For example if somebody had a car with lapsed plates & bought a wrecked car with plates, identical cars, both legitimate. & swapped the body tags & plates over, then got a new WOF on the car & paid for new rego.
As long as nothing illegal is involved, is this legal?
friendly_prawn,
Jul 21, 5:26am
interesting. I always thought it was illegal to pull tags from one body and put then on another. If thats legal then isn't it a safe haven for car thieves?
Legally = no Technically fraud & possible jail Easy enough but totally depends on your skill level & how identical the 2 vehicles are. Over 90% done, would be detectable, probably 50% would be pretty clear to a mechanically minded person
mrfxit,
Jul 21, 8:54am
Definition of a paradox = "As long as nothing illegal is involved, is this legal?"
intrade,
Jul 21, 8:58am
well i dont know in nz but in switzerland it is illegal , but then again tell me something thats not illegal in switerland . i am surprised breathing is still legal and not taxed there yet.
kazbanz,
Jul 21, 10:49am
It is DEFINITELY illegal. What it comes down to is that the identity of a car is linked directly to the chassis. In a modern car they don't have a chassis as such so that link has transferred to the body "shell" Crikey you can swap literally EVERY other part of a car (or motorcycle) but not that one component. be it a major component. My argument would be that yes it is definitely against the law -and for that matter the law in many other countries not just NZ. BUT If you legitimately own both vehicles you are not doing anything immoral by swapping plates/vin tags/chassis tags. I wonder how the drift guys and V8 race guys get on when they reshell a banged up car.
kcf,
Jul 21, 12:38pm
Illegal.
franc123,
Jul 21, 12:59pm
It's one of those laws that nobody can prove that breaking it actually causes any harm to anybody, unless of course one or both of the vehicles has been stolen to achieve it. Making it a crime for someone to get an old unroadworthy car bodyshell off the road and rebirth that vehicles identity onto another shell which is in much better safer condition but is no longer got live registration is nuts. The whole recompliance/lapsed registration system encourages it and it just a money spinner for NZTA and the compliance agencies anyway.
esky-tastic,
Jul 21, 5:26pm
THats how car thieves work. They ‘rebirth’ the stolen car just like that - so no, not legal.
sr2,
Jul 21, 6:42pm
Interesting to see him measuring the thickness of the front rotors with a conventional digital caliper that wont reach over the wear lip (fail!).
sw20,
Jul 21, 6:46pm
They are just modifying a car with existing components.
tony9,
Jul 21, 6:51pm
OP, perfectly legal, as long as you add in a few steps.
Document the process. Get it entry certified.
sandypheet,
Jul 21, 7:15pm
Why would you document the process and why would an entry certifier need to be involved,after all its fraud.
fungles,
Jul 21, 7:58pm
Restored Vintage and older classics usually end up like grandads axe anyway. Difficult to know where and when the vehicle actually changes its identity. I have gotten away with it for years for this very reason. Live plates help enormously, usually from yet another source and confidence in using the firewall stamping kit. Older cars ,, Austin, Vauxhall etc have the chassis number on a plate simply pop riveted to the body/frame, WOF people generally will be happy with that to adequately fill in their form. its only a formality, and time is pressing. Just get the colour about right for the first few WOFs, reduces any awkward or probing questions.
dublo,
Jul 21, 8:14pm
I saw an advert in an English classic car magazine a year or two ago: "BMC) 1300, 1971, immaculate inside and out, only 30000 miles. NEW BODY SHELL fitted last year. " My capitals. The salt used on the roads there plays havoc with anything made of steel and new body shells are available for a number of cars, particularly sports models, so it doesn't seem to be a problem in the UK.
fungles,
Jul 21, 8:26pm
Motorbikes are even easier in that few WOF people have good knowledge on bikes. Even modifications tend to sneak through unnoticed. I prefer to think its more slightly unethical than the crime of the century. After all, the test is for safety, not genuiness. And, how do they prove A) its not, and B) you did it. We are all innocent till proven guilty. Who cares if its illegal, its a beaurocracy paperwork issue only as I see it. And it saves a HUGE amount of money and time. Some Japanese cars, my Sigma is one example has the chassis number etc on a tag on the right front guard mounting channel. To change idenity would just require a front guard change, needing no tampering at all with the tag. The whole thing is just silly. A modern car I would suggest swapping out the speedo/odometer and ECU, it may have the chassis number encoded somewhere, I dont know.
mrfxit,
Jul 21, 9:40pm
Doesn't appear to be a lip so no problem & would probably order them resurfaced if it did have a lip.
Yes - this can be done, if you have 'personalised' plate and transfer them from the 'old' vehicle to the 'new' one regardless of the year, model etc of each.
framtech,
Jul 22, 12:07am
The only way you could do it is to put the good bits from the stuffed car into the car with a rego, if the shell is stuffed then the car cannot have a new rego unless you go through the channels with the plates of both cars and pay for the re vin, inspections etc. Rally cars can operate on the road and can be built using their motorsport log book (special purpose) and must be used in x number of events per year in competition, hi-brid cars can be built again like days of old. New cars have ID hidden everywhere including on the part numbers, ECU and body modules, Vin Stamps, glass and engine block and most engine parts. The ECU's have monitor chips for accident investigation as well. All a bit different than in the early 80's when it was just one stamp one tin plate and an engine number on the block.
marte,
Jul 22, 12:29am
There's no theft involved, just two 100% legitimate identical cars & one set of number plates. No fraud involved as nothing illegal intended & there's nobody that would loose money in this hypothetical situation.
Good similar situation with a motorbike, if the frame (chassis) cracks & you put a new frame on it. Does it need to be registered from scratch again?
Remember, nobody's being kept in the dark, everything's up front & nothings been stolen & fair prices paid, honest transactions involved & all paperwork's available.
I'm still wondering, what law would be broken?0
brouser3,
Jul 22, 3:42am
Hypothetically maybe could be done, but just remember that when you go to purchase parts, that the VIN number (which many suppliers use to identify correct parts for a vehicle) will identify the 'previous body, engine, running gear etc, which may in fact not be EXACTLY the same as the current body, engine, running gear etc ……
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