Its taken 6 months, but today I’ve finally got the DVLA to agree to change the V5C for my Montego Blue Eunos RS Limited.
Originally described as a Mazda MX5 (in Green…!), with the VIN numbers matching the B post sticker that reads RS Limited, I sent a letter (with pics) along with the original V5C to Swansea.
I asked for the V5C to be amended to read Eunos Roadster RS Limited. After 2 months I got a reply stating that they couldn’t alter the description of Make or Model without a letter from the manufacturer (not the Dealer) confirming all that I claimed. The original V5C would be sent back to me.
4 months later and still no V5C. By chance, when I rang to chase them for it, I spoke with a guy who understood the issues and wasn’t just a penpusher. He actually rang me back to ask questions because he couldn’t understand why I’d been fobbed off by letter. Two emails and 4 Jpeg images later, I am now in posession of a V5C that accurately describes my car.
No more confused insurance clerks befuddled by imported ‘MX5s’ in the wrong colour! Whoop Whoop!!
If anyone else has the same problem, I still have the extension number at Swansea… but I’ll only PM it. It’d be unfair to overwork someone who actually uses their common sense in that illustrious institution.
I originaly did the same as you with my 1991 J Ltd ie supplied photos and they changed the V5 from MX-5 to Eunos. Five years later when I then got a 1994 V Spec I tried to do the same and they refused instructing like you I needed a letter from the manufacturer. They also said that because I had not done this with my 1991 model they were changing it back to MX-5 and would be issuing a V5 to show that, so I was back to square one.
Fortunately my dealer gave me the contact at Mazda and they worked on my behalf. I sent them the V5’s for both vehicles and they sent them to the DVLA with a letter on headed paper statind that they were Eunos models. There was as I remember a £20.00 charge.
After a short while the DVLA issued two replacement V5’s stating both cars as Eunos. The reson I wanted them yo be correct was to match insurance details as they are Eunos on the certificate.
I will PM you for your contact though just in case I need it in the future.
My colour is correct on the V5 but the model is shown only as MX-5. I suppose it should say Roadster and RS but I’ve never bothered. Also I noticed when looking at my V5 only last week it says 4 door.
I think I will get mine changed. More than one error surely whoever did the registration on import should have noticed these. And just to add to these errors, yesterday I got the RFL from the Post Office, they spelt Mazda wrong on it. Took it back to get corrected, I said I’ve never heard of a Maza.
I don’t think it makes any difference with respect to insurance whats on the V5. Its up to the owner to declare all material facts; its no defence to declare a Eunos Roadster as a US-specification car because it says “MX5” on the logbook. Most of these imports came in a long time ago, and given that the vast majority, checking the howmanyleft website, which is based on VOSA datasets, are registered as “MX5s”, indicates it was probably more of an issue how these cars were registered a decade ago.
Of course there are ringer RS-Limiteds about; I know of one car sold through a Birmingham dealer that had all the RS-Limited parts, stickers, but bore the VIN plate off a silver car, and a stamped VIN indicating it had been previously scrapped in Japan.
As a point of interest, the DVLNI retain forever the original Japanese deregistration documents, even on cars exported to Great Britain. The DVLA, by contrast, seem to discard all of these documents. These documents generally declare the car’s true identity and age. So, if your car was originally registered in NI (and quite a few were, during the notorious zz plate period), you can contact Coleraine by email, and they send you a transcription of the documents that is accepted by the DVLA.
What I find interesting is that while the V5C for our Mk1 import says MX-5 if I give the registration number to an insurance company it comes up as a ‘Mazda Eunos Cabriolet’. Which makes me wonder where they are getting that information from if not from the DVLA.
It was the insurance isuue that prodded me into contacting the DVLA in the first place. Some (not all) Insurance Companies refuse to quote for imports. Since mine showed up on their database as an MX5, they were happy to quote. When I told them it was an import, they withdrew the quote! If I had kept quiet, you can guess what would happen in the event of a claim…
I agree the DVLA have a problem deciphering all the inconsistencies created by the various importers. Both my Euni (?) have different descriptions. The VSpecial is apparently a Eunos, but nothing entered where ‘Roadster’ should be. Its an NA6LE variant and a B6 version, whatever thats supposed to mean. On the other hand the RS Ltd is just described as a Mazda, model listed as an MX5, with no variant or version entries.
I have similar problems as yourself, !994 S Special Eunos, V5 States MX5, worried re insurance, just been for its MOT first in my ownership, apparently it should have ABS, and no LSD. emissions are good except lambda just passed.
The LSD could have caused problems on the brake rollers if I hadnt mentioned it.