1. I decided to install a spare wheel bracket on the VAZ-2131. The product description states that it meets the requirements of GOST R50577–93 and does not require certification. Will there be any problems when passing the technical inspection?
The spare wheel holder as a vehicle component is indeed not subject to mandatory certification, and its installation is technically permissible. However, a number of conditions must be met during installation. According to GOST R 50577–93 “State registration signs of vehicles. Types and main sizes. Technical requirements”, the registration plate must be installed along the axis of symmetry of the car or to the left of it in the direction of travel. The registration plate must be located perpendicular to the reference plane of the vehicle with a deviation of no more than five degrees. The height of the lower edge of the rear registration plate, measured from the reference plane of the vehicle, must be at least 300 mm, the height of the upper edge of the sign - no more than 1200 mm. In addition, the installed bracket with a spare wheel must not block the rear lighting equipment, the visibility requirements of which are set out in UNECE Regulation No. 48. The rear registration plate lighting device is subject to mandatory certification. Installing a spare wheel holder on a vehicle that is not provided by the vehicle manufacturer is a modification to the design, may affect the risk of injury to the external protrusions (UNECE Regulation No. 26) and therefore must be registered in the prescribed manner.
2. On a 2011 Daewoo Nexia (discontinued model), I want to change the high and low beam lamps to LED. How to do this legally?When making changes to the design of lighting fixtures, including replacing the light module (as in your case), a safety assessment is required. Installation of non-standard light modules is not allowed if the illuminating surface of the diffuser in the area of passage of the light beam has optical elements involved in the formation of the beam (in other words, if the glass is corrugated). The procedure for conducting a safety assessment is as follows.
- Obtain from the testing laboratory a preliminary technical expert opinion on the possibility and procedure for making changes.
- At the traffic police technical supervision, fill out an application for changes to the design.
- After a decision has been made on your application, carry out the appropriate work.
- After making changes, contact a testing laboratory accredited to confirm the compliance of lighting and light signaling devices and have the vehicle checked for compliance with UNECE Regulation No. 48 “Uniform provisions concerning the certification of vehicles with regard to the installation of lighting and light signaling devices.”
- If the inspection result is positive, a design safety assessment protocol with the amendments will be issued.
- Based on the protocol, the traffic police technical supervision unit will issue a certificate of conformity of the vehicle design. You should contact the registration department of the traffic police with the certificate and make notes in the documents.
3. Is it necessary to register a towbar for a passenger car if it is installed by an official dealer and has a certificate?
The service that carries out the installation work (this may be an official dealer) must provide a certificate of conformity for the towbar. Otherwise, it is impossible to confirm the safety of the component installed on the vehicle, as well as the compliance of the vehicle itself with the requirements of TR CU 018/2011. The certificate for the trailer hitch confirms its safety as a component. However, it is necessary to make sure that this device is installed correctly and that the vehicle with the installed trailer hitch meets the safety requirements for the vehicle as a whole. That is why the trailer hitch is subject to mandatory certification, and its installation on a vehicle is considered a re-equipment that requires changes to the design.
4. I would like to install on the UAZ-3153, instead of the standard UMZ-4218 engine, a tractor diesel D-154 or D-155T (manufactured by VMTZ) with a GAZ-63 gearbox. I have seen such converted machines and I know that they have proven themselves well in operation. How can this installation be legitimized?Installing such an engine instead of a standard one is impossible. Firstly, this tractor diesel engine does not meet the environmental requirements for automobiles, and lowering the environmental class when re-equipping the vehicle is unacceptable. In addition, the mass of such a motor (400 kg ± 20 kg, depending on attachments) is more than twice the mass of the standard one, which means the load on the front axle will increase unacceptably. Therefore, such a change will require full testing of the car itself.
5. Recently installed gas equipment. But I plan to replace some components with newer ones. Is this a design change? Do you need to register with the traffic police?
Interference with the design and completeness of installed gas equipment (LPG) during operation is not allowed (according to Appendix No. 8 to TR CU 018/2011). If it is necessary to replace the reducer or cylinder, authorized organizations issue a certificate of compliance of the gas equipment with safety requirements, which the owner of the machine presents during periodic inspections of the gas equipment.
