turning a private 4x4 into a commerical

andyone

i have recently accquired a suzuki grand vitara... and was wondering... what the procedure and cost are for turning it into a commerical.... any input would be grateful..

Eric Cartman

if its on irish plates then you have to take out the seats, tint the back windows, put metal behind them and weld in a floor.

if its on uk or other plates you have to pay the full 36% vrt then do the above


I converted a jeep myeself for about 200 euro in materials. A company will charge you 1000 or so

andyone

thanks eric..... that sums it up in a nut shell...think i'll just rip the engine out and give my old commercial a heart beat again......cheaper and easier option me thinks....

aujopimur

Eric Cartman wrote: »

if its on irish plates then you have to take out the seats, tint the back windows, put metal behind them and weld in a floor.
No need to tint or sheet metal to windows.
if its on uk or other plates you have to pay the full 36% vrt then do the above
If it's on uk plates you convert it including blanking the windows and then pay commercial VRT.

I converted a jeep myeself for about 200 euro in materials. A company will charge you 1000 or so

Don't forget to remove seat belts and plug the bolt holes with plastic metal.

doctorchopper

aujopimur wrote: »

Don't forget to remove seat belts and plug the bolt holes with plastic metal.

They won't accept plastic metal anymore,has to be welded. Recently went through the process and before the inspector even looked at it he said it needs to be welded no plastic metal. Side windows on mine were just carpeted over and floor had a steel plate put in but it wasn't welded and he never checked that.

Gryphoncr

Hi, are you sure Eric Cartman about paying the full vrt and then converting? I converted a uk reg lwb Shogun about 3 yrs ago and I did not have to pay vrt at private rate. I think you are more likely to run into issues with the wheelbase as If I remember rightly the load space has to be a certain percentage of the overall which it was always more expensive to vrt a swb jeep than a lwb. Rate on a swb was 13.5%. This is assuming the rules have not changed in the meantime. Perhaps they have!

doctorchopper

The rules have changed a lot in the last couple years. There is no longer a 50 euro class its all 13.3% unless its in the heavy vehicle class then its 200 euro. The major change is for new vehicles,they have to come converted from the factory now. Camper vans have changed too, its also 13.3% where it used to be 50 euro

gofaster_s13

If it's Irish regged then all you need to do is remove seats and seat belts, plug the bolt holes(yes chemical metal will do) and get a DOE test, no need to fit a flat floor, or blank out windows. If its on UK plates then you will have to blank out windows, fit flat floor, and weld seat and seat belt mounting holes before revenue will pass it as a commercial.

andyone

thank you gofaster.... its really that simple then.... who would you have to go to ... is there much/any paper work to changing it over.... and at what cost....

doctorchopper

andyone wrote: »

thank you gofaster.... its really that simple then.... who would you have to go to ... is there much/any paper work to changing it over.... and at what cost....

I did it 2 years ago and was a simple process if its already irish registered. First you need to do the conversion (seats out, seat belts out, metal floor plate ect..) then you need to take it to a weight bridge and weight it, i took mine to roadstone. Then you need to get a doe done. You ned a rf1a1a form signed by the guards http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/MotorTax/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,23874,en.pdf, then you need to go to motortax office, fill out a rf111 http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/MotorTax/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,495,en.pdf

A inspector from the motortax office will inspect the conversion, this is where they told me liquid metal is not accepted to plug seat belt holes. That is all you need to do.Best to wait until your private tax has run its date as you won't get a refund on it.

101sean

That may have changed slightly, from the Defender CSW to Utility thread -

First off, you need to do the work, blank out the windows, remove the bench seats in the boot, and put in a permenant bulkhead.

Then, you need a qualified individual (which seems to be anyone with a level 7 qualification in engineering and 7 years experience) to inspect and sign a form saying the job is done correctly. then you send this form, along with a form regarding proof of ownership, proof of business (for commercial tax), and what modifications have occurred.

Send that to Revenue in Waterford, they'll send you back a certificate or the likes, go to the tax office with that and the vehicle, they will have someone inspect it and then you get it re-registered, apparently, for free according to the woman in the tax office i was talking to!!

-Corkie-

So what is the smallest commercial I can import that will qualify for the 200 euro VRT??

101sean

It should be pure LWB factory built jeeps and vans with loadspace greater than 45% of wheelbase or capacity of over 1 tonne that are €200. However the Revenue site is really vague at what exactly constitutes Category B and C vehicles.

doctorchopper

101sean wrote: »

It should be pure LWB factory built jeeps and vans with loadspace greater than 45% of wheelbase or capacity of over 1 tonne that are €200. However the Revenue site is really vague at what exactly constitutes Category B and C vehicles.

No Cat B and C anymore, if its under 1 tonne its 13.3% vrt. Here is the calculator for commercials

https://www.ros.ie/evrt-enquiry/vrtenquiry.html?execution=e1s10

101sean

Typical, Revenue site out of date, thanks for clearing that up.

There's loads of duplication and missing models in the Land Rover category in that calculator and it doesn't cover variations over 1tonne. 110HCPU and all variants of the 130 should be €200 VRT then as they all have 1 tonne or more payload but aren't listed. Also the 110 hardtop has a payload of 1 tonne but comes out as 13.3%

doctorchopper

101sean wrote: »

Typical, Revenue site out of date, thanks for clearing that up.

There's loads of duplication and missing models in the Land Rover category in that calculator and it doesn't cover variations over 1tonne. 110HCPU and all variants of the 130 should be €200 VRT then as they all have 1 tonne or more payload but aren't listed. Also the 110 hardtop has a payload of 1 tonne but comes out as 13.3%

Yes its very frustrating, you can never get a straight answer out of them either, i've been stung a few times with uk imports. Its hit and miss bringing in imports,