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Vehicle Compliance 101

7 August, 2017

 

 

Is getting a VIN for an old car really that hard? 

Buying a car that isn’t road legal can be a scary prospect. What if you spend all that money only to find out the car is no good? There are plenty of uncomplied cars for sale locally, not to mention the myriad options available if you’re considering importing your own. So, what’s the go? Keep reading to find out, or pick up a copy of New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 317 to read the full article.
 
Step one
The first step is to check the paperwork. For a vehicle over 20 years old, you will require four main documents. Copies of the documents will not suffice; they must be original. If a car doesn’t have the original documents with it, walk away.

  • The vehicle’s overseas registration papers (certificate of title / pink slip).
  • Evidence of vehicle ownership (purchase receipt, bill of sale).
  • Evidence that you are the importer of the vehicle (i.e., import-entry documentation in your name, shipping papers, or bill of lading).
  • Evidence of your New Zealand residency (driver licence).

If you’re confident that you have all the required paperwork, head on down to your local compliance centre.

Step two
Before any inspection can take place, the vehicle must be assigned a VIN — vehicle identification number — which allows the vehicle to be identified in the government’s system. Note that if a vehicle is deemed to be in damaged condition by MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries), it will have been flagged as such in the system.

The first part of the vehicle’s inspection involves removing the sill plates and rear seats, to inspect areas of the floorpan and bodywork that aren’t visible from underneath. If a damage-flagged vehicle is deemed not to be damaged, the compliance centre is able to remove that flag from the car’s records. If, however, it appears that the car has been damaged but repaired, a repair certifier must be called to check that the repairs have been done correctly. It’s important to note that you cannot just take an accident-damaged flagged vehicle to a panel beater to be fixed. The repair certifier is an independent person with authority above and beyond that of a panel shop.

With the rear seat removed, the inspector checks for any rust or damage. There must be no signs of rust within 150mm of a seat belt anchor, or damage within 50mm. If there are any other areas that require further investigating, more of the vehicle’s interior may need removing.

Assuming the inspector is happy with the condition of the sills and under-seat area, he initials the windscreen and the vehicle is put back together.

Step three
The next step is a full inspection. The vehicle is lifted on a hoist, until the wheels are approximately 100mm off the ground. While it’s in this position, a tool is used to apply pressure to the wheels to check for movement in suspension and steering components. .

The hoist is then raised until the centre of the wheels is at around eye level. All four tyres are inspected for unusual wear patterns and any signs of rubbing. Tread depths are noted also, as the end result of the inspection, as well as compliance, is giving the vehicle a Warrant of Fitness.

Next up, the hoist is raised to allow the inspector full access to the underside of the vehicle. Starting from the rear, the inspector looks for any signs of rust and damage, as well as the condition of items such as shocks, brake hoses, driveshaft universals, seat belt anchorages, engine mounts, and bushes. 

The next stage is checking the car’s brakes. With all four wheels removed, the front discs and pads are checked for thickness, as are the rear discs and pads, or drums and shoes, if applicable.  

Step four
If everything looks as if it works, it is put it to the test. The automatic transmission inhibitor switch must work, if the car is an automatic. Headlights, tail-lights, indicators, and the horn must all be operable. The car is then subject to a brake test on the front brakes, rear brakes, and handbrake. 

Summary
The key is to make sure you do your homework, know what you are buying, and absolutely have all the necessary documentation to ensure the process runs smoothly. Happy hunting. 

 

 

For more information on the compliance procedure, you may contact Waikato Vehicle Compliance here. With a keen focus on classic cars, hot rods, and anything old-school, Noel and the team will be able to guide you through the whole process with a minimum of stress. 
 

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”

The Pininfarina 230 SL

14 May, 2026

It’s October 1964, and imagine you’re an automotive journalist covering that year’s Paris Auto Show (Mondial de l’Automobile). As you approach the Pininfarina booth, you come across a car that looks a bit like the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL introduced the previous year at the Geneva Auto Show, a car then arriving at Mercedes-Benz dealerships around the world.
But looking closely, its styling and proportions seem to be a bit different. And it has a fixed roof, unlike the Pagoda-style greenhouse of the removable hardtop seen on the production 230 SL. While today, the styling of the W113, under the supervision of Head of Styling Friedrich Geiger, with lead designers Paul Bracq and Bela Barenyi, is considered a mid-century modern masterpiece, acceptance in-period was not universal. Some critics called out the concave design of its removable roof, which ultimately gave the car its “Pagoda” nickname.