6. I want to install shelves in a PAZ bus. What requirements must be met?
Installing shelves in a PAZ bus is acceptable. Once installed, the internal equipment of the bus must comply with the requirements of UNECE Regulation No. 21-01 “Uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to their internal equipment”.
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A towbar or towbar (hereinafter) is one of the most common additional equipment on a car. It is what is used for transporting all kinds of trailers, transporting bicycles... However, while we are not using it, to put it in the language of a commoner, it just sticks out at the back. And here, recently, our valiant inspectorate, which monitors road safety, began to have questions for the owners of cars that are equipped with towbars. This is not the first time on the Internet that you can find reviews that an inspector has issued a fine for a tow bar. But how do things really stand with the fact of an installed tow bar that is not registered as additional equipment? Can they really get a fine for this? Is this legal? This is what we want to tell the reader about.
Logically, what is a tow bar...
In essence, in order to arrive at a fine pattern, it is necessary to relate actions or inactions to some condition or fact, and also to prove its violation. Well, if you know that under Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation it is quite possible to issue a fine. And this article of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation prescribes a fine for something not working or re-equipping a car, it turns out that the towbar itself needs to be connected to additional equipment - that is, to change the design of the vehicle. Here, the first thing you need to do is refer to the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union. After all, it is there that you can find a definition of what a design change is.
“making changes to the design of a vehicle” - the exclusion of components and equipment not provided for by the design of a particular vehicle, made after the vehicle is put into circulation and affecting road safety;
In fact, if we develop this idea, then I would like to know whether the towbar will affect the very same road safety or not. Here it is necessary to turn to the definition of road safety. To do this, we quote the Federal Law of December 10, 1995 N 196-FZ “On Road Safety”
Article 2. Basic terms
road safety is the state of this process, reflecting the degree of protection of its participants from road accidents and their consequences.
Now we draw a conclusion. If a towbar can influence the provocation of an accident or its consequences, then in essence this is a design change. It is possible to logically conclude that a tow bar can influence the role of probability in an accident, but it would be absurd. But the conclusions about the consequences of the influence of a tow bar in an accident are clear. The towbar protrudes beyond the rear bumper, which means it may well affect the consequences of an accident. Since first of all the impact will be on the tow bar, and only then on the bumper. As a result, a towbar can be considered a change in the design of the car, which means Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, or rather a fine according to it, is quite likely for motorists with a towbar.
However, there are exceptions here that will benefit the car enthusiast.
Is it possible to avoid a fine for a towbar?
Firstly, it is worth conducting a dialogue about the fact that Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for an alternative to warning. That is, first of all, it is necessary to say that everything will be corrected in the near future and ask to stop at the warning. It will be especially good to use this tactic if you have no relapses, that is, traffic violations over the past six months or a year.
Secondly, you can use a removable tow bar. In this case, it will be difficult to logically argue that such design changes affect the likelihood of an accident and its outcome. After all, in essence you have no protruding parts. Which negates the influence of such a semi-tow bar in the final results of an accident. Of course, a reasonable inspector should accept this point of view.
Another case would be when the tow bar is installed from the factory or there are fastenings provided for it. We don’t know if there are such cars, that is, those that come straight from the factory with a towbar (tow hitch) and how to confirm that the towbar was installed at the factory. But if there are any, then essentially the towbar cannot be considered a change in the design of the vehicle. Since neither you nor anyone else interfered with the design. Everything was as is.
Thirdly, which may be the most popular argument, you can take advantage of the loophole under Chapter V of the Technical Regulations..., section 4, paragraph 77
77. Vehicles are not subject to inspection in the following cases:
1) when installing components on a vehicle:
intended for this vehicle and have undergone conformity assessment as part of this vehicle, which is confirmed by the documentation of the component manufacturer;
provided by the vehicle manufacturer in the operational documentation;
That is, if, say, the towbar is certified in accordance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union for the car on which it is installed, then it has thereby passed the assessment, which means you can drive with it. Well, there is no need to repeat about those provided by the manufacturer, since this is practically akin to what is provided by the design. This is naturally possible, as we have already talked about.
In general, if you have a towbar, then you must have a certificate for compliance with the Technical Regulations, and also that the models in which it was received are mentioned. It is this certificate that will become a kind of guarantee that you won’t be fined for the towbar. To confirm this information, we will attach a letter from the traffic police.
