There seems to be a fair few posts on here pointing out incorrectly registered kit cars for sale.

Heres my take on it.

Sadly I'm old enough to remember when it was commonplace to do something along the following lines.......The details might vary but you will get my gist.....

Stick a big block V8 in a Morris Minor along with a Jag back axle and Viva front suspension, spray the thing black with flames, send the V5 off to Swansea with the new details, grab an MOT from Fred down the road, stick on a pair of high waistband flares and go burn some rubber...... Ahh those were the days!..... well apart from the strides.... Now if memory serves me correctly i don't remember anyone coming to serious harm in the pursuit of automotive individualism, even those who didn't know a spanner from a pair of furry dice, I't didn't matter, cos that was Freds job, if he didn't like the look of your handy work, you didn't get a ticket.....simples!

Fast Forward a few years and the nanny state, and faceless Brussels beurotwats are in full control, and no way can you trust Fred's 40 years of automotive experience to decide if you can go for a burn up in your shed built creation, oh no you need an expensive test that takes weeks to arrange, full of really important stuff like making sure you have no nasty sharp edges, that might give someone a graze when youv'e run them over.....And making sure your exhaust is so quiet you wont scare the dolphins.

Certain individuals with a distain for authority and a cunning mind will always seek a way round such nonsense, hence all the 'Locost Duttons' and 'car is registered as a 1969 Triumph Herald' Malarky appearing on Fleabay.

Now I'm in no way condoning duping unsuspecting buyers here, or proper 'Ringing' in the true sense of the word.
But this is usually the point where half a dozen people jump in with righteous indignation at the fact the seller is a naughty chappy that has 'Stuck it to the man' and got away with something , when they took the safe option queued up with all the other sheep, paid their money and did what they were told...

In short, if youv'e not already guessed i don't give a toss if someone is running round in a Locost Dutton, as long as its taxed MOt'd and insured as a Locost Dutton then fair play to them. And when it comes to sale time, as long as they disclose whats on the V5, then its up to the buyer to decide if they want to buy or not.

Will be interested to hear what peoples views are on this, would have done a poll thingy, but couldn't suss out how to do it.

Al.

Not sure about the IVA stuff but I always went for hipster flares. High waist stuff was for wussies.

I hope there is enough room on your bandwagon for everyone else to jump on

I'm with you Wadders, as long as you are only shafting the beurotwats and not a prospective buyer
then carry on. A thorough MOT will pick up most faults.
The winkers in charge don't give flying fck about shafting us do they ?



[Edited on 21/1/11 by NigeEss]

i'm not pro SVA, but i do think that homebuilt cars should be checked ofr basic safety and proper construction.

i don't think they should be checked to the pedantic standards of SVA, but a proper roadworthiness test would be worthwhile since MOTs don't cover all the points that could arise on a homebuilt car.

i haven't a clue why even SVA was so expensive and can't possibly think of a justification for the price of IVA

if the procedure was easier and cheaper, there'd be no need to 'borrow' other cars' IDs except where the builder did have something to hide

IVA is a load of tosh dreamt up by pen pushers. Just another way to rob the petrol heads! I'm with you Mr. Wadders

I'm kind of with you in spirit on this one because I have a very deep-seated hatred for the modern nanny state rubbish.
I agree that the SVA/IVA seem to concentrate on mainly irrelevant details, but it must stop some real bodge-jobs reaching the roads which has to be a good thing. I have no doubt that it is well within your abilities to create a sensibly roadworthy vehicle, but the end result of some other peoples efforts are sometimes so dangerous that they're beyond belief (Chop Shop springs to mind...!)

I do agree that the whole process could really do with massive simplifcation, and a suitable drop in price. Don't even get me started on the DVLA though....

[Edited on 21/1/11 by Madinventions]

I'm fine with it, the number of cars on the road has somewhat increased since the days of old, also power and performance has increased massively. The combination means it makes some sense to ensure that anything on the road is safe, has been designed and made well and is not going to kill a passenger unaware of the risks of entering, or a pedestrian/other drive who gets in the way of the crashing vehicle.

