Down rating vehicle weight

stezie

Has anyone successfully lowered the vehicle weight of their van?

my conversion is ready for SQI, but I need to change my Peugeot Boxer for 4005kg to 3500kg for driving license purposes.

I rang my local dealer and the main distributor in Dublin asking for a new chassis plate.. they dont seem to know what Im talking about and have never sold one apparantly.

based on the rsa website

Step 3: A new weights and dimensions plate or statutory plate will need to be
fitted to your vehicle outlining the lower or higher DGVW. This can only be done
by the original manufacturer or authorised distributor. The new plate is required
regardless of whether any physical modification takes place.



I am going in circles with Peugeot, so just wondering if any one has gone down this path, is there an easier way of going about it.

contrary_devil

Google is your friend, this might help you http://www.motorcaravanningireland.org/189814512

stezie

contrary_devil wrote: »

Google is your friend, this might help you http://www.motorcaravanningireland.org/189814512

Google has not been friendly so far, hence this post.. This link doesn't provide any solution on how to get a new / amended VIN plate.

alias no.9

Have you had it on a weighbridge yet? A boxer wouldn't typically be over 3500kgs unless it was custom built and a 505kg downgrade seems a lot unless you've stripped out a lot of weight and camper conversions usually add weight. What was its original purposes?

alias no.9

Just checked on the name of the company I know that others have used for changing MAM

http://www.svtech.co.uk/

Not sure what their status will be with respect to EU certification post Brexit transition period

stezie

It was a fully kitted out ambulance for the Scottish ambulance service with heavy equipment such as rear folding tail lift and hydraulic piston system that lowered the rear suspension. All this medical related equipment, bed anchors, wiring, gas cylinders, several crash rated passenger seats, winches, patients, 2 passengers, 2 ambulance crew, and so on, was a lot of weight and has been removed.

Its the L4H3 model. Its now under 2.5t as it is, converted for my needs.

I just need to source a new VIN plate now

alias no.9

stezie wrote: »

It was a fully kitted out ambulance for the Scottish ambulance service with heavy equipment such as rear folding tail lift and hydraulic piston system that lowered the rear suspension. All this medical related equipment, bed anchors, wiring, gas cylinders, several crash rated passenger seats, winches, patients, 2 passengers, 2 ambulance crew, and so on, was a lot of weight and has been removed.

Its the L4H3 model. Its now under 2.5t as it is, converted for my needs.

I just need to source a new VIN plate now

Fair enough, that's a big weight reduction, like I said, it's rare not to add weight in a conversion. Try contacting SV Tech, linked above.

stezie

alias no.9 wrote: »

Just checked on the name of the company I know that others have used for changing MAM

http://www.svtech.co.uk/

Not sure what their status will be with respect to EU certification post Brexit transition period

I will certainly email them, but going by the RSA website, as they are not the manufacturer/ main distributors of the vehicle, I'm not sure if they will be permitted to create and attach a new VIN plate. And as they are based in the UK, that will be a logistical challenge..

alias no.9

stezie wrote: »

I will certainly email them, but going by the RSA website, as they are not the manufacturer/ main distributors of the vehicle, I'm not sure if they will be permitted to create and attach a new VIN plate. And as they are based in the UK, that will be a logistical challenge..

Because you're down plating, it should be a paperwork exercise as long as you can provide an unladen weight certificate from an authorised weighbridge and you are deemed to have sufficient payload within the new MAM. Shouldn't be difficult if you're under 2500kg unladen and plating to 3500kg.

stezie

alias no.9 wrote: »

Because you're down plating, it should be a paperwork exercise as long as you can provide an unladen weight certificate from an authorised weighbridge and you are deemed to have sufficient payload within the new MAM. Shouldn't be difficult if you're under 2500kg unladen and plating to 3500kg.

Obtaining a new VIN plate is my issue. The paperwork checks out.

Surely the vehicle wont pass CVRT if the VIN plate doesn't match the vehicle record details?

alias no.9

stezie wrote: »

Obtaining a new VIN plate is my issue. The paperwork checks out.

Surely the vehicle wont pass CVRT if the VIN plate doesn't match the vehicle record details?

SV Tech issue plates

niloc1951

SVtech are the people to talk to, give them a ring they are very friendly.
SVtech will issue a new plate for 3,500kg GVW, which would have been the original GVW ex factory, and provide a certificate which is acceptable to the RSA.
The new plate, which is a stick-on foil type, is dated so it supersedes the original if anyone is inspecting it.
It's a well-trodden path which a good friend of mine travelled this time last year.

alias no.9

Do you have an SQI lined up? Is there a reason they can't do this for you as part of the signoff? Like I said it's a paperwork exercise to downplate provided you're not taking the piss with payload.

stezie

niloc1951 wrote: »

SVtech are the people to talk to, give them a ring they are very friendly.
SVtech will issue a new plate for 3,500kg GVW, which would have been the original GVW ex factory, and provide a certificate which is acceptable to the RSA.
The new plate, which is a stick-on foil type, is dated so it supersedes the original if anyone is inspecting it.
It's a well-trodden path which a good friend of mine travelled this time last year.

