Engineering cert. experiences

[EGB18CT]

Hey all,

that time of the month where the eg is ready hopefully to get engineered. Has anyone on these forums actually had their car engineered for an engine conversion?

basically i have done full brake swap/sussy swap from jap dc2, custom 2.5in exhaust, polyurethane filled mounts, havnt put in new air con hoses yet, and coilovers (hotbitz) ohh and the b18c sirg.

if anyone has had any experiences in getting their car engineered or knows a lot about it post away or pm me!

also will i have problems with:

exhaust being custom not passing emissions/noise?

air con hoses twisted?

coilover suspension?



also any recommended engineers places to go?


help appriciated...
egb18ct

[CRXer]

Why are u gettin engineered?
Is this reqd for the susp. alterations?

Just did a B18C CRX,1590cc-1797cc,it didnt need engineering,only 13% increase in displacement.Up to 15% allowed.

Sorry:just realised ur in melb,I'm in syd,maybe different.

[weezer]

Im also hoping to get mine engineered soon. In Melb you only need to get the VASS Certificate. Its the same certificate you need to register import cars under the 15 year rule.

Theres more info on the VicRoads website
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/vrne/vrne5nav.nsf/childdocs/-6F89CFC1046661B5CA256FD300241BFA-C9A8C16E8E6F7C94CA256FD300241BFC-CB94A4C361D75BFCCA256FD300241BFF-1DA07549EDB76603CA256FEF000CC9AE?open

[EGB18CT]

yes i have seen that vass stuff, isnt it the same as a engineering cert as they measure emissions, look over car etc??? im in melb and aparently i need vass cos im over 10% displacement rule errrrr. i havnt tried to go vic roads and change the engine number yet, mite give it a go to see if it will slide past. but still would like to know about the engineer process....

what have u done to ur cAR WEEZER? is the vass the same process as engineer as it is completed by the engineer, so will emissions get tested, coilovers checked etc...

[weezer]

Any engine that was never issued as factory option will need a VASS cert. I dont believe you need emissions test if you"re using factory ECU. I also have a B18 in an EG

[EGB18CT]

rang up a place in richmond and he recons its 300 1st inspection and 300 for final and report but this was foe eng cert. maybe its different since u need a vass form now, aparently the exhaust noise gets measured? ive heard of people paying 350 for the vass somewhere is this true?

[jimmeh]

ppl engineer their cash so that they can clear defects easier. if u only did a type R swap i wouldnt even bother. cos when coppers pop the bonnet all they see is a honda motor.

no turbo , no intercooler and youll be good

[weezer]

Im getting VASS Certificate for insurance purposes. But having said that, i've been defected about 3 times with the B18C and they didnt say anything lol

[EGB18CT]

thats the thing tho jimmeh, it will be turboed later on hopefully around december/jan, so if i put the kit on then i have to get the whole lot at once engineered and more hasstles passing emissions etc... this way i only engineer the motor. plus i need it for insurance... if it wasnt for that i wouldnt bother... anyway...

[panda[cRx]]

it'll be easier to get the cert for the engine than it will be for the turbo.

in vic turbo conv are supposed to be epa'd afaik??

let us (or at least me) know which engineer u use and how ya go :thumbsup:

[ekslut]

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let us (or at least me) know which engineer u use and how ya go :thumbsup:

yeah, let me know too. When my car is finally running I want to get mine engineered too.

[panda[cRx]]

yeah, let me know too. When my car is finally running I want to get mine engineered too.
haahaha i feel your pain, i really do :(

bloody ED's! grrrrrr

[EGB18CT]

atm the only place that is interested is rowan at cartech in richmond. $300 for 1st inspection and 300 for final and report! fu*kn rip bla bla bla! jus to look over and sign a doc! waiting for a few other places to get back to me before i book in. stupid tax return money going on engineer cert errrr i want my turbo! anyway aperently this rowan goes they measure exhaust emission and noise...which mine will fail for sure lol... is this true? we need someone to list their experience that has had their car engineered like a b18 in eg and describe whats involved, what they check out, any problems/fixing, costs etc...

just cant be stuffed unhooking the exhaust and puttin in the stock one that doesnt rally match up to the b18 properly anyhow and making up custom air con hoses for the b18 only to find out they dont measure exhaust etc for the VASS form.

[G7G7]

The RTA website has heaps of Engineers in your area.
I had mine done in NSW. They are negotiable in price also.
They will pass anyting if you get the right guy. You can "pay" for it also.
You need to get a blue slip afterwards and then report it to the RTA, where they will give you a new Rego slip, with "modified as per report xxxxxx"
Then when cops do a rego check- they see its been engineered and "generally" dont bother.
This is NSW though. VIC who NFI.