Well, one thing can be said about homemade towbars: they remain “outside the law” here.
Fine for towbar (tow hitch)
In fact, we have already said earlier that a fine for a towbar is possible. Here it only remains to cite Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, or rather its first part. It is for this that the fine will be issued.
Driving a vehicle in the presence of malfunctions or conditions under which, in accordance with the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety, the operation of the vehicle is prohibited... - entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of 500 rubles
In fact, in the “Basic Provisions...” there is a “List of Malfunctions and Conditions”, which also contains clause 7.18.
Changes have been made to the design of the vehicle without permission from the State Road Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or other bodies determined by the Government of the Russian Federation
That is, the same changes that we talked about above have been made. As a result, since the towbar is a change, and liability is provided for violations of the “List...”, or rather the “Basic Provisions...”, then it can occur in accordance with Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which we cited above. As a result, they may well give you a warning or a minimal fine for using a tow bar.
Is it possible to pay a fine for a towbar at a discount?
We don’t know whether this is a good thing or not, it depends on whoever, but the fine for a tow bar can be paid with a 50 percent discount. This is stated in Article 32.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The main thing here is to pay the fine no later than 20 days and no earlier than a decision is issued and included in the traffic police database.
The current state of affairs on the road
Despite the fact that we nevertheless came to the conclusion that a fine for a tow bar is not only possible, but also quite legal, everything is not so bad. Indeed, in practice, motorists are not often issued such a fine. Let's say more, no one really pays attention to the presence of a towbar, and does not think about what the motorist is violating. Therefore, actual objectivity is not so gloomy, and until some high-profile incident occurs in our country or the idea of a “fix” arises, there is no need to be particularly afraid of a fine for a tow bar. The likelihood of such administrative punishment is not high.
Questions and answers on the topic “Fine for tow bar”
Question: Can I get a fine for a tow bar?
Answer: Yes, this is a warning or a minimum fine.
Video about a fine for a tow bar
Judicial practice regarding a fine for a tow bar
In fact, this is not all idle chatter, since there are real fines and even judicial acts (decisions). Let's see.
Vehicle owners who do not have a tow hitch will find it relatively difficult in some situations. If the garage does not have its own truck and it is not possible to order transportation services, you will need to install and connect a device such as a tow bar. This can be done either with the help of professionals or independently. Before covering the question of how to install this device, it is worth understanding what a tow bar is and for what purposes it is used.
Why is a towbar required?
Quite often in everyday life you have to transport cargo that does not fit into the trunk or interior of a car in terms of its parameters and size. These can be a variety of building materials or large, oversized purchases.
To accommodate such items and purchases, you will need a mini-trailer, which will ideally contain what needs to be transported from one place to another. The transported cargo can include everything from a bag of potatoes to a concrete mixer.
To connect such a trailer, you will need space for a special traction device. Due to the fact that not all modern vehicles have it, you often need to independently purchase the necessary spare parts and carry out a process such as installing a tow bar.
Make it yourself or buy ready-made?
Such a device can be purchased at a specialized store or made independently. Despite the fact that the latter option will save a lot of material resources, many prefer to buy a ready-made option from well-known manufacturers. This is based on certain advantages:
- Even during the design process of the device, a special computer model is formed, through which the likely load on the main fasteners can be determined.
- A towbar, which is produced at the factory, undergoes a large number of various technical inspections before the implementation stage, and throughout the entire manufacturing process. Checks are also carried out in a separate management department.
- The manufacturer, as a rule, bears full responsibility for his products and gives a guarantee, which is usually documented. If an unexpected situation arises, the client can contact the company that manufactured and installed the device and receive some assistance.
It is recommended not only to purchase a clutch from a reputable manufacturer, but also to order its installation from the company’s employees. If you install the tow bar yourself, and then it fails for some reason, you won’t have to count on warranty repairs.
Self-installation of a tow bar
To install a towbar without the help of a car service, you should allocate about two or three hours for this work and find a place for installation. The ideal option would be a garage that has a special inspection hole, which will allow you to carry out all the required work without any problems.
If you purchase a ready-made towbar, you can be sure that the package will include all the metal plates, bushings, as well as sockets and wires required for the job. If this is not the case, you will have to purchase such parts yourself.
