Not sure where to ask this, but has anyone had problems at the borders with eg. a diesel powered vehicle when the paperwork says its a petrol? Or having coil springs when there should be leafs? Or other modifications...

Very broadly, the international convention that governs movement of vehicles into another country require the vehicle to comply with all relevant regulations of the state of registration. Pretty obvious that this means the registration should be current and valid and that means disclosure of all factors relating to the suitability of the vehicle to be legally registered.

Have we had problems. No, because the vehicle is precisely as described on the certificate of registration and on the title. We are asked the license plate number, often the colour, engine capacity/cylinders and fairly often what fuel it burns. Sometimes engine number but they accept that our documents don't show an engine number . VIN of course is a requirement and it is interesting to go on-line and check exactly what the VIN means. I was surprised to see that it included a lot of apparently useless information such as paint code and interior trim, but it does also include engine, suspension and springs so I guess if the VIN is false then ...

As for other modifications, no they aren't concerned at that level, but it is pretty hard to enter into any sort of contract ,which the TIP is and Insurance policies are also, in which you not required to comply with the duty of disclosure clause. Will they check? No, but the lawyers acting for the insurance company certainly will.

But all of us westerners no that, don't we. If your state doesn't care what mods you make on the vehicle then I imagine you will be covered.

However, you see plenty of moderately modified vehicles down south - reasonable raises, wider tyres, lights and similar and they won't raise any eyebrows at the borders.

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Tony
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I can't imagine there is any country which issues a vehicle registration document which states the type of springs a vehicle has, at least not for a private passenger vehicle?

Your VIN and engine numbers should match between the vehicle and the registration document. Check and correct any errors before travelling.

Other than that, you're exceedingly unlikely to have any issues at borders if you have some minor modifications. Insurance claims may be something else however.

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EurasiaOverland a memoir of one quarter of a million kilometres by road through all of the Former USSR, Western and Southern Asia.

Ok. Thanks for replies.
Of course, its not for me... i'm just asking for a friend

Sure VIN numbers should match the paperwork, but engine number? Engines breaks down all the time and must therefore be replaced, no?

Not sure what kind of vehicle expects a new engine block as a service item (Land Rover?), but there is no problem to change engines, so long as you update the registration document. Entering with mis-matching engine numbers will cause problems in some countries where vehicle and vehicle-part imports are restricted.

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EurasiaOverland a memoir of one quarter of a million kilometres by road through all of the Former USSR, Western and Southern Asia.

It states the VIN and the VIN may specify the suspension. Certainly the engine.


Have a look here SUPERDUTY TECH FOLDER and FAQ - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums the second and third posts decode the VIN for my vehicle in Peru. The same level of detail would probably be available for all VINs since it should be a universal coding system so this makes it easy for an insurance assessor or lawyer to check for loopholes in the event of a claim. There is a vehicle certification label that also has coding for the rest of the features

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Tony
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