[SKREMN]

if you can get away with it dorn get one coz all my problems started ater i toght id do the right thing and get one and went down hill from there

[ekslut]

if you can get away with it dorn get one coz all my problems started ater i toght id do the right thing and get one and went down hill from there

Do you mind telling us what problems have you run into getting your engineer cert? If you dont want to post it up here can you PM me?

[EGB18CT]

same here, tell me!? i heard roumers they add u to the "black book" then u get inspections every month?? money making scam for the engineer.....

anyway id still like to know what the proccess is once u arrive at the engineer, what they basically look at carefully in detail like exhaust emissions etc... and costs u paid..

SKREMN can u kindly explain what the engineer did once u dropped the car off and what he looked at/tested/drove and price...

thanks dan

[fufu]

Hi hi, i recently did a engineers certificate.

More commonly known as the Vehicle Identity Validation Certificate (VIV) in victoria. Costed me $330 lasts about 4 hrs. What they do is just inspect the changes towards the vehicle and anything related to it.

Eg. Damaged vehicle bought and repaired. Will require for all damage sites to be inpsected and all safety features from the car to be also inspected.

What is required and not really told to you until the booking of a VIV is the following:

- Original documents to be handed to vehicle inspector before inspection
- Unregistered vehicle permit
- Drivers liscence
- Proof of purchase of vehicle: Tax Invoice/ recept (must contain VIN and Business ABN)
- Proof of ownership: Receipt/registration papers /sales contract
- Tax invoices and itemised receipts for all repairs conducted (must contact business ABN)
- Tax invoices and itemised receipts for all parts used in repair (must contain business ABN)

The following is required.

A statutory declaration of repairs conducted and the method used from either yourself or the person who repaired it. (Statutory Declaration document can be attained at a police station, also need to get it signed there too) Also requires photos taken during repairs.

Complete accident damage report for crash damaged vehicle (usually get these from panel beaters). If you can't get this i'd recommend getting a SRS report, more commonly known as a Chassis measurement report. They varie in price, i got mine for $160 however i was also quoted $360. Best place to find out where to get a SRS report is from the VIV place. Call them up and ask where to get a SRS report.

To be honest its really easy. Not really much to worry about. Just get it fixed to a reasonable condition.


Now onto procedures when you get there.

- Basically you take the car there, pay the amount before the inspection.
- Hand over the documents stated above in the list up there.
- Tell them anything you really need to tell them. ( In my experience my receipt VIN was missing 1 letter from the true VIN)
- and they'll say ... "I'll give you a call in the afternoon when we're done"

These engineers make shitloads of money, their garages are empty. Basically just do VIV inspections all day.

When you come back in the afternoon

- If you pass they will finish off the certificate. If you fail well... no certificate and maybe a list of what needs to be done. (i'm unsure of the fail part cause i passed mine but i presume its what i've stated, because the certificate really only says pass theres nothing about fail)

What the certificate really states is that the engineers has inspected the vehicle and its nothing like its previously record (damaged or stolen).

My experience was more towards a damaged vehicle getting an engineers certificate, i hope it helps somewhat.

Any further questions give me a PM.

[EGB18CT]

thanks for ya input fufu, very informative although im my case its more getting approved for the engine transplant so i can change vin at vicroads and insure it properly just to be on the safe side so if anyone has had a eng cert/vass form etc for engine transplant write away!

just curious do they measure exhaust noise level?
will they car about polyurethane filled engine mounts?
twisted aircon lines?
coilovers?

etc...

[EGB18CT]

just rang up a few places and aparently i will have top prove somehow that the emissions from the jap spec b18 are the same to the aus or us b18! i have to supply documents or workshop manuals that state this otherwise the whole car has to get emission tested which may cost several thousand dollars accordind this enginner. all braking gets tested for fadind etc... even my polyurethane filled mounts may need to be tested....shit!!! thinking of not getting it engineered now as this seems to be a money making scam.. plus on top of that there are like only 3 engineers in the whole of vic that would do engine conversion engineering which is a crock.....

anyway for those who have gone through this with jap spec motors type away...

egb18ct.

[ekslut]

damn, bugger that then. Too much stuffing around. I'll take my chances

[EGB18CT]

that is exactly what i am thinking... especially the part where i have to prove that the emissions are the same or better than the jdm or usdm b18 to aus b18. also my custome polyurethane mounts may have to be further tested which is more money, swap over the stock exhaust and hope that passes...
personally i thik all this is is a big money making scam for the engineer and the gov. having studied engineering i know half these tests they do take literally seconds and they charge 1000's for each test...crap! anyway i am seriously thinking of not getting the eg engineered as it will soon become my drag car with a new honda as my daily driver when i finish uni, and ocasionally taking the eg out on the street...

anyway if anyone has had a engineering experience let us know as this is a topic not many people know about so it would be some very useful info especially to us who have completed conversions or added turbos etc...

