Certificat de Conformité - Is it still required?

[ChilliPip]

I have tried repeatedly to reregister my LPG converted Range Rover in France, but have failed each time with the DRIRE. - Although the UK installers insist that the LPG installation is EEC approved, the DRIRE insist that I have nearly 2000 euros worth of work done on the LPG installation before they will issue the Certificat de Conformité. As the car does not appear to be worth this amount of money,  I shall probably have to return it to England to sell it there.

However, a friend of mine has recently heard that since 1 July 2005, Certificat de Conformités are no longer required. Apparently, if the car passes its Controle Technique, it is judged to conform.

Can anyone confirm whether this is true please?

 

[Mpprh]

Hi

I think if you search older postings for the name Washy, you will get a lot of detail on this. Washy was also registering a LR with gas conversion.

 

Peter

 

[ChilliPip]

Thanks for your reply. I am, however, not prepared to waste anymore of my time or money with the DRIRE, and so just want to know whether the Certificat de Conformité is still required. If not, great. If so, its back to England with the car.

[Mustang sally]

Yes the certificate is still required we are in the process of registering our 106 . Finally got it through  CT . Letter of conformity etc all gone off to powers that be.

[Cassis]

I'm surprised that you were told the certificate of conformity is still required - our prefecture told us that the law changed about 2 years ago and any car built and registered in one EC country was automatically assumed to conform.  We registered our UK built 306 here without one!  Just filled in a form at the prefecture, they sent it off to the DRIRE and 3 weeks later, bingo - all done.  Maybe some fonctionnaires aren't aware of the change?  Or maybe we were just lucky?

[Iceni]

In Feb 2004 we re-registered our 1997 Mist Wagen. The required list of documents from our Prefecture included a DRIRE attestation at a cost €67- no mention of a  manufacturers C of C.

My advice is always - ask them what knows (Prefecture) as interpretation of national rules seems to vary from dept to dept.

John

not

[Cassis]

Just out of interest, is a Mist Wagen the same as an M-Wagen?  One of those big Mercedes vans?  Forgive my ignorance!

[Ron Avery]

If you have a EU certificate of conformity in your car  handbook

you do not need to get another one, but cars built before about 1998

will not have one and you still  have to get one, I have heard

nothing about a CoC  not being required after July this year.

[Cassis]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]If you have a EU certificate of conformity in your car  handbook you do not need to get another one, but cars built before about 1998 will not have one and you still  have to get one, I have heard nothing about a CoC  not being required after July this year.
[/quote]

Sorry Ron, but that can't be right.  Our 306 was built in 1996 and we didn't need a CoC to get our plates when we applied to the prefecture in June this year..

[Will]

Nothing has changed, what is required is evidence that the vehicle meets French specifications. This may be in the form of a manufacturer's certificate of conformity, or an attestation from DRIRE (it has not been the Dept de Mines for ages, and with impending privatisation of the vehicle testing and inspection part of its work it may well be changing its name again). Whether your prefecture demands one or the other, or even both, and how easy it is to get documentation out of your local DRIRE, is something else that hasn't changed, unfortunately. What did change in July or thereabouts was that the V5C UK registration certificate made the need for a DVLA export certificate (which many prefectures did not bother with anyway) unnecessary - though newish DVLA guidelines make it even more necessary to notify export than previously. I believe somebody mixed up export certificate and conformity certificate on another French forum, giving rise to the fast-spreading rumour that the CofC was no longer needed.

I believe Washy's problem was that the vehicle being registered was originally built to North American specification rather than European, so there was a lot that did not comply, and her DRIRE office, like many, was being particularly inflexible.

For a standard vehicle, on DRIRE's database, issuing the attestation is simple. For something that has been modified, and an LPG conversion probably puts it this category along with horse boxes, camper vans etc, then the standard CofC/attestation route will not apply, and a more detailed inspection is required, with consequent extra time, hassle and expense.

Cost of certificates of conformity vary. I have never paid for one (from Peugeot, I believe others have had the same service from Citroen) but many manufacturers charge more than DRIRE. Others have had different experience with Peugeot and Citroen - maybe it depends on the model.

Best advice is to ask your prefecture what is needed, as they do vary.

[Ron Avery]

It is right, you got  your CoC via DRIRE.  If you have a CoC

in the handbook or from the manufacturer you don't need to have any

dealings with DRIRE, you just go to the prefecture with the paperwork

and you get your carte grise there and then, if you are lucky all done

within half and hour[:)].

[Iceni]

"Just out of interest, is a Mist Wagen the same as an M-Wagen? " Err, no. The M of BMW = Motoren but the unkind Austrians et al replace it with "Mist" or "M_e_r_d_e" if you speak French. Reminds of an apochryphal (?sp) tale that Rolls Royce hoped to call a new model Siver Mist until a German speaker explained that this might not be a good idea. HTH John

[Richardbk]

agree with the above. Whilst there is European harmonisation for the production/registration of new cars there is no such harmonisation for subsequent modifications such as LPG conversions. A CoC or the European equivalent is always required for registration, but if the car as been modified from its original design it will need to conform to local regulations.

regs

Richard

 

[Miki]

[quote user="Cassis"]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]If you have a EU

certificate of conformity in your car  handbook you do not need to

get another one, but cars built before about 1998 will not have one and

you still  have to get one, I have heard nothing about a CoC 

not being required after July this year.

[/quote]

Sorry Ron, but that can't be right.  Our 306 was built in 1996

and we didn't need a CoC to get our plates when we applied to the

prefecture in June this year..

[/quote]

Phil,

I think you will find that your sous prefecture (or prefecture) sent your details to DRIRE for one reason, to see if the car conformed. We

always do this ourselves, well if the car doers not have a CoC with it.

All cars must be conform to be able to be reimmatriculated on to French

plates. Don't always take too much notice of what some fonctionnaires

say, try talking with a few at the same time and listen to the many

different replies to any question !!