Return to standard

[gt]

What is the process for returning a car to standard/factory specs?

I can’t find official advice anywhere and have been told by various people that I need anything from a “re-cert” to just taking some pictures and handing the plates in.

Do I need to get my car WOF ready in factory specs before I can have the cert plate removed or can I just take out all the mods and then have the cert plate removed?

In my case the mods consist of engine mounts and gearbox crossmember so once I remove those from the car what do I need to do to show that the car no longer needs LVVTA cert?

Cheers.

[Dan]

Hi

That's a good question, there's some information on this in the Knowledge Base:

"Returning a previously certified car to stock is an easy one. Just call your local certifier, and they can have a quick look over the car and remove the plate.
The plate will then be sent back to LVVTA, who will then let NZTA know, and will have the removal of the mention of the cert plate removed from the system.
This is quite common for vehicles that have previously had hand controls fitted for a disabled driver or a car that's had adjustable suspension removed and standard suspension fitted.

There is a small cost involved, for the certifier’s time, but it’s minimal."

Just like a VIN tag you can't remove the cert plate yourself. When the electronic record is updated this feeds through to the Transport Agency database. VTNZ, VINZ and others use this data so next time you go for a WoF it will no longer flag that the vehicle is certed. If you just removed the cert plate yourself it would still be flagged as certed.

The process is similar for a 'partially-returned to standard' vehicle, where not all of the modifications are removed. The certifier will inspect the vehicle and note the changes, remove the plate and send it back with a request for an updated plate. There is an admin charge for the replacement plate, currently $49.50, plus certifier's cost.

[gt]

Excellent, thanks. I knew I had read that somewhere but couldn’t for the life of me find it again. Cheers.