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SALVAGE VEHICLE PROGRAM PERMIT BRANDING

The Ministry's Salvage Vehicle Program has resulted in a branding process for Ontario's vehicle registration files and permits. This "brand" is simply a designation on the registration permits to describe the status of vehicles that have been "written off" as a result of being stolen or damaged. The branding process has been available for certain types of vehicles since July 27, 1998.

The brands are:

"STOLEN": When a vehicle is stolen, the police notify MTO and this brand is applied to that Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN is then be "locked up", and no transfer or renewal of the registration can be done. If the vehicle is recovered, the police notify MTO, and the brand is removed. This brand will follow the vehicle to any other province, territory or state that also has a branding program. The following brands will apply only to vehicles that have been "written off" by an insurance company. The choice of an "Irreparable" or "Salvage" brand will be determined by the appraiser who inspects the vehicle for the insurance claim. These brands will follow the vehicle to any other province, territory or state that also has a branding program.

"IRREPARABLE": This brand applies to vehicles that are so badly damaged that they cannot be safely repaired, and they are for scrap and parts ONLY. This brand is determined by the appraiser, and this vehicle cannot ever be relicenced for on-road use.

"SALVAGE": This is a damaged vehicle where the cost of repairing it exceeds its fair market value prior to being damaged. In most cases, this vehicle is severely damaged, but not as badly as the "Irreparable" vehicle, and it can be safely repaired for on-road use. This brand may also be applied to stolen vehicles once they are recovered. This brand can be changed to "Rebuilt" once a Structural Inspection Certificate, has been issued following a special inspection of the structural integrity of the vehicle. (Please note that, until further notice, this brand will not apply to motorcycles, trailers, and vehicles 30 years old and older.)

"REBUILT': This is a "Salvage" vehicle that has been repaired and certified as safe for the road. In Ontario, this requires a Structural Inspection Certificate to change the brand, a Safety Standards Certificate to change the "Unfit" status to "Fit" for licensing purposes, and an Emissions Certificate, where required.

These brands (except for the "Stolen" brand) shows up on our Vehicle Registration System, and on all vehicle registrations and Used Vehicle Information Packages (UVIP). Any branded vehicles coming into Ontario will have their brand transferred to the Ontario permit. The only way to change the registration permit brand from "SALVAGE" to "REBUILT" is for the vehicle to successfully pass an inspection for a Structural Inspection Certificate at a Type 6 Motor Vehicle Inspection Station (MVIS) licensed by the Ministry of Transportation.

HOW TO BECOME A STRUCTURAL INSPECTION STATION

In order to become a Type 6 MVIS, you must fill out an MTO application form, and your facility must be successfully inspected by an MTO inspector to ensure that you meet or exceed the license requirements.

You must have: Satisfactory documentation of:

1) Business registration, for single proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. Must include names, addresses and driver's licence numbers for all owners of the business.

2) Proof that premises are owned or leased by the applicant.

3) Proof of compliance with all local municipal by-laws, eg. municipal business licence, a letter from the municipality, etc.

4) Valid trade certificate as an Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer for the technician, (310-B, 310-F, or 310-I) as well as name, address and driver's licence information.

A Type 6 MVIS licence is $50.00 / year, and the registration fee for each technician is $14.00 per year. A book of 10 Structural Inspection Certificates is $50.00, and this price includes 15 Rebuilt Vehicle Parts Audit Forms at no cost.

INSPECTION EQUIPMENT FOR TYPE 6 STATIONS

1) Sufficient internal space for the inspection of at least one vehicle of the class that the licensee will inspect.

2) Industry accepted equipment capable of making three-dimensional measurements on uni-body and non-unibody vehicles. This equipment must be able to establish both centre and datum reference lines, and must be able to accurately measure to the minimum 3mm (1/8") limit in the regulation.

3) Devices suitable for safely raising and supporting the vehicle during inspection, eg. jacks, stands, hoist, etc.

4) Station must be in a clean and safe condition.

5) Specification manuals or computer software containing manufacturer's specifications for vehicle dimensions for every make, model and year of vehicle for which the station will prepare a Structural Inspection Certificate.

6) At least one technician who holds a valid certificate of qualification as an Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer, issued under the Apprenticeship and Certification Act, 1998. (310-B, 310-F or 310-I certificates)

THE REBUILDING FILE

Before a "Salvage" vehicle is inspected for a Structural Inspection Certificate, the records of the repairing process for the vehicle must be thoroughly examined. These records make up the "Rebuilding File". NO STRUCTURAL INSPECTION CERTIFICATE SHALL BE ISSUED UNLESS THE LICENSEE AND THE TECHNICIAN WHO INSPECTS THE VEHICLE ARE SATISFIED THAT THERE IS A COMPLETE RECORD OF ALL THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. The technician will use the photographs and information provided in the rebuilding file to establish that the vehicle being inspected is the one described in the record.

The rebuilding file MUST contain the following information, and it must be reviewed prior to the structural inspection of the "Salvage" branded vehicle.

1) Registration permit or registration information that indicates that the vehicle identified in the file has been branded as "Salvage". (NOTE: If the brand is "Irreparable", any further inspection or repair is worthless, since this vehicle cannot be relicenced for the road.)

2) A copy of the Rebuilt Vehicle Parts Audit Form. This MTO form will list the major used parts that have been installed on the vehicle. A copy of this form and the Certificate must be sent to MTO within 7 days after the successful inspection.

