engine size on logbook...

[Storm]

iv seen alot of cars advertised recently statin that they are for example, a 2.0 but 1.6 "on the taxbook." for "cheap insurance"
how does this work? are you not meant to give the dvlni the details of an engine change therefore changin the details on the taxbook.
if they are deliberatly not tellin the dvlni then how does this work when it comes to an MOT? does the MOT not check the engine in the car to make sure its the right engine?
i imagine that not tellin the dvlni would be dodgy but how do so many people get away with it?
and if i were considerin doin an engine transplant for a larger unit what are the risks when gettin the car mot'd?

 

[m00k]

illegal and u wont b covered by insurance

not worth even botherin insurin it, seen the police do the odd check on engine no's etc, even if u go to get it changed by official channels insurers and dvlni will expect to see engineers reports etc to make sure its all safe and brakes/suspension engine mounts etc been uprated accordingly

 

[Storm]

how come there are so many other people doin it? its not even as if they are tryin top hide it coz they are advertisin the fact that they have changed the engine in the advert...

 

[big cyril]

how come there are so many other people doin it? its not even as if they are tryin top hide it coz they are advertisin the fact that they have changed the engine in the advert...

Loads seem to do it in, but the question I'd ask is that if they are sufficiently dodgy to do that then that most likely is reflective of their attitude generally and that would make them the sort of person I'd rather not buy a car off.

 

[Storm]

Loads seem to do it in, but the question I'd ask is that if they are sufficiently dodgy to do that then that most likely is reflective of their attitude generally and that would make them the sort of person I'd rather not buy a car off.

this is a very good point cyril...

but what im really tryin to figure out is how these people are managin to get away with doin engine upgrades and still managin to get their cars MOT'd?
do MOT inspectors not look at engines or summat? coz i know bugger all about engines but even i would know that a 2L lump sittin in a 1.4 would look different so how do they not question it if its a legal requirement to declare it?

 

[Gaz]

A lot of people seem to close their eyes to the fact that it's illegal ............. I've no idea how they get through the MOT but you will find that most of the cases involving engines sizes differing on logbooks are Southern ones, so perhaps there is some loophole in the NCT which allows for it.

Either way, stating the wrong engine size on your logbook will invalidate your MOT and insurance and isn't really worth it. If you're going to do that you may as well not insure it at all as it will be a waste of money.

Gaz

 

[Storm]

A lot of people seem to close their eyes to the fact that it's illegal ............. I've no idea how they get through the MOT but you will find that most of the cases involving engines sizes differing on logbooks are Southern ones, so perhaps there is some loophole in the NCT which allows for it.

Either way, stating the wrong engine size on your logbook will invalidate your MOT and insurance and isn't really worth it. If you're going to do that you may as well not insure it at all as it will be a waste of money.

Gaz

definatly know what ur sayin but i could probably list a dozen different cars, all northern regs, all advertised on northern cruisin sites, with full MOT's and the wrong engines in em...

it just baffles the life outa me how someone can be failed for an mot because their headlight is half a degree out of alignment or their suspension is sittin 5mm too low but if they were to double the size of their engine there wouldnt be a word said about it...

 

[brisa]

It seems quite popular in Mini's where a 998cc a series and a 1380 race motor look exactly the same on the outside.

Same applies really to pinto's found in capris that always seem to be bumped from a 1.6 to a 2.0 etc. Not real way to tell other than the seriels. Always wondered what happens when emmossion time comes? do they have a set level for all cars or do 1.6 have to meet less than a 2.0 etc. Therefore a car being tested as a 1.6 with a 2.0 lump would sail over etc? I dunno, maybe someone could clear that up for me too. What stopped me swapping motors in my mini.

 

[Lee]

Either way, stating the wrong engine size on your logbook will invalidate your MOT and insurance and isn't really worth it. If you're going to do that you may as well not insure it at all as it will be a waste of money.

