Author Topic: Licensing an import in SA (Read 6865 times)

wasaths · « **on:** June 17, 2009, 12:14:16 am »

I have heard that it is a real drama to license an overseas import in SA. It needs to be stock standard, down to orginal colour, origianl radio etc etc, is this right?
Also licensing a US Muscle car already licensed in WA, what are they rules for these? I know WA is the easiest of the states to get vehicles licensed.
Thanks for any advise. Cheers

66 Hertz · « **Reply #1 on:** June 17, 2009, 01:32:09 pm »

To register a left hand drive vehicle in SA, it needs to be factory standard, little to no modifications are allowed. Once it is registered you will be issued with an exemption notice which allows you to drive it
( LHD vehicle) this has photos of the car inside & out even under the bonnet, you must carry it with you at all times................All the relevant info can be viewed or downloaded from Transport SA website

wasaths · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2009, 02:26:03 pm »

Quote

Originally posted by 66 EMBERGLO COUPE
To register a left hand drive vehicle in SA, it needs to be factory standard, little to no modifications are allowed. Once it is registered you will be issued with an exemption notice which allows you to drive it
( LHD vehicle) this has photos of the car inside & out even under the bonnet, you must carry it with you at all times................All the relevant info can be viewed or downloaded from Transport SA website

I thought that was correct but the other night on Rodders Life I saw quite a few LHD cars on a SA cruise and they were far from unmodified. Any idea how that could be?

66 Hertz · « **Reply #3 on:** June 18, 2009, 07:35:24 pm »

Like everything in life not everyone respects the rules as laid out by our road transport department...Once these cars leave Regency Park people do as they wish to them.......you could to I guess, :2

67TTCoupe · « **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2009, 04:29:26 pm »

or get it converted to RHD and u can do the mods legaly. give Erik a call from Right Conversion for a quote.

DazP · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2009, 09:44:17 pm »

Are we the only state in Australia to have rules this strict?

Seems like a bit of backward logic eg. I can't fit rear discs to my Mustang to make it safer because they weren't fitted with rear discs out the factory.

Anyone know the ruling on Halogen Replacement headlights?

I might be being a bit perdantic but with the minimal safety mods i've listed above could vastly improve safety to the driver, passengers and pedestrians should something happen.

Darren

66 Hertz · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2009, 06:37:06 pm »

Darren I am pretty sure you can change the headlights for halogen ones without any drama.....Dale

67TTCoupe · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2009, 01:36:48 pm »

im not looking forward to Regency ;]

got two more cars to get through before mustang.

u think they notice if I try squize the rear disks brake conversion and ABS system through. though mine being RHD and needing a signature from engineer i thought ill squieeze those mods too. or to play it safe disconnect it and refit later. hmm but i realy wanted to see how good the brakes are on their rollers.

DazP · « **Reply #8 on:** August 03, 2009, 03:31:07 pm »

Quote

Originally posted by 67TTCoupe
im not looking forward to Regency ;]

got two more cars to get through before mustang.

u think they notice if I try squize the rear disks brake conversion and ABS system through. though mine being RHD and needing a signature from engineer i thought ill squieeze those mods too. or to play it safe disconnect it and refit later. hmm but i realy wanted to see how good the brakes are on their rollers.

You'll be right. Apparently the laws are relaxed quite a bit for RHD cars and you'll have it signed off by an engineer too.

The Definition Transport SA use for LHD vehicle's is that they are classified as 'Vintage' therefore need to remain original so not to detract from the vintage nature of the vehicle.

We have fairly strict rules here compared to the rest of the country eg. I heard that they are going to introduce a rule where if a car is unregistered for over 3 months you are required to surrender the licence plate. Now I have a friend who over the coarse of his life has collected some very nice cars about 6 in total. Now he normally registers one for 3 months, takes it to club outings etc. and when it runs out registers another. He will now be required to register all 6 at the sametime in order to keep his personalise plates for them.

gotta love this government.