Back in the day drink driving was accepted and not too many people died from it. You'd not do it now.

We need an IVA to prove the safe construction of what we build because we dont have the equipment to know if it is safe, an MOT without IVA first would have to be a lot more vigorouse and every car owner would suffer.
The eBay buyer beware needs dealing with, I don't want my friends and my kids buying a crock of s4it from some pikey lowlife.

The powers that be, if we did not have IVA would fall back to a default position of demanding the same tests as the major car companies.
In many ways we are better off than a lot of other countries.

I did the SVA with my car and it wasn't exactly difficult. I know the IVA is a bit tighter, but I don't think it is a bad thing. There are plenty MOT testers who haven't got a clue.

Stu

As above, many MOT testers, despite "40 years of automotive experience" dont know their arse from their elbow as engineers. That said, nor do many self build car builders....

I dislike the beurocracy and the pricing and the irrelevant details, but I agree the IVA is necessary. IMO it should be further enforced and applied to all modified cars as some of the worst safety offenders and modified production cars.

In the good old days you refer to, your v8, and modified car was still at best, slow in real terms, handled poorly and cornered slowly. These days, given a decent modern engine, some semi slick tyres and a garage it is all too easy to create something very fast and with enough grip to be going far too fast when you get into trouble. Sadly the bit tying the two together is still the same standard of man in a garage....

Sadly, if enough accidents occur as a result of poor home build/ modification, it will simply be banned, with TUV (or other) approved aftermarket parts only!

I'm all for safe car builds and I think there does need to be some sort of 'Uber MOT' but whether it is justified to be charging inordinate amounts of money for what also involves a lot of 'irrelevant' checks such as radiusing on the UNDERSIDE of a reg plate!!?

But I also agree with whitestu, I have had so many different 'opinions' from MOT stations on similar faults/issues. If there is a standard then it should be just that 'a standard' there is just too much room for interpretation by different testing centres.

JB

I'm in two minds about this. The IVA is helping no one when they go overboard on things like interior projections, banning a switch. Its just not in the spirit of the why the rules were created. But what is important is checking the construction of the vehicle, which isn't an issue for the MOT. If I bought a kit car, I'd want some confidence it had been assembled to a safe standard. That's what the SVA / IVA means to me.

I don't really mind bar the cost, its nice to know that cars have to be built to a decent standard unlike some of the old ones that had a token MOT. Its a pain but I just think of it as a necessary evil.

Personally I am all for some kind of safety check on newly built cars but I think IVA is just too OTT. You can imagine the chaos caused by a car that has inefficient brakes, dodgy fuel lines etc so there has to be a filter to stop these things before they hit the road (literally)

Unfortunately this can't stop the stuff we see on eBay quite often, when the V5 states that it is a 'Ford Escort' when it clearly isn't, having a fibreglass replica body on a space frame chassis, V8 engine etc. Unfortunately these often go completely unnoticed until an insurance claim happens as a result of some bad engineering or substandard part breaking.

Sadly, we are going the same way as many other countries and pretty soon we will not be able to modify anything on 'normal' production cars unless we have sworn statements from the manufacturer with regard to suitability. I am not sure how we can fit these into the MOT system so I can forsee some kind of inspection being introduced on the lines of IVA in that direction.

Oh, and I always favoured Loon pants back in the day


[Edited on 21-1-11 by RazMan]

My only concern now is, if a kit or tin top is not totally correct and you need to make a insurance claim.

The last acciendent (not my fault) the claim started with the assessor coming round to see my Bike.
The the Very first thing he checked was te tyre tread depth.
I guess if it was not legal, it would have voided my claim, even though it would have had no bearing on the accident.