To properly install the device, you will need the following elements and tools:
- the towbar itself;
- necessary fastenings;
- wiring;
- drill of the required diameter;
- spanners;
- car bumper removal tool.
There are car models where removing the bumper is not required, it all depends on the design features.
Preliminary work includes marking the places where you will need to make holes for fastening; for this, a regular marker is used. To obtain quality holes, you need to use a slightly larger drill bit than the bolts you are using.
Important! To avoid destructive corrosion, the places where the holes are drilled are treated with a special anti-corrosive agent. Only after this is the towbar screwed on.
Everything is clear regarding attaching the towbar; the main thing is to follow certain instructions. Particular attention should be paid to connecting a special electrical circuit for a passenger vehicle trailer, in other words, connecting the towbar contacts.
Connecting the towbar
Due to the fact that a trailer that is connected to a car must transmit all signals similar to those of the vehicle, its electrical wiring must be connected to the car's.
Typically, a special platform is attached to the towbar structure, onto which, after some time, a contact connector, protected from various external influences, is mounted. To connect a passenger trailer, very often only 6-7 of the 13 connectors present are used. For trailers produced in Russia, as a rule, special 7-slot sockets are installed.
Important! Before connecting, you must carefully understand all types of plugs present. It is worth considering the question of which contacts are responsible for which connector. It is necessary to determine all the intended purposes of each of the contacts, which are intended for different plugs.
As a rule, the purchased towbar has special instructions regarding connection. If you maintain the polarity and follow the basic connection rules, there will be no problems with this process. If connected correctly, all trailer lamps will repeat the signals coming from the car.
The popularity of such an important device for transporting cargo as a towbar is becoming increasingly higher. It is indispensable for effectively connecting the used coupling mechanism for towing another vehicle. Installing and connecting the towbar is not difficult. It is enough to follow the specific instructions and tips outlined in this article.
An example of installing a tow bar on a Renault Logan (video)
A towbar is defined as a towing device designed to connect a trailer or van to a passenger car. This device is used by many motorists. However, in connection with recent changes in legislation, an urgent question arises under what conditions a towbar is installed on a car.
The traffic rules do not provide for a separate law regulating exclusively the use of a tow bar on a car. The main provision that traffic police inspectors address is Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. This instruction provides a list of equipment installed on the vehicle for which penalties are due.
There is no separate tow bar in Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. However, recent changes and comments to them prescribe that this device is an addition to the vehicle, the unauthorized installation of which entails a fine.
Next we turn to Technical Regulations “On the safety of wheeled vehicles” TR CU 018/2011. This law provides for changes to the structure of the car. If these are provided by the manufacturer, then they are considered regulated, that is, legal.
Changes in the laws on towbars provide for its operation in the presence of:
- device passports with information about its installation filled out by the service center;
- copies of the certificate of the mounted device;
- certificate of completion of the installation work.
The solution to the question of whether it is possible to install a towbar according to the new law depends on the installation procedure performed.
Procedure for installing a tow bar
For the legal installation of a towbar in accordance with legal regulations, certain procedure:
- are determined with the possibility of installation - the passenger car must be designed to tow a trailer, the manufacturer provides a special place for the towbar;
- choose a unit from the manufacturer, coordinating the choice with the model and make of the car;
- turn to a car service for installation with further paperwork;
- receive documents for installing a tow bar and register it with the traffic police.
Register the device with the traffic police not necessary, if complied with conditions:
- installation is provided by the vehicle manufacturer;
- the device has a passport and a certificate proving the legality of its installation;
- the device was installed according to the instructions without making changes to the design of the car, that is, drilling, welding and other actions were not carried out.
Registration of a tow bar with the traffic police is meant in a situation where installation is carried out independently or changes are made to the design of the machine. Registration costs vary depending on the type of vehicle and the cost of the device itself. For registration are provided documentation:
- application for registration, its form for filling out is offered on the spot;
- double-sided copy of PTS;
- documents for the tow bar;
- car registration certificate.
Based on application an examination is organized to determine the possibility of using the specified device. Based on its results, the car owner must collect certain documents:
- a diagnostic card confirming the safety of the vehicle being used;
- contract for the purchase of a towbar and other papers related to its use, including a certificate;
- declaration from the car service center where the device was installed;
- expert decision on the possibility of operating the vehicle.
