Can a car with modified coilover suspension pass the annual inspection?
2 Answers
Modified coilover suspension cannot pass the annual inspection. Before modifying a vehicle, the detailed modification plan must be submitted to the traffic management department for review. Only after approval can the modification be legally carried out. Vehicle annual inspection (or vehicle annual examination) refers to the annual inspection of vehicles that have already obtained official license plates and registration certificates, conducted according to the technical conditions for the safe operation of motor vehicles. The purpose is to check the main technical conditions of the vehicle, encourage enhanced maintenance, and ensure the vehicle is always in good condition for safe driving. The content of the annual inspection includes: 1. Whether the vehicle has a user manual, certificate of conformity (for imported vehicles, the commodity inspection certificate), and whether the factory sample marks on the vehicle body are complete; 2. Measuring the internal and external contour dimensions, wheelbase, and axle track of the motor vehicle. The specific measurement items include vehicle length, width, height, cargo compartment height and area, wheelbase, and axle track; 3. Conducting the inspection item by item according to the technical inspection standards. Upon passing, fill out the "Initial Inspection and Modification Registration Form for Motor Vehicles," and record the unladen mass, load capacity, passenger capacity, and cab seating capacity as specified by the manufacturer.
After modifying my coilover suspension, I went for the annual inspection and got stopped right at the testing station. They measured the chassis height with a ruler and said it was nearly 3cm lower than the factory setting, which counts as unauthorized modification. They forced me to spend a few hundred bucks to revert to the original suspension before I could pass. My friend had a similar experience—he installed imported coilovers, thinking the high quality would be fine, but during the inspection, they focused heavily on the suspension system, using equipment to test the car's stability. The shaky, abnormal data resulted in a failure. After that, I looked into it and learned that Chinese traffic regulations don’t allow arbitrary suspension modifications—you need to register the changes first. Otherwise, you’ll fail the inspection and waste money. Even though modifications look cool, for safe driving, I’d recommend consulting the local DMV beforehand or reverting to factory settings before the inspection to save time and hassle.