3) The name and address of the person who carried out the rebuilding of the vehicle.

4) The name and address of the vehicle owner if different from the vehicle rebuilder.

5) The name and address of the insurer of the vehicle who paid out the claim for the vehicle or the name and address of the person who declared the vehicle a total loss.

6) The make, model year and vehicle identification number of the vehicle .

7) Invoices for the major components used in rebuilding the vehicle, including the name of the supplier, the date of purchase by the rebuilder from the supplier, and the vehicle identification number of the vehicle(s) that these components came from.

8) The insurers' estimate of required repairs or that of the person who declared the vehicle a total loss.

9) A copy of the invoice for the purchase of a vehicle chassis, if required, clearly showing the vehicle identification number of the vehicle from which the chassis came.

10) Four colour photographs showing the front, rear and sides of the salvage vehicle, taken before rebuilding it.

11) If the four wheel alignment is performed at a premise other than those of the structural inspection station, the file must contain a written statement that the wheel alignment meets the manufacturer's standards. This statement must include the vehicle identification number of the vehicle and the name, address and signature of the person making the statement, as well his/her trade certificate number under the Apprenticeship and Certification Act, 1998.

The following documents must be kept by the inspection station for a period of six years:

1/ All documents in the rebuilding file, eg: photos, estimate of repairs, parts receipts, wheel alignment certificate, etc.

2/ Copies of the dimensional data that was obtained during the inspection

3/ The station copy of the Rebuilt Parts Audit Form

MAJOR COMPONENTS THAT REQUIRE RECEIPTS

(These receipts must include the name of the supplier, date of purchase by the rebuilder from the supplier, and vehicle identification number of the vehicle from which those parts came.)

The above information will be entered on a form called the "Rebuilt Vehicle Parts Audit Form". Once the "Rebuilding File" has been reviewed and if everything is OK, the next step is the actual structural inspection of the vehicle.

INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR A STRUCTURAL INSPECTION CERTIFICATE (Per: Schedule 9, Regulation 611, made under the Highway Traffic Act)

1/ The alignment of each chassis control point and reference point shall be within three millimetres of the original equipment manufacturer's specifications or within the standard of variance established by the original equipment manufacturer if that standard is greater than three millimetres.

2/ All structural joints of all repaired or replaced chassis components must be accessible for inspection, and all such joints shall be clean, and free of sealant and of soundproofing or rust-proofing materials at the time of inspection. (ie: bare metal)

3/ All components of the chassis shall be inspected and: No structural component of the chassis shall be missing, broken, cracked, loose, buckled or perforated by corrosion.

4/ All components of the chassis shall be inspected and: The method of assembly or installation of any structural component of the chassis shall comply with the original equipment manufacturer's requirements and no fastener used for this purpose shall be missing, loose or misaligned.

5/ All components of the chassis shall be inspected and: The method of attachment of any suspension or steering component to the chassis shall comply with the original equipment manufacturer's requirements, and no fastener used for this purpose shall be missing, loose or misaligned.

6/ No mount shall be missing, shall be incorrect for the vehicle, shall have loose, missing or incorrect fasteners, or shall be broken.

7/ All doors, latches and hinges and all sliding mechanisms on the hood and on a door, shall be inspected and: No such latch or hinge, or any non-electrical component of a side door sliding mechanism shall be missing, incorrect for the vehicle or be damaged, assembled or misaligned so as to affect the proper opening or closing of the hood or a door, or the proper securement of the hood in the closed position.

8/ All such latches, hinges and sliding door components must be securely mounted to the body structure, hood or door in the same manner used by the original equipment manufacturer, and no fastener used for this purpose shall be missing, loose or misaligned.

9/ All flexible sealing material on all passenger cargo doors and hatches shall be in a position, and of a condition and design, so as to function as intended by the original equipment manufacturer to prevent the entry of exhaust fumes into the interior of the vehicle, and no such material shall be missing.

10/ No bumper or associated shock absorbing mechanism or structure or supporting structure shall be missing, collapsed, inoperative or incorrect for the vehicle, and the method of assembly and installation shall comply with the original equipment manufacturer's requirements, and no fastener used for this purpose shall be missing, loose or misaligned.

11/ All doors shall be correct for the vehicle and none shall be missing.

12/ Where the structural inspection station is properly equipped to do so, the alignment of all wheel positions shall be inspected at the structural inspection station, and all such alignment shall be within the original equipment manufacturer's specification.

13/ Where the structural inspection station is not properly equipped to inspect the alignment of all wheel positions, the alignment may be inspected at another facility. (However, the structural inspection station must have a statement from that facility that the wheel alignment meets the manufacturer's standards for wheel alignment. It must also contain the vehicle identification number, and name, address and signature of the person making the statement, and his or her trade certification number under the Apprenticeship and Certification Act, 1998.)

When a Structural Inspection Certificate is issued, the "Director's" copies of that Certificate and the Rebuilt Vehicle Parts Audit form must be sent to the MTO within seven days. The customer will produce the original copy of the Structural Inspection Certificate and the registration permit to a MTO licence agent office, and the brand on the registration can then be changed from "Salvage" to "Rebuilt". The vehicle will still need a Safety Standards Certificate and an Emissions Certificate (where required) to be relicenced for the road. For further information regarding a Type 6 Motor Vehicle Inspection Station licence, contact your local MTO enforcement office, as shown below.

NOTE: For information regarding Ontario's "DRIVE CLEAN" program, call 1-888-758-2999.