Trouble is the answer is from Wiki so it is so obviously probably completely wrong LOL!
I see AT is up on the high horse again, it isnt a matter of owners wanting to drive more polluting cars around than needed, surely an aim of this club ought to be to keep MX5/ Eunos ownership costs to a minimum and save its members money.
Its a bit of a lottery trying to get a 1993-on Eunos through a British spec MOT emissions test, even one in a good state of tune. As I mentioned earlier the size of the Cat on JDM cars was never meant to pass an MOT.
Both my MX5/Eunoss still run catalysts so Im not trying to kill the planet, its not as if Im into germ-warfare` - I and many other Eunos owners and MX5OC members simply dont wish to be subjected to mega-stress the moment a probe is shoved up my auspuff…
Thing is, I thought the resurrection of this thread was about whether Mazda UK ought to write a generic letter for all Roadster owners explaining how to recognise a Roadster VIN. Clearly, given that Mazda UK was more than accomodating to the OP’s request, there isn’t a problem as such, as long as you follow the reasonable instructions from the DVLA. And better yet, Mazda, unlike others, do not charge for this service.
On the other hand, you think its about something else.
Not whether Mazda ought to write a generic letter, no. Rather it was whether they might be willing to do so
for everyone’s benefit. While it’s great to hear that someone at Mazda
head office was happy to write a cover note for Dave, and go the extra
mile of posting it and his V5C on to the DVLA for him, I can’t help but
think they might be less happy if they began to receive a flurry of such
requests.
It doesn’t make much sense to me that a willingness to pester Mazda individually should be some kind of rite of passage which alone makes one worthy to have the correct information recorded on ones V5C. I just thought a generic covering letter was a helpful, practical idea.
Indeed, so Im asking the MX5OC to contact Mazda on behalf of the owners of Eunos`s and arrange a point of contact which will be published here and in STHT magazine, so that UK owners of JDM originating cars from the global company of Mazda can get them re-classified correctly on the V5 document and system to the actual model spec that they are in order for them to be MOTd correctly with particular regard to Catalytic converters and LSDs.
Owners of such cars will individually send any supporting documentation to the appointed contact within Mazda UK to ensure a smooth process in getting their vehicles re-classified as Eunos Roadsters
I think it’s great. Most grateful. Good point about the differentials too.
I also apologise to Andy for the sarcastic tone which crept in after a couple of drinkies last night. I can entirely understand a reluctance to having the Club assist owners to gain the right to remove functioning cats from their cars, but that was never the purpose here.
I am currently going through the same thing myself. A couple of years ago I did the same with my 1991 “J” ltd by sending off the V5 a letter and some photos of the VIN plate etc and the DVLA changed it without question. So now I have a 1994 “V” spec as well I did the same and sent it off assuming all would be ok and got the same letter back as you saying they needed the SMMT code. I rang and spoke to them stating that they had previously changed a V5 for me, with one of my reasons being i wanted it to match what I had it insured as, which was a Eunos and not an MX-5, and they have asked me to resubmit my request with a copy of their original letter when they granted it for my J Ltd and they would take another look. So I am waiting to here back and will let you know what happens.
Incidentally when I did get my J Ltd done I could only put something under “Make” with a limit of 20 characters including spaces and not put anything under “Model”
While we are on V5 stuff all V5’s are automatically being replaced at the moment with “red” ones, as a batch of blank “blue” ones has been stolen. Apparently they will all be done by sometime in 2012.
Ah, and I thought I had a red V5 when I bought my car because it was an import! I’ll have check my V5 to see if it’s registered as a Eunos.
I fancy changing the cat for a pipe - I’m pretty relaxed about our emissions, especially when I read about China and India.
Very short term (say 5,000 to 10,00 years) I doubt we’ll be here in any sort of numbers. Short term (5 to 10 million years) the planet won’t even remember us.
I feel the same way about human rights and infant mortality.
OK, so I don’t, but it highlights what a poor bit of reasoning it is. I’d love to read a proper justification for not running a cat, my reason is just that it was cheaper than buying a new one. If the internet is right about this new MOT I’ll have to buy a new cat anyway, so that didn’t really work out for me.
However your car is described on the V5C has no bearing on the way the emission test should be carried out (or the way the rest of the MOT test is carried out for that matter). The car should be tested to an emission standard relating to it’s VIN. A Roadster VIN does not match any VIN listed by VOSA so the car should be tested as such (non cat test or cat test using default limits, depending on the date of first use of the car). I appreciate that not all test stations are following the testers manual to the letter so Roadster are failing the emission test at some testing stations when they may pass at another.
Unfortunatly the MX-5 Owners Club does not have a technical contact at Mazda UK at this time. I believe Sharon Down has a good relationship with Samantha Williams, the PR Manager. It would be nice to have a technical contact within Mazda if only just to give statements regarding Mazda’s stance on things. I’ll gladly bring the idea up at the next commitee meeting.
As has been pointed out, it seems that Mazda UK will send a letter free of charge to the DVLA confirming a cars identity as a Roadster, if requested. If the Club approaches Mazda and asks for a standard letter, this may bring this issue to Mazda’s attention and they may start charging when they realise that there is a demand for it. I believe they currently charge kit car builders to date an engine from engine number.
Just an update from my previous post. After initially refusing my request to change my V5 to read Eunos rather than Mazda for my 1994 V Spec, I phoned the DVLA explaining that they had previously done it for my 1991 J ltd and they asked me to resubmit it with my original letter and they would take another look.
This I did and my new V5 turned up today reading Eunos Roadster under make in section 4. So they can and will still do it if this is of help to anyone. I just wanted my V5 to reflect what I have the cars insured as so as not to have any issues in the event of a claim.
Bumping this thread to ask if anything became of Phil’s letter.
I just got off the phone with Mazda: Given the car’s details, their Homologations Manager can provide a note on Mazda letterheaded paper declaring the make and model of your car, but this will now incur an admin fee of £35.
It’s not an unreasonable fee in the grand scheme of things, but if it’s not necessary then I’d happily avoid the expense.
Martin, I will try to ring the DVLA tomorrow and confirm that they are happy for me to give out the information they supplied to me. Am sure it will not be a problem but dont want to upset anyone. Their letters are not very exciting and they seem to deal with these things on a case by case basis, but I will reproduce them somehow on here or in STHT with the DVLA’s ok.
Ok, rang DVLA today and asked if they were happy for me to reproduce their answers to my letters either on this website or in STHT. Person I spoke to could not find my letters on file so has requested I send them copies and they will take a look at what advice they can forward. So bear with me, it is likely to take a few weeks to get a reply but it may save people the £35 charge. In the end I think it will be a case of submitting a V5 with a covering letter and requesting changes to be made, but if i can get some definate clarification of what is required it may help.