I suppose it's like the MOT, last year missus's pug passed despite the back axle having almost fell apart because the guy rubbed off the tyre that had deposited on the inside of the wheel arch (can't see it, can't fail it) and what's stopping you giving Fred the MOT man a £20 to "distract" him from the potentially dangerous bits, like the seatbelt being held on by blu tack and a fuel line care of Maccie's straws?

I guess there's got to be a line somewhere, although it would be nice if the IVA cost, maybe double an MOT?

i think its a necessary evil, but (as everyone will agree i'm sure) i can't understand why it costs so much.
an MOT is what, about £50 now? i think the cost of IVA is only worth the work of about 3 MOTs, so should be about £150, for the work involved by testers.

i do think its needed to make sure home built cars are safe though. remember that matt black car that had pictures everywhere a few years back, the prop was grinding on the chassis and stuff, i don't think an MOT would have failed it, but the build quality was clearly shite

I didn't think the sva was that hard if you'd spent some time reading the rules and built a safe car without cutting safety related corners, there has to be some sort of test done before some of these poorly built cars hit the road, to be honest I cant really fault the cost due to the time it takes a trained technician to complete, not sure what the hourly rate is at a main stealer maybe somebody could do the sum but doubt its that far away from £70 per hour, my sva took about 4 hours, I also know that the iva is a little more time intensive so this could take slightly longer. So is IVA about £280 / £350 ish? If it is then its about right, if it more then its expensive but my default stance would be that one has to be done to ensure the safety of legitimate cars on the road.

People that ring cars to avoid tests like the brake balance etc should have a rethink in my view, however if they have all of the equipment to do all the tests that are done at IVA is the only way they can justify not having their vehicles safety checked by vosa.

I understand that great cars can be built by builders on here, especially the experienced builders and are most likely to be ok but the safety aspects at that point is unknown, faulty parts purchased etc so must be tested. I you are an experienced builder and have done a good job then surely there's nothing that IVA should be of concern?

Just my view

Rich

^ think (can't find the exact price) its about £450. £90 for the re-test.
£280 would be probably my absolute maximum value on it. of course i'm going to have to bend over and pay it, but i think its a bit too high

SVA/IVA necessary evil. Recent price hike is disproportionate. The private sector could do it cheaper.

Its a price we pay for living in a civilised society. Like paying taxes, its irritating but necessary.

Interesting views so far, and it would seem most folks are sheep....#cough!# ahem I mean most folks are pro IVA
and that i'm a subversive militant......Long live the revolution!!!


However most of the cars built by members of this forum would be deemed unsafe by the ever so correct ministry chaps, as they don't self centre. Unless of course you muck about with the steering geometry, tyre pressures, springs in the steering rack etc to cheat the test, which basically makes the car undriveable in the real world.


Similarly most bike engined cars have not a chance in hell of passing the emmisions test without again cheating the system with fish tank breathers etc.

We all know the cars are put back to a driveable state after the test, with different exhausts, small steering wheels, padding removed etc etc etc . So really there are no 'Legitimate' Locosts on the road that have passed SVA, only ones that have 'cheated; to pass SVA.

Therefore it's a bit hypocritical to condemn someone for taking the back door, surely cheating the test is just as bad as avoiding it completely?

BTW Richard I didn't need any special equipment to assess brake balance, just my right foot and a bit of trail and error!
Infact mine is still adjustable on the fly, which comes in ever so handy on real world race circuits.......Ooooh im such a naughty fellow


Al





,Originally posted by RichardK
I didn't think the sva was that hard if you'd spent some time reading the rules and built a safe car without cutting safety related corners, there has to be some sort of test done before some of these poorly built cars hit the road, to be honest I cant really fault the cost due to the time it takes a trained technician to complete, not sure what the hourly rate is at a main stealer maybe somebody could do the sum but doubt its that far away from £70 per hour, my sva took about 4 hours, I also know that the iva is a little more time intensive so this could take slightly longer. So is IVA about £280 / £350 ish? If it is then its about right, if it more then its expensive but my default stance would be that one has to be done to ensure the safety of legitimate cars on the road.

