B. C. Registration

I'm trying to get the '35 Chevy registered and to that end I have enlisted the aid of a local ICBC agent.

I have filled out the declaration, got it notarized and we have attempted to get the balance of the process completed. It seems we have hit a brick wall.

The agent got right to the end of the registration form - and this was after two extended calls to the ICBC head office - when we hit the last road block. It seems that DMV wants an inspection sticker on the vehicle BEFORE they will even let you register a vehicle. That may make sense to them, but not to me. The agent said he knew of a way around it but would not elaborate.

Have any of you gone through this problem and got it sorted out? I'm not seeking some back door trickery, just a legitimate registration of the vehicle. So, to that end, I have drafted a letter to ICBC to see what needs to be done from here.

I won't mail it off for a couple of days in case you guys have some more that I can add to my letter. Thanks.

I was told today that the 58 I bought out of Calif. needs to be inspected @ gov't inspection facility. Seeing the car is older there is no need for federal insp. only newer than '79 I think. Frank

That's the way it is, I've always had to get an inspection before registering.
Had to do it 3 times with cars brought up from the US.

The only problem which can arise if the vehicle is a pro street or altered type car then you have get all the welding inspected.

Randy

I have done a few cars through ic bc and yes this way sucks. I did mine through last resorts part of icbc you need bill of sale notarized paper saying you have no idea of registration and all paper work you can give them if it's from out of province . It has been awhile since I have done one like this... rules might have changed but last car they gave me registration but I could not insure or sell car until it was inspected. I mean who is going to put thousands into a car if you cant even register it to begin with... Just more icbc bs in my book

I am going through the same stuff, I think this inspection is a typical Government catch 22 situation for us that are building cars and want a registration now but are not ready for an inspection yet. I think the rules where made for finished cars that require an inspection prior to registration. It looks like in the ICBC guide “vehicles with no record of registration” form number MV1410 that a inspection is not required for antique or collector vehicles, so maybe applying for a collector car B.C. registration (if applicable) would remove the inspection requirement?

That might have been what the agent was talking about but why wouldn’t they tell you, what’s the big mystery; if you don’t have that guide I think it would be helpful.

I’m not sure that I would write to ICBC until the agent has exhausted all his resources. Unfortunately, most of the time, legitimate regulations end up turning honest people into crooks which is where the back door trickery comes in. I hate to say it but openness definitely don’t pay in this kind of situation, the less you say and ask the better.

It might be possible to ask a friendly inspection facility if there are any other options.

Keep us posted.

Ya this really sucks I did lots of inspection a few years back when I lived in bc the problem is the car needs to be running and driving to get a pass before you get a sticker,I would like to see a "reg only needs inspection to licence" or something along those lines, that way you could insure it while it was being built.

Randy

I can't see him saying there is another way and not telling you unless it is a shady way and he don't want to get in trouble. At least I don't know of one.

Randy

I'm pretty sure you can put a storage policy on it, which covers fire and theft.

Randy

Rustytin said:

I have done a few cars through ic bc and yes this way sucks. I did mine through last resorts part of icbc you need bill of sale notarized paper saying you have no idea of registration and all paper work you can give them if it's from out of province . It has been awhile since I have done one like this... rules might have changed but last car they gave me registration but I could not insure or sell car until it was inspected. I mean who is going to put thousands into a car if you cant even register it to begin with... Just more icbc bs in my book

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This is pretty much my situation. I have the bill of sale, the notarized declaration has been done correctly. Last registration was in Saskatchewan in 1960, and when I searched there - easy to do - not surprisingly they had no record. I'm not even that worried about insuring it, but I sure as hell want something giving me legal ownership.

Old Ray said:

I am going through the same stuff, I think this inspection is a typical Government catch 22 situation for us that are building cars and want a registration now but are not ready for an inspection yet. I think the rules where made for finished cars that require an inspection prior to registration. It looks like in the ICBC guide “vehicles with no record of registration” form number MV1410 that a inspection is not required for antique or collector vehicles, so maybe applying for a collector car B.C. registration (if applicable) would remove the inspection requirement?

That might have been what the agent was talking about but why wouldn’t they tell you, what’s the big mystery; if you don’t have that guide I think it would be helpful.

I’m not sure that I would write to ICBC until the agent has exhausted all his resources. Unfortunately, most of the time, legitimate regulations end up turning honest people into crooks which is where the back door trickery comes in. I hate to say it but openness definitely don’t pay in this kind of situation, the less you say and ask the better.

It might be possible to ask a friendly inspection facility if there are any other options.

Keep us posted.

Click to expand...

