Bongo Fury

Hi all, I'm still persevering with trying to import my bongo into Spain. Each person I ask I get a different answer to why it cannot be done.
If you know of anyone that has managed to change their bongo plates to Spanish plates please put me in contact with them.
Here are some of the reasons so far....
1. The garage needs the factory emissions data for my make and model, which they have not been able to obtain.
2. The paper works states it has 6 seats and it only has 4 (due to conversion) so they won't pass the mot.
3. The latest reason is that my bongo does not have a EU homologation serial number. Apparently it is too old to apply for one?
I don't know anything about vehicles in this way so any advice would be amazing! I am sure there will be a way that I can continue my bongo adventures over here......I am refusing to believe I have to sell her.

I'm certain Forum member Aitami did this, but it was a long time ago.

She's not been on here in years so a PM likely won't reach her, point is I'm sure it has been done.

Otherwise is it practical to come back to Blighty now and again and keep Bongy registered here?

And welcome to BF.

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the welcome! As I am now a resident here due to work I can only run a vehicle on English plates for 2 months, 6 months if I'm travelling. There are obviously other ways to get around these things but I want to it to be all declared and legal. It's sadly been sat in a garage for 2 years now and each time I try to get the plates changed another brick wall appears. I have also been told by someone that they have seen bongos over here on spanish plates but they possibly could of been newer than mines as apparently I need an EU serial number? I need to work out if there is any way I can get that stamped onto the chassis?

Also, Aitami is Spanish, don't know if she would get more helpful treatment or just understood the system.

We have pals trying to register their 2006 Hymer in Spain, they too meet the brick walls, but it should be possible.

I have tried to send a message to Aitami and it said there was no longer a member with this name I'm not familiar with this forum yet, is there a way I can find and reply to one of their messages to see if they get a notification?
Thank you

I'm afraid that is probably your answer Aitami is no longer a member and a PM is unlikely to be delivered. Unless Ian at Bongo Towers has an email address for Aitami you probably do not have much chance of contact.

All the reasons you give for not being able to re-register in Spain probably stem from the Bongo never having been officially imported into the UK (and thus the EU) each import in effect being an individual action and so it not having ANY official EU homologation documentation.

Yes the homo is probably the biggest barrier,

Homologation (homologación) is the procedure whereby vehicles are made to comply with certain safety and other requirements before they can be registered. A vehicle imported from a country outside the EU must undergo homologation and must be certified by the manufacturer or an officially recognised laboratory and undergo a test before it can be registered in Spain. It’s a long and complicated process and the information demanded by the regional authorities often varies with the region of Spain.

But

Good Luck.

Hi Rita,
Thank you for your reply. Do you know how it who I need to speak to to investigate this further? The cost of having this all done it ways the loss I will make it I sell it you see so it's worth me trying to move forward with it.
Thank you

I'm wondering how old your Bongo is and if it would have had to have some type certification test upon import into UK. If that test was an EU standard test, maybe this would be accepted by Spain. While googling ECWVTA I came across this lot who look like they might both import Jap cars to UK and to Europe. Could be worth giving them a call to ask nicely if they could offer any pointers?

http://www.japaneseimportspecialists.co.uk/

On import to the UK most grey-imports get a SVA (single vehicle approval) rather than a type-approval. With type-approval, a prototype is tested, examined & approved and then all subsequent production is automatically approved if it's the same as the successfully-tested prototype. With the SVA, only that one vehicle is approved and any others imported have to be similarly examined.

Laubetsyboo,

You probably know this already, but just in case.

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Spai ... ting-a-car


http://www.spanish-number-plates.com/

It seems to me that what you need to establish is
1) Did your Bongo get an SVA or similar EU certificate upon import into UK
2) Is it possible the Spanish authority in question (since Spain is in the EU and we still are) might accept the proof of (1) as meeting the requirements of homologation

That importer in my link above might be able to advise on it.

Good luck - sounds horrendous!