People that ring cars to avoid tests like the brake balance etc should have a rethink in my view, however if they have all of the equipment to do all the tests that are done at IVA is the only way they can justify not having their vehicles safety checked by vosa.

I understand that great cars can be built by builders on here, especially the experienced builders and are most likely to be ok but the safety aspects at that point is unknown, faulty parts purchased etc so must be tested. I you are an experienced builder and have done a good job then surely there's nothing that IVA should be of concern?

Just my view

Rich

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wadders

BTW Richard I didn't need any special equipment to assess brake balance, just my right foot and a bit of trail and error!
Infact mine is still adjustable on the fly, which comes in ever so handy on real world race circuits.......Ooooh im such a naughty fellow


Al

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wadders
Interesting views so far, and it would seem most folks are sheep....#cough!# ahem I mean most folks are pro IVA
and that i'm a subversive militant......Long live the revolution!!!


Yes I agree. It has amazed me since joining here the number of members that feel they can't get by without the state directly telling them how to live and exactly what to do. Further more these same people don't want other "free thinkers" to be able to live there lives without being subject to all the pointless rules and absurd bureaucracy that they seem to want to follow. No wonder the country has gone to the dogs! If poll tax was to be introduced now (some of you may be too young to remeber how we kicked Maggies harris back when men still had testicles) I bet most of you would say it was actually a good thing as you bent over and looked for the soap!

What has happened to you all? Are you really so utterly brainwashed you can't make a single decision for yourselves withour State guidance?

Sorry for any offence caused but WAKE UP ffs and work out why we are the laughing stock of Europe!

I wonder how many government rules/laws the above text is in breach of, not very PC I'm sure! Lol!

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interestedparty - 21/1/11 at 10:11 PM

I'm perfectly happy to assess for myself whether anything I make is safe or not, but I am not happy for other people to do that same, because there are some compete 'kin idiots out there.

And the brake balance test, they have got a point there, it simply can't be tested on a road or in an MOT station, because neither of those can check at all the different pedal pressures, which simulate braking on a wet road, for instance. To set brake balance properly would take an expert with plenty of different surface roads at his disposal where it doidn't matter if he had a spin.

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interestedparty - 21/1/11 at 10:14 PM

quote:

---

Originally posted by interestedparty
I'm perfectly happy to assess for myself whether anything I make is safe or not, but I am not happy for other people to do that same, because there are some compete 'kin idiots out there.

And the brake balance test, they have got a point there, it simply can't be tested on a road or in an MOT station, because neither of those can check at all the different pedal pressures, which simulate braking on a wet road, for instance. To set brake balance properly would take an expert with plenty of different surface roads at his disposal where it doidn't matter if he had a spin.

---

edited to add-

quote:

---

Originally posted by Strontium Dog
Sorry for any offence caused but WAKE UP ffs and work out why we are the laughing stock of Europe!

---

Laughing stock of Europe, don't be ridiculous. Try building a kit in France or Italy or Germany and getting it on the road, and see how far you get. No wonder they come over here to buy our finished kits!

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Ninehigh - 21/1/11 at 10:50 PM

Exactly, to be honest are we sheep and bending over because we advocate a system that's standardised in order to keep dangerous/falling apart/horribly built vehicles off the road? Do you think BMW can get away with it? I'm sure their cars go through similar tests only theirs are for a mass produced type.

Ok maybe there are some test items that are laughable and don't apply in the real world, maybe groups like ourselves should be coming up with those test items..

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AdrianH - 21/1/11 at 10:50 PM

There is a way to measure brake balance or brake distribution on your car, one way is to put a brake pressure gauge in each line if one to front and one to back or split system the second and probably cruder way is to make one of these up.

Pedaltest
Fasten to the pedal or bottom of your foot and use it to test at set points whilst on MOT rollers.

