De Reg'd

[APT 179]

Hi there i have found an 1989 325i the problem is that it is deregistered do you know what the processes are to get it back on the road, as well as the costs ?

I have searched through and found it will cost around $400 - 500 ( if there is no extra structural costs etc.), yet this was from topics a year or two back.

Is anyone going through this now ? and have more recent costs ?

Also any recommendations on where to go in East/ South Auckland area? - For re registration checks

Thanks

Andrew

[BM WORLD 1260]

aa safer seat belts in gt sth rd takanini

[APT 179]

Have you got any idea on costs?

[Yamahoo 6]

I went through the process with my convertible. It was about as much fun as a colonoscopy and I vowed and declared never to do it again. Be warned that if the car has ever had any kind of accident in its past, no matter how minor, or the examiner decides that it MIGHT have had an accident at sometime in its past, then you'll be off to an engineer for additional costs and on and on it goes. VTNZ quoted the 400 bucks or so that you say, but then I had to pay several hundred more for an engineer and honestly, ther car would have to be pretty special or unique for me to ever bother again. Having said that, I'm not sorry I did - I love my car, but it is definitely a ridiculously stupid and beauracratic nightmare. If you enjoy dealing with the mindless little people in positions of authority and their silly little clipboards and rules you might not find it too bad.....

[bellicose 9]

I enquired 'bout getting my E3 back on the road just last week at VTNZ. If the car is NZ new and you have proof of previous NZ rego (i have old NZ plates that still show on carjam and full service history from new) then all it is is a VERY strict WOF, such as NZ STDs approved tires and naw brake pads (not 20 year old ones) Cost is $257 plus a years rego.

What they told me was keep ALL receipts for any work/parts that go into the car and show them at VIN time.

Despite what alot of people say bout the VTNZ i have always found my local one very fair to deal with.

My advice is to ring around 'cos you will get so many stories as to what to do.

[hotwire 352]

I went through the process with my convertible. It was about as much fun as a colonoscopy and I vowed and declared never to do it again. Be warned that if the car has ever had any kind of accident in its past, no matter how minor, or the examiner decides that it MIGHT have had an accident at sometime in its past, then you'll be off to an engineer for additional costs and on and on it goes. VTNZ quoted the 400 bucks or so that you say, but then I had to pay several hundred more for an engineer and honestly, ther car would have to be pretty special or unique for me to ever bother again. Having said that, I'm not sorry I did - I love my car, but it is definitely a ridiculously stupid and beauracratic nightmare. If you enjoy dealing with the mindless little people in positions of authority and their silly little clipboards and rules you might not find it too bad.....

Love the description of the process, particually the last three lines - can relate to that!

[jpp 0]

I've done a few over the past 2 years. It worked something like if the car was orginally registered PRIOR 1990 or 1991 in NZ then it is just requires a slightly stricter WOF. If it was registered in NZ AFTER the cut-off date, the you are looking at higher costs as they need to completely check the structure of the car (ie: rip out carpet etc, just like they do to new imports).

It's easy to check, either look on the registration sticker, or enter the rego plate at carjam.co.nz

[Driftit 1950]

They still wanted to do a full check of my 85 E30 320 race car. Which was fully certed and had no interior etc.

Had it done at Vinz in Sylvia Park. One real nice guy there just signed my car off on stupid things another grumpy BMW hater had written down.

[R90S 2]

FWIW, I have just been through the process of re-vinning two cars with lapsed rego in the last two months. As Ross alluded to, the process is actually intended to actively discourage old cars going back into service.

Car 1 was a 1993 Subaru, NZ new, which had been getting wof inspections at the local testing station. When it went for a Vin, the inspector noted a previous repair to the front chassis rail, and tagged it for an independent certifier inspection. The certifier looked at it and said that the car would probably never get certified again because at first glance the repair had been done so badly. When I pointed out that the repair was probably done up to fifteen years or more ago, he didn't flinch. He then checked the diagonal measurements almost as an afterthought, to see how far out it was. IT WAS PERFECT, WITHIN A MILLIMETRE. I took the car to my tame local panelbeater and got the chassis rail tidied to the certifier's satisfaction.

Car 2 was also a 1992 Subaru, NZ new, just purchased by my son. It had a dent in the rear guard, but seemed straight, tidy and otherwise unmolested. On the advice of a car dealer friend, we took Car 2 to a compliance shop in central Auckland. He looked at the car when we arrived, tore out the boot trim and popped the bonnet and then announced that most of the left side of the car had been hit previously and repaired, with the evidence clear to see when studied closely. He asked if we could wait until the following week for another staff member (on leave) to return, because the guy working that week would fail it for certain. We agreed, and the following week I got a call to say that other than some water in the left front indicator and sticky rear brake calipers the car had been approved.

I'm not suggesting that Car 2 wasn't subjected to as stringent an inspection or that it shouldn't have been approved, more that the inspector/compliancer had a more reasonable view of things. The panelbeater who straightened out Car 1 freely admitted when I asked him that his work hadn't made the car one jot safer. The certifier essentially "clipped the ticket" to the tune of $350 for maybe 40 minutes of his time. The inspectors aren't interested in determining whether a previous repair is safe or not, they're only interested in covering their @rse at the sign of ANY repair.

For anyone else reading this far, if you have a car that is going to be off the road for any length of time, PUT IT ON EXEMPTION!!! All you'll need to get legal again is a simple, conventional WOF. You do it for free by ringing 0800 108 809. If you decide to sell the car before it's roadlegal again, it will be MUCH easier to sell because most of the headaches will be avoided.

I'm not here to advertise or promote compliancing agencies, just sharing my recent experience. If anyone wishes to know who I dealt with, you're welcome to ping me.

[Palazzo 438]

Thanks for the above post (and the number), I haven't driven the convertible for 6 months, so it's now on exemption. I think compliance is probably like lawyers, they'll always find something they don't like to justify a fee.

[brockie123 31]

i did mine last year and was around 400 plus had to change exhaust because apparently 94.5 decibels is "too close to the limit" it was the god damn stock exhaust how does that work and why have a limit if too close is not aloud? also had to put discs on the rear as drums don't cut it..

[oscar90 0]

I've done a few over the past 2 years. It worked something like if the car was orginally registered PRIOR 1990 or 1991 in NZ then it is just requires a slightly stricter WOF. If it was registered in NZ AFTER the cut-off date, the you are looking at higher costs as they need to completely check the structure of the car (ie: rip out carpet etc, just like they do to new imports).

It's easy to check, either look on the registration sticker, or enter the rego plate at carjam.co.nz

how long does this test take out of interest?