Vendor Countries that require TUV approval?

[MountainPass]

Hi everyone!

We have had a lot of interest in our parts going to Europe, and we are trying to figure out exactly how many/what countries require TUV approval! We don't have anything like that here in Canada, so it is a learning experience for us.

Would anyone be so kind as to let us know some more on this?

Thank you so much,

MPP Team

 

[Tozz]

TUV isn't a requirement. TUV is a company that gives out certifications, practically any one you need. There are alternative institutes that do the same, such as KEMA which is part of DEKRA Certifications.

What both TUV and KEMA do is that they certify that your product adheres to a certain regulatory requirement. So you go to KEMA/TUV and say to them 'Please certify that my products complies with directive X, Y and Z'. There is no generic 'TUV approval', as in some kind of label that marks the product as compliant with everything.

Judging from your website you offer carparts, mainly metal pieces like arms, coils, brake pads, etc. I don't think (but I am anything but an expert here) any certification. KEMA and TUV are mainly about electrical appliances.

I also (but again, I'm no expert) doubt very much that you need TUV of KEMA approval for car parts, especially as long as they contain no electronics.

Also, I don't think you actually need to follow EU-regulatory requirements as long as your business is located in the US/Canada. It is the customer that imports your products to the EU, so the customer is responsible for any regulatory requirements.

But again: I work in IT, I have no experience with this legal stuff. I'm just telling you how I think it works.

 

[Rytis]

Brake parts need to have an "E" mark (an E letter in a circle). I'm not sure who has to certify it though - when I was working for a spare parts retailer, we always had manufacturer provide the certificates. You cannot sell brake pads without that, and if you do, they can be taken off-market by the authorities.

Other spare parts do not require certificates as far as I know, but you will need to provide warranty.

The legal requirements are the same in the entire EU, but some countries may have extra requirements on top.

I currently work as an online shop software developer for a dozen companies in Lithuania - some of them might be interested in distributing the parts you provide. Please get in touch with me if interested.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Are you planning to sell to individuals or establish dealers/distributors in each country to sell on your behalf? (or a combination of the two?).

Even though there may be a perception in the US/Canada that 'Europe' is one big country and the rules are the same throughout, in reality this isn't the case especially when you're trying to import goods into a European country from outside.

The main thing to bear in mind is that the rules are different if you are selling products to a distributor who then sells them on to an end user. The distributor will be responsible for ensuring the products meet all EU regulations and usually they will want to back that off to you.

It will be easier (for you) in the short term to sell parts directly to end users, who can fit whatever aftermarket parts they want to their existing car, although they will then obviously have to pay more in shipping costs as the parts won't be in consolidated shipments.

I'm in the UK and I suspect there will be significant interest in tuning products for the Model 3 when we finally get it. I'm already starting to look at this myself so I'm very interested in hearing what you can offer now and what you're working on.

The UK is probably one of the least restrictive countries when it comes to car modifications. Other EU countries are getting tougher on mods, so you will need to look at each country's regulations carefully first.

 

[Marius A]

Reviving a 2,5 year old thread because I'm looking into this now since the Norwegian DMV demands TUV approval for things like this. Without it you can't make these modifications and get your car registered as road legal.
MPP has sent me some parts details that I can use to try and get the TUV papers from KW, I'll post about how that went.

Complete sidenote: MPP asked which countries require TUV approval, and none of the people who answered knew what they were talking about