Good to hear! I will definitely reach out to them now.

alias no.9 wrote: »

Do you have an SQI lined up? Is there a reason they can't do this for you as part of the signoff? Like I said it's a paperwork exercise to downplate provided you're not taking the piss with payload.

Yeah the SQI said he can stamp the modification report to reflect the weight. But its the physical VIN plate that is the problem.

contrary_devil

stezie wrote: »

Google has not been friendly so far, hence this post.. This link doesn't provide any solution on how to get a new / amended VIN plate.

stezie wrote: »

I will certainly email them, but going by the RSA website, as they are not the manufacturer/ main distributors of the vehicle, I'm not sure if they will be permitted to create and attach a new VIN plate. And as they are based in the UK, that will be a logistical challenge..

Google hasn't been your friend because you don't bother to take the time to read or bother typing in the Google search box, all I did was type in "downrating a vehicle" and a number of items came up for me, including the link I provided which DOES PROVIDE A SOLUTION had you bothered to read it. It mentions and provides a link to SV Tech which others specifically mentioned and now you are going to mail them.

colm_mcm

alias no.9 wrote: »

Have you had it on a weighbridge yet? A boxer wouldn't typically be over 3500kgs unless it was custom built and a 505kg downgrade seems a lot unless you've stripped out a lot of weight and camper conversions usually add weight. What was its original purposes?

Here and in the uk, most of the big Ducatos/Boxers tend to be 3.5t GVW so you can drive them on a car licence, in most other markets they are 4t.

There are some rated above 3.5t, like minibuses, and some vans, and of course ambulances like the OPs.

Nothing to do with the kerbweight as such.

stezie

contrary_devil wrote: »

Google hasn't been your friend because you don't bother to take the time to read or bother typing in the Google search box, all I did was type in "downrating a vehicle" and a number of items came up for me, including the link I provided which DOES PROVIDE A SOLUTION had you bothered to read it. It mentions and provides a link to SV Tech which others specifically mentioned and now you are going to mail them.

You obviously like to rant with out any constructive comments?

First search result for "downrating a vehicle" shows you the RSA website, correct?

The link takes you to a PDF on down rating a vehicle in Ireland, correct?

Review page 2..

Contact your vehicle’s original manufacturer or authorised distributor. A
vehicle’s DGVW should never be changed without the original manufacturer’s
approval.

SVTECH is a UK company and does not appear to be either a manufacturer of Peugeot Vehicles, or authorised distributor, correct?


RSA ( Road Safety Authority) regularly set up check points to review road safety. Some of these checks is reviewing Driving licence and Vehicle weights, etc of the vehicle being used.

I really don't want to go about this illegally and have my license removed so I came to this forum for advise. Which I have now got. I will confirm with the RSA also on using SVTECH for my own records.

Nobody here needs a keyboard warrior, pretending they have turf on this forum telling people to literally F off and use google, without any constructive information...


Oh and by the way most other links in that google search come back from UK hosted websites, there is very little clear information on this exact process in Ireland.

stezie

colm_mcm wrote: »

Here and in the uk, most of the big Ducatos/Boxers tend to be 3.5t GVW so you can drive them on a car licence, in most other markets they are 4t.

There are some rated above 3.5t, like minibuses, and some vans, and of course ambulances like the OPs.

Nothing to do with the kerbweight as such.

Correct , mines is the 440 model - 4.0 tonnes / 4,005kg GVW

https://www.parkers.co.uk/vans-pickups/peugeot/boxer/2006-dimensions/

Padre_Pio

I called SVtech this year about down rating a transit jumbo.

Cost was about £200 and they just needed some pictures of the VIN plates.
I didn't end up going for it, but they were no hassle to deal with over the phone.

alias no.9

colm_mcm wrote: »

Here and in the uk, most of the big Ducatos/Boxers tend to be 3.5t GVW so you can drive them on a car licence, in most other markets they are 4t.

There are some rated above 3.5t, like minibuses, and some vans, and of course ambulances like the OPs.

Nothing to do with the kerbweight as such.

The kerb weight is only mentioned in the context of anyone who'll sign off a vehicle with a 3400kg unladen weight with a 3500kg MAM is a cowboy. The driver would have to choose between having a dinner or putting €5 in diesel for fear of ending up overloaded.

stezie

Padre_Pio wrote: »

I called SVtech this year about down rating a transit jumbo.

