one of them is diiferent.

No yellow plate on PI! If that is the case, then that is another very recent change. Look back a couple of years and all Personal Imports were fitted with a metal yellow plate stating that the car was a PI. Made it easy for purchasers to identify, and harder for sellers to hide.

SA still requires a plate to be fitted. See section 7 of this document: http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/pdfs/personal_transport/light_vehicles_pdfs/Info01.pdf

NSW still does too. See half way down page two: http://www.movemanagement.com.au/pdf/mv_requirements.pdf

As far as I can ascertain this document covering Victoria is current. Page two clearly states the requirement for affixing a yellow personal import plate. http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/B94C9354-8742-4497-A6D9-5434AB2408B3/0/vsi3importedvehicles.pdf




Why is it dangerous to post up the information?

This is a discussion forum and we are having a discussion, my input being based on personal experience relative to my models.

What we should be concerned about is the cars that are slipping through the system by importers and sellers who have their VASS engineer in their pocket. Are these cars meeting all of the actual requirements or does a 'blind eye' get turned over them?

Shouldn't the real question be why cars that are deemed as being safe everywhere else in the world aren't good enough for Australian roads?

[uzz32soarer]

Section 2.3 of this document discusses the requirment for an approval certificate rather than a plate. It only relates to vehicles bought into the country as a personal import (owned for 12 months or more) where the vehicle was manufactured prior to 1/1/1989.

For some obscure reason, these vehicles do not have to be plated.

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/B94C9354-8742-4497-A6D9-5434AB2408B3/0/vsi3importedvehicles.pdf

So personal imports of 'modern' vehicles, IE: those manufactured post 1/1/1989 are still required to be plated with a yellow plate.

OHOS manufatured prior to 1/1/1989 and bought into Oz ander the provisions of the personal import rules do not require a plate but must still comply with Part 2.1 of the above document.

On the subject of ADR's, how long is a piece of string.

EG: You have a June 1988 manufactured 328 for example.

How do you find out what ASR's are applicable to that vehicle? Too hard!!

All a layman can do is go over the obvious things. Glass, belts, indicators, lights, emmissions, noise, fuel requirements, mirrors, tyres, wheels, etc.

Then go look up each ADR applicable to that components and then go back through the paperwork removing the updates until you are looking at documentation covering vehicles manufactured in June 1988. Then and only then can you apply the ADR to your vehicle to see if it actually meets the required criteria.

Then when you think you have covered the basics and have either mofified to suit the ADR or have amassed sufficient evidence to prove to the VASS that the ADR is not applicable to the vehicle, you should be okay.

SHOULD being the operative, because interpretation of the act will then come into play, and of course, the VASS may also bring up other aspects of the ADR's that you have overlooked in your 'layman' status.

Here's some basic ADR numbers applicable to 1988.

[uzz32soarer]

You are 100% correct Waz.

Problem is how big do you want the fight to become?

Meeting the ADR's is a molehill compared to getting the beaurocrats warming their asses in Canberra to change policy in line with the rest of the World. They have to do something to justify their incomes and existance.

For me it still comes back to why a privately imported (either RAWS or 15 y/o) vehicle must meet the ADR's of the day and a personally imported car does not.

[Aircon]

i would have thought making a ferrari comply to the ADRs that applied to it in its day would be quite easy, as they were never fully ADRd AFAIK...always brought in with low volume exemptions...right up to and including the 355 (and maybe they still do)

the things they did to that yellow challenge to make it ADR compliant are almost beyond belief! it was certainly a lot more quiet than a standard car, for one thing.

[308GTSqv]

Section 2.3 of this document discusses the requirment for an approval certificate rather than a plate. It only relates to vehicles bought into the country as a personal import (owned for 12 months or more) where the vehicle was manufactured prior to 1/1/1989.

For some obscure reason, these vehicles do not have to be plated.

Rob, I bought a 7 series back from the UK in 90 which was manufactured in 11/88 and I still had to fit the yellow PI plate

rules were changing on a monthly basis back then

[uzz32soarer]

Problem is that the ADR is not applied to the particular model but to the cars in general.

In my example above for a June 1988 328, the rules are not applied to make a June 328 comply with what a June 328 had in it when registered back in 1988.

The rules are applied to make the car comply with Australia's requirements for June 1988, be it a Falcon, Fiat, or Chevy. You can even argue with the VASS and present documentation confirming the conditions in which a car was registered back in 1988, but it won't get you anywhere as his mandate is to meet all ADR's applicable to vehicles at the time of manufacture.

Lets presume that a 328 was registered here in 1988 and had no CATS and that you could present evidence of that fact. Your VASS will not (should not!!) accept that evidence if the ADR applicable to June 1988 clearly states that all cars must be fitted with CATS. At that point you are stuffed.

Similarly with intrusion bars, but much more open to interpretation. 1989 Lexus LS400 has a U shaped channel in the doors as a stiffener which is construed to be an 'intrusion beam' by Toyota. Thousands of these cars were sold and registered here in 1989 / 90.

Import one of these cars today and the intrusion beam does not pass ADR's. The size and material thickness is too light so you have to fit another one. It was okay in 1989, but not any more. Now, if you could find appropriate documentation where Toyota had the car inspected in 1989 before being allowed to be sold in this country, then you may have a fighting chance against the VASS, but odds on it wasn't even inspected. Toyota would have just paid their bills and put the car on the lot.

It's this 'interpretation' of the appropriate ADR's that screw us each and every time.

And do you want to even argue with your VASS? You piss them off and the God complex takes over, and you are fixing crap for weeks before the car gets the certification.

[waz356]

Problem is that the ADR is not applied to the particular model but to the cars in general.

In my example above for a June 1988 328, the rules are not applied to make a June 328 comply with what a June 328 had in it when registered back in 1988.

The rules are applied to make the car comply with Australia's requirements for June 1988, be it a Falcon, Fiat, or Chevy. You can even argue with the VASS and present documentation confirming the conditions in which a car was registered back in 1988, but it won't get you anywhere as his mandate is to meet all ADR's applicable to vehicles at the time of manufacture.

Lets presume that a 328 was registered here in 1988 and had no CATS and that you could present evidence of that fact. Your VASS will not (should not!!) accept that evidence if the ADR applicable to June 1988 clearly states that all cars must be fitted with CATS. At that point you are stuffed.

Similarly with intrusion bars, but much more open to interpretation. 1989 Lexus LS400 has a U shaped channel in the doors as a stiffener which is construed to be an 'intrusion beam' by Toyota. Thousands of these cars were sold and registered here in 1989 / 90.

Import one of these cars today and the intrusion beam does not pass ADR's. The size and material thickness is too light so you have to fit another one. It was okay in 1989, but not any more. Now, if you could find appropriate documentation where Toyota had the car inspected in 1989 before being allowed to be sold in this country, then you may have a fighting chance against the VASS, but odds on it wasn't even inspected. Toyota would have just paid their bills and put the car on the lot.

It's this 'interpretation' of the appropriate ADR's that screw us each and every time.

And do you want to even argue with your VASS? You piss them off and the God cmplex takes over, and you are fixing crap for weeks before the car gets the certification.

^^^ I think that's why I'll stick with my 48yo OHOS. ^^^