sierra_2008

Hi all,
Does anybody know the law in regards to car maintenance at the side of the road?? ive never had a problem with changing pads or anything like that but what about major work? engine swaps? etc.. is it illegal?

Many thanks,
Lee.

mad dog younge

all road side repairs are against the law .unless your are working for aa or rac

tsutton

Maybe I've been living under a rock, but... why is it illegal?

AlexRS2782

You can do it on your drive, garden but not on a public road - as said people like aa, rac are different as they are recovering your car not maintaining it

Friend in Guildford was reported by one of his neighbours a year ago when he was changing the brake pads on his Saxo & was advised by council to move the vehicle onto a driveway, front garden, etc but would be prosecuted if caught doing any form of maintenance on the road again

stu21t

depends where you live i guess.
i took an engine out of a 21 a couple of times on the road outside my mum and dads house about 2 years ago, and i recently changed a couple of wishbones on my bm outside my house last week.

sierra_2008

I think its one of those laws that only act upon a complaint from neighbours, bit like noise nuisance, but to be honest it i cleaned up after me and i'm careful then what harm is it?

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

What about if cars broke down they saying now you have to pay for a recovery truck to do a simple repair???

Sitting in a busy road or narrow road while you change discs i can understand but in quiet suberbs incant see the problem. So does that mean changing a tyre for a puncture is technically illegal?????? or are emergency repairs allowed?? if so just claim all repairs were emergency

dave1982rst

i didnt know there was rules against working on cars in the road i replaced my front end in the road lol

AlexRS2782

TBH imo unless someone actively reports you (like my mate had) or if you are caught by council, etc then you probably wont have a problem

As far as i'm aware from what mate told me is that law is basically relevant to health & safety, etc as technically if you are repairing your car outside your house at the side of the road or doing engine change, oil change, etc then you could be seen to be causing a hazard/nuisance/obstruction to other road users - basically its not too disimilar from things like parking on pavements, etc as the laws are there but are rarely enforced unless required - i think it probably also has a lot to do with environmental laws to stop people doing oil changes on the road outside house & leaving oil in road, not disposing of it properly, pouring down drain, etc

Breakdowns are different as AA/Rac, etc are covered as they are giving roadside assistance & have to conform to active health & safety laws related to their job at a guess i.e luminous jackets, etc

Back when i had my 5 turbo the ex renault specialist/mobile mechanic who worked on it would always do the work on the road just outside my house (small close) but now for people he works for he actually advertises that he can only work on cars which are located on private land such as your drive, garden & private (not public) works car park

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

surely to actually prosecute they would have to prove you are causing such hazard/nuisance/obstruction to other road users beyond normal car use.

Reid

when i had my business doing mobile car repairs i had to have a street traders licence and full liability insurance to work on cars on the street. i also had to have a warning sign out.

since that went tits up tho ive just done it anyways

Alps Pacino

Looks like a nice area, i bet your snotty neighbours were well chuffed about having a shonky old ford spread all over the road

dunketh

I do my stuff on the road or in the local council car park!

I left a sign on my escort once saying 'Broken Down, please dont leave ticket' for the warden. I'd removed a rear stub axle so it was obviously true.

I've even changed a mini waterpump by the side of a 'causeway' (no stopping) at night. It was easier to get a mate to drop one off than to arrange some kind of recovery.