Then use or use part of this spreadsheet to work out brake balanceLinky

Change values for your own axle weights and distances. I worked it all out as it was one of my fail points see http://www.tamarisktechnicals.com/pages/iva.html.

I will be building another car this year and it will be going through IVA, I think it is necessary to have, I also believe it is easier in the UK then any other European country to get our cars built and on the road.



Adrian

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A1 - 21/1/11 at 11:19 PM

its good to check to an extent... but they should just check important parts, have a reasonable fee and allow private individuals to do the tests (think mot). then they need to sort out the dvla side of things. I recon theyre making it really complicated to put us off doing it at all, dont want any free thinking individuals out there, do we?

the way round is to build the car to pass iva, then upgrade it after.

just to add, people should stop playing the 'its safety' card, cause theres a heck of a lot thats just cr*p in the test (side repeaters hassle in IVA??)

my 2p

[Edited on 21/1/11 by A1]

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Strontium Dog - 22/1/11 at 01:21 AM

quote:

---

Laughing stock of Europe, don't be ridiculous. Try building a kit in France or Italy or Germany and getting it on the road, and see how far you get. No wonder they come over here to buy our finished kits!

---

Yes that's right, and then they scoot off home where their lifestyles are so much better than here!

France is recognised as one of if not the best place in the world to live re lifestyle at this time! The only ridiculous thing is you saying you would prefer to stay here just because you can build a kit car!

The fact that it is nicer to live in many places than here is a digression from the topic though. The IVA still sucks and has hardly anything to do with safety. As is proved by all the posts about how to modify your car as soon as you roll out of the test centre.

And don't tell me you're qualified to asses whether your smaller steering wheel is safe unless you are an accreditid test examiner in the employ of VOSA. After all, all those rules are only there to protect you aren't they?!

[Edited on 22/1/11 by Strontium Dog]

[Edited on 22/1/11 by Strontium Dog]

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interestedparty - 22/1/11 at 08:16 AM

quote:

---

Originally posted by Strontium Dog

quote:

---

Laughing stock of Europe, don't be ridiculous. Try building a kit in France or Italy or Germany and getting it on the road, and see how far you get. No wonder they come over here to buy our finished kits!

---

Yes that's right, and then they scoot off home where their lifestyles are so much better than here!

France is recognised as one of if not the best place in the world to live re lifestyle at this time! The only ridiculous thing is you saying you would prefer to stay here just because you can build a kit car!

---

It may be recognised by you as one of if not the best place in the world to live re lifestyle at this time, so go ahead and move there if it's so marvellous, I won't mind, there will be a little bit more room here for me.

Good to see you didn't have an answer for my point about getting a kit car on the road there, or Germany, or Italy, or Spain etc etc.

All countries have their good and bad points. When you've moved to France I expect you will eventually realise that yourself.

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ianclark1275 - 22/1/11 at 08:40 AM

maybe groups like ourselves should be coming up with those test items..

Whos built a race / rally car?

same skills and process as building a kit car.

They only need a "MSA" log book, for a small fee.

who issues them? like minded experienced motor sports enthusiasts listed in the Blue book.

no reason why we cant have the "Kit car Blue book", consisting of the IVA type guidance in front and have a list of addresses of our own resident experts in the back round the country for your "Log book" checks

send new log book to DVLA and wait for your reg number to come thro?

then get an MOT and your away.


if i was given a choice of where to take my completed car, i would go to MK in Maltby (or similar), those boys know what they are doing cos that there job. i regularly call in if im stuck and look at how they do it, and then buy the bit i need from them. seat belt mounts were last thing i got, i actually still owe them £5 cos i didnt have enough money!

IC

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martyn_16v - 22/1/11 at 08:46 AM

quote:

---

Originally posted by Strontium Dog
France is recognised as one of if not the best place in the world to live re lifestyle at this time!

---

Really? A place where everything grinds to a halt on a fortnightly basis because a union or five is on strike because they don't like the colour of their new uniform, and where riots, looting and burning cars/blocks of flats seems to be becoming a normal part of the democratic process?

