# Import ITV - Odometer in miles only.



## Localizer (Jun 23, 2016)

I'm pulling what little hair I have left out over this one - apologies if it has been answered elsewhere!

I'm importing a 2017 BMW motorcycle into Spain, I've had the handlebars moved to the other side (sorry, bad joke) and everything else - headlight, emissions, CoC etc. is good to go.

Speedo shows MPH and KMH, but Odometer only shows Miles. Gestor suggests that the Odometer has to show distance covered in KM, BMW Spain say this should not be an issue.

I cannot find a definitive answer to the question about the odometer, but it is definite that the Speedo needs to read KMH or at least both KMH and MPH.

In 2016 our UK Toyota was imported with Speedo in both KMH/MPH and Odometer in miles only and has since passed its first ITV without issue.

Does anyone have experience of this first hand at an import ITV - the BMW's odometer display can't be changed by a user, so it maybe at least a service visit or worse a replacement instrument panel - which is horribly expensive.

As the Toyota had done over 10K miles, maybe this wasn't an issue because there was an assumption made that the ODO was reading KM; but the bike has only done 3800 - and if you read that as 3800KM the import duties are punitive. (Below 6000Km and it is treated as a new vehicles and you pay VAT levels of tax again.)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts or experiences.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Interesting point this.

I brought my bike with me when I came, but that was in 2004 and nobody sais anything even about the speedo being in miles.

But the rules changed in 2018 and now the checks are stricter.

You are right that legally the speedometer must show the speed in Kms/h, (it can show another reading also, but this one has to be there).

But the odometer in the Spanish rules is referred to as the "cuentakilometros", so, if you find a particularly jobsworth inspector (likely) then they will (correctly) say that your "mileometer" does not "count kilometers" and therefore you do not have a working "cuentakilometros"....


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## Localizer (Jun 23, 2016)

Overandout said:


> Interesting point this.
> 
> But the odometer in the Spanish rules is referred to as the "cuentakilometros", so, if you find a particularly jobsworth inspector (likely) then they will (correctly) say that your "mileometer" does not "count kilometers" and therefore you do not have a working "cuentakilometros"....


.... I think you are correct, this is likely to be the core of the issue.


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

A pal of mine imported a S1000RR a few months ago. He managed to get it passed OK after taking it to a BMW dealer.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

When I registered my 44 year old UK classic car it passed the technical inspection and ITV with it's MPH speedo without comment.

When I took it back to the same station for a subsequent test it was failed for not having a KPH speedo so go figure! 

As it happened I had a KPH speedo (only an overlay on the scale so still MPH odometer) but had never got around to fitting it so I nipped home, swapped it out, and was back for the retest almost within the hour.

The car passed that but then they started wittering on about a certificate from whatever garage had fitted it, as if I'd popped into a handy nearby British Leyland dealer which just happened to have KPH for a 44 year old model in stock and they had fitted it for me on the spot, yeah!

The argument seemed to be going nowhere until I pointed out that the odometer on the KPH speedo actually showed several 10's of thousands MORE than the one I'd taken out, the difference between one being miles and the other - as far as they knew - being KM being completely lost on them. 

Since the possibility of giving a car a 'haircut' was the only rational argument for wanting a change of speedo certified, and as I'd now got MORE not less, they finally relented.

You really couldn't make it up!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

MataMata said:


> When I registered my 44 year old UK classic car it passed the technical inspection and ITV with it's MPH speedo without comment.
> 
> When I took it back to the same station for a subsequent test it was failed for not having a KPH speedo so go figure!
> 
> ...


What you were told was not "made up".

The inspection rules changed in 2018, so if you registered the vehicle in Spain before that you would not have needed a km/h speedometer, but after that you would. When laws change in any country you can't normally just argue that you comply with the previous law....

Also, the requirement for the certificate of the qualified workshop is a legal requirement. 
You as an individual are not legally authorised to carry out any work on a vehicle which is classified as a "reforma" and can only be carried out by qualified professionals. 
The exchange of the speedometer is a reforma and requires:
· Workshop Certificate
· Conformity certificate of the replacement speedometer
· Homologation certificate

So if you got away with installing a used speedo yourself you were very, very lucky.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

MataMata said:


> When I registered my 44 year old UK classic car it passed the technical inspection and ITV with it's MPH speedo without comment.
> 
> When I took it back to the same station for a subsequent test it was failed for not having a KPH speedo so go figure!
> 
> ...


I had a LandRover Freelander which came with running boards (or whatever they ‘re called) fitted. I thought they looked nice on the car. For five years it passed the ITV at our local test centre then in 2018 I was told it had failed because the running boards weren’t a usual feature of Freelanders.
After fruitless arguments I asked what I could do. The tester told me to go away and get the boards removed, come back, he’d pass the vehicle and said that since I liked them so much I could now put them on again.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I also know of someone who had a car privately imported from Germany about 20 years ago. In those days the authorities in Spain were not very strict or thorough and they failed to note on the Ficha Técnica that the car was fitted with a sunroof.