I don't think the agent was trying to be mysterious in any way, and I made it perfectly clear that I want everything to be strictly above board. Mainly because ICBC could come back at a later date and say that I made some sort of false statement, which I flatly refuse to do. He did tell me that ICBC is going out of the "agreed value" business as of January 1, 2014. He suggested using Hagerty for the optional insurance. I think most of us know that already.

I really don't want collector plates.

I'm of the opinion that whoever he spoke with at DMV didn't know any of the oddball rules, i.e. antique and/or collector vehicles.

The first red flag that came up was because the vehicle didn't have at least a 17 digit VIN. Hell, they hadn't made that many cars back then.

I'll see the agent again tomorrow and ask about this MV1410 form...and many thanks for that.

rmk57 said:

That's the way it is, I've always had to get an inspection before registering.
Had to do it 3 times with cars brought up from the US.

The only problem which can arise if the vehicle is a pro street or altered type car then you have get all the welding inspected.

Randy

Click to expand...

I wouldn't know about bringing cars up from the US, but it makes sense that they would want an inspection on any car coming in from a foreign country. Don't they want inspections in some cases with cars between Canadian provinces?

I went through this 6 months ago with a '48 Chev also from Saskatchewan. My car had been sold twice since last being registered is Sask. before I bought it. Fortunately I had old license plates and an old registration showing the last registered owner. I had to send a registered letter to the last registered owner asking him to sign a BC transfer form. If the registered letter is returned undeliverable, ICBC accepts that as consent to transfer. I was able to search obituaries and found a copy of the obit for the previous registered owner and included that with the missing ,signature form to ICBC along with the returned letter. I also had a copy of the SGI search which basically just said it was not stolen and could be registered in Sask. I also had to do a BC search even though it had never been registered before in BC. Fortunately my car was good enough that I was able to fix it up in stock form for only couple hundred bucks and get it safety inspected. Also had to weigh it to include the tare weight on the registration and take it to the ICBC agent so they could verify the serial number. Once all this was done I got it registered, licensed and insured for 3 months. Now I'm tearing it down for the street rod treatment.

Unfortunately ICBC will not register a vehicle unless it is roadworthy. The SVA BC is lobbying them to get an "Unfit" registration, but it does not look like it will happen anytime soon at all, even though it would be a revenue source for them.

GFaRT said:

Unfortunately ICBC will not register a vehicle unless it is roadworthy. The SVA BC is lobbying them to get an "Unfit" registration, but it does not look like it will happen anytime soon at all, even though it would be a revenue source for them.

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Here in Ontario we have the "unfit" registration.
Here it is best to register this way because we pay the taxes on the vehicles value, with an appraisal.
I did this with my '58, I would have hated to pay taxes when the car is complete and road worthy. This way all I need is to get it certified for the road when the time comes and plate it.

GFaRT said:

Unfortunately ICBC will not register a vehicle unless it is roadworthy.

The SVA BC is lobbying them to get an "Unfit" registration, but it does not look like it will happen anytime soon at all, even though it would be a revenue source for them.

Click to expand...

This is what I mean; ……..the system makes back door trickery the only option to arrive at what is legally required ………..or ………get registration after finishing the build and a inspection.

GFaRT said:

I went through this 6 months ago with a '48 Chev also from Saskatchewan. My car had been sold twice since last being registered is Sask. before I bought it. Fortunately I had old license plates and an old registration showing the last registered owner. I had to send a registered letter to the last registered owner asking him to sign a BC transfer form. If the registered letter is returned undeliverable, ICBC accepts that as consent to transfer. I was able to search obituaries and found a copy of the obit for the previous registered owner and included that with the missing ,signature form to ICBC along with the returned letter. I also had a copy of the SGI search which basically just said it was not stolen and could be registered in Sask. I also had to do a BC search even though it had never been registered before in BC. Fortunately my car was good enough that I was able to fix it up in stock form for only couple hundred bucks and get it safety inspected. Also had to weigh it to include the tare weight on the registration and take it to the ICBC agent so they could verify the serial number. Once all this was done I got it registered, licensed and insured for 3 months. Now I'm tearing it down for the street rod treatment.

Unfortunately ICBC will not register a vehicle unless it is roadworthy. The SVA BC is lobbying them to get an "Unfit" registration, but it does not look like it will happen anytime soon at all, even though it would be a revenue source for them.

Click to expand...

Well, you certainly did your due diligence, no doubt about that. Thanks for the info on what you did...have you any idea how long before you got the car that it was registered in Sask? Mine has been 53 years. You were fortunate in that you had an old registration, which I unfortunately do not.

58chev said:

Here in Ontario we have the "unfit" registration.
Here it is best to register this way because we pay the taxes on the vehicles value, with an appraisal.
I did this with my '58, I would have hated to pay taxes when the car is complete and road worthy. This way all I need is to get it certified for the road when the time comes and plate it.