I'll stick with where I am thanks

As for IVA, I have a suspicion that those who are against it are mainly those that have had to suffer an anally retentive tester. Some of the stories you see on here are horrifying, and a million miles away from the experience I had. My test wasn't at all daunting or stressfull, but it did bring up a couple of little issues that i'd either stupidly missed, or just hadn't occurred to me at all because at the end of the day, I'm no expert. However, I was given time and good advice as to how to fix it, and none of the pedantry about having the right paperwork. It's these kinds of thing that made doing it worthwhile in my opinion.

I can't disagree with the costs though, it is horrific. And the DVLA...when the revolution comes they should be amongst the first up against the wall

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kevmcdo - 22/1/11 at 08:50 AM

When I got into kit cars I bought a part built kit as at the time I thought it would be the easier way to get into getting my first kitcarcar, wrong that car that was described as 90% complete required 80% of it to be taken apart and rebuilt in prep for its SVA test.
When I bought the car it was running and the guy had taken his kids up and down the street in it for photos etc and was convinced that the car was ready for its test with a few minor trim adjustments.
Once back at home and a bit more in depth checking was when some of the horrors came to light that had to be addressed.

6 months later and the car was through its test, watching the examiner going through the test procedure and listening to his experience and advice was priceless and took away any fears I had that the car may not be safe or upto scratch thus giving me the confidence thet car that I was going to be entrusting my well being in whilst out driving it.

Had there not been any SVA test the car would have most likely been on the road in the state that it was was in by the original builder with serious geometry issues and fixings that were no way upto the job of keeping it all together. Another accident waiting to happen!!!

Yes the politics of the sva /i iva can be a pain and some of the content frustrating but it is there for a point and in respect of comparing it to an mot its not apples for apples at all.

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indykid - 22/1/11 at 09:29 AM

quote:

---

Originally posted by ianclark1275
if i was given a choice of where to take my completed car, i would go to MK in Maltby (or similar), those boys know what they are doing cos that there job. i regularly call in if im stuck and look at how they do it, and then buy the bit i need from them. seat belt mounts were last thing i got, i actually still owe them £5 cos i didnt have enough money!

IC

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that's completely at odds with my experience with them.

if you're given the task of assessing others' work, your own work should be exemplary.

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Strontium Dog - 22/1/11 at 11:13 AM

quote:

---

It may be recognised by you as one of if not the best place in the world to live re lifestyle at this time, so go ahead and move there if it's so marvellous, I won't mind, there will be a little bit more room here for me.
answer for my point about getting a kit car on the road there, or Germany, or Italy, or Spain etc etc.

---

Er, actually no, not just my opinion but that of International living magazine for one

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1240988/France-tops-list-best-places-live-world-fifth-year-row--Britain-languishes-25th.html

And as to your point about building a kit car in other countries, I would rather a decent life than just be allowed to build a car! Simple. It's not that I'm not a petrol head, but I have a daughter and I'd rather she and I had a decent standard of living thanks.

If we stood up for ourselves like the French then we might not be getting rogered right now. But maybe you are one of the lucky ones who isn't struggling to keep their heads above water like most of the rest of us!

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scootz - 22/1/11 at 11:17 AM

I'm often puzzled by this one... who's getting rogered and how? Everywhere I look, I'm seeing people living very comfortably - surely we've never had it so good!?

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Strontium Dog - 22/1/11 at 11:28 AM

quote:

---

Originally posted by scootz
I'm often puzzled by this one... who's getting rogered and how? Everywhere I look, I'm seeing people living very comfortably - surely we've never had it so good!?

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WHAT? Where do you live? I see massive unemployment all around and extreme hardship for many. 1 in 5 school leavers can find no work even with the HUGE no. of them that go to college with the bums on seats policy. I see people that can't afford to eat properly and I know people that on minimum wage can no longer afford the fuel to get to work! Maybe that's just here in the west country and the rest of you are all on easy street!

