Defected!

[jasont82]

well its got,

part of vehicle in need of attention: structural alterations.

attention required: engine bay- to fit intercooler. Recomend certification by V.A.S.S engineer.

it also says, to be cleared by jamie at burwood east vic roads

[jasont82]

Yeah dude sounds like you got stung by 'Pedda' or what ever that cops name is... there's no fooling him. He's always out near Knox.

yeah that guy, everyones knows of him. When i saw the name tag i was like 'oh f##k im a goner'

[foznice]

interesting, since when could they write WHERE you were supposed to get it cleared?

[INASNT]

well its got,

part of vehicle in need of attention: structural alterations.

attention required: engine bay- to fit intercooler. Recomend certification by V.A.S.S engineer.

it also says, to be cleared by jamie at burwood east vic roads

You can get it cleared anywhere.

Sounds like this 'jamie' guy is pettits buddy, so would go to him to get it cleared.

If the defect says 'recommend certification by V.A.S.S engineer' you could have got away with it. The officer in question will write any bs on there and waste your time and money, doesent mean you actually need to do it all

[frx026]

Before you spend any money find out the FACTS from Vicroads about what you will need to do have the defect cleared.

Also find out why your are meant to be assessed by only one vicroads staff member in Victoria.

It would not suprise me if you have been harrassed for owning an imported car by a police officer that has no idea of the rules and regulations.

Unfortunately the police do not need to prove a modification or vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, they only need to suspect it to issue a defect notice.

That is why you find out from vicroads first.

If you find that you have been harrassed and this officer has acted unlawfully or has made it unduelly hard on you to clear your defect you may be entitled to seek compensation from Victoria Police for all costs incurred due to this officers lack of knowledge.

I would also recommend keeping all paperwork and writing a letter to the office of police integrity to complain of the harrassment and improper directions given to you to clear your defect notice.

A black mark on a Police officers file last's a lot longer than a defect notice on the window, and i can tell you from experience if you do make a complaint and then you are further harrassed you will be able to escalate your complaint and land that particular officer in more trouble.

Tips,

Keep all paperwork and receipts,

try where possible to get written advice from vicroads/ vic police on how to clear your defect

have your defect cleared by someone not listed on your notice

write all facts down in a logical sensible manner, dont exagerate or lie.

Office of Police Integrity

GPO Box 4676

Melbourne 3001

DX 210004

Level 3 459 Collins St

Melbourne

Phone: 8635 6188

Toll Free: 1800 818 387

Fax: 8635 6185

Email: opi@opi.vic.gov.au

[khunjeng]

some1 seems to have the inside info...good advice.

[R32_GODZILLA]

As long as you havent cut a hole through the chassis rails for the cooler return pipe it does not effect anything in the front end of the car.

I got done ages ago for this same BS but didnt need to get a engineers certificate or any other bs, just a rwc, where nothing was changed anyway.

Car does not have to go back to stock if the cooler is the only mod

So what's the deal with the FMIC and drilling a hole through the side of the battery tray? I know of a lot of skylines with the 'hybrid' style intercooler kits where cutting is required, and been told that this shoudn't be an issue in most cases with the authorities, yet i've heard of a lot of stories contradicting those claims?

I'm looking into an FMIC from just-jap, and want to make clear if this is actually a big risk to take and if there's any documentation regarding this modification from vic-roads?

I just want to make this absolutely clear, as i'm not interested in the other types going around with the return pipe running under the core.

Cheers,

Steve.

[mr_crust]

technically it depends on where u cut under the battery tray, there is a section where its only a thin plate and u can see a few cm under that , there is a thicker plate which is part of the chasis.

my old man is an engineer (not cert to clear defects as his not in that industry ) and he explained to me, how most cops will tell you its illegal without actually knowing what part of the car is classified structure.

the part where ur suppose to cut doesnt actually interfer with any laws, as its not part of the chasis rail. (this is the part of the law were u get a defect for changing the structual of the vehicle.)

take a look at the pic and then take of ur front rim so u can see what i mean, and u will realise its actually legal to cut out that part of the tray. Anything under that red line CANNOT be cut, anything above is allowed, with that in mind make sure the hole also looks clean cut and doesnt like like a dog took a bite out of it.

Edited November 8, 2006 by mr_crust

[R32_GODZILLA]

Thankyou very much for your reply - you've cleared it all up for me

I'll have a good look next time i take off my front-right.

I hope the piping in the kit i want wont need to run under that red line.

Cheers,

Steve.

[R32gts-t]

I remember when i installed my first intercooler kit onto my r32 gtst, the car had an outline of a perfect circle in the side of the battery tray, almost as if to say "when installing an aftermarket fmic, cut here"

Perhaps where the piping would go through if the car had been a gtr?

[sammus]

this scares me i'm installing my cooler on friday. never been pulled over before... hope it stays that way post-intercooler install.

how much is a blitz cooler with a return pipe to stock pipes worth anyway?

[mr_crust]

i think approx $1200

[khunjeng]

there is no issue if u cut in the correct spot. as suggested in a few spots...

[Rekin]

there is no issue if u cut in the correct spot. as suggested in a few spots...

Does vicroads or engineers know about these correct spots? May sound all fine in the above post but if they dont approve we have to pay...

[mr_crust]

i can prove that its LEGAL to cut under that battery tray.

The act states if anything is done to alter the chassis it breaks the law, as your vehicle has been structually altered. Under the battery tray on an r33 there is whats known as a 'skirt' that is the 1mm thick peice of s/s, now if you refer to my above photo you will notice that this is connect to the chassis ( more then double the thickness of the skirt)

Obviously if you cut into the chassis you will no doubt weaken the structure of your vehicle, thats the reason its an instant defect.

There is no law in place in Victoria stating its illegal to cut into the skirt, its only a lack of knowledge that innocent people get pulled over and take an officers advice that what they have done is illegal, as police are respected members of the community and should be doing things correctly, not to line their pockets.

I will try and look for the act and i will post it up

EDIT : this is the act, the whole thing is relevant , but i highlighted the exact part i believe, as a skirt is not classified as a major body part and its not part of the chassis

and if i'm not wrong doesnt the GTR's pipe work go through here?

Edited November 9, 2006 by mr_crust