WOF and removing rear seats in 5 door car?

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kingdragonfly

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#247868 27-Feb-2019 19:40

I never use the rear seats in my car. It's a compact 5 door car.

I want more cargo space, and less weight.

I was thinking about removing them, and the seat belts.

Perhaps I'd put bolts in the screw holes, just to close it off, and use some sound insulation, and carpet to finish the job.

When I resale it, I'll put it all back.

In New Zealand, will it cause a problem with the WOF?

Coil

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#2188417 27-Feb-2019 19:44

I think you will be fine if there are no belts. If the belts are in it needs a seat I know that for sure. Check the van part of the wof book.

kingdragonfly

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#2188426 27-Feb-2019 20:05

Good advice.

I found this

NZTA Seats and seat anchorages

Where a seat has been removed, a seatbelt is not required for that position, and any remaining seatbelt or seatbelt anchorage components are not required to be inspected. Where seatbelt or seatbelt anchorage components remain fitted, and the vehicle is such that the removed seats can be readily re-fitted and used with the seatbelts, the vehicle inspector must:

Identify which seats were missing when the vehicle was presented for inspection, and

Advise the vehicle operator that the remaining seatbelt components have not been checked, and that if the missing seats are re-fitted at a later stage, it is the vehicle operators' responsibility to ensure that these seats and seatbelts are compliant prior to using them.

If the inspector chooses to inspect any remaining seatbelt components, then they should identify that to the vehicle operator. Any defects should be noted on the checksheet, but must not be failed. The same information as noted above must be recorded on the checksheet to make it clear that the responsibility lies with the vehicle operator if seats are re-fitted.

Jase2985

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#2188546 28-Feb-2019 06:58

don't you have to re register it as a 2 seater?

getting it back to a 4/5 seater might be a little harder

kingdragonfly

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#2188547 28-Feb-2019 07:00

I'm guessing it's like a van, with a removable rear seat?

Jase2985

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#2188550 28-Feb-2019 07:18

don't know if they are the same as they are different classes of vehicle

CJC

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#2192905 7-Mar-2019 11:36

Jase2985:

don't you have to re register it as a 2 seater?

Nah, you don't. Technically the only seat you need in a vehicle is the driver's seat. But yeah, if you have a seat, it has to have a seatbelt (depending on the year of the vehicle) and be secure/safe.

I had a Civic that the rear seats and belts had been removed from and never had a problem at WOF time. A VTNZ inspector once tried to tell me I was lucky he let it thru without the rear seatbelts. Then the receptionist corrected him haha.

Bung

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#2192934 7-Mar-2019 12:24

Some Hondas have "Magic" seats that can be folded into various cargo carrying configurations including all except the driver's seat folding flat. In my car the rear seats tumble forward but are still quite bulky. It's only 5 minutes work to pull both rear seats out. The only thing between you and the load then is the front seat back so I tie anything heavy to the rings on the floor that held the rear seats.