Forced to Say Farewell

Arkady001

Club Member
Apr 2, 2013
461
129
Iserlohn, Germany
Unfortunately my cunning plan to export the car to Germany has been scuppered at the first hurdle.

While getting the alternator swapped over, I got the garage to give the car a pre-TüV (MoT) look-over to see if there were any issues I might have.
The car would more than likely pass the regular 2-yearly inspection - with the usual advisories for minor surface rust on the suspension parts, minor corrosion on the fuel line, stiff parking brakes (which will be sorted by replacing with the new cables currently sat in the cellar etc).
But the Import Inspection is the full 21-point conformity check and since the car is on Eibach lowering springs and has a S/S cat-back twin exhaust, it won't pass as it's been modified.
I could probably get the certification paperwork online for the Eibachs, but the Zorst is a custom Bluefin (I think) without EE stamps on it, so the car would more than likely need to have a stock exhaust to get through the inspection and the work needed to do that (assuming I can even find an exhaust over here) would be prohibitively expensive due to the corroded bolts on the flange behind the cat. The union in front of the cat is also on its last legs so it might necessitate a full exhaust and cat replacement...

Each thing by itself wouldn't be an issue but we're looking at nearly a grand's worth of remedial crap just to get through the TuV (remove a couple of rusty bits, replace rear brake cables, wobbly link on the offside control arm, new zorst, new springs if I can't find the right paperwork etc assuming parts can be sourced). Once we add the cost of the inspection and re-registration, plus the higher tax and insurance, it's cheaper to look at leasing a new car.

With that in mind I'll be looking at returning the car to the UK to sell and will be posting in the For Sale section as soon as I get the car back from getting the alternator replaced.
 
Shame to see that you'll have to see her go over trivial things that the goverment think are important :(

Shame you couldnt find a 2nd hand exhaust over there and slap it on to get though the test, rusty exhaust bolts soon play nice when an angle grinder is taken to them
 
Thanks, but even at that price, it puts it beyond what's economocally viable. Cost + labour, plus cost + labour of suspension spring replacement, plus bushings, plus brake + fuel lines. It's just too much.
If I could store it off road and get it up to work under it, I'd happily consider doing it myself in slow time, but that's just not possible here.
 
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For anyone who doesn't know, the TÜV test - as well as those of several other European countries - is particularly brutal.

As an example to put it into perspective, the Swiss test does not allow for additional brake pipe unions that the manufacturer did not install. So depending on where the line has gone (rears on the Cougar are particularly bad for this) you may have to drop the subframe to meet the OEM connection. At the front, that can mean replacing the entire hardline from the flex-hose to the ABS unit.

Rob, I hope you can find her a good home here; that's not a bad little project fomr someone who has the time, (and who doesn't have to go through that beast of a test). Best of luck!