Click to expand...

I have already been told that I will be liable for the greed tax here on the current sale price of the car should we meet with success in registering.

Then as long as I keep all receipts for future parts purchases showing that tax has been paid, I wouldn't be liable for any additional tax.

Old Ray said:

This is what I mean; ……..the system makes back door trickery the only option to arrive at what is legally required ………..or ………get registration after finishing the build and a inspection.

Click to expand...

Well, by the time I get done I can promise you that ICBC will know me by name. It makes no sense at all to me that you can't register a legitimate vehicle just because it isn't roadworthy.

I'm off again this morning to have another go at Mr. ICBC to see what I can produce. I'll keep you posted. And thanks again for everyone's response.

cocobolo said:

Well, you certainly did your due diligence, no doubt about that. Thanks for the info on what you did...have you any idea how long before you got the car that it was registered in Sask? Mine has been 53 years. You were fortunate in that you had an old registration, which I unfortunately do not.

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My car was last registered in Sask. in '97 and I bought it in 2012. Any history you can find on your car would be helpful. If the person you bought it from has a bill of sale from his purchase you should get a copy of that if you can. And contact as many of the prior owners that you can.

Just a thought. Maybe you can get it registered as an unfit vehicle in another province that does that. That would establish ownership in your name at least, then you would have an easier time transferring it to BC when the time comes.

Good luck, and keep working on ICBC and your MLA. These project cars change hands often and if ICBC would register them they would be collecting transfer fees and tax with every change of ownership. It`s a no brainer.

GFaRT said:

My car was last registered in Sask. in '97 and I bought it in 2012. Any history you can find on your car would be helpful. If the person you bought it from has a bill of sale from his purchase you should get a copy of that if you can. And contact as many of the prior owners that you can.

Just a thought. Maybe you can get it registered as an unfit vehicle in another province that does that. That would establish ownership in your name at least, then you would have an easier time transferring it to BC when the time comes.

Good luck, and keep working on ICBC and your MLA. These project cars change hands often and if ICBC would register them they would be collecting transfer fees and tax with every change of ownership. It`s a no brainer.

Click to expand...

I think it has been pointed out to our trusty government that they are missing the boat on collecting these very taxes. That surprises me because governments don't listen to people, they only listen to money. In my case they are missing out on $420 right now. If you multiply that by several thousand such vehicle transfers annually it adds up to a tidy sum.

As I expected, my visit to the ICBC agent didn't get me any further this morning, except that he did print me off an MV1410 form. He also learned of the whole process from start to finish, some of which he wasn't previously aware.

Once again, he called the ICBC head office, spoke with "David" and he asked as to why the registration could not be done right away. Apparently, if the vehicle had been registered in B.C. at some time in the past, registration could be completed. But since it has come from out of province, it cannot be done. It seems to me that could be a pretty fine line which could be overcome, although as of now I don't know how. So their sticking point appears to be "out of province".

Even if there was an original registration document of some kind from Saskatchewan, it wouldn't make any difference. That part is easily covered via the statutory declaration form, subsequently notarized, followed up by the viewing of the vehicle/VIN number by the ICBC agent.

I already told ICBC yesterday that my next step would be to send a letter to ICBC along with a copy and an additional letter to my MLA. I expect that to get me nowhere, but that will be followed up by further correspondence to ever higher powers that be.

I am not beneath letting government employees know that they are the servants of the people, not the other way around. Too many of us have forgotten that.

When I bought my flatback out of Saskatchewan, before I could register it in BC it had to be inspected. You can not register a car in your name in BC if it has come from another province, or another country, unless it has had an out of province mechanical inspection. That means it has to pass an inspection, meaning it has to be a running, driving car. On top of that, once the inspection is done, the ICBC agent has to "sight" the VIN, meaning they have to physically look at the car, and see that the VIN on the car matches the VIN on the paperwork.
Now, saying all that, and that is the proper and legal way, there may be a back door. If you can find an inspector who would "pass" the car even though it isn't really a car yet (because its not able to be driven), AND find a sympathetic ICBC agent who would sight the VIN for you on this car that isn't a car yet, you can then register the car in your name here in BC. Both the agent and the inspector would have to trust you that you would make it a proper car before trying to license it, and I would think that for the inspector, he would want you to bring the car back to him when it is roadworthy for a proper inspection. He really is putting his ticket on the line to do you this favor of passing the car for you before its really a car, even though he shouldn't. Coco, this is the way I did it on my car, and I stuck to my word with both my ICBC person and the inspection person. The inspector has since moved away, so I don't know that I'd be able to do it this way here again.