Gaz

this was exactly what i was thinking. if you have done an engine transplant and it hasn't been declared, what happens if you write the car off - insurance won't cover you, never mind worrying about police, mot etc

 

[hutchy_belfast]

this was exactly what i was thinking. if you have done an engine transplant and it hasn't been declared, what happens if you write the car off - insurance won't cover you, never mind worrying about police, mot etc

Not that I condone thise engine swapping crap but lets be honest here, if insurance don't want to pay out a claim they won't. 99.9% of people on this forum with modified cars probably aren't properly insured, whether it be "under my dad's name" insurance or not declaring mod's. Insurance know about it, they aren't stupid, but its free money for them and they will take your 2 grand no sweat and know that if you write someone off and file a 10k claim they can walk away laughing because you didn't declare your clear indicators or somesuch and they wont pay.

 

[Cess]

To be honest, the MOT guys don't give a fook what engine is in the thing, as long as its tidy safe and passes.

I have never seen any MOT tester check the engine numbers.

 

[AMG]

And just because the engine isn't declared on the tax book, doesn't mean the car isn't insured with the conversion (although I'd say the majority aren't). We've had cars here with bigger engines than what they should have, but never changed the details on the tax boo, but paid the extra insurance....

 

[TheLarneMan]

The fun factor of having a small car with a big engine is tops. The down side is all the legal requirements that most people ignore.

The majority don't think it through properly when they decide to change the engine. The easy part is dropping the engine in. The hard part is insuring it. I have lost count of the number of insurance companies I have contacted in the last month to get a quote for my 205 Mi16. ONE company gave me a quote that insured all the mods I have made.

It's really annoying when you see and hear of people driving around in cars with bigger engines that are not legal. Even worse is when they bragg about it being insured and taxed as a bog standard 1.4 when under the bonnet is a 2.0 turbo!!

If people can't afford the whole package of increased insurance and the hassle of updating all their documents they should stick to their smaller engined cars or keep their uninsured converted cars for trackdays.

 

[GTTurbo]

Most starlet turbos come with the log book stating 1330cc, with the correct VIN number and engine code, although the engine is turbocharged...... theres nothing dogdy about my engine or my car. its always been insured as a GT turbo by me, ya do get the lower band road tax for her tho, since she is exempt from catalytic converter testing.....

 

[Pocket_rocket]

the turbo side of things is not normally noted on the log book, just engine size, my 200sx doesnt mention anything about a turbo in the tax book but when you ring an insurance company they will know if its turbo'd or not standard.
as for driving about with another engine than whats insured its a bad idea. all you need is a picky copper and he willl impound the car, you lose the books and the insurance company does you for fraud. thats not a good thing on your record.
although i did find that flux were able to quote me cheaper on the hyundai when it was modded to 190bhp than most other companies were quoting me on her totally standard.

 

[Lyons]

Are flux good for remaps?

 

[slinky2000]

flux can be goodand bad depending on your circumstances.

if you've a clean record with a modded car there usually cheeper from ehat I've found.

its a damm shame they don't insure in the south!

 

[Neil G]

Most starlet turbos come with the log book stating 1330cc, with the correct VIN number and engine code, although the engine is turbocharged...... theres nothing dogdy about my engine or my car. its always been insured as a GT turbo by me, ya do get the lower band road tax for her tho, since she is exempt from catalytic converter testing.....

i got a quote from my insurance company for one of these, they said theyv no record of them having a turbo in them and altho i told them this is how the car came from the factory with the turbo they still quoted me for an ordinary 1300 cc and was real cheap, i still wouldnt want to run the risk though.

 

[marky]

ok should always tell your insurance company but as for mot think it seems to be if it is well fitted ect a blind eye is turned.....just depends how well its been done........

 

[CapMan]

i got a quote from my insurance company for one of these, they said theyv no record of them having a turbo in them and altho i told them this is how the car came from the factory with the turbo they still quoted me for an ordinary 1300 cc and was real cheap, i still wouldnt want to run the risk though.

Thats because they are all imports. The insurance company will either not cover imports or they just won't be on their computer system to be able to give you a quote, so in their eyes it 'doesn't exist'!