Modified vehicles cannot ply on city roads

Modifying a car into a chick magnet violates the Motor Vehicles Act. Your car can and will be impounded and rot away in the RTO. Here's why...

In a city with 15 lakh vehicles, there are 150 that have been modified from the original design. And get this,

almost all the 150 are illegal and cost between Rs 10 lakh and a few crores depending on how fancy the customer wants it diamond encrusted panels, gold plating leather seats, etc.

One of these 150 vehicles, up for scrutiny, is actor Vivek Oberoi's DCS Race Car, a sports model.

The modified car, according RTO records, is in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 because its body has been significantly changed and the engine tweaked. RTO records show that the car (MH 04 BW 3820) is originally a 2004 model Ford Ikon, and theu00a0 modifications have not been incorporated into the RTO records yet.

For the owner, this means the RTO can impound the car if it is driven around without requisite papers. It is next to impossible to get the car back because the procedure is long-winded and extremely expensive.

However, Vivek Oberoi's spokesperson clarified, "Vivek is very clear that when he takes possession of the car, all approvals will be in hand and no procedure will be left incomplete." He added that Vivek had taken the car for a test drive and the paperwork was in process.

Why it's illegal

S S Sandhu, deputy director, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, said, "Once modified, each car has to undergo several mandatory checks by government-approved agencies to ascertain that structural changes and engine modifications have been made. If there is no approval, the car cannot be taken on to the roads as the requisite certification/paper work is considered incomplete and the vehicle owner is considered to have violated the Motor Vehicles Act 1988."

As per the government of India rules, evaluation checks on modified cars can be conducted at the following three testing centres ARAI-Pune, Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Ahmednagar, and the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, Dehradun.

Added a retired deputy RTO from Andheri, "A modified car has to undergo a safety feature check, failing which it can be seized if it does not have a Type Approval."

During 2008, the RTO (Central) seized an Ambassador taxi, which had been converted into a limousine. "The four-door car had been converted into a two-door stretch limo for a TV serial Vicky Ki Taxi," the retired official said.

Shreyans Parekh, who runs India's only, authorised Ambassador refurbishing centre said, "The remodeling business is a Rs 50-crore industry and it can grow 100- fold if archaic laws are revised so that the legal fulfilled locally.'' Despite repeated SMSes and calls, Transport Commissioner Deepak Kapoor remained unavailable for comment.

Why checks are necessary
The original stress calculation of a car is changed to accommodate style elements, often at the cost of safety standards. Though the chassis is always reinforced by the bigger modifiying companies, cars done up by small-time mechanics are a real danger because safety norms are ignored. The local RTO is not equipped to conduct any of the prescribed tests stress test, impact test, load test, said S S Sandhu, Dy director ARAI.

How to get modifications approved
> First, get the modification plans approved by the original car maker
> Modify the car according to the approved plan
> Get the modified car approved by the original car maker
> If approved, the owner has to get the car certified at one of three government-approved certifying agencies
> Once cleared by them, an RTO certificate will enable the owner to drive around town without being pulled up

Common changes
The length of the car (wheel base)
Bench seating as against bucket seats
Laser lights
Electrically operated seat-cum-beds
GPS systems
LCD TV
Mini bars
Dish TV
Sunroof