Cost was about £200 and they just needed some pictures of the VIN plates.
I didn't end up going for it, but they were no hassle to deal with over the phone.

£200, wow OK. seems alot for what it is.

Although, It still works out cheaper for me, than getting a new licence. Plus I would need a HGV vehicle test which is is twice the price of the LGV test

contrary_devil

stezie wrote: »

You obviously like to rant with out any constructive comments?

First search result for "downrating a vehicle" shows you the RSA website, correct?

Indeed correct, but the 2nd result is
GVW Uprate/Downrate - www.motorcaravanningireland.org

www.motorcaravanningireland.org



Which given the subject of your op might have been an obvious read seeing as the 1st had nothing useful for you.



SVTECH is a UK company and does not appear to be either a manufacturer of Peugeot Vehicles, or authorised distributor, correct?




Nobody here needs a keyboard warrior, pretending they have turf on this forum telling people to literally F off and use google, without any constructive information...


I shan't be bothered helping you any more if that's how you view me, I thought the link I provided had very useful information including the svtech website which you say you are going to investigate. :rolleyes:


Oh and by the way most other links in that google search come back from UK hosted websites, there is very little clear information on this exact process in Ireland.

Goodbye

stezie

contrary_devil wrote: »

Goodbye

Yes please... we need modern websites, with accurate information, with out the keyboard warrior attitude...

http://www.motorcaravanningireland.org/189814512

This is not a credible source of information for me. They are not the legal authority, and have obsolete information.. Where here does it mention the VIN plate requirement? The VIN plate is what Im looking for..

Also this page attempts to link to the RSA website. That page is so old the links don't work any more...

the next few google links after that link to UK pages... so go Google, right?

Padre_Pio

stezie wrote: »

£200, wow OK. seems alot for what it is.

Although, It still works out cheaper for me, than getting a new licence. Plus I would need a HGV vehicle test which is is twice the price of the LGV test

I was in the same boat as you, camper conversion, looking at a jumbo dually.

I weighed up the pros and cons and ultimately I bought a 3.5 ton rated van. Downplating is cheaper than getting the license (cost, lessons time) but it's still a pain.

Call them tomorrow and see what they say. They'll give you all the info over the phone.

niloc1951

stezie wrote: »

Yes please... we need modern websites, with accurate information, with out the keyboard warrior attitude...

http://www.motorcaravanningireland.org/189814512

This is not a credible source of information for me. They are not the legal authority, and have obsolete information.. Where here does it mention the VIN plate requirement? The VIN plate is what Im looking for..

Also this page attempts to link to the RSA website. That page is so old the links don't work any more...

the next few google links after that link to UK pages... so go Google, right?

The RSA is not the most creditable source for this information. Down plating light vehicles for motorhome use is a relatively new phenonem here in Ireland plus there are no written procedures available to complete such a project, making it an awkward and difficult preceedure to navigate.

SVTech are an authorised SQI for this work and are well familiar with the process SEE HERE and are recognised by the RSA. As are other Auto Engineers here in Ireland.

As for using SVTech, a friend got his motorhome based on a Mercedes Sprinter uprated from 3,8t to 4.0t last year with no problems.

stezie

niloc1951 wrote: »

The RSA is not the most creditable source for this information. Down plating light vehicles for motorhome use is a relatively new phenonem here in Ireland plus there are no written procedures available to complete such a project, making it an awkward and difficult preceedure to navigate.

Agreed.

stezie

So as an FYI, The RSA is not accepting the paperwork from SVTECH.

I have spent weeks being bounced between the motortax office, revenue, RSA, CVRT test center, etc...

This was a waste of effort, and money...

Peugeot them selves are not helpful.

Any advise?

autumnalcore

What was their justification for not accepting it, of they havnt provided a concrete reason write to the to minister.

autumnalcore

If they have provided a valid reason for refusal talk to your local approved test centre that does masses and dimensions.

stezie

the response I received from the RSA is as follows:



A vehicle has been converted from M2, M3, N2 or N3 to N1 since its last CVR test. For these conversions, a letter on official headed paper from the manufacturer or his authorised distributor is required to accompany the modification report in order to affirm the suitability of the type of modification which has been undertaken.



The paperwork from SvTech is not sufficient for this vehicle to be tested as an LCV, in the absence of a letter from the manufacturer.

Padre_Pio

stezie wrote: »

the response I received from the RSA is as follows:



A vehicle has been converted from M2, M3, N2 or N3 to N1 since its last CVR test. For these conversions, a letter on official headed paper from the manufacturer or his authorised distributor is required to accompany the modification report in order to affirm the suitability of the type of modification which has been undertaken.



The paperwork from SvTech is not sufficient for this vehicle to be tested as an LCV, in the absence of a letter from the manufacturer.

Call the Peugeot garage and see if they'll write a note?