I just recently moved to Montreal and I will soon be in the process of getting my cars plated here. Apparently it is extreamly difficult to get an out of province car certified and plated here (especially if its modified). Just wondering if anyone has been through this process and can give me some tips on how to get through this without any problems. Any shops you might recommend, etc. Thanks again!!

 

I did it with my RX in 1996, and a BMW in about 2002... so I don't know if it is the same process or not!

My car was from Toronto, and I was living in Montreal at the time. I bought it in TO, got a temporary permit there and drove it home. When I go to Montreal I needed to do 2 things in order to get my plates: Get insurance, and get it inspected. The inspection at the time was through the SAAQ and was based almost entirely on safety. If anything like ball joints, brakes lights, suspension need to be fixed, then you wont pass. They even put the car on a "dyno" type thing to see if your brakes are dragging, sticking or not working. In the end, you need to be sure everything on the car is solid and works well. It is a pain in the ***, but the reality is that once you pass the inspection, you know you have a safe car!

 

Cool, hopefully everything goes as smoothly as yours did. I wasn't worried about it at all until a few people told me they had a realy hard time with their modded vehicles. Anyway, I guess I will find out soon enough.

 

dude! you'll never do it, don't even try. Your car is probably gone anyways from rideau ferry haha.

 

and besides why do you need a safe car when your in quebec??? tell them you know Guy and they'll pass it. Just make sure you have fresh poutine in the car at all times and you'll be fine.

 

Don't get me wrong here - it wasn't exactly smooth. I failed the test the first time because of pooched rear shocks and a hole in the muffler. As those were two "major" problems, they said they couldn't let me drive the car home, and they removed my Temporary permit. CAA towed me home for free, but it was a hassle. It also cost me money to have those fixed and redo the test.

The BMW failed too because of electrical issues: one fog light not working, 2 marker lights out and a dragging parking brake. Those were easy fixes and not major enough to have towed, but I had to shell out for the retest.

In all it is an easy process if everything on your car works and is up to par. The issue arises when the car doesn't pass, as those issues have to be fixed before you can plate it. It is easy, but it might not be cheap!

The best thing to do is call the SAAQ and ask them what the proceedure is, as it may have changed:

http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/reach_us/index.php

 

I failed with my FD because my OEM brake pedals were considered to be a safety issue.

I had completely torn tie rod ends and steering rack boots...

 

Cool, Thanks guys! My worry is not that my car is unfit to drive, its more than safe enough; however, I have alot of mods (T2, body kit, seats, wheel, suspension, etc)

 

The best way to look at it is this: You will fail the first time. Expect that, and expect that you will need to shell out some money to have the problems fixed. With that in mind it is less of a pisser when you get sent away from the garage with a list of stuff to do. If you do pass, then it's a happy surprise and confirms that you don't need to do anything to the car.Chances are that things like aftermarket parts wont be an issue - but if you have really worn tires, or the sliders on the racing seats are lose, or the bushings on the suspension are shot... then you will have problems.