Hi Everyone, I have just sign into forum and need to pick up your brains

I have just bought new Octavia II FL and driven it in to UK, so it has left hand steering. The car is still registered abroad. I have done it cause I was thinking of returning to where I come from but life as it is written it is own plan and I have to stay here a bit longer. So my question is does any of you know how the process of mutual recognition plan looks? I have to add that the car fulfils all requirement apart from rear fog light (has to be on the other side). Any one know how difficult it is to be done (and what's the cost)? How much cost to get that certificate or is there any other alternatives such as paying for road tax and keeping foreign plates?

Thanks anyone for comments

Jakub

Can you not activate both rear fog lights via vagcom?

I think that you're allowed to have a foreign car in the UK for up to 6 months before having to register it here. If you happen to leave the UK before the 6 months are up and then return I believe the clock starts again.

Or maybe my recollections from Police, Camera, Action et al aren't correct:confused:

As Rhoobarb suggests, it's easy to enable both fog lights via vagcom or a dealer

I think that you're allowed to have a foreign car in the UK for up to 6 months before having to register it here. If you happen to leave the UK before the 6 months are up and then return I believe the clock starts again.

I will stay longer than 6 months or even indefinitely. It has to be max 6 months within 12 months period so leaving and coming back is not unfortunately an option :(

Is this what you're after:

A guide to the Mutual Recognition scheme

I have read it through. I was just hoping someone has some experience with it

Welcome to Briskoda! :wavey:

Thank you

As Rhoobarb suggests, it's easy to enable both fog lights via vagcom or a dealer

I didn't think that 2 fog lights are legal here. Which is good and would solve my problem without mechanical interference it to lights.

I must admit that I have overlooked it focusing only on what should be changed in a car. Thanks for pointing.

Thanks Mike for your post! However:

If I was in your position, I would be tempted to try to sell your Octavia in the country you bought it from, and buy another British spec one here.

That would be a bit to complicated and expensive. The Octavia is brand new (3 months). Where I bought it I paid around £3k less than in the UK.

If you try to reregister it to British plates, there are a number of things you would have to change:

1. Headlights would have to be dipping to the left instead of the right (and be type approved)

No problem. I have xenons and there is a TravelMode which makes them suitable in left hand traffic.

2. Speedometer would have to be changed to show mph

Maxi-dot support speed in mph.

3. As you rightly said, a nearside only rear fog would have to be changed to an offside only, or to twin -- both options are available in VAGCOM

Vagcom

4. You may need to alter settings so that the front fogs only come on with certain other lights, once again, a VAGCOM job

They only come on if I will switch them on then normal light are on. Unless you meant day lights which are not required in UK. But again, I switched them off via maxi-dot.

5. UK emissions might be of a different standard to those on the continent, and your engine may need to be altered accordingly

That's fine. Engine is 1.4TSi and has EuroV specs.

6. Once everything is done, the car will have to inspected by VOSA and a type approval issued -- all will cost you money.

Tru. But I might not have any other options. And I love my car

I see your point but still has not decided if I will stay here permanently...

With the warranty there is no problem nearly at all. Apparently I might be still charged here, but after sending an invoice to my country they will refund me fully.

Just to add......

I imported a lhd Volvo v40 t4 a few years ago when I returned from living in France. My car was fairly new when I returned and I too wanted to keep it despite it being lhd.

I had to

1 Change the headlights to rhd spec.

2 Change the speedo to read mph

3 Enable the offside foglight

4 Obtain a Certificate of European Conformity from the manufacturer to prove it was made in the EEC. This was obtained through Volvo UK

5 Get insurance on the VIN plate for 14 days I think

I then took all the relevant documents to my local DVLA centre and walked away with a registration number which enabled me to tax and insure the car.

As for insurance I found that many companies asked if the car was l/h or r/h drive. I went with Admiral in the end and found there wasn't a great deal of difference between insurance quotes. Like everything else it pays to shop around.

Overall it was fairly easy to sort out, I kept the car here for some 8 years running it into the ground before getting my first Octavia.

Hope this helps

Thanks Albert! That's a great help for me.

The Travel mode on your xenons wont be good enough. They'll need aligning to be RHD spec, with your travel being flat beamed.

The Travel mode on your xenons wont be good enough. They'll need aligning to be RHD spec, with your travel being flat beamed.

Where from did you get that informatnion from?

Where from did you get that informatnion from?

Flat beamed lights wont pass an MOT, which is the standard you'll be tested against.

As suggested, you'd be better leaving the car abroad. You'll never sell it here if you have to, have issues with warranty (as your country will consider it permanently exported one you patriate it here) etc etc.

The MOT test for your vehicle : Directgov - Motoring

Vehicle testing leaflets

Flat beamed lights wont pass an MOT, which is the standard you'll be tested against.

I have to disagree with you. I do not believe my lights are flat. When I look on the road there is a distinctive difference in between left and right side. Unless I am misinterpreting flat term. And there is a quote from Application for British Type Approval:

That the headlamps are of UK specification (headlight beam dips to the left).

Note: stickers, beam-benders and deflectors are not acceptable. We can accept

either full UK specification headlights being fitted or, if it is a standard feature

of the vehicle, adjustable headlights. In this last example a photocopy of the

relevant pages of the owners handbook or garage statement of compliance

would be required as evidence). With regards to flat-beam headlights, if these

are standard fittings we can accept these – providing we also receive

evidence that they are standard, original build specification, lights. If the headlights

are changed to flat-beams we are not able to accept this and the vehicle would

need to be tested through the VOSA Single Vehicle Approval scheme.

If you change the lights from right hand dip to flat beam via your maxidot, then according to VOSA's quote that you have provided, it is not acceptable for British MOT.

Note: stickers, beam-benders and deflectors are not acceptable. We can accept

either full UK specification headlights being fitted or, if it is a standard feature

of the vehicle, adjustable headlights. In this last example a photocopy of the

relevant pages of the owners handbook or garage statement of compliance

would be required as evidence). With regards to flat-beam headlights, if these

are standard fittings we can accept these – providing we also receive

evidence that they are standard, original build specification, lights. If the headlights

are changed to flat-beams we are not able to accept this and the vehicle would

need to be tested through the VOSA Single Vehicle Approval scheme.

:P