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[shinobidef]

Hi all

I'm currently in the research stage of my conversion of Mercedes Sprinter 311 CDI LWB.

I will need to go in and out of London for the first year due to work and my understanding is that for LEZ compliance, the following has to be true:

If under 3.5 tonnes GVW, the van has to be registered new after Jan 2002
If over 3.5 tonnes GVW, the van has to be registered new after Oct 2006

Now, when I've looked at the Sprinter in mind, the GVW is 3.5 tonnes so presumably, no matter what, I can't possibly load it to more than this weight without it being unsafe to drive regardless - based on that logic, there would be no point in buying a model post Oct 2006 other than the fact that it would probably be more reliable/less mileage.

However, a friend of mine who got screwed with his 2001 van told me that they'll change the rules every couple of years so if I buy a 2006 van now and it's over 3.5 tonnes, next year it will probably be non-compliant as it will be more than 10 years old, but I'm not sure if he's right about that. I can't see anything about upcoming changes other than the 2020 ULEZ.

I can't seem to find out how the 2002 and 2006 cut off dates were reached - Mercedes have told me it's to do with the engine size but didn't actually give me any guidelines as to what to look for in a van to make sure it's compliant. Elsewhere, I've read that it's catalytic converters that make it compliant. Can anyone help?

Thanks