SVA (again) Toyota Tacoma Headlights

[Emagine]

Hi all....

Ok trying to go through the mods that I might need for my Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to get it through the SVA.

I've got the rear fog light sorted out.
I've been told I don't need side repeaters.

Now what about the headlights. Won't they need to be dipped the other way? does anyone know what the story is?

[Roo.]

US headlights are flat beam, they don't dip to one side like European lights.
The only thing you might have to do is adjust the height of them slightly.

[Emagine]

See I thought they were flat beam too but we stuck it on a beam tester and got these patterns.

Left light




Right light

[LuS1fer]

Most American lights pass without being changed. In the SVA manual (not in the one you can download), there is an Anglo-US headlamp page. What it appears to show (this is from memory as I was looking over the tester's shoulder)is an oblong quadrant in front of the car split into four. The "hot spot" of the light should fall into the lower left quadrant slightly below and to the left of the mid-lines. Don't take that as gospel though because it may be different for Japanese cars in the US.

[Emagine]

well the SVA is booked in in two weeks down in Yeading so I guess we'll see how we get on

[GO55 USA]

AS its a pick up ! The lights are not even checked,if it has a tow bar on it make sure you have a sticker on the door shut showing the max train weight. good luck.

[mikef]

GO55 USA said:

if it has a tow bar on it make sure you have a sticker on the door shut showing the max train weight. good luck.

and that the text is 4mm or larger in size. Failed first time for that. If not, print out the same data in a larger font and stick it over the original for the test

[Emagine]

no tow bar so I should be ok

[ZZR]

Emagine said:

no tow bar so I should be ok

Mine had the sticker and no towbar, would assume that you need it because the vehicle is capable of having a towbar fitted.

[Emagine]

Well just to update.

On Tuesday the truck failed. As was mentioned above I didn't have the GTW (Gross train weight) figure on the manufacturers plate on the inside of the driver door sill.
Bugger.
Went back the next day with my new reprinted plate complete with GTW numbers and TaDa! passed!
Really happy!

Now the DVLA have ALL my paper work and are tying to work out whether to give me a 08 of 58 plate.... to be honest, I couldn't care either way. I just want to get the thing on the road

Thanks for all the advice guys!

[Emagine]

Now they want me to being the truck back to the DVLA office to do an inspection!!!
And I'm not allowed to drive it there. It has to be low loaded or trailered or I have to get a set of trade plates.
What a pain in the arse.

Any ideas why they might be wanting to do an inspection?
Does this happen a lot?

[Roo.]

Emagine said:

Any ideas why they might be wanting to do an inspection?
Does this happen a lot?

Happens all the time. They just want check the number on the VIN plate on the vehicle matches the paperwork.

Yes they are a pain about not driving them. At the Maidstone office we just park in the car park opposite and they don't care how it got there.

[Emagine]

So do you just chance driving there then Roo?

[Roo.]

Emagine said:

So do you just chance driving there then Roo?

I do, but it's slightly different because I'm in the trade. Although this only gets me round the road tax/insurance issues. I don't know of anyone who trailers vehicles to the local office to be inspected. They're alwyas driven.

[Emagine]

Cheers for that Roo.... I probably won't chance it.
I've driven from Port to base, base to SVA and back again without being pulled. Sods law predicts I'll get tugged just as I'm going to get registered.

I'll get some trade plates to be on the safe side

[Emagine]

Well just to keep this thread updated should anyone need is sometime in the future.

I took the truck to the DVLA centre in Borehamwood again today for the required inspection.
They cast an eye over the truck checking the engine number, vin number and odometer reading.

Then went back into the office. They questioned me as to why it had 400 miles on the clock if it was new.
I told them it landed in the UK with 100 miles on the clock. I then had to drive it from Southampton docks to base in Hertfordshire, then to the SVA test centre twice, then to the DVLA centre, TWICE. Thats why.

I bit more chatting of the staff there with Swansea on the phone and they came back to me and said they were afraid they couldn't register it as a new vehicle because of the milage, but that it would be a new 58 plate.

Seems contradictory to me... but hey ho.... if they are happy, I'm happy.

Now I just have to wait for the paper work to come through the post so I can FINALLY get plates made up and drive it around!

Don't you just love it