Vehicle Registration

Making a Vehicle Road-Ready

The process of putting a rebuilt vehicle back on the road must follow several steps:

1. Rebuilding record;
2. Technical appraisal;
3. Mechanical inspection;
4. Back on the road.

1. Rebuilding record

Before submitting a rebuilt vehicle to a technical appraisal, the vehicle owner must keep a rebuilding record. This step is not required, however, in the case of a vehicle damaged and rebuilt outside Québec as long as it was registered as rebuilt in the jurisdiction of origin before it was brought into Québec.

Documents and information required:

• The full name and address of the person doing the rebuilding, of the vehicle owner and of the insurer as well as the claim number assigned by the insurer;
• The vehicle's make, model, year and identification number (VIN);
• A list of the main components and safety equipment used, including the name of their supplier, the date of purchase and the VIN of the vehicle from which they came (for used parts);
• Invoices for the main components used , including the name of their supplier, the date of purchase and the VIN of the vehicle from which they came (for used parts);
• The invoice of the vehicle chassis, including its serial number;
• The insurer's estimate of repairs required;
• Four colour photographs showing the front, rear and sides of the vehicle taken before rebuilding, and a colour photograph of the vehicle taken on a frame alignment bench;
• An attestation that wheel alignment meets the manufacturer's standards, including the VIN of the rebuilt vehicle as well as the full name and address of the person so certifying;
• Certification that the information and documents provided are true.

2. Technical appraisal

During the second step, the vehicle and its rebuilding record are submitted to an agent who will then carry out a technical appraisal at the vehicle owner's expense. Before the technical appraisal, the vehicle owner must obtain the Demande de certification d'un véhicule reconstruit form from an agent and fill it out. This form describes all the elements of the rebuilding record and presents a list of the main components used.

The vehicle owner must also make sure that the assembly joints are accessible to facilitate their appraisal. Furthermore, there must be no sealant, soundproofing or rustproofing compound applied to the underside of the vehicle.

It is important to know that special requirements apply for the replacement of safety equipment (air bags, air bag electronic control modules, seat belts with pretensioners). For further information, you must contact the SAAQ.

Certified vehicle
Two conditions must be fulfilled to meet the standards of the technical appraisal:

• the rebuilt vehicle meets building standards recognized by the automotive industry with regard to its structure (appropriate repair or rebuilding work, for example welding, etc.) and dimensions (manufacturer's standards).
• the rebuilt vehicle is the one described in the rebuilding record.

After the appraisal, the agent determines vehicle compliance by filing a Rapport d'expertise technique (technical appraisal report), which becomes the technical compliance certificate.

Non-compliant vehicle
A vehicle that does not comply may be submitted again to the technical appraisal after the rebuilder has corrected the problems stated in the technical appraisal report. It is also possible to submit the vehicle to another agent, but a new technical appraisal will have to be carried out on the basis of the original rebuilding record.

Limits of the technical appraisal

The technical appraisal is a legal requirement. It consists of a visual inspection of the vehicle chassis and body; it is not a complete inspection. It is therefore strongly recommended to submit the vehicle to an inspection by a vehicle body builder.

3. Mechanical inspection

Once a vehicle has passed the technical appraisal, the vehicle owner must submit it to a mechanical inspection, still at the owner's expense. During this step, the agent conducts a detailed inspection of the vehicle's main components.

4. Back on the road

Vehicle owners who obtain the technical compliance and mechanical inspection certificates at an SAAQ service outlet thus obtain the authorization to put the damaged and rebuilt vehicle back on the road. The status of the vehicle is therefore changed to rebuilt (reconstruit).

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