Requirement for driver's seat?

[valhalla]

I know that this request for information from some of you expert testers might seem a bit strange, but please bear with me....

I have tried to look through the currently-applied VOSA documentation for clarification on Drivers View of the Road, specifically the requirements for the driver's seat, due to the last major job of my current year before I go into semi-retirement. This is a true "farmer's" Defender re-chassis, that is turning into a mega-nightmare of restoration. I have been through the whole vehicle as an MoT tester would do so, whilst the body is split off the chassis and running-gear, to come up with a definitive list of "must-do's" to get this Defender back on the road again. The list is roughly 40 lines long, so you get the gist already......

His front passenger seat, and his front driver's seat, are absolutely ripped to shreds, so for all intents and purposes, what I have been presented-with is a couple of steel seat-pans and a couple of cushions (of the embroidered variety) perched on top. The owner of said vehicle is very happy with this arrangement, but myself, as the mechanic on said vehicle, is very unhappy indeed. I am sure that somewhere in the MoT handbook, there must be a clarification on what is acceptable as a contiguous seat unit, and what is not. Apart from the fact that the driver's seat does NOT adjust as it should, and therefore I need to strip the rails down and get everything moving and locking correctly, I cannot find the specific wording that says this situation is dangerous for control of the vehicle.

Is there any such clause?

[valhalla]

I think I have found the relevant clause/s, which are now clarified in the 2018 Manual.

Under 6.2.5, the requirement is now stated clearly;

(a) A driver’s seat:
(i) with a defective structure
(ii) insecure.

will be cause for a refusal as they are both major defects. This is then repeated in a similar manner for the passenger seat. So that clarifies the position. He will need to let me re-trim his front outboard two seats (centre can be left bare or as a cubby-box) in order to achieve correct seat structure, as the structure is designed into the foam bi-layers for Defender.

[Noberator]

Drivers seat.

[Deleted]

At the moment, in the current regulations until DVSA implement the new regulations in May, they are;


A. Seats

1. Check the driver’s and all passengers’ seats for security.

2. Check that the backrests of all seats (front and rear) can be secured in their normal upright position.

3. Check that the driver’s seat position can be adjusted forwards and backwards and secured in the selected positions.

Failure points are;

1. The security of the driver’s or any passenger’s seat is significantly reduced.

2. A seat back that cannot be secured in the upright position.

3. The driver’s seat fore and aft adjustment mechanism not functioning as intended (Note) - This does not mean the seat must adjust in every position frontwards or rearwards, so long as it adjusts to a different position the seat has met the criteria, the rest of a defect is a pass and advise. 

[valhalla]

Thanks for the feedback Guardian - up to now, it has been a bit ambiguous, but I think the new implementations in May (next month) will make this a bit clearer.

To be frank, if this particular owner wanted to be difficult (and he is of that pursuasion) then he might argue that there is no structure in the foam cushion. The authorities here have missed a trick to really clamp-down on this sort of thing, as it would appear to be quite legitimate to submit a vehicle for its annual test without a seat bolster, or with an inappropriate modification to such.

My good lady wife used to be involved in interior safety and engineering, and it is one of her pet hates to see seat-base modifications. OEMs spend months of design and testing to avoid seatbelt "submarining" and other problems, only for someone to come along and screw it all up with an extra cushion that isn't attached to anything solid!

I personally will not drive in a car with any sort of seat additions or modifications, mainly because they always affect the ability to adjust the seatbelt correctly, or operate the car safely......