Once your vehicle arrives in the province and has cleared customs, you will require a Provincial Inspection, also referred to as a Commercial Vehicle Inspection. The Provincial Inspection is an automotive vehicle safety inspection and is required on all vehicles imported into the Province of BC before being insured. The program also manages recurring inspections for commercial vehicles, taxis, buses and trucks.
At Rovalution we have multiple Red Seal Certified Technicians who are Certified Vehicle Inspectors for the Province of BC. The majority of classic Land Rovers and Range Rovers imported into Western Canada, are inspected by our team.
This is likely our first look at your new vehicle and there will be things we’ll find that you might not know about, or didn’t want to know about. This service is often combined with our famously thorough “Pre(or Post)-Purchase Inspection” where we take the opportunity to inspect and report on all aspects of the vehicle and prepare a list of priorities that you could spend the next few years sorting out.
The Provincial Inspections are based on guidelines set out by the Province and Transport Canada. There is NO wiggle room. The rules and laws set out and enforced by the CVSE Officers are extremely strict for a reason, they keep our roads safe. Annually, CVSE officers visit us in person to review our processes and the paperwork for vehicles we’ve inspected over the past year to make sure we are following all relevant rules and regulations.
So, let's talk about the top five items we see that need repairs on a recently imported 15 to 18 year old Land Rover Defender for the Provincial Inspection.
1. Daytime Running Lights
All vehicles on the road in BC since 1987 require a daytime running lamp. Our package includes a DRL module and some trick wiring into the dash harness to make everything work properly. A lot of lesser installs we have had to fix go wrong due to the unique way the Land Rover headlights are wired.
2. Illuminated Side Lamps and Reflectors
These lights are not standard on the European models, but did come standard on all North American Spec (NAS) Defenders. We have sourced a nice low profile LED lamp similar to the NAS version and we have all the templates to install them in the proper factory location. Stick on reflectors are not a substitute for the required side lighting and will not pass the provincial inspection in BC.
3. Third “High-Mount” brake lamp
The third brake light is required on all vehicles on the roads in BC since 1987. Many European model Defenders don't have these fitted from the factory, so when necessary, we install a complete factory original option or a simple LED bar on the hardtop for some cost savings.
4. Brakes, Steering and Suspension
Of course, ensuring your Defender or Classic Land Rover are roadworthy is also extremely important. Often, things will be discovered simply because the car is more than a decade old and may have been neglected. Even vehicles that have been “prepared” or “restored” often end up with some overlooked drivetrain and chassis components that will need attention.
5. Seat Belts
All seats require working seat belts. Seems obvious in 2022, but rear cargo area seats are often installed without seat belts and without factory or safety engineered seat belt mounting locations. The factory mounts for Defender cargo area seats are expensive, but can be added for you. Should you not want to have them installed and the vehicle didn’t come with them, we will remove the seats for you.
There are still many other areas that could require attention once being inspected and we are happy to work with you to get through the process, even if you have to take the vehicle home and do some of the basic work on your own prior to completing the inspection.
If you are importing a fifteen year old Land Rover Defender from Europe you should expect that you will need to do some repairs. It is our experience that you should budget between $5000 and $10,000 to get your Defender or Classic Land Rover through the inspection smoothly. Leave a comment below with questions or contact our service department to schedule a provincial inspection for your newly imported Defender or Classic Land Rover.