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scootz - 22/1/11 at 12:20 PM

quote:

---

Originally posted by Strontium Dog

quote:

---

Originally posted by scootz
I'm often puzzled by this one... who's getting rogered and how? Everywhere I look, I'm seeing people living very comfortably - surely we've never had it so good!?

---

WHAT? Where do you live? I see massive unemployment all around and extreme hardship for many. 1 in 5 school leavers can find no work even with the HUGE no. of them that go to college with the bums on seats policy. I see people that can't afford to eat properly and I know people that on minimum wage can no longer afford the fuel to get to work! Maybe that's just here in the west country and the rest of you are all on easy street!

---

WHAT? Where do you live? I see people who don't want to work as the positions available are somehow beneath them and they don't want to start at the start. I see people who screw the benefits system and therefore have no financial reason to go back to work. I see arrogant folk who flout the rules of society to feather their own nests. I see fat lazy people who gorge themselves on junk food which costs massively more than sensible food.

This is the land of milk and honey my friend!

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interestedparty - 22/1/11 at 02:25 PM

quote:

---

Originally posted by scootz

WHAT? Where do you live?

---

I'm guessing here, reaching into thin air, really, but somehow I have the feeling that he lives on Dartmoor


If that's true, then no wonder he has such a view of English life, and no wonder he's so keen to move to France (as recommended by lifestyle magazines).

I believe you have moors in Scotland, imagine living on one of those and you will know where he is coming from.

Anyway, back to the topic, there is much about the IVA that I don't like, but it bothers me when people try to avoid it, and then show contempt for the rest of us describing us as sheep etc.

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Russell - 22/1/11 at 02:34 PM

Are you pro SVA /IVA ?

Yes

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jacko - 22/1/11 at 03:14 PM

Well i hope the people that are in charge of letting us build kitcars [ government / dvla ] don't read this post or they would think of stop us
Yes the IVA is a pain but you have to just think of it as part of building the car, or DON'T build the car in the first place
We should be thankful they let us AT THE MOMENT

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RK - 22/1/11 at 04:33 PM

The big car manufacturers hate people building kit cars. If they could get their way, it would all stop. The power of some people is staggering, and when they want, they try to squash the rest of us like bugs. You are living in a place that is unique in the world, where the government more or less understands your hobby. You have to find a way to make it continue, and IVA is a compromise in my view.

In our country, two provinces have banned right hand drive vehicles, citing insurance stats showing a higher rate of accidents. Obviously, when the market is young idiots with JDM rockets, accidents occur. A financial decision became a political one, when the safety of the population had nothing to do with the ban. And in another province, it is against the law to modify your car in any way that could increase its performance (no cold air intakes, etc). So bite your tongue, and keep your system going!

Do you want to be allowed to build cars or not? Simple.

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Wadders - 22/1/11 at 05:09 PM

Originally posted by interestedparty
.
And the brake balance test, they have got a point there, it simply can't be tested on a road or in an MOT station, because neither of those can check at all the different pedal pressures, which simulate braking on a wet road, for instance. To set brake balance properly would take an expert with plenty of different surface roads at his disposal where it doidn't matter if he had a spin.

Guess i must just have been lucky then?


Originally posted by interestedparty

Anyway, back to the topic, there is much about the IVA that I don't like, but it bothers me when people try to avoid it, and then show contempt for the rest of us describing us as sheep etc.

Don't take it personally, i quite like sheep, nice with a bit of mint sauce and gravy

Thing is, all this talk of safety and 'horrors of cars' which would get on the road without IVA, just makes me laugh. I really don't recall a raft of accidents occuring due to dangerous home built vehicles before SVA was introduced, we got along just fine with the obligatory Mot

And i don't subscribe to the argument that cars back then were not as fast, and therefore less dangerous. A) anything with a 7 litre engine will be fast and B) cars built with modern running gear and tyres are bound to handle much better.

