Changing your car’s colour – now that the geran does not state colour, do you still need to report it to JPJ?

Unlike the old vehicle geran that was A4 sized, today’s vehicle ownership certificate (VOC) does not list down a car’s colour. Does this mean that it’s now a free for all and paint colour no longer matters to the system? Is it even legal to change your car’s colour?

The answer to the latter is yes, it is legal to change colours, but you have to report the change to the road transport department (JPJ). We had former director of the JPJ’s automotive engineering department, Datuk Mohamad Dalib on record a couple of years ago and he said: “If it is declared, it doesn’t matter what colour is used.”

What could be the potential problems if you don’t declare your car colour swap? If caught on camera for another offence, you might get another saman for changing car colours without permission.

One might also have problems with insurance. “If a car gets into an accident, and the insurance company finds out that the car’s colour is different from the original colour, there’s a big possibility that it won’t bear the costs involved,” Mat Dalib told us then.

So, it’s legal, but what’s the process. The JPJ has just posted the steps on its Facebook page, and here it is. Basically, you can do the paint or wrap job first. Once done, head to a JPJ office and fill up the Borang JPJ K8 form, which is for changing vehicle details, and submit it to the officer in charge. Needless to say, bring along relevant documents such as your VOC and IC. The officer will then update the MySikap system with the new details. That’s it folks, and it’s free.

Here are a couple of extra things to note. If your car’s new skin is multi-coloured or has various tones, the dominant colour – described as one that covers 60% of the car body – is the colour that goes into the system. Also, if you’re using a representative or runner, an extra verification letter is needed.

So there, a green light from the JPJ for you to change your car’s colour. Whether a respray or wrap (for the latter, quality and installation is important), just remember to declare your car’s flashy new colour with the authorities.

The post Changing your car’s colour – now that the <em>geran</em> does not state colour, do you still need to report it to JPJ? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.