The speedo and the fog light
Nearly every Australian car we import needs the same two jobs before its test. Here is what they are, and why the list is so short.
Import a car from America and the workshop list is long: headlights, indicators, sometimes the whole lighting setup. Import one from Australia and it usually comes down to two things. That is the quiet advantage of buying from another country that drives on the left.
Why the list is short
Australian cars are right-hand drive, built for traffic on the left. The headlights dip towards the kerb, the mirrors are set up for our side of the road, and the steering wheel is where you expect it. So the work is about the two places where Australian rules and UK rules part company.
The speedometer
Australia measures speed in kilometres an hour. A car on UK roads has to show miles an hour, and for a car going through IVA it is one of the things the examiner checks.
How we convert it depends on the car:
- Digital clusters can often be switched or reprogrammed to read in mph.
- Analogue dials usually get a new dial face with mph as the main scale.
- Some cars need a UK or European instrument cluster fitted instead.
The odometer can normally stay in kilometres. It is the speed reading that matters.
100 km/h is 62 mph
The UK motorway limit is 70 mph, which is about 113 km/h. Australian highway limits are usually around 100 to 110 km/h.
The rear fog light
A car first used from April 1980 needs a rear fog light on UK roads. Plenty of Australian cars are built without one, because Australia does not require it.
We fit one that suits the car, in the right position, with a warning light so the driver can see when it is on. Where a car already has a fog light that will pass, we leave it alone.
Anything else?
Occasionally. Every car is inspected before its test, and now and then that turns up something else: an accessory that needs a look, or a part that has seen better days. If we find anything beyond the usual, we talk to you before we touch it.
Then it goes down our lane for its IVA or MOT. You can read more about that on our registration page.
Quick answers
Does the odometer have to be changed to miles?
Usually not. It is the speed reading that has to show miles per hour. The odometer can normally stay in kilometres, and we record the reading for you.
Do Australian cars need headlight changes?
Generally no. Australia drives on the left, so the headlights already dip towards the kerb the way UK lights do. That is the big difference from an American or European import.