Based on the above list, the driver is issued certificate, confirming the legality of using the tow bar.
What is the fine for a towbar without a trailer?
The new law on towed devices according to the Technical Regulations and Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation defines fine for illegal use of a tow bar of 500 rubles. At the same time, an alternative is prescribed - verbal warning. Based on this, the question arises as to how collection can be avoided.
Those drivers who have been free of offenses for a long time are more likely to be successful in calling for a warning. Traffic police inspectors do not often pay attention to the presence of a tow bar on a vehicle without a trailer. But even the most conscientious will be loyal to law-abiding citizens.
An excellent solution would be to use a removable tow bar. In this case, the traffic police inspector will not be able to interpret the device as negatively affecting the safety of the vehicle. The presence of all documents completely exempts the driver from penalties.
The driver of the car can refer to paragraph 77 of Chapter 5 of the said Technical Regulations. According to its provisions, a vehicle is not tested for safety if it is equipped with supplementary devices provided that:
- the installed units have a factory purpose;
- there is a certificate of suitability for use on this vehicle;
- availability of documentation from the manufacturer and compliance with the brand and model of the machine being used.
It will not be possible to evade collection if the device is homemade or if changes were made to the design of the car during its installation. In this situation, you will need identification documents from the traffic police; if they are missing, a fine will be issued.
21.08.2017
One of the frequent requests lately is whether permission from the traffic police is needed to install a tow bar in 201, and what should those who have already installed do - do they need to register it?
Based on the responses from the traffic police department from different regions, we can clearly answer that registration is required if the design of the car did not require the installation of a tow bar. To the delight of car enthusiasts, most cars do not fit this definition, and you can install a towbar without regard to the inspection staff. Registration is not necessary if you follow the rules:
- Information about whether the tow bar was intended to be installed by the manufacturer can be found in the car’s operating instructions or checked at the dealership;
- The towbar was purchased in a store with all the necessary certificate of conformity and passport;
- The installation of the towbar was carried out according to the instructions and the design of the machine did not change.
Where to install the tow bar?
You can install a towbar at any car service center if they have a certificate of conformity for providing these services. If for some reason they cannot provide you with such a certificate, then it is better to look for another service that will do the installation in accordance with GOST. If the car is under warranty from an official dealer, you can carry out installation at their place or at any certified auto repair center. In this case the guarantee remains valid.
Grounds for fine
On what basis can a towbar fine be issued? In accordance with Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of Russia, additional equipment cannot be installed on a vehicle that entails an increased danger for road users. What is the danger in a tow bar without a trailer? The fact is that in the event of an emergency, the car behind will not just slightly damage the bumper in a collision, but will literally “put itself on” the tow bar. The damage in this case will be much more serious.
How to avoid a fine?
To begin with, it is worth remembering that one of the penalties for this violation in 2018 is a warning. You can always try to explain it to the traffic police officer and promise to immediately correct the mistake and register the change in the design of the car.
If the car leaves the assembly line already with a tow bar, they have no right to issue a fine. Since in this case the design is provided by the manufacturer and the towbar is not additional equipment. But, unfortunately, it is not always possible to prove this. And if a fine is nevertheless issued, you will have to pay it, and then write an application to the local traffic police department for the return of the erroneously withheld funds.
Another option is to provide the employee with all the necessary documents to install the towbar. Since there is a clause 77 in the law, according to which additional equipment specially produced for a specific car, having the necessary documentation, and also provided by the manufacturer is not a violation. And accordingly, no fine is imposed. That is why it is worth buying a tow bar that is factory-made and specialized for your brand of car. For example, in the Okay AUTO store, they have all the necessary documents and are produced according to the technical requirements for a specific brand of car.
Well, the last opportunity to avoid a fine is to install a removable towbar. In this case, the structure will not extend beyond the bumper and it will be difficult for the traffic police officer to explain the validity of the fine for such additional equipment, since it does not pose a danger to road users.
If the tow bar is homemade, it is definitely subject to a fine and an order to remove it.
How much will you have to pay
If for some reason a fine is issued, then its amount will be 500 rubles, according to Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code of Russia. The amount of the fine will be reduced by 2 times and will be 250 rubles if payment is made within 20 days.
