Question about 'Has the vehicle been altered' - Whilst taxing it at DVLA website

[Peter]

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to put this, but I have a question...

My sister Sally has just been to the DVLA website to tax her buggy.

There is now an age related declaration that has to be answered with reference to
major modification and MOT exemption.

Her Sidewinder is obviously modified, chassis shortened, and after selecting the option
that the vehicle has not been altered is 'incorrect' the entire process just loops her back to the beginning....

Whats the story with this now ? If anyone can clarify the situation I would be very grateful, as
her buggy details have been entered in here, the Forum, to correct the issue of 'Beetle' as requested a long time ago,
the details now come up as Volkswagen, and at present Sally is unable to proceed with anything let alone tax her vehicle now, any ideas ?

Many thanks, Peter

[farmer rob]

Hi Peter, hope your well. I think the best way to tax it without opening a can of worms, is to MOT it; wait a couple of days to make sure it is all confirmed on the DVLA site. Then when you try and tax it, they do not ask about modified chassis etc and their site then works as before

Rob

[Peter]

Hello Rob,

Yes, Thankyou am getting there. Whats odd about this is that
Sallys buggy is already taxed and mot'd but the tax is due to run out.

Upon her applying in the usual way to renew her tax, online, there is a new page to navigate,
it seems to appear because her chassis is a 1972, and it is appearing as the MOT exemption
date is now at 40 years old...

It asks if anything on the car is modified, which it is, the shortened chassis. It would seem that to
ignore the request for a declaration of modification or not, could put you in hot water so to speak if you
didnt tell the truth.

Upon her answering that the chassis was modified the process just looped back to the start... So
she is unable to get anywhere on the DVLA site, there are no 'special' contact options anywhere.

I just wondered what others have had to do when they see this thats all...

[Merscury]

Hi Peter, when does the current MOT run out,   if it runs out before the start date of the tax period you are applying for it will not let you tax it and just send you round in a loop.  If the MOT is still valid for part way into the tax year you are applying for it should then let you tax it after you have selected the modified option to say you do not want MOT exemption, you may also then get a generic message saying that the MOT needs to be renewed before its expiry date.

[Manxdavid]

The website is still not fit for purpose as it doesn't even ask the question for pre '60 cars, modified or not.

The easiest way may be to do it at the post office.

[Peter]

Hello all,

Many thanks for the info, Sallys MOT runs out one week before the tax.

Thats quite incredible really, as you need an mot to actually be able to get the road tax in the first place,
so quite naturally I would expect mot's to run out before the tax...

In all the unbroken years Sally has had her buggy the mot ALWAYS ran out before her road tax.

Maybe thats it, I must say the page isnt very well done, and the declaration
of changes, or not, that can lead to mot exemption is very poorly written, thats
if you actually want mot exemption anyway, as they don't even ask that question either!

The question they ask is this... A declaration of whether its been modified or not,
theres no mention of whether you want an mot or not, you are just having to be honest and say its modified.

Sally basically is unable to do it at all. Tomorrow she will go to the Post Office...

What an utter mess it all is

[Merscury]

The Mot running out 1 week before the tax explains it Peter,  It must have a valid MOT at the start of the new taxation period. The same thing has cropped up with someone else on the forum that's how I knew. In theory if the MOT runs out 1 week before the tax then she won't be able to do it at the post office either. She will have to get a new MOT first.

[Peter]

Ahh, Yes, I spose it does, I think both Sally and I in all the years have
always had the MOT first.

I have spoken to her and she is going to MOT it first, this week.

Hopefully it will then all go through...

Thankyou very much for that, it does make sense now.

Does the declaration of being modified still come up ?, as the question 'Do you want MOT exemption, or not'
doesn't get asked at all. They just want to know 'Is it modified in any way' or not..

Thanks again, its been a great help

Peter

[Manxrod]

What farmer Rob said

[Peter]

Hello Manxrod

Yes, exactly that, I got a bit immersed in things and forgot to
check back down the list.

My thanks, as Rob is spot on with his comment, I still sometimes think the DVLA site
really needs to sort itself out though, Sally was very confused by their dialogues and
the appalling wording of it all, and so was I...

Thankyou everybody 

Peter

[Doon L001]

Best thing next year Peter is to mot a month early. You keep the date and not way before tax is due

All the best mate
Dave

[pepsi81]

Peter, my MOT is due mid July. ‘Taxed’ today over the phone without issue. It can only be the close proximity of you tax being due within a month of it MOT.
Paul

[snoopy]

if it says buggy, convertible or  alike on the V5 and a pre 1988 registration date it is not modified in the last 30 years as that is what it was registered as, if it shows beetle saloon on the V5 then DVLA have no record of the build date so is then modified.

The form is useless there should be a box, not altered in 30 years but voluntary mot required not just  is it exempt or needs an mot.

[Buggybaggy]

My tax rxpires end June, and MOT a week or so later. Just renewed my tax over the phone today.
The reason they are so close yet what appears yo be the wrong way round is because I got the buggy MOT'd from SORN in early July, and the tax had to run from the 1st of the month, so I initially lost a couple of weeks tax, but was able to tax it for 23.5 months on 1 MOT. Their rules not mine!

[Paul1953]

The form is useless there should be a box, not altered in 30 years but voluntary mot required not just  is it exempt or needs an mot.

Wonder if anyone has ever approached the relevent ombudsman re- dvla. Bet he\she has both fingers & toes crossed no one ever does.