The ITV, the reforms and the scares

It can be said that the ITV is the dentist of the cars: no one is calm. It is that although we have taken the car out of the workshop half an hour before and they have guaranteed us that everything is perfect, as we get closer to the technical inspection station the nerves take over all of us and they will not go away until we get the validity certificate. Well, perhaps the nervousness will temporarily turn into anger when paying, since depending on which community we are in, the revision can cost 55 euros.

As expected, the nerves can be triggered if we have done some reform to the vehicle and it is that with the third revision of the Vehicle Reforms Manual published in September 2016 and which came into force in January 2017, everything is a bit uphill for those who are passionate about customization, so I am going to explain little by little the steps to follow to pass the ITV to a vehicle with any modification is a success. To avoid going to infinity in this article I will focus on the vehicles of the category M₁, understanding as such those motor vehicles designed and manufactured mainly for the transport of people and their luggage, with a maximum of 8 seats and in which all passengers must be seated.

Modifications and ITV

First of all I have to clarify that, with regard to what is an approval, the concept of reform can be misleading many people when it comes to wanting to make a reform and/or standardize it. Right now, any modification, substitution, action, addition or deletion made to a vehicle that changes the characteristics by which [the vehicle] can be defined can be considered a reform.

As expected, this statement is neither clear nor concise. An example can be the steering wheel change. For those who change it (and for me) the fact of replacing the steering wheel with another does not make our car stop being defined as such. If any of us see a BMW E30 down the street, whatever steering wheel you drive, it will still be a BMW E30 and you won't need to be an expert to “define” it. However, those who charge for everything do not fail to see a reason to make cash. Of course, if the steering wheel does not have an airbag and the diameter is not modified by more than 10%, it is not considered a reform. How many cars today do not have airbags?

This is so because in the definition of the vehicle understood as such for the purposes of homologation and included in Annex I of the directive 2007/46/EC, almost all parts of the car are taken into account. Among the things that we can read, it can be seen how when homologating a vehicle, even the range of adjustment positions of the driver's seat is taken into account (point 9.10.3.7). Having said this, some may think that the only thing we can do is change the location of the cigarette lighter to be able to charge the mobile, right? Neither; The directive does not say anything about the lighter, but it does about the diagrams and location of the electrical system. In short, we will soon have to pass the ITV if we put a sticker on the car...

Ensuring the success of a reform

To avoid problems when passing the ITV with any type of reform carried out on our vehicles, we must be extremely rigorous throughout the process, since said reform is just an idea until we consider the work finished. In addition, being clear about the entire process before starting will also allow us to get an idea of ​​the costs that we are going to incur, which will not be few.

The first thing we must take into account is that in the event that the reform requires the incorporation of pieces, be they many or few, each and every one of these parts must be approved. Any work, however perfect it may be, if it contains non-approved material, cannot be legalized. In addition, we must keep all the necessary documentation to demonstrate the validity of the spare parts used.

Once the reform is finished we must require a workshop certificate detailing the brand, model, homologation number and marking of the parts added to our vehicle. With this certificate and with the documentation of the parts added to the car, we have a period of 15 days to pass the technical inspection of our vehicle. This certificate will only be given to us by a legal workshop, so you also have to be careful with pirate workshops.

Take as an example the problem of tow hooks. Once a tow hook has been installed, we must make an appointment at the ITV and go with the car, the hitch documentation and the certificate from the workshop that assembled it. Once the suitability of the work has been verified, they will reflect in the vehicle's technical sheet that this accessory has been mounted.

If we mount a tow hook when we buy the car and do not regularize it, pass the first ITV It may happen that the hitch model is no longer manufactured and therefore its homologation has expired, that the regulations change and the hitch is no longer covered by it, or that the workshop that assembled it for us has closed or simply changed its company name and can make us the certificate. Then the fastest and cheapest thing to do is to replace the hitch and put a new one. And this is valid for one hitch or for any addition without modification that we do in our car (spoiler, towing hook, side steps...).

Technical project

When the reform of our car includes the replacement, modification or removal of any part we have a very high probability that a technical project will be required of us. This study must correctly identify both the vehicle and the technician who signs it, and is divided into several correctly detailed parts:

• Conference proceedings which must include the identification data of the vehicle, the description of the reform, the legal basis on which it is based to request said reform, and the characteristics of the car before and after the reform.
• Supporting calculationss on the feasibility of the project, its impact on the active and passive safety of the vehicle and any possible alteration of the distribution of weights between axles.
• Specifications that collects the quality of the materials used and the modification processes, accompanied by all the permits, authorizations, documentation...
• Budget
• Plans that collect the diagrams of the vehicle before and after the reform and in which all the modified, added or eliminated parts are clearly recognized.
• Work completion certification that guarantees that the entire process has been carried out in accordance with the previous points of the project.

A very silly detail that many people forget with the new technologies is that when printing the technical project, it must be ensured that the reason for the writing appears on all the pages as a header or footer, that all sheets are perfectly numbered and that this numbering also includes the total number of pages of the project.

Compliance report

The conformity report guarantees that the reform of the vehicle has been carried out in accordance with current regulations in the matter.

The modifications that require the presentation of a technical project must include the conformity report together with the plans and the completion certification. In the case of minor reforms that do not require the project, the compliance report is usually included in the same workshop certificate, although one should always make sure that it has all the documentation.

Legalize the reform

Lucky for us, the list of reforms that require the specific approval of the ITV, even being very complete, is more summarized than that of the homologation. In addition, it is written in a clearer way and in the same application forms for approval of the reform they inform us what documentation we must provide.

For example, the relocation of the rear license plate can be legalized with the workshop certificate and the conformity report. However, if we have a convertible and we put a safety arch on it, the technical project, the completion certification, the conformity report and the workshop certificate will be required.

Once at the ITV station, the verification will be carried out with the car stopped, with all levels at maximum (supposedly also the fuel level) and with all the equipment and accessories necessary for its operation. As a curiosity, in the case of motorhomes it is required that the clean water tank is full but the waste water tank is empty.

Once the inspection is finished, the ITV station itself will reflect the reform in the technical file of the vehicle, we will be able to modify the insurance policy by adding the modifications made. And so it only remains drive calmly and safely.

Undeclared reforms

With how easy it is to do things right, there will always be those who prefer to do it wrong and are surprised when the first scare comes. If we do not have an addition legalized, such as a trailer hitch, it may happen that they do not fine. If we are already talking about modifications that affect the chassis, such as the use of tires that are not equivalent to the original ones, the authorities can immobilize the vehicle (in addition to fining us, of course).

The same thing happens with insurance. It may be the case that someone mounts a front grille type "killer” and do not state it on your insurance policy. It is true that the insurance company is not going to fine anyone, but it can refusing to pay compensation for damage caused with that grill. You can even refuse to replace it, even if we are talking about comprehensive insurance. In part, this is logical: you cannot claim damages for something that you do not have insured, whether they are your own or caused to third parties.

Authorized ITV reforms

Well, after reading this entire article, you may be wondering which are the reforms that can be carried out and which are not. The answer, once again, is in the latest update of the Manual of Vehicle Reforms edited by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism and that you can consult HERE.

Conclusion

I hope that this article allows you to be perfectly clear that the process of homologation of any reform carried out In our vehicle it can be long, expensive and tedious, but if we are a little careful with the order and the required documentation, it does not have to give us any headaches.