Originally Posted by From another website

There are to be some changes to the MOT test from 1st January 2012 which are being introduced in response to European Commission Directive 2010/48/EU of the 5th July 2010 and which will effect those with aftermarket HID headlights and remapped ECUs:

4.1.4 Compliance with requirements:

(a) Lamp, emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements

(b) Products on lens or light source which obviously reduce light intensity or change emitted colour

© Light source and lamp not compatible

4.1.5. Levelling devices (where mandatory):

(a) Device not operating.

(b) Manual device cannot be operated from driver’s seat.

4.1.6 Headlamp cleaning device (where mandatory):

Device not operating.

For anyone with a remap, section 6.1.9 may be relevant.

6.1.9 Engine performance:

(a) Control unit illegal modified.

(b) Illegal engine modification.

(by 'illegal', it is assumed that they mean changed/programmed differently from OEM specifications)

There will also be a new check on the general condition of the wiring:

4.11. Electrical wiring

(a) Wiring insecure or not adequately secured.

(b) Wiring deteriorated.

© Damaged or deteriorated insulation

and on the function of airbag and seat belt pre-tensioner systems:

7.1.4. Safety belt Pre-tensioners:

Pre-tensioner obviously missing or not suitable with the vehicle.

7.1.5. Airbag:

(a) Airbags obviously missing or not suitable with the vehicle.

(b) Airbag obviously non-operative.

7.1.6. SRS Systems:

SRS MIL indicates any kind of failure of the system.

Originally Posted by 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.

Borrowed from another site, the main issues that concern me are the 'illegal' engine mods and HIDs. I'm pretty stuffed as I have both planned in the next couple months.

Well thats my car going down the scrappy then :L

Jokes

Thats a bit of a pain.

So that would mean my dads chipped passat would be illegal right?

Hes got a seperate unit which is sat under the bonnet , was like 400 quid... Makes it go like 'poo' off a shovel

Edited 12 November, 201015 yr by mpsheen

I cant see how on earth the will enforce ECU remaps, without going into the ECU and checking all the values, and strictly speaking an MOT tester isnt allowed to remove anything from the car, and most ECU's are hidden anyway. If the seperate unit is obviously out of place it might fail, but at the end of the day I think it'll all be down to where you get your MOT done.

I'm still planning to have mine remapped.

Also, I dont see how this will help anyone. It'll put ECU tuning companies out of business, so much for trying to turn the economy around. Go figure

Edited 12 November, 201015 yr by CharlesK

I think this will just force people to try and bribe MOT testers

I know it sounds silly but i know a few people that i could slip a tenner too and thel turn a blind eye to certain things. It puts their job on the line but they know if i got pulled i say i done it after the MOT

I can understand about the controls to play around with the height although , If your at a show or something. you want it accessible to the driver.... I think this will cause people to temporarily put blanking plates in over controls.

I can understand about light emitting and colours, that would just have to be accepted.... Remaps ??.... like the valver one although giving more gain , when driving nicely it helps MPG this should help the emissions right? I think

Edited 12 November, 201015 yr by mpsheen

I cant see how they can check for a remap?

They cant remove it can they ?

I would asume -

If you crashed and it was clear that you have modded your car

Insurance companies may look at engine and the ECU after this????

could void the insurance for not being road legal??? Anyone?

well , in other words they will use it to wriggle out of a payout.

I understand the HID thing , I've seen alot of low end cars which have been converted that really do blind me , but some dont.

Even some newer ones do aswell ocasinaly.

Its the taxi drivers with hids and fog lights that dazzle me into not looking at the road

But alot of ecu remapping companies make their software undetectable, so when you take your car to vw and they plug it into vagcom it does not show that it has been remapped, this is to avoid peoples warranties becoming invalid, so how will MOT test centre be able to know if you have a remapped car or not.

I don't think this will be enforced that highly as think of the time this will add to MOT tests.