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interestedparty - 22/1/11 at 05:29 PM

quote:

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Originally posted by Wadders

quote:

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Originally posted by interestedparty
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And the brake balance test, they have got a point there, it simply can't be tested on a road or in an MOT station, because neither of those can check at all the different pedal pressures, which simulate braking on a wet road, for instance. To set brake balance properly would take an expert with plenty of different surface roads at his disposal where it doidn't matter if he had a spin.

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Guess i must just have been lucky then?

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I guess you must have been, what's with the pokey tongue? Just because you were lucky doesn't mean that cars should no longer get tested, does it? I didn't realise this thread was just about you and your experiences.


Anyway, we can have as many anti IVA threads as you like, doesn't changet he fact that most of us have to deal with it, and the others find a way of 'avoiding' it.

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Yazza54 - 22/1/11 at 06:04 PM

I think it's good that a amateur built car gets a thorough looking over before appearing on the public highway. After all, cars are basically 100+ mph killing machines in either the wrong hands or the wrong quality of build. However isn't that what an MOT is for?

The IVA strikes me as a bit of a money maker, overly anal too.

At the end of the day though, it is what it is and I think it's better to abide by it than stick a car on a dodgy V5 and hope no one notices. I wouldn't buy a car like that nor would I do it myself.

[Edited on 22/1/11 by Yazza54]

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Wadders - 22/1/11 at 06:09 PM

quote:

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Originally posted by interestedparty



I guess you must have been, what's with the pokey tongue? Just because you were lucky doesn't mean that cars should no longer get tested, does it? I didn't realise this thread was just about you and your experiences.

Wooo Put your handbag away fella, wasn't having a dig at you in any way, surely i can only relate to my own experiences?
Although i still stand by the opinion that no special equipment is needed to assess brake balance. I don't imagine many hillclimb and racing cars have been on the SVA rollers, but they manage to stay on the track

quote:

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Originally posted by interestedparty

Anyway, we can have as many anti IVA threads as you like, doesn't changet he fact that most of us have to deal with it, and the others find a way of 'avoiding' it.

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I didn't start an anti IVA thread, i simply stated what had prompted me to post, added my own thoughts on the matter and asked what other peoples views on the subject were.

Nothing wrong with healthy debate, all part of lifes rich tapestry, and definately nothing personal, simply an opinion.

Al

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scootz - 22/1/11 at 06:17 PM

What I do find a bit bizarre are the differences in tester-approach.

I often read on here about people getting pulled-up for minor stuff and being sent away to try-again. I've been present at a few SVA's and it was the same tester every time. He basically kicked the tyres, swore a lot, told you what was wrong, allowed you to fix it, and if you couldn't he would give you your ticket anyway so long as you promised to sort it when you got home!

That said, the cars I went with were VERY well sorted and I got the impression that he would give you short-shrift if you turned up with a pile of poo!

Unfortunately he's retired!

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David Jenkins - 22/1/11 at 06:33 PM

For me, the SVA (as was) was an incentive to get stuff done properly - I didn't find the rules onerous, though some were tough to get through.

Hopefully most people here will admit that most kit cars that get through SVA/IVA these days are far superior to many that were produced before testing. The tests also weeded out a few manufacturers who turned out some very ropey kits. I must admit that I have seen a few older kit cars (pre-SVA) at shows, and thought that they should never have been allowed on the road... some of them were downright scary...

I guess some people will disagree with me - but I shan't lose any sleep over that.

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Ninehigh - 22/1/11 at 07:32 PM

quote:

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Originally posted by scootz
I see fat lazy people who gorge themselves on junk food which costs massively more than sensible food.

This is the land of milk and honey my friend!

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Sorry no. There's been a few times that my shift pattern has called me to work 8 straight days, so I prepared for this by buying an apple and a twix/mars/similar for afternoon and evening for those 8 days. So 16 apples and 16 mars bars.

Chocolate cost me about £4, apples nearly a tenner!

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