[panda[cRx]]

what mounts are you using egb18ct??

when u say 'custom' are u refering to hasport or something or did u literally get your own mounts made for you?

i doubt most inspectors would bother giving the hasport mounts a second look coz they are clearly top notch, they are better built than the oem mounts lol

as much as i want an eng cert i'm not gonna if it costs any more than like $600. i'll risk my luck with noob ass cops..... but i guess i should finish my swap before i worry too much hahaha :)

[jimmeh]

thats the thing tho jimmeh, it will be turboed later on hopefully around december/jan, so if i put the kit on then i have to get the whole lot at once engineered and more hasstles passing emissions etc... this way i only engineer the motor. plus i need it for insurance... if it wasnt for that i wouldnt bother... anyway...

turbo hondas dont pass emmison.
ask superR ....when u when for his emissions test the guy said he wont even bother cos you need about 4 cats to pass emissions

there are two ways to do it.
1. get a shifty guy to give u an engineers cert
2. ask james blkcrx to tune the car. cos his 400kw boosted b16a has passed everything legitimately

[panda[cRx]]

2. ask james blkcrx to tune the car. cos his 400kw boosted b16a has passed everything legitimately
after spending how much on tuning and emissions tests? :wave:

i cant remember off the top of my head but from memory james spent thousands getting his del slo fully street legal, i remember him posting the pics from his emissions tests etc on crxaus

i'll take the dodgy cert thanks lol

[EGB18CT]

yeah i saw his stuff before when he got it all tune up at subaru docklands...

im thinking of the dodgey or even trying my luck at vic roads saying its offered by honda and show the receipt and ask to change the vin, but id hate to go there and they say nope cant, now ur rego is cancled!

for now i think in leaning to not bother with it and spendin that money on more mods and if worst comes to worst buy another daily and save the beast for the strip and weekends hehehe...

[panda[cRx]]

vicroads is not a problem for me:P

i just wanted the cert as backup in case a cops smells something fishy

[EGB18CT]

normally they dont check engine numbers but i want one just in case but its a huge hassle to get one buy the looks of it....

[SKREMN]

since getting the engeneerrs certificate the cops targeted me more could of been a coincidence and also i got a so called randon inspection put on me
now may car is currently defected and unregesterd

[EGB18CT]

shit skremn if thats the case stuff that! as for the dodgey cert i want one but let me know where from pm me! ...but then again there the ones that probably dob u in.

as for my mounts they are stock oem mounts but filled in to make solid with 65a ployurethane. even hasport mounts need testing as its not the actual mount quality its the extra stress it puts on the chasis that causes failure so too firm mount wont pass as too much stress is applied to the chassis etc...all crap what i see.

its also being very difficult to prove that emission from jdm motor is better than or same as US or aus motors and u need paperwork as proof otherwise u have to spend thousands to go through further emission testing...

[VTi_b0i]

Why are u gettin engineered?
Is this reqd for the susp. alterations?

Just did a B18C CRX,1590cc-1797cc,it didnt need engineering,only 13% increase in displacement.Up to 15% allowed.

Sorry:just realised ur in melb,I'm in syd,maybe different.

so if ur in syd, going from 1.6L to 1.8L is legal? no engineering needed? thats good cause u thort i needed one haha saved me time and money :) can anyone verify this?

[EGB18CT]

yes that is right im prety sure same as her in vic under 10or15% power u gont need one and not more than 200ml different u dont need one, but i think they have changes the rules therefore this new vass system is in place as the vicroads site doesnt mention this anymore

has anyone experience rowan at cartech for auto engineering???

[vtegra]

aus91integra has got a h22a teg n he got an eng cert. n he said he paid $750 for it from vass. if you change engines that isnt the same as the original 1, u need a cert to say its safe n thats it, i dont know y uz r worried 4, if there r changes to be made then its ur mechanics fault that didnt do it right n u shuldnt have to pay nemore money 4 his mistakes. n if u have the cert ull have no worries from anyone includin cops, its if u dont have 1 u shuld b worried. im gettin a cert 4 my teg as well for my eng swap

[EGB18CT]

vtegra where did ya mate go and get the vass and what did they do and ask for? did he have to provide receipts of ownership of engine etc... did he do the vass cert with aftermarket exhaust? did all that get measured? by the way i did the swap myself... fill us in on some info...

thanks heaps

[vtegra]

well he isnt really my mate hes on this website just pm him n ask, but he went to vic roads, n receipt not sure but if u bought it from a wrecker or sumthn n u got sumthn signed sayin uve paid that will b enuff bc thats wat ive got incase they ask n u can always say ring them. exhaust part not sure but it shuld b fine if ur worried bout it being loud well ul have to quietin it down if needed nothin u can do bc if they dont get ya, the cops will.