I also think the HID things is a bit silly, i understand some chavs buy a cheap hid kit and go around blinding people, but some old cars have terrible standard headlights like candles in jam jars, so fitting a legal HID kit makes sense because you will improve the brightness of your headlights so you can see better and other cars can see you better.

the new laws seem quite difficult to enforce tbh, the HID thing its right you will look like a chavvy and i know i will when i get a HID kit but its for safety more importanty

do you think a chip different from OEM being added would also mean fail?

I suppose it depends on how they define 'illegal'. The assumption is that this will outlaw all ECU remapping, but until the DfT actually decides what this means we can only second-guess this. If remapping was 'illegal', then why has the government allowed the industry to flourish for all this time?

I also agree that if this really is what they mean, then it is going to be very difficult to police.

Does 'illegal' = undeclared on insurance? Or does it mean a remap that worsens the emissions? It's a vague term clearly dropped in there by someone who can't be arsed or hasn't got a fucking clue what they're talking about. Or both.

To actually check this is possible, but MoT stations will need some more advanced kit and training to use it. The big thing that'll stop this is the complexity of getting the information from OEMs to verify this against - manufacturers will use several different software versions and tens, if not hundreds, of different calibrations throughout the lifetime of one particular model of car.

So there'd need to be a database of what software and cal should be flashed onto a car with a specific VIN - and even then that could've been changed by a dealership re-flashing it to a newer software version...

And as for an 'illegal' remap - are they going to put each vehicle through a full EU emissions drivecycle to check it's at least as clean as the original calibration? Or if it's extra power they're concerned about they'll need to dyno every car - on a properly calibrated dyno.

I think this will just force people to try and bribe MOT testers

I can understand about the controls to play around with the height although , If your at a show or something. you want it accessible to the driver.... I think this will cause people to temporarily put blanking plates in over controls.

It means that headlight levelling controls must be accesible to the driver if fitted, nothing to do with the height of the car

And as for an 'illegal' remap - are they going to put each vehicle through a full EU emissions drivecycle to check it's at least as clean as the original calibration? Or if it's extra power they're concerned about they'll need to dyno every car - on a properly calibrated dyno.

But not all engines of the same design will produce the same power.

For example an AFH is said to be 100bhp, but what if they dyno a bog standard one and find its running 105bhp for no reason at all. Are they going to assume its been re-mapped?

Also some manufacturers like BMW seem to change their ECU maps 5+ times for the duration of a model, so how will the MOT station know what map to use?

And if there is confusion, and I think there would be with older cars, will this cause cars to be failed? For example I've seen some car databases bring back a 6n valver registration saying its a 1.4 60 SE, so it obviously thinks it the 8v. So say this happens at the MOT station and they find the car is running the AFH map and 40bhp more than the database says, what happens then?

Then there is the whole line of engine conversions and transplants...will it put an end to that? That alone could see thousands of cars off the road.

I'm confused to what an illegal engine modification actually is....

example: Its not illegal to have a Nos setup fitted, but its illegal to use on public roads so does this make it MOT illegal?

There is a major clampdown on all Aftermarket stuff especially things like non-standard exhausts, think the long run idea is to make car modding illegal.

dodgy mot it is then, fuck em

There is a major clampdown on all Aftermarket stuff especially things like non-standard exhausts, think the long run idea is to make car modding illegal.

I doubt you could make car modding as a whole illegal...or it would be very hard to police as I'll bet 90% of cars over 3 years old are modified from standard spec.

Even something as simple as fitting Halfords own make wiper blades instead of Bosch ones can be classed as a modification.

And all these people that run 'budget' tyres have technically modified their car.

There is a major clampdown on all Aftermarket stuff especially things like non-standard exhausts, think the long run idea is to make car modding illegal.

I doubt you could make car modding as a whole illegal...or it would be very hard to police as I'll bet 90% of cars over 3 years old are modified from standard spec.

Even something as simple as fitting Halfords own make wiper blades instead of Bosch ones can be classed as a modification.

And all these people that run 'budget' tyres have technically modified their car.

exactly. it will be impossible to enforce. its one of those stupid EU things.

Edited 17 November, 201015 yr by Cymro

in france I believe its actually illegal to modify the engines in cars - hence why they drive around in awwwful body kitted cars, its limited to what they can mod.

