Tow Bars and ITV Testing...

Hi, all, Have run into a bit of a problem.
I bought my Renault Megane Scenic  two years ago from a reputable dealer in Granada. It came with a fresh ITV Certificate which has just expired.
I took the car to the Granada ITV Test Station for its recertification and shock, horror, it failed.
Not too much of a surprise though, given that six months ago some drunken pillock redesigned the rear left hand corner and bu**ered off without leaving a note.. No witnesses, my insurance company dont want to know, Trafficos dont want to know.
I patched up the damage as best I could, but it wasnt enough for the ITV inspector. He wants a proper repair carried out and I have arranged this through a local garage.

The other fail point however came as a complete surprise...
The vehicle has a complete tow bar installation minus the ball hitch. It looks as if its been there since the year dot and looks like original equipment. The installation however is not listed on the vehicle permisso de conducir.
It passed the ITV test last time, (before I bought it), but the ITV chap is insistent upon its removal.

Does anyone out there know if this is standard original equipment?

Its no big deal to remove the towbar and indeed I have asked that the garage do so when doing the bodywork repairs.
I'm just curious to know how come it was OK the last time but not this...

Any Scenic owners out there?

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I'm not sure about Spain, but in the UK it can vary dependent on the examiner and what mood he/ she is in. I can remember taking an old Escort for an MOT and it failed on 5 points. The 5 points were duly repaired and taken back to the same garage within the specified time for a re- test. Different examiner, and although he was only supposed to be looking at the previously failed areas, decided to fail it on other items too!!

I would imagine something similar operates in Espana. Was the ITV carried out at the selling garage by any chance? It's amazing what a sale car can be allowed to get away with!

Mark

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ITV testing in Spain is carried out by the State. They have no particular axe to grind.
In my mind its a far better system than the UK.

For those folks  who find themselves in the position of having to submit a Spanish reg. vehicle for testing a couple of hints...
Its very much run as a production line operation.
Prior appointment is necessary. 

Website is www.itvcita.es or telephone 902 575757.
Website is in Spanish only but there is at least one English speaker on the phone; just ask nicely "Es possible hablar Inglese por favor?"
They will want the vehicle reg, vehicle Type, whether petrol or diesel and the which station you want the appointment at. Payment is made in cash only at the time of the test and varies with the vehicle type.
My Scenic which is diesel cost fractionally over 36 euros.

For Andalucia much more information is available at www.itvandalucia.com 

If your Spanish is limited, two options really, take someone along who can speak Spanish or just bluff your way through. They will tell you what they want you to do.
and use sign language where necessary!

Couple of other points worth noting, if your indicator bulbs are orange, make sure they are still orange! The varnish tint fades away to leave a normal White bulb in time. (Another fail point!)
Also if you replace normal white headlight bulbs on failure, dont be tempted to use the newer blue tint bulbs as a replacement...Yep another fail point!

If the car has any aftermarket additions to the structure or bodywork, make sure they are duly noted in the documentation.

Another Spanish Lesson learned!

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This message was last edited by foxbat on 6/28/2008.

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Ah, the old towbar chestnut again!
As Mark says, I guess, as in the UK, a lot depends on who does the inspection on the day and what mood they're in. Probably it was just an oversight first time round, but if you have an original towbar, it must be noted on the matricualtion document for the car, under opciones incluidas en la homologación de tipo, or, if fitted later, you must have supporting documentation from the establishment that fitted it. Not too sure what you need to do if you fitted it yourself. 
If you don't need it, the best and easiest option is simply to remove it. 
Also note that the tyre type is specified on the matriculation document, so make sure that you don't have the wrong type on the car - another fail!

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Roberto, marksfish, Hi,

Think I'll just get rid of the towbar!
Cant find any reference to it on the available documentation.
Dont need it anyway.

Thanks guys.
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On the advice of my Spanish student (I teach English to private students) who is in his 70s I took my car to San Pedro del Pinitar ITV station. No queues, no appointment necessary. I paid the lady in the office and then joined the line. I waited around 5 mins, then a guy spoke to me in Spanish initially and then worked out that I am English and offered to take the car through the process for me. They were very polite, patient and helpful here and my car passed with no problems. Oh, except one .. they couldn't work out how to start the car! It is a Fiat Panda and there is a little button under the dashboard that you need to push whilst turning the key in the ignition! LOL We laughed about it. I went to the office where they issued me with the documentation and a little green thing to put in the windscreen of the car. In and out in less than half an hour.

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My Scenic passed on the second attempt;. The examiner that carried out the original test did the retest and the original fail points were the only things that he checked up on.
The test is every bit as thorough as the English MOT but is carried out with a degree of professionalism that is sadly lacking in most Brit garages.
Probably something to do with the fact that the ITV test is carried out by the State not  by a garage with an axe to grind so to speak...
In my experience, most garages in England, particularly main dealers, use the MOT test as an excuse to fleece the already heavily overtaxed motorist.

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We have taken both our cars to San Pedro del pinatar ITV. Didn´t make appt but just waited in queue with everyone else. Did not take long and passed both times. We know others who pay to have cars checked and then taken for test but we have found it is not necessary. May be a little cynical but mechanics always seem to find something that needs doing "before it will go through test"

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Cynical? No way.
I had my car serviced at the main dealer this year, purely to keep the service history up to date in the vain hope that it may help when and if I ever sell the car. Expensive way to get a rubber stamp in a book, but nevertheless, after clocking up the grand total of 2,000 kms since the last annual service (!!!!), I left it in the capable hands of the mechanic, and collected it a couple of hours later.
Oil and filter change, fair enough. But the cheeky bugger had also charged me for new wiper blades - even the one on the tailgate, which as far as I can remember, has never been used since new!
Naturally, I protested, and he was forced to change them again for the "old" ones, which I'm happy to report, are working fine, and are expected to last at least another 2,000 kms of rain-free motoring. 
I'm sure if I was a gullible little old dear, he would have tried to screw me for new tyres, brake pads, etc etc.
And this was a main dealer, not some back street garage.

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Main agents are always the worst...
Renault quoted me a figure in excess of 2000 Euros for the accident repairs...
Little local body shop did the job including a partial respray for 400 euros...

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I purchased my car from a main dealership last year. The car was brand new and has just celebrated its first birthday, what I need to know is, when do I have to get an MOT certificate (Spanish equivalent) and where do I have to go for one?

Thanks for any help received.

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First ITV (MoT) due at 4 years, then every two years. 
Find your nearest testing station here: http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/oficina_virtual/vehiculos/itv/?tit=¿Dónde%20se%20puede%20solicitar? 
Enter your province in the search box, then select the nearest town from the "poblacion" drop down list.

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Appreciate that. I can rest easy now, knowing I'm not driving around illegally.

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