Fast forward to a few years ago and he suddenly fails the ITV because he doesn't have the homologation papers for the sunroof to get it added to the Ficha.... even showing records from the manufacturer that the car came from the factory with a sunroof didn't work.

In the end I think he got a mechanic to produce an installation certificate saying that they had installed the roof panel from a scrapped car of the same characteristics and a homologation certificate was issued in that basis.


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## Nomoss (Nov 25, 2016)

We had an Alfa Sprint which didn't run very well with the carb. settings needed to pass the ITV. We always took it to an Alfa specialist to set up the carbs before its ITV, and put them back to where it would run properly after the test.

One day it failed on emissions, so I took it back to him. He was livid, got in the car and drove to the ITV test station.

He was back shortly afterwards with the test passed. He said their emissions test machine wasn't working because they never cleaned or serviced it or the sensors.

It always passed the test after that, even when I hadn't had him adjust it first.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Funny you should mention the emissions... I'm currently not able to get my bike through the ITV for the emissions test.

I had a problem with the original exhaust (snapped bolt on the silencer) so I bought a replacement which is homologated and had all the paperwork to prove it. But it still failed on the emissions.

According to the guy in the test centre, the fact that the exhaust is homologated doesn't necessarily mean that it will pass the ITV (makes me wonder what the purpose of homologation is in that case?) So he suggested that I remove the homologated exhaust and put the original back on.
When I explained that the original had a bolt missing and that it would be blowing and too noisy, he said that it didn't matter, the noise test and visual inspection had already been passed with the replacement exhaust, so as long as the original exhaust brings the emissions into specified values, the noise and damage wouldn't cause a problem....

I don't really feel comfortable with that solution so I'm trying to get the original exhaust repaired or find a used one in good condition (a new one from Suzuki costs more than 50% the value of the bike!)

Unfortunately for me, this means that I really can't ride the bike anywhere because using a vehicle with a negative ITV result is far more serious than just not having it inspected.

So although I would never recommend that anyone breaks the law, if you think a vehicle won't pass the ITV, don't take it. If you get caught without it you'll paya a small fine and have to take it to the test, but if you get caught after a fail result, they can confiscate and destroy the vehicle.


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

In 2014 I imported my1977 bike. It had a Kph overlay so the speed displayed correctly but the odometer recorded miles. Passed first time and every time since then. This might be because.....who knows different if you don't tell them ???


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Relyat said:


> In 2014 I imported my1977 bike. It had a Kph overlay so the speed displayed correctly but the odometer recorded miles. Passed first time and every time since then. This might be because.....who knows different if you don't tell them ???


That's true!

When you imported the bike, the odometer was not part of the inspection, so they wouldn't have checked if it counted miles or kms.

When you take it now, they probably see that the speedo has a km/h scale and as you say, can't really check what the odometer reads so just let it through.

They only catch people out when it is easy for them!

Also, I find that if you go to a different testing station after having used a competitor for previous tests they are more stringent, as if they are trying to catch out the previous testers.

As far as possible, always take it to the same testing station, and if you imported it, always take it to the same station that issued the first Spanish Ficha.


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## Localizer (Jun 23, 2016)

.... so, a good news update.

Our Gestor was finally able to get the local test station manager to agree that they would accept the Odometer in Miles as long as during the actual test I made sure the assessor noted this and I was able to covert the Miles to KM so that they could be recorded in the paperwork.

BMW Motorrad Germany replied to my eMail with a pithy response - 'every BMW dealer should be able to change the odometer reading to KM when connected to the BMW service computer' and suggested they if they didn't know how how do it they merely had to ask them. When I thanked them for this, they offered with 24 hours notice of the appointment to perform the change remotely once the local dealer connected the bike to their service computer. For some reason the local dealer was less happy with this offer when I booked.....!

Thanks to everyone for their comments!


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## Muddy (Jan 14, 2010)

Localizer said:


> .... so, a good news update.


I got my old UK car through an ITV recently, it's still on UK plates and I'm running short on time now as I do need new headlight lenses or or maybe two new headlights. The ITV centre said I would need to buy new speedo. I pointed out than many old UK cars also has kmh on the clocks but is very small print, not easy to see, but he said it was fine. There is no way in hell you can see it outside in the sun! 

But of course the odometer is in miles, now reading this thread I'm not sure if they let that go due to the age of the car or they missed that point! :fingerscrossed:

He then said I would need a fog light fitted on the left, but again I said I have one on both sides  I got a call from them later as I think they thought they had made a mistake on that point so I sent a photo.

I didn't think it would pass the emissions but it did, the ITV guys of course are adjusting the test based on the age of the vehicle otherwise it wouldn't pass.

I don't understand how I got the ITV before changing my lights, but I still don't have the "ficha tecnica", and I'm still on UK plates.
I assume I'll have to take it back once I fit the new lights or lenses.


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