Anyway, I watched it, not read it here with some amusement:
https://youtu.be/V1KuQ5yi0Z4
Very droll commentary...

FCM's query about MTPLM upgrades really refers more to the situation with UK built caravans.

UK customers are deemed to be very weight sensitive. No dear it didn't mean you.

In fact it's a particular worry that has been brought on by the manufacturers themselves who make so much fuss about the lightness of their vans as if it was the holy grail. What it's meant is that UK manufacturers allocate a payload to each model. The UK trade body, the NCC, introduced a minimum payload formula to try and ensure a level playing field, so that certain marketing departments didn't go really silly with minute payloads, just to get a sales edge. The result has been that whilst the manufacturers are quite at liberty to provide higher payloads, none do for fear of looking heavy and thereby losing sales. The formula is based on so many kg per metre length, so many kg per berth plus 50kg for an assortment of gear. So you can almost guarantee a 2 berth van will have a 120kg payload, a 4 berth about 155kg and a 5 berth 165kg etc.

Obviously the resulting MTPLM's are a combination of MIRO and Payload. So, if a van has a MIRO of, say 1012kg and an allocated payload of 115kg, the MTPLM will be 1127kg. But no axle maker produces a 1127kg axle, so the manufacturer fits the nearest size above (1200kg). The plated and legally binding MTPLM is 1127kg, but we all know that the axle can stand 1200kg, but the only way the owner can access the additional 73kg of payload is by gaining the manufacturers agreement and a new plate with a 1200kg MTPLM shown. So, all it takes is a sticker and a bit of paper to increase the MTPLM.

The Continentals do it differently. They believe customers aren't so hung up on weight and tend to supply their vans with a fairly good payload as standard and they almost always make the MTPLM match the axle that's fitted. So that same 1012kg MIRO van would have a 1300kg axle fitted as standard and the MTPLM would match making the payload 288kg. Mind you not all is rosy on the Continental side because their basic 1012kg MIRO van will be poverty spec and to bring it close to UK spec. quite a few cost options need to be purchased and they eat a fair chunk of that extra payload.

Even with their large payloads, sometimes it's not enough, so Continental vans can have their payloads upgraded, but because the axle is at its limit, it has to be modified to cope with an extra 100 or 200kg. This upgrading usually means either strengthened and heavier rubber based suspension bushes and/or stronger wheels and/or tyres and it's for this reason that when you buy an Eriba upgrade (only really available factory fitted at birth) you get a net 90 or 190kg payload increase despite the MTPLM increasing by 100 or 200kg, because the upgrade itself weighs 10kg, in essence the MIRO increases by 10kg.

HTH

An education.

[/quote]'Upgrade the MTPLM plate'? Always confused about this. I read somewhere that for small fee you can simply get a new badge/sticker and cert stating the upgrade without actually getting anything done to the chassis. Like living in denial or something. Interested to know how you went about that. ALKO upgrade I'm guessing.[/quote]

On some Eribas the axle is already rated for the higher MTPLM, Hymer plates it for the lower weight so that it can help to comply with various driving licenses without having to do a towing test. I think in the UK it's a combined weight of 3500kg of the car and van , after that you have to take a test unless like me you have grandad rights because you passed your test before a certain date. I contacted Hymer in Germany and gave them my serial number of my Familia and handed over €89 for the upgraded MTPLM plate.

Interesting to know that you can get a new plate direct from Hymer: my dealer advised it would cost me nearly £500 for them to do it

Quote: Just_Chilin wrote in post #21

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Interesting to know that you can get a new plate direct from Hymer: my dealer advised it would cost me nearly £500 for them to do it

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It really does depend on your van.

Very few Eriba Tourings were/are supplied with axles that are rated higher than their MTPLM, though this is normal practice on UK built caravans. That's why Eribas have MTPLM's that are in exact '00's i.e 1200kg, 1300kg, 1400kg etc, because that's what the axle is rated at.

The dealer that suggested £500 would have been giving a price for fitting a heavier axle.

I suspect that getting a heavier axle fitted to most Touring's these days will cost a lot more than £500 and in most cases it's actually a lot cheaper to sell your van and buy an upgraded one, rather than go through the cost and angst of an upgrade.

Nope: that wasnt the case.

The dealer specifically said its just a plate change:)

Quote: Just_Chilin wrote in post #24

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Nope: that wasnt the case.

The dealer specifically said its just a plate change:)

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I have been careful to say 'most' Colin.

Since 2013 when Type