67TTCoupe · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2009, 04:33:32 pm »

the law with plates was this (is lets say 6month ago) u get any plates if longer than 5 years and unregod u automaticaly loose them unless prior arrangements.

my mate lost his plates for his car once he saw them on someone elses car. wasnt happy what he found out.

i bought mine but not personilised and they will hold them in stock for me for 2 years. after 2 years if i dont put them on the car they go back

but if my car is out of rego for longer than 5 years again i loose them. same goes for normal plates.well thats whats in my contract with them.

i got few cars and occasionaly i hav ethem on seasonal rego. it needs to be registered for at least 3 months per year. minimum requirement for seasonal was 3 months. found that the hard way too.

now what u said is new to me how funny the bastards keep it quiet and then all this new policiees come out of nowhere.

mate i got few words for mr Mike Rann if i ever cross paths with him. and they wont be nice.

matttyler · « **Reply #10 on:** August 03, 2009, 07:59:26 pm »

There seems to be quite a few LHD queries in SA lately which is a good thing !!!

Like most things there is a lot about the LHD thing that doesnt make sense esp when it comes to safety upgrades ie you can even register the car with no seat belts at all. Yet if you have American spec belts it wont go through ? I know what I would prefer !!

On the positive side it wasnt that long ago that you couldnt register a LHD car at all. Then it went to you had to have a massive warning label on the back of the car then to what we have now.

The thing I am worried about is a Co2 emission tax or even worse a max acceptable level. It will come it is a matter of when !!!!

Cheers
Matt

69candy · « **Reply #11 on:** August 03, 2009, 11:39:57 pm »

I guess I'm lucky out here in country SA. I'm going through the local historical society for my club rego. You can still drive it so many days a year and as long as it looks original when they inspect it every year they are pretty happy. Cannnot do to much, but I thought he said safety upgrades were allowed.

67TTCoupe · « **Reply #12 on:** August 06, 2009, 05:21:41 pm »

hmm i just wonder mine has been imported back in 93 as 15 years or older vehicle. now not sure if that means the car has to be converted or could stay lhd.

but im assuming regardless of import date i still have to comply with the current rules not the ones set back in 1993.

though mine has been converted to rhd so not sure y im worried so much even with planned mods should be ok........ just hope engineering cost are not ridicilus.

DazP · « **Reply #13 on:** August 06, 2009, 07:59:26 pm »

Quote

Originally posted by 67TTCoupe
hmm i just wonder mine has been imported back in 93 as 15 years or older vehicle. now not sure if that means the car has to be converted or could stay lhd.

but im assuming regardless of import date i still have to comply with the current rules not the ones set back in 1993.

though mine has been converted to rhd so not sure y im worried so much even with planned mods should be ok........ just hope engineering cost are not ridicilus.

Yeah it's the current rules that you'll need to abide by. I'd check with an engineer or Transport SA to see what they say about your mods. Hopefully they don't need to do drive by tests etc.

A mate of mine was required to do this for a heavily engineered SIII RX7 with about 240rwkw 5 or so years ago. Back then they make you hire out a track or something to do brake, steering, drive by noise test etc. That sort of testing is where the money is.

This was a fairly extreme case, one of the guys down at regency was chatting to another mate of mine who was there getting a skyline registered and told him there was a certain blue RX7 that they were pulling out all stops not to let through...... :[

67TTCoupe · « **Reply #14 on:** August 07, 2009, 03:36:23 pm »

yeah thats why im only taking it through with the stock carbed 302 that come with it.

but will like to get the brake upgrade thrown in but i see what engineer says.

if too difficult i take the extra fancy stuff off and refit it once it passed the rego.

engine that im refiiting still going to be 302 with bit off extra on the sides :+

as long as u not an idiot police are good. even with engineering u still not out of the woods and can get a defect if u a smarta$$ or being an idiot on the road. they find something :-

Licensing an import in SA

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Author Topic: Licensing an import in SA (Read 6865 times)