I think that the illegal side probably refers to the 'chips' on ebay which just force extra fuel in to the engine and therefore wil knacker cats and shove emissions up. If a remap is correctly done it can be more environmentally friendly.

And as for an 'illegal' remap - are they going to put each vehicle through a full EU emissions drivecycle to check it's at least as clean as the original calibration? Or if it's extra power they're concerned about they'll need to dyno every car - on a properly calibrated dyno.

But not all engines of the same design will produce the same power.

For example an AFH is said to be 100bhp, but what if they dyno a bog standard one and find its running 105bhp for no reason at all. Are they going to assume its been re-mapped?

Also some manufacturers like BMW seem to change their ECU maps 5+ times for the duration of a model, so how will the MOT station know what map to use?

And if there is confusion, and I think there would be with older cars, will this cause cars to be failed? For example I've seen some car databases bring back a 6n valver registration saying its a 1.4 60 SE, so it obviously thinks it the 8v. So say this happens at the MOT station and they find the car is running the AFH map and 40bhp more than the database says, what happens then?

Exactly! A slightly crappy AFH only making 100bhp might manage 105bhp with a decent chip, yet a very healthy standard one might make 108bhp. Factor in at least 5% dyno error for variations in the test method (tyre brand/size/pressure, gearing, temperatures etc.) and you'll be very hard pushed to accurately detect a remap through a dyno on a naturally aspirated car.

I mentioned multiple calibrations in my other post - the only way it could be done is for OEMs to publish a list of all of the possible calibrations that could/should be flashed onto a car with a particular VIN. There's no way they'll do that for every car they've ever produced with EFI, collating all the information will be too much of a pain in the arse to back-date.

I suspect that this 'illegal' chipping will apply only to brand new cars - if at all. Maybe the OEMs will be forced to make a calibration filename/reference or checksum readable via the OBDII port for the MoT tester to read back and check. I'm fairly sure that it'd get cracked quickly enough though!

I think it's the forthcoming Euro6 emissions regs that require an OEM to take certain measures to make an ECU tamperproof. It's not like the OEMs don't try to do that anyway, and whatever they do will always be cracked eventually. So it might be that for new Euro6 emissions compatible cars that remaps are only permitted if they have certification to prove the vehicle still meets the emissions standards. Not a bad idea, but one that'll put the price of remaps up - and I doubt MoTs will get any cheaper if they've got to buy more kit to interrogate an ECU.

The above's just speculation on my part, maybe VOSA will have the common sense to ignore that section of the EU regulation - it's easier to apply in countries like France where any engine modifications are illegal.

example: Its not illegal to have a Nos setup fitted, but its illegal to use on public roads so does this make it MOT illegal?

It's NOT illegal to use nitrous on the road!!!

This ECU rule change is totally unpoliceable because of many loopholes. As already mentioned, if it does come into effect, then it will be new cars from a pre-planned date pretty much like the catalytic converter fitted rule August 1992 > cars.

And what about all these new VW'S,AUDIS RANGE ROVERS etc that are fitted with high intensity discharge or (H.I.D) bulbs standard? sounds like cocktoddle to me. and MOT testers arnt aloud to go routing round its only if they look at something and it looks 'unsafe/worn' they can fail it unless they are completly changing the rules now?

And what about all these new VW'S,AUDIS RANGE ROVERS etc that are fitted with high intensity discharge or (H.I.D) bulbs standard? sounds like cocktoddle to me. and MOT testers arnt aloud to go routing round its only if they look at something and it looks 'unsafe/worn' they can fail it unless they are completly changing the rules now?

Car's with them fitted as standard have self levelling control and headlight washers. Its not saying that HID are illegal I think its to police people who use them with out leveling mechs, correct lenses and washer jets.

so were would bike carbs stand in the new laws?

This ECU law is never guna actually become LAW ....... think about it..... all rally cars have to be road legal..... therfore have to pass an MOT..... I'm pretty sure all rally cars arnt running standad mangment !! therefore the whole MSA regulations would have to be re-written and all rally cars taken off the road !!! i dont think so !! its a joke!!