Van Speed Limit?

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Jesus Christ......where have I been? I just happened upon this thread!! I just assumed the lower speed limits apply. So, without wanting to go around in circles.....unladen weight under 2040kg/windows/seats etc......multi purpose vehicle, right? Mine's been lined out so I might be safer going to a weigh bridge......do you get one shot at this.....in other words, whatever they weigh it at, you're then stuck with that and it gets logged somewhere?

Massive thanks to Thogg and everyone who's researched this........absolutely invaluable thread! Just a minor point.......next time the waffen ss who work at my local refuse dump start quizzing me because I'm in a van so therefore I must be commercial and have a special permit......I can enlighten them.

I'll probably er on the side of caution, 'cos that's how I roll (slowly!) but at least now, I know that I must challenge any "marginal" speed infringements.......whereas in the past, I'd have just taken it up the trumper!

Top work gents......and much appreciated!! :thumbsup:
 
mopardave said:
Jesus Christ......where have I been? I just happened upon this thread!! I just assumed the lower speed limits apply. So, without wanting to go around in circles.....unladen weight under 2040kg/windows/seats etc......multi purpose vehicle, right? Mine's been lined out so I might be safer going to a weigh bridge......do you get one shot at this.....in other words, whatever they weigh it at, you're then stuck with that and it gets logged somewhere?

Massive thanks to Thogg and everyone who's researched this........absolutely invaluable thread! Just a minor point.......next time the waffen ss who work at my local refuse dump start quizzing me because I'm in a van so therefore I must be commercial and have a special permit......I can enlighten them.

I'll probably er on the side of caution, 'cos that's how I roll (slowly!) but at least now, I know that I must challenge any "marginal" speed infringements.......whereas in the past, I'd have just taken it up the trumper!

Top work gents......and much appreciated!! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
My local tip said I would have to get a van permit ,when I showed her inside she said I would still need one because I could bring it in full up , which is a bit daft because I could go several times in the car .So I got a permit it only took a few minutes to get it .
 
hwd612 said:
After reading the entire thread yesterday, went home and checked my V5.

Mass in service for mine is 2096kg. Unladen mass in the VW brochure of 2064kg. - SWB T32 150 Kombi Highline 6 speed manual, 2+1 seats.

Phoned the DVLA to ask what their view for difference between unladen and mass in service. The guy on the phone said for section 4, category G - shown as "mass in service" on my v5 actually shows as "unladen mass" on their system.

So I suspect this is the number VW has given the DVLA but including the 90% fuel and 75kg driver. Even though the gov.uk site stipulates that unladen weight does not include driver and fuel.

DVLA bloke also say if I could get them a weighbridge certificate they'd happily amend my V5, which considering it says 6 seats at the moment instead of the factory fitted 5 might be worth doing (dealer said the DVLA always list kombi's as 6 seats automatically, anyone else confirm this?)

Plan on weighing it once the tank is near empty and seeing what figure I get, what an absolute ball ache. I certainly appreciate all the time and effort people have put into this thread, very very informative!
Click to expand...

Just had another chat with a very helpful woman at the DVLA she confirmed that the DVLA's formal definition for mass in service is; "Mass in service means mass of the vehicle in running order in kilograms, with body work in running order including coolant, oils, fuel, spare wheel, tools and driver."

Always great when you get two different answers out of the same people haha.

So with my V5 showing mass in service at 2096kg, I should be under the magical 2040kg unladen mass.
 
T6 Dave said:
@mopardave , you use the model/v5 mass in service figure m8 :thumbsup:, without seats in Kombi = lower limit, with seats = higher limit :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I guess that's true but the document doesn't actually say that if you take the seats out temporarily you have to revert to lower limits, so potentially challengable. If you got done by a speed camera I doubt it would show if the second row of seats were installed so a reasonable chance of getting away with it
 
@Captain Mainwaring , true, but I expect it would stop you getting in the shite if a stop by police.. It's also common sense.. Why risk it, err on the side of caution as otherwise you won't have a licence for long, at least Not a clean one.. It's the same with phones... Some people just can't be educated, what's the cost of a hands free kit nowadays! it's also got a like by Thogg, if you look back through the thread where I put the point up originally.. if your using a spanner to beat a nail in, it might be a spanner technically, but it's now being used as a hammer.......
 
For my money.. it's not worth the risk of more serious charges. They probably won't be able to see the seating in the back and they probably won't go to great lengths and you probably will get away with it.
All those probablies will seem a long way away if you end up in front of a magistrate for trying to pervert the course of justice.
I'm not going to get all pious on it because people have been getting around the system for years whatever it may be. It's up to the system to close the loopholes. Google Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce. And then ask if it's worth the gamble that the VRE (visually recorded evidence) is of such poor quality that you can't see 3 feet past the driver and make out seats or not.
It's all massively unlikely I agree. I just think it's a risk I personally wouldn't take. As a final point remember this.
Getting someone to court is a bloody nightmare and hard work! If the CPS are running with it .... in their heads at least they have a reasonable prospect of getting a conviction. I might try the seats were in line if I was in possession of ALL the VRE and I was dealing with the ticket unit. I wouldn't be carrying on with it at court knowing I'm lying... that's asking for trouble!
Cheers n gone..
 
carlg said:
My local tip said I would have to get a van permit ,when I showed her inside she said I would still need one because I could bring it in full up , which is a bit daft because I could go several times in the car .So I got a permit it only took a few minutes to get it .
Click to expand...

It's just that around here, they get really pissy carl......I do have a permit, so I suppose you could think I'm being difficult about it......but actually, no one seems to use a bit of common sense these days! They can see it's a leisure vehicle when they look inside!! :thumbsup:
 
Does anyone know if similar speed restrictions apply on the continent. Is it the same as here (equivalent of 10mph lower unless on a motorway) ?
 
With regard to @Thogg's graphic in the post above, those with motorhomes over 3.5t may well be regarded by the gendarmes in France as an HGV if they are looking for a reason to stop and check you. I know that is not pertinent for T6 owners but you may have relatives and friends who have 5t motorhomes and who travel the continent.
 
As an ex black rat myself, (now retired) I've been away from technical legal niceties like this for a while so I'd like to applaud @Thogg for his tenacity on this one as sometimes getting hold of the right person for a definitive answer is the only way! That why lawyers exist.

Well done m8y

Can I make one small contribution about advice when weighing your vehicles.

If you think that you risk being just over...I'm not aware that the weighbridge would note, or even be bothered to check if your rear seats were in the vehicle when weighing it.

Just saying like :D :D

(Don't forget to put them back though!!)
 
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Has anyone worked out how the unladen weight / mass in service works between manual and v5?
My understanding is they are supposed to be the same and include the 75kg driver + 90l fuel (say 52kg).
For my T30 Euro 6 204 DSG Kombi highline - the manual says it is 2,115kg but the V5 says 2,163kg. Do they create the v5 weight based on options selected? (Eg I have twin electric doors etc)...

I dont think it really makes a difference in my case, just the level of comfort away from 2,040kgs I am.
Going by the manual I would be 2,115kg - 127kg = 1,988kg (comfortably under)
Going by the V5 I would be 2,163 - 127kg = 2,036kg (only just!)

So assuming im a dual purpose vehicle.
 
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