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New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

Old May 10th 2021, 11:10 am
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Default New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

Hi
I took my Freelander to inspecção on Friday and was told that new laws mean that any grills, bumpers, cow bars winches, lights whatever on the front of the vehicle, must be now be detailed in the livrete
This is true even if the offending article was fitted by landrover before the car was first sold &/or even if the car has been driving around like that for 30 years
The inspector was very nice (Controlauto, Corroios), and advised me to try to take it off or he would have to fail the car.
I spent 2 hours in the sun in the car park taking off the front of the car to get to the retaining bolts to take it all off, and the car passed.

Anyway, if I hadnt been here for 25 years I would have been livid, but I just shrugged my shoulders and hung the (soft, padded) bars up in the garage and forgot about the rough square holes in the plastic bumper now on view, but I'm intirgued to know if anyone knows what bureaucracy and costs (they do these things for a reason after all) is involved in getting these bars on the livrete?

Probably you just go there, pay them some cash, wait an indeterminate but very long time, and they just put it on the paper - hence reducing the potential damage to pedestrians by nothing.

Good grief
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Old May 10th 2021, 4:19 pm
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Default Re: New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

Midgo wrote "This is true even if the offending article was fitted by landrover before the car was first sold &/or even if the car has been driving around like that for 30 years"

Just wondering where the Freelander has been going around for the 30 years - did you bring it into PT at some stage or bought it here. I do not think it is a particularly new regulation?

We have a Land Rover Defender, which has been matriculated in France and Spain (had to have a ficha tecnica done by engineer for Spain) with homologued Warn winch fitted when LR was bought by LR garage in France complete with all necessary paperwork to prove its origin. We arrive in Portugal to import it at 14+ years old, and all is going smoothly til we have to go for an IMT inspection ... inspection is a vague sort of term - the chap hardly took a look at it and said that the winch had to go. Why said I, since it is approved homologued and fitted as new by LR and has gone about throughout Europe with no problems or hassles - not 'ere, he says. So back to the import agent who shrugs his shoulders and says that the Portuguese rules are not necessarily the same as the EU rules (look up rules for +300 kg trailers) and if IMT say it has to go, then it has to go ! Back to base, contact acquaintance to get a standard bumper (as the Warn is fitted to a specially shaped and extra strong bumper) which fortunately I could have second hand, and then through 14 years of gunge, rust, etc, changed the bumper, disconnected the electrics, taped over the switch on the dashboard, took a picture of the resulting sad front of the LR and that was accepted as proof that it now conforms to the PT rules. Happily I do not now have much use for the winch! The agent, incidentally seemed to indicate that if I did need it, I could always bolt it back on as long as it was removed again before the next inspection due !! No mention of negating insurance for illegality in case of GNR asking questions!

Something to do with nothing extending on the front of the vehicle on the public roads.
So I feel your pain, but wonder if its just that certain inspectors are more stringent that others or when this regulation came into force?

There are LRs and other 4x4s about with protruding accessories but I understand that they have certain exceptions for "commercial" or "business" purposes for off-road activities with different rules/permits applied.
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Old May 10th 2021, 11:38 pm
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Default Re: New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

I'm trying to get my livrete modified and it's a complete no-go.
No one responds and my inspection date is coming soon.

In my case, the livrete states the car has allowed dark film on the side glass, but new test center gizmo shows it's too dark, I had to take it off.
After taking it off they passed the car but stated I must get the modification removed from the livrete before next inspection.
IMT has been closed most of the time, and won't do this sort of thing.

Now the new inspection is nearly on me and I still can't get any response from IMT.

Some regulations are applied sometimes and not others, but some are new regulations. I think the bumper regs are like that, vehicles are designed and certified to do limited damage to pedestrians. And someone noticed that those bush bars save damage to the car by causing damage to whoever you hit.
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Old May 11th 2021, 6:01 pm
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Default Re: New IMT regulations on cow bars and winches

Oh great, our Transporter has bull bars on the front and not on the livrete, I don't know whether we'd keep them or not.
2 years ago we were horrified to be told that its tinted windows which were ON the livrete had to be removed because all but one of the certification numbers on each window had eroded a little. We were upset because one of the reasons we bought it was that the darkened windows made the beast look more stylish and was obviously better at keeping the sun/heat out. It had passed the first inspection after we bought it and we did have the official papers of certification from the company who did the job - now sadly no longer in existence, so it seemed totally ridiculous to fail the inspection for something that is not a safety feature. We were told we could keep the one window where the number was legible but when it came to the re-inspection it was a different guy and he said that had to go too. We also had to pay €30 to have it removed from the livrete which did involve an "engineer" checking that the offending tints had actually gone! Now we drive around with reflective silver glued to the inside of the windows - a great improvement - not!
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