darrenjlobb's Project M-TDI Twin Turbo Supercharged Derv Bus

[Jake]

Looks awesome! Haha just imagine taking that into a peugeot dealership for a service they would be like ye a 1.9 Turbo Diesel. *Opens bonnet* WTAF

Please do this!

[Seid']

ahah, epic stuff man, but if you do that you must make a video ahahahah

[darrenjlobb]

Ok so I have a new potentially serious issue...

Decided to insurance company a ring (as normal) to inform them of engine change, as I like to keep everything 100% declared and legal...

So started to explain what I had done, and that all the accompanying mods remain near identical, (remember this is already insured as a 250hp xud no problems), so explained its just literally the engine thats changed from and XUD9 to a DW10,ATED4.

And they have decided to kick up a fuss / cause trouble....and are basically refusing to insure it without a full engineers report (guess a garage could do me one of these? but could be a farse...but more of an issue, they are demanding proof of my qualification to carry out an engine change....well thats pretty impossible given I dont have one...im a farmer, they know that because they insure our entire stupid farm...and since when has it been illegal to work on your own car? And surely an engineers report will show its safe anyway??

So anyway, what are peoples thoughts on this / where should I go next....because atm, even If i get this sucker finished, im not going to be able to get insured in the bitch...

*Rant over*

[cwspellowe]

Get an engineer's report then. And send them a photocopy of your two fingered salute. Do they mean an engine change in general or an engine conversion? I've just changed the engine in the 'state so I better not need a report!

Wonder if soon we'll have to list mods like "changed ball joints and brake pads myself"..?

[Parksy87]

Not sure how it works but mot testers test the roadworthyness of the car dont they which includes making sure everything is secure engine mounts etc and not a danger to ur self or anyone else so maybe a friendly mot tester can check it and make sure its all safe?

[mark_airey]

OK that is fecking daft.............................what happened to the nice friendly attitude they had last time?? get an engineers report and then tell them to get f*cked!

[samass]

try phoning em again and speaking to a different advisor? might just be that the one on the phone that time was a wanker...

[C.A.R.]

Just as Parksy says, the engineers report is literally just to ensure that the car is roadworthy mate, not whether or not you have done a good job.

Do you know a friendly garage who could just draft up a letter? Key to it would have been to just say a garage did the conversion!

[darrenjlobb]

Yeah but im trying to be honest / legal like I have been all along, and they decide to f*ck it up in my face, really dont have time for dealing with this at the moment, when its on the road ill have to take it to my local garage and see what they can do....but dont know them etc...but its always been fine in MOT's so cant see there being an issue...

[Parksy87]

Hopefully you get it sorted dude keep us posted but as long as its secure and uv got adequate brakes to stop the extra weight i cant see it being an issue.

[cwspellowe]

Hopefully you get it sorted dude keep us posted but as long as its secure and uv got adequate brakes to stop the extra weight i cant see it being an issue.

+1

As long as it's safe you're fine. If it pops driveshafts every 10 miles that's your problem.

[Connor]

Seeing as I've helped you with most of the work im sure you could send them a copy of my certificates *wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more*

[Dum-Dum]

Just find a local friendly engineer wholl do you a report. Cant cost more than a few quid.

[darrenjlobb]

Will a certified garage / mot station be ok for a report do you think, might just get a report and ignore the qualified bit and see what they say, cant yet though as not near on the road yet, but when it is...

[Connor]

A formal letter from a garage/mot place should be more than enough

[ginge191]

Seems a silly reason; i can't understand or know a farmer that has "qualifications", i would assume a job like that is educated through generations? mechanics is something you pick up on the way...

as for getting a declaration of 'authority' over the vehicle, as connor was saying, im sure his jobbies would be able you help you out

[Dum-Dum]

The mechanics I used to use didnt have any qualifications other than having run a large garage and rally preparation business for almost 40 years. Its silly really.

[Parksy87]

If uv fitted it and get it checked and is deemed up to standard by someone who is 'qualified' then surely thats the same as them fitting it themselves, example how many of us repair our own cars, suspension for example, we throw a bottom arm on and it is checked that its fitted properly and safe when we go for an MOT so once its up and running get it checked and send them a covering note from the 'garage' with any information they need

[kernow_joe]

just been catching up on where you're at top work as always fella have to come round have a catch up and check the beast out, in regards to insurance thats rediculous, so should I have had a certificate when I changed my engine myself? or in fact all the other maintenance I did myself?!

[darrenjlobb]

just been catching up on where you're at top work as always fella have to come round have a catch up and check the beast out, in regards to insurance thats rediculous, so should I have had a certificate when I changed my engine myself? or in fact all the other maintenance I did myself?!

Are you back in the UK for a bit Joe??

[bufter]

hi darren its pbufton, messaged you a couple of times on your dyno vid on youtube?

Back in the day when I was 19 and into vauxhall corsa's, I did an engine change from a 1.28volt to a 1.6 16v.
Did it all myself, rang the insurance to declare it ect, and they wanted one of these engineers reports. I went to my local garage/MOT tester, took a letter with me with his name and address on, business name ect, and a few lines saying 'I can confirm the engine conversion has been carried out correctly and is safe and roadworthy ect...

Got him to sign the bottom and sent it off, jobsagoodun. The insurance were happy with it. I'd have thought just sending in something along those lines would keep them happy hifty:

[strictly_perv]

What an arse. If it helps, you could send me a letter to sign, as I'm a qualified mechanic

[tdbadger1980]

the mrs was high up in insurance a while back so ill ask the question for u once shes awake

[darrenjlobb]

So do people think I need to write a letter and get them to sign it rather than ask them to write something out?

Just something along the lines of , "I can confirm that the engine has been converted from orignal 1905cc XUD turbo diesel to a newer 1997cc DW10ATED4 turbo diesel engine in a safe and satisfactory way" ?

[Scott]

Pretty much! Bit of a shitter to be honest. Darren I in no way doubt your work, but I would just like to say that although it's awesome of people to be offering to sign off on this, in the event that something did happen (god forbid) I would hate to have insurance companies phoning up any members asking questions or generally causing hassle.

Again, no offence intended Darren, just something I wanted to mention.

[Pugmarshall]

I was going to say the same as Max, but he beat me to it!

[darrenjlobb]

(scott)^^ Which is exactly the same reason ive not taken up any of the offers and will be trying to sort it out legally, as I do with all car matters...

I dont take risks with this thing as it just stands out so badly, so wanna keep everything legal etc to cover my back, just like I always have.

Just more time / money being wasted though really, and time dosnt exist right now!

[Scott]

(scott)^^ Which is exactly the same reason ive not taken up any of the offers and will be trying to sort it out legally, as I do with all car matters...

I dont take risks with this thing as it just stands out so badly, so wanna keep everything legal etc to cover my back, just like I always have.

Just more time / money being wasted though really, and time dosnt exist right now!

That's good to hear buddy, and it's good to see that you're putting in every effort to keep things above board

[Ruan]

You'll have to get them to define what they mean by "Qualified Mechanic"....

Because AFAIK pretty much once you've got NVQ Level 3 MVM you're "qualified" to sign off these sorts of things... But as far as I was aware, you had to be "competent" to do that sorta thing, there's no law saying a mechanic has to be "Qualified", you can get an MOT testers certificate and start taking cars apart - if you went in court, you'd have to prove you were "Competent" to carry out the works...

[Niall]

Surely they can't ask for you to be qualified? I know mechanics who have been in the game for 30+ years and they don't have a single qualification to their name! You don't have to go to college to be a mechanic so they can't demand this.