# Replating cost



## alhod

The dealer I bought from has told me they can arrange upgrade on plated weight to 3.850 kg for fee of £260 + vat. That seems high for only a couple of forms to be completed - does anyone have advice how this can be done for lower cost?

Thanks
Alan


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## Zepp

Not sure how much it cost me to replate but give these guys a ring

http://www.svtech.co.uk/motorhomes.html

Paul


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## camallison

That price sounds about right.

Colin


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## tonka

Actually, sounds cheap from a dealer !! They normally want to sting you a lot more.... SV Tech is maybe about the same.
It may only be a paper excersise, try contacting the convertors of the van you are buying and ask them..

Let us know how you get on...


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## peribro

I suspect the dealer is intending to use SVTech and is passing on SVTech's cost with no mark up, which seems fair to me.


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## nickkdx

I've just done my Hymer B584, up from 3500 to 3850kg and thanks to information from Chausson, I contacted Hymer at [email protected] and they did my up-grade for €250, which works out at about £225. Received new plate and bill through post in about 10 days.( when emailing them may be worth asking about paying by credit card, I didn't and had to do a bank transfer)


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## Webby1

*Replating*

We recently paid Svtech £260 for replating so that's the going rate.

But i urge anyone with the time to look into doing it themselves....it would be a massive contribution to this site and save yourself £260.
It's difficult because even if you contact VOSA they suggest using Svtech who just seem to know the procedure and the correct paperwork to use.

My understanding is that you need to get a design weight certificate from the manufacturers, which shows the van has been plated down and can then apply to DVLA with this evidence.They are then supposed to inspect the van but I guess if it comes from Svtech they don't bother. You will also need to get a new plate made up with the correct information......just change the 3500 to 3850.

It's just another example of motorhomers being expected to have deeper pockets than sense..............give it a go and let us know how you get on


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## rayc

Is £260 a high price for using a specialist professional service? Compared to the price of many services and accessories in the motorhome world it appears reasonable.


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## nicholsong

My MH was plated by Fiat and plated separately by Niesmann+Bischoff at 3500kg but was registered, presumably by the dealer at 3850kg(although that only shows as 'Revenue weight and MAM is blank)

So I only needed a new plate, which N+B sent FOC. I believe Hymer(same Group) charge about 70 pounds/Euros - Burstner?

So it depends whether you need the V5C changed as to how you have to go about it. 

Geoff


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## Jeannette

It's not about paperwork, its about the engineering calculations and the approvals that are granted to a company like SV Tech for them to issue the paperwork required to have the plating done. Its not cheap and its a small specialist market and they don't work for free. 

We replated our Autocruise from 3400 to 3750kg after weighing and discovering that basically empty we were overweight. Also increased the back axle load which made us legal again. 

£260 was pretty reasonable in the global scheme of things. Compare it to the fine for being overweight.....


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## alhod

Thanks to all who have commented on this. Particularly interesting is the comment from Jeannette which puts the whole exercise in context.
As with many things in life, it is never as simple as first appears. I suspect that in most cases the engineering calculations are not necessary since the manufacturer has already done all that stuff and knows perfectly well the maximum possible loads etc. The primary reason for plating down to 3500kg is to optimise the market to include folk who do not have C1 on their licence, even though for many doing so effectively renders the MH of very limited practical use - who can go away for even a couple of weeks with a payload of only 100 - 150 kg!!

Alan


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## nicholsong

Jeannette said:


> It's not about paperwork, its about the engineering calculations and the approvals that are granted to a company like SV Tech for them to issue the paperwork required to have the plating done. Its not cheap and its a small specialist market and they don't work for free.
> 
> We replated our Autocruise from 3400 to 3750kg after weighing and discovering that basically empty we were overweight. Also increased the back axle load which made us legal again.
> 
> £260 was pretty reasonable in the global scheme of things. Compare it to the fine for being overweight.....


I think that is not correct in every case.

Mine was already registered for 3850kg. OK DVLA, unlike VOSA, do not know much about vehicles but they must make some checks or one could register at any weight. Also N+B would not issue a new plate if the base vehicle were not certified for 3850.

In that case there were no 'engineering calculations to do - they were done by FIAT.

Fitting of air rides might be different

Geoff


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## greygit

We could only re-plate our Rapido 666 up 3700Kg but it certainly made a difference with the wine haul when returning from France last week.


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## KeithChesterfield

My MH was plated at 3650 kg by Fiat and then re-plated at 3500 kg by Pilote.

Therefore, I presume, the base chassis is quite capable of carrying 3650 kg without any alterations so what is the initial procedure for me to plate it back up from 3500 kg to 3650 kg?

Would getting in touch with the VOSA and asking them what to do be the most sensible way forward?

As you can see on the Fiat plate it gives Axle 1 1850 kg and Axle 2 2000 kg which makes 3850 kg - 200 kg above the Fiat plated total - what's that all about? 

:wav: :wav: :wav:


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## nicholsong

Keith

There are three parts to your enquiry.

The easiest one to deal with is the three weights - the total weight should not be exceeded, nor should each axle weight. Adding the two axle weights is an irrelevant and invalid calculation - they have to be construed separately.

You are correct in that the original Fiat plate reflects the design weight and the vehicle could be put back on that weight.

What does you V5C say about the MAM/MPLM? - depends on when V5C was issued.

Dealers often registered vehicles below design weight in order to sell to drivers not licensed above 3500kg.

I have not done it, but if V5C says 3500kg and you want 3650kg, it should be only a matter of sending V5C to Swansea with vehicle VIN number, which should enable them to connect to the Fiat design and construction authorisation to confirm the 3650kg. 

I do not know the age of your base vehicle but my Fiat (2003) was plated at 3850 kg. If you want that extra payload and are not confident to go through the process many people recommend VTech - talk to them.

Geoff


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## alhod

To update on my own progress, I did arrange this through the dealer and duly received all the necessary papers together with the new plate, upgraded to 3,850 kg which is only formalising the two separate axle weights on the original plate. (Although I did not query this I am sure that the plate at 3,500 kg is only to widen the market of buyers who do not have the extra weight on their licence).

The dealer had indeed just obtained the necessary from SVTech and charged me exactly what SV had charged them

It may be worth noting that the issue of the replacement V5 is no longer done by the local DVLA office, because those have all now been closed! The papers must be sent to Swansea. So to be certain I was doing it right I called the DVLA helpline to check. Big mistake! The operator did not know what I was talking about and after ten minutes trying to get her head round it including twice going off for advice from someone else she finally told me it was not possible to change the registered weight of a vehicle. She did not even understand that Motorhomes are a distinct class of vehicle.
I then called SVTech directly and they could not have been more helpful. Told me exactly what is needed, how to complete the forms (very straightforward ) and then gave me the exact name and direct address of the person in Swansea who handles the applications so the papers and cheque went off end of last week and hopefully the new logbook and tax disc will be back shortly.

Alan


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## subfiver

alhod said:


> ...the applications so the papers and cheque went off end of last week and hopefully the new logbook and tax disc will be back shortly.Alan


Don't be surprised if they take a month to arrive ....


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## goldi

Afternoon folks,


I you are thinking of doing it yourself, forget it. I tried that. Just do it thru sv.




norm


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