Defender768

New Member
Hi Comrades,
I have recently purchased a 300tdi defender with a galvanised chassis. The truck was rebuilt on a td5 dipped chassis with a td5 body and puma doors by the previous owner. I have now noticed that the chassis has a grind mark where the old chassis number was and it has rusted. Previous owner told me he brought the chassis off eBay. Just wondered how you would recommend sorting it out as it looks hooky. Also on the Dvla guidelines it says the chassis must be of the same spec. However because it’s a 300tdi and it’s got the fuel tank mounts at the back would it be classed as different?
Any help would be much appreciated
 
As above, something does not sound right at all. Grinding the number off a dipped chassis AFTER dipping seems almost daft - sets some alarm bells ringing for me :eek: - surely, if "someone" was up to no good, the number should be ground off before galv o_O

Thus, IMHO, I'd be getting my money back on that purchase in any legal way open to me, given its stated "recent" purchase.
 
Hi Comrades,
I have recently purchased a 300tdi defender with a galvanised chassis. The truck was rebuilt on a td5 dipped chassis with a td5 body and puma doors by the previous owner. I have now noticed that the chassis has a grind mark where the old chassis number was and it has rusted. Previous owner told me he brought the chassis off eBay. Just wondered how you would recommend sorting it out as it looks hooky. Also on the Dvla guidelines it says the chassis must be of the same spec. However because it’s a 300tdi and it’s got the fuel tank mounts at the back would it be classed as different?
Any help would be much appreciated
Whats the chassis number, you don't have to give the numbers at the end just the first bit. You can tell from that what it should be. You can do it yourself if you want just google a vin decoder.
 
As above, something does not sound right at all. Grinding the number off a dipped chassis AFTER dipping seems almost daft - sets some alarm bells ringing for me :eek: - surely, if "someone" was up to no good, the number should be ground off before galv o_O

Thus, IMHO, I'd be getting my money back on that purchase in any legal way open to me, given its stated "recent" purchase.
If it was a private sale and the description matched the vehicle. Then there is very little chance you have a legal right to get any money back.
 
If it was a private sale and the description matched the vehicle. Then there is very little chance you have a legal right to get any money back.

If he bought a 300TDi defender and it was 'actually' a TD5, would that count, I wonder what does the V5 says the reg is tied to ?
 
If he bought a 300TDi defender and it was 'actually' a TD5, would that count, I wonder what does the V5 says the reg is tied to ?
Based on the info we have, he hasn't. He said it had a Td5 chassis. Which is a very grey area on if it would be considered as a direct replacement. It most likely would. Although using 2nd hand parts is not always looked on favourably in such matters.
 
Based on the info we have, he hasn't. He said it had a Td5 chassis. Which is a very grey area on if it would be considered as a direct replacement. It most likely would. Although using 2nd hand parts is not always looked on favourably in such matters.
No its not and its pretty black and white in the govt guidelines that a chassis replacement has to be brand new and not second hand. The thing is though if you were doing it to keep yourself and not sell for gain then most of us would probably do it anyway.
 
Based on the info we have, he hasn't. He said it had a Td5 chassis. Which is a very grey area on if it would be considered as a direct replacement. It most likely would. Although using 2nd hand parts is not always looked on favourably in such matters.

Back to the points counting then ... dunt look good ...

If he has a record of the seller saying he bought the chassis as is, it's only bottom hiding paper ...
 
No its not and its pretty black and white in the govt guidelines that a chassis replacement has to be brand new and not second hand. The thing is though if you were doing it to keep yourself and not sell for gain then most of us would probably do it anyway.
This only applies for radically altered or rebuilt vehicles. But the DVLA offer no criteria to when a vehicle should be deemed as either of these, i.e. at what point do the rules actually apply?

It would be easier to just say the chassis was repaired. Such as welding some plate to it, or replacing the out riggers or the rear cross member or the front section. At times you have been able to buy half chassis as a repair section. Perfectly legal to fit. So you could fit a rear half chassis. Then the next year have fitted a front half chassis and had it galvanised. Entire chassis replaced. But wasn't with a new factory spec chassis, but is still perfectly legal.

You could also legally cut out a load of rot from a chassis and essentially make up new sections yourself and weld in. Again all perfectly legal. In the ops case, you could claim that all the outriggers are new factory spec replacement items. And the rest of the chassis was repaired using scrap metal.

One thing for certain, it is not black or white. And it is very very unclear and completely open to interpretation.
 
Back to the points counting then ... dunt look good ...

If he has a record of the seller saying he bought the chassis as is, it's only bottom hiding paper ...
Not really. As I just posted, there are no guidelines on when the points system even comes into effect. I would not saying repairing a rotten Tdi chassis with scrap metal plate sections to restore a chassis to factory specification would count as radically altered. It isn't altered at all.
 
This only applies for radically altered or rebuilt vehicles. But the DVLA offer no criteria to when a vehicle should be deemed as either of these, i.e. at what point do the rules actually apply?

It would be easier to just say the chassis was repaired. Such as welding some plate to it, or replacing the out riggers or the rear cross member or the front section. At times you have been able to buy half chassis as a repair section. Perfectly legal to fit. So you could fit a rear half chassis. Then the next year have fitted a front half chassis and had it galvanised. Entire chassis replaced. But wasn't with a new factory spec chassis, but is still perfectly legal.

You could also legally cut out a load of rot from a chassis and essentially make up new sections yourself and weld in. Again all perfectly legal. In the ops case, you could claim that all the outriggers are new factory spec replacement items. And the rest of the chassis was repaired using scrap metal.

One thing for certain, it is not black or white. And it is very very unclear and completely open to interpretation.

Depending what the V5 chassis details say ...

I have known of those who re-stamp the chassis number into the galv surface ...
 
Not really. As I just posted, there are no guidelines on when the points system even comes into effect. I would not saying repairing a rotten Tdi chassis with scrap metal plate sections to restore a chassis to factory specification would count as radically altered. It isn't altered at all.

I thought it was a 300TDi ?

Then on a TD5 chassis, with assorted bodypanels ...
 
I thought it was a 300TDi ?

Then on a TD5 chassis, with assorted bodypanels ...
As far as we know it is a 300Tdi. With a chassis replacement, which to be fair, is pretty common on Land Rovers.

The trouble is, the DVLA guidance is just that. Guidance, not an exact science. And they will never give you examples of what is or isn't ok. And even contacting them, you'll only get the opinion of the adviser at the time. Not an official ruling or sanction.

Some of the new replacement chassis available are slightly different to the Land Rover original. So to the strictest letter of guidance, they would mean you should have an IVA and a Q plate. But the reality is, it doesn't happed very often if at all. The guidance is there to stop cut and shut jobs more than repairs.
 
As far as we know it is a 300Tdi. With a chassis replacement, which to be fair, is pretty common on Land Rovers.

The trouble is, the DVLA guidance is just that. Guidance, not an exact science. And they will never give you examples of what is or isn't ok. And even contacting them, you'll only get the opinion of the adviser at the time. Not an official ruling or sanction.

Some of the new replacement chassis available are slightly different to the Land Rover original. So to the strictest letter of guidance, they would mean you should have an IVA and a Q plate. But the reality is, it doesn't happed very often if at all. The guidance is there to stop cut and shut jobs more than repairs.

I was thinking more of someones stolen TD5 being resurrected using a scrapped 300TDi I.D. ...
 

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