[EGB18CT]

vicroads dont actually do the cert...you have to go to a vass certified engineer....

anyway my motor is from malaysia which was brought from japan...

anyway ill pm him thanks heaps...

[z3lda]

as for aus91teg, the engineer's rewelded his mounts to make it more stronger or some crap.

[CRXer]

so if ur in syd, going from 1.6L to 1.8L is legal? no engineering needed? thats good cause u thort i needed one haha saved me time and money :) can anyone verify this?

I had to get it blue slipped for the engine number change & the guy didnt want to pass it at first cos he thought it was the GSi motor (1834cc) which is a 15.3% increase.As soon as I proved it was a B18C (1797cc) he passed it.So no not all 1.6-1.8L swaps can be done without eng cert.
I wasnt there for the test so thats all i can tell you,sorry.
In syd you then have to take the blue slip with receipt for purchase of the motor with engine # on it to the RTA,to get rego details updated.
To me the blue slip sounds like your VASS,I think some guys would do an emissions test & some wouldnt,I dont think there was one done on mine.
I think you just gotta find the right person to do your VASS.
Sorry if this didnt help at all..........

[EGB18CT]

well if someone can pm me or list some good engineers go ahead...thanks dan.

[VTi_b0i]

I had to get it blue slipped for the engine number change & the guy didnt want to pass it at first cos he thought it was the GSi motor (1834cc) which is a 15.3% increase.As soon as I proved it was a B18C (1797cc) he passed it.So no not all 1.6-1.8L swaps can be done without eng cert.
I wasnt there for the test so thats all i can tell you,sorry.
In syd you then have to take the blue slip with receipt for purchase of the motor with engine # on it to the RTA,to get rego details updated.
To me the blue slip sounds like your VASS,I think some guys would do an emissions test & some wouldnt,I dont think there was one done on mine.
I think you just gotta find the right person to do your VASS.
Sorry if this didnt help at all..........

yehh man that helps heaps! :p thanks
yehh i gotta b18c goin in...
BUT when u take the blue slip to the RTA and that, how can u prove how many K's the new motor has? does the RTA care that much bout how many ks it has? and does it matter if its a jap spec?

[vtegra]

for an engineer to just inspect ur car will be $500 n then the cert costs i think $750 from wat ive been told.

[EGB18CT]

i rang rowan @ cartech in richmod and he said 300 for first inspection and 300 for final inspection and certificate.

while one in eltham or around there said 750minimum upwards into the 1000's.

[vtegra]

so it doesnt matter where you get the cert from?
so wat did the cartech guy say, $600 all up n thats it, u rekon he will pass u,

my mechanic said $500 to inspect it, but didnt say nethin bout the cert costs unless thats included as well

[VTi_b0i]

far out thats so expensive!! haha im glad i dont need one anymore :) can use that money for mods now lol

[vtegra]

im bot so worried about the money, im worried bout it being passed, i cant be stuffd waitin to fix things n then get it checkd again u know wat i mean

[N1SF]

I have done a engineers certificate once on a car. Its not as easy as it seems.

First they will inspect the vehicle to see if everything on the vehicle meets the ADR ( Australian Design Rules) this includes suspension brake engine exhuast even little things like child restraits. Also any aftermarket equipment that has been fitted to the car will aswell have to to be test to see if it meets ADR standards.

Once the vehicle has passed all the check then the vehicle will have to be presented to a EPA emission and noise test if the vehicle passes both of these then you will get your engineer certificate.

Once you have your engineers certificate you will have to take a copy to vicroads and the EPA where they will both note the modification that have been done to the vehicle aswell as certain part number eg cat and engine numbers, these are held on record and the vehicle will be classified as a Roadworthy vehicle at that point.

If you do any modification to the vehicle after you have recieved the engineer's certificate the engineer's certificate will be voided. So if your thinking about installing a turbo kit onto the car at a later date then i wouldn't bother getting an engineer cert at this stage as it will be a waste of money.

As for the cost of all this it will very you are looking anywhere from around $500.00 up to $2000.00 depending on what has to be done to the car.

[EGB18CT]

N1SF... spot on this is what one of the engineer told me and looks like hardly anyone gets charged the minimum 600-750 for it, from what i have heard people have all paid b/w 1500-3000 for it. i think i wont bother with it now.. take my chances as i believe it will cost like 1/4 of the cars value to get it plus it will be turboed hopefully xmas time.... unless i had it looked over by someone and they could guarentee it would only cost 600-750 then id do it but what it looks like they all say that then slug u and say but now i found this and that and so on... but i wouldnt mind a dodgey one to but i believe none will offer this one!

+ rep point to N1SF thanks mate....