New MOT rules for 2012

[RST-Steve]

Google the new MOT rules for 2012........ doesn't sound too good tbh!

New rules are going to pick up on re-maps, HID kits and possibly lowering i think etc

Surely that's for new cars tho!!??

[cozmeister]

Sounds like it'll be much inline with New Zealand, where any modifications must be carried out by authorised workshops, and within certain limits (they specify the amount of clearance between the tyre and the wheel arch must be more than a certain amount) ie, not done by Neil your friendly weekend mechanic on his driveway.

[massivewangers]

The usual rubbish.

There's no way they can ban remapping at this stage. For a start, it would put a multi million pound industry out of business and, secondly, how would they check? They're not going to plug into every car, as it isn't time effective. And they can't remove trim etc to see if the ECU has been tampered with, as they're not allowed to remove things.

HIDs will be picked up on more, but I doubt much else will for the moment!

And if things like lowered suspension and modified engines get banned, then I'm off!

[cozmeister]

Like I said I think it's aimed more at cutting down on the number of dodgy mods that teenagers and the uninformed make - how many HID or Xenon conversions have you seen where there *aren't* lens washers installed?  They should only be installed where a headlamp washer system is installed, but 17 year old Gary just wants to look cool.

[RST-Steve]

This is true, the HID kits are a key thing that I think they want to pick up on, my ST220 had Xenons and washer jets, looked very cool, and factory installed.......... now a Corsa B with lights like the sun? That's not so cool as they often don't seem set up right for starters

I read somewhere on the internet that the manufactuter's are probbaly jumping up and down trying to get re-mapping banned as they still regard the ecu and software in the car as 'their' property despite the sale of the car. Sounds like complete horse turd I know, but you never know these days do you........ wouldn't surprise me if some of the major players do try and influence things!

[Mike Rainbird]

Impossible to enforce the remapping side, so that won't happen. Even manufacturers can't tell if one of their cars has been chipped, all they can do is reflash the ECU to original.

[RST-Steve]

.......... and then just re-load the map onto the car when you get home LOL!

[Fireball]

...and what about my Megasquirt ECU then - does that come under this new stuff, or is that exempt as its stand alone?

[Fireball]

From VOSA:
 
The car/light goods vehicle MOT test is about to change – the European Commission has changed the Directive that covers it. We take a look at when these changes are likely to come into effect and what they mean for MOT testers.
 
Britain has been testing vehicles under the MOT scheme for 50 years now. Last year, the European Directive covering the MOT test was updated and revised by a modern version called 2009/40/ EC. This was then updated by 2010/48/EU, which was ratified on 5 July this year.
 
The new Directive keeps the EU minimum 4-2-2 test frequency but adds a number of new elements to the British MOT test. The Directive anticipates all test changes being in place by 1 January 2012, and a common European approach to test certificates in place by 1 January 2014. So what is VOSA doing to introduce the changes?
 
In terms of test frequency, in mid-July the coalition government confirmed that it intends ‘to look at the issue of MOT test frequencies later this year’. VOSA contributed statistical data to inform the last review in 2008, and we expect that our computer system and the data you have entered will be utilised again in much the same way.
 
We expect to hear more details of the government’s review proposals later in the year.
 
As far as changes to the test content are concerned, VOSA has already been analysing the requirements of the new Directive and working out how to implement them. We started this earlier in the year by talking with representatives of the MOT trade at our regular Trade User Group and VTS Council meetings.
 
Both VOSA and the Department for Transport (DfT) are keen to ensure that any changes to the test are introduced in as practical a way as possible, keeping the burden on the trade to a minimum and ideally keeping the changes cost neutral.
 
In many cases, the changes shouldn’t necessarily lead to an increase in average test times. A good example is the malfunction indicator lamps on the dashboard that indicate defective electronic power steering, electronic stability control and secondary restraint systems. Testers already check the dashboard for other lamps, so no extra time would be required for this addition to the test.
 
Electrical wiring and batteries are now included in the test’s scope, but testers already check the vehicle structure where wiring is secured – often along the same routes as other testable items, such as brake pipes in the engine compartment. So again, this doesn’t look like an additional burden on the tester.
 
In the pre-computerisation days, testers often (wrongly) failed vehicles for insecure batteries, so they must have been looking at them then! Now, it means that when we implement the new Directive, vehicles can legitimately fail for battery insecurity, for no extra tester effort.
 
Other items – such as headlamp bulb and unit incompatibility, headlamp levelling devices and illegal engine ‘chipping’ – will need further thought before we can get a workable solution for MOT stations.
 
Some of the new items may require extra effort on the part of the tester – when we know for sure what that is we’ll be talking again with our trade and DfT colleagues to work out what the impact will be.
 
The common EU test certificate should be relatively easy to achieve – the only data that the Directive expects and that we don’t currently provide is the symbol for the vehicle’s country of origin. Probably 99% of vehicles tested will have ‘UK’ entered here, but if you do test vehicles with a foreign plate, you will need to enter the correct country symbol. We may even be able to make this change earlier if there is a convenient opportunity.
 
The MOT trade can rest assured that VOSA is working closely with you to introduce any new elements as efficiently and effectively as possible, with the minimum of fuss. Just as importantly, we are also working closely with Siemens to ensure that any system changes due on New Year’s Eve 2011 go smoothly! We should know more by the time the MOT seminars take place – come along and ask the experts.

[rstaaron]

From VOSA:
 
 
Other items – such as headlamp bulb and unit incompatibility, headlamp levelling devices and illegal engine ‘chipping’ – will need further thought before we can get a workable solution for MOT stations.
 

What constitutes illegal engine chipping?

[massivewangers]

Presumably they'd try and bring in something regarding type approval on the ECU mapping front.

I still don't see it as being workable though. They won't want to plug into every single car, as many MOT places won't have the equipment to read everything and, as Mike said, they can't all be detected anyway.

They can't do a visual check either, as most ECUs are hidden, and they aren't allowed to remove trim and stuff to inspect it. And a plug-in remap doesn't leave a visual trace.

It's just more garbage from the EU. Remapping a car doesn't make a car unsafe anyway, so they should bugger off lol.

[cozmeister]

Remapping a car doesn't make a car unsafe anyway, so they should bugger off lol.

That's debatable.

[massivewangers]

OK, remapping a car doesn't make a car unsafe so long as it isn't done by a moron lol.

Even makes them more economical sometimes. Don't see how the tree huggers can say much against that!