Im sorting my track car out and although it will be used mainly on track I would like to use it on road the whole back end is stripped the front has got everything still in but I replaced the belts for 3 point harnesses would this still be legal

 

mine was but that was a few years ago now.

 

ye should be my old peugeot 205 was stripped the same as yours and there was no issues at the mot station

 

It'll be fine mate as long as your harness buckles can release when taught.

 

Thats good cheers guys

 

Mine's stripped, caged and harnessed. Never had a sniff of bother with it.

 

As a current MOT tester since 1989 I can add the following

When a vehicle is presented with "clearly" no rear seats or seat belts (ie stripped or modified) then that in itself is not an RFR (Reason for Refusal).

As for your replacing of front belts with harnesses then again this is fine

BUT

The method used to secure the harnesses WILL be assessed by the MOT tester - corrosion and security of body or affected panels within 30cm radius of any harness fixings.

The suitability of the fixings used -(So dont put a 6mm bolt when it should be a more substantial fixing)

The metal chosen to attach the harness fixings to - Flimsy rear parcel shelf and similar WILL FAIL

If you attach any part of the harness to a roll cage then immediately ALL fixings of the roll cage and its condition and suitability become part of the areas assessed

A lot of harnesses use the original seat belt mounting captive nuts - thats fine

Then as per any "normal" seatbelt the condition of the harness webbing, locking and release mechanism, mounting eyes etc etc etc will all be assesed

Hope this helps

 

very well explained dave

 

Can I have a gold star please

 

Ahh yes I forgot- my MOT man spent ages checking all of the harness mounts/welded in plates etc

 

You can thanks that has answered my questions great mine are bolted in the usall places with eyed bolts so should be all good

 

Are the Eye bolts screwed into captive or welded on nuts or threaded plates?
i.e the nut can't spin loose and let the eye bolt go free.
.

 

Does your seat move? Noticed there's something in the new mot regs regarding this, the seat has to move back and forth in 3(?) positions.

 

as i understand it, if the seat has a slider and movement built in then it should all work, if it doesnt i.e, fixed side mounted etc then it cant move hence it doesnt have to work.

hope this is correct as if not my track car wont be getting anymore mot's :-(.

alan.

 

New regs also state that rear doors must be able to be opened but my car doesn't have any rear doors ! Does that mean my car fails ?

No it doesn't !

ALL regs old or new do not apply to all vehicles presented they only apply where it is appropriate - so therefore a fixed seat is tested in a manner suitable for regs concerned.

 

I would have thought they can argue seats must be adjustable so the tester can safely drive the car, and the new reg would apply to all cars presented.

.

 

I think the biggest problem area for people with modified cars is going to be air bags. A lot of things are open to interpretation but it seems pretty clear on the air bag rule. "The vehicle will fail the test if any air bag fitted as original equipment is missing or defective"

There's a lot of people with road legal 'track' cars that gut them out. Surely it doesn't get anymore black and white than that? If your 1999 impreza rollls in to the mot test with a plastic dash and no passenger or drivers air bags then it will fail.

It also states a fail if the car is missing a safety belt pre tensioner that was factory fitted.

 

I put this exact scenario to my VOSA official and was told the following

"if the vehicle presented is CLEARLY and suitably modified for track or competition use then as long as it is not had the SRS system removed to bodge it's way through an MOT then pass and advise that vehicle has no SRS due to it being a track / competition vehicle"

So no probs with no SRS for a track / competition vehicle that comes to me for MOT

 

So, good and bad news.

People with half baked 'track cars' that never see a track will be in trouble then. ie joe bloggs with his saxo vts who's fitted a suede steering wheel and some harnesses to an otherwise std car will fail.

I can see a whole world of trouble if the police want to get involved in all this.

 

Who mentioned The Police ?

When has an MOT tester worked in relation to police work ?

The Police ensure compliance of the road user with The Construction and Use regs

An MOT tester works under the guidelines of the Road Traffic Act to check a vehicle "at the time it is presented for test".

It is the responsibility of the road user to keep both The Police and MOT happy

Good Luck lol

 

you can easily argue the difference between "missing or defective" and "removed".

Plus the whole airbag arguement is hard to prove. Do you go off the window vin plate? What about crossover models eg mk3/3.5 fiesta.

Also what about rebuilt cars? radically altered cars?? eg airbags are not allowed under IVA for kit cars, RA and RAV, even if the original car came with an airbag system.....

so how does an MoT tester know this?? he doesnt.

 

As an MOT tester I do not have to know everything about every vehicle and its particular anomalies

All I have to do is apply The MOT Testers Manual to any vehicle presented and apply any relevant test criteria as required

 

so in other words you have to use your judgement......

 

copied off focus owners

I have recently sent a letter to VOSA and the MSA and requested verification to the changes and if there was any allowances for Motorsport vehicles. The MSA has not replied No surprise there then.
However, VOSA have replied and I think have been very helpful A copy of there reply is below. Look out chavs and boy racers.

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry dated 4th December 2011, concerning new MOT regulations.

We are aware that the inspection of many of the new testable components may adversely impact modified vehicles. We have therefore made provision for most modifications to be accepted, provided that the vehicle is in fact extensively modified to meet a particular purpose, rather than simply modified on a whim and a fancy.

The Introduction of the 2012 MOT Inspection Manual will therefore be amended at the end of April to coincide with the commencement of testing the new components. It will state:

Modified Vehicles

Where a vehicle has been extensively modified or converted, Reasons for Rejection for components missing where fitted as standard should not be applied, for example:
a car converted for rally use (i.e. rear seats removed and fitted with a roll cage and full harness seat belts etc.) may have been converted so as not to require a brake servo or power steering
a car converted to a stretch limousine may no longer be fitted with curtain airbags

Additionally, Section 5.1 of the Manual will be amended to state: "An adult harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder straps bearing an FIA, British Standard or European approval marking (an upper case ’E’ or lower case ‘e’ and a number) is an acceptable alternative to any of the seat belt types listed"

It is also worth pointing out that Section 6.2 of the Manual, on Seats and Doors, already contains a note in the Information Column which states: "Original design characteristics and specialised modifications (e.g. to enable wheelchair access) are to be accepted"

It must be remembered however, that modifications can only be accepted so long as they comply with the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 and the Road Vehicles (Lighting) Regulations 1989 as amended. In this regard a hydraulic parking brake is not permitted on vehicles first used on or after 1 January 1968 and will therefore remain an MOT failure.

I hope this information has assisted you with your enquiry, but if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind Regards,

 

Or you could use the word - Opinion

 

Nice to see the same message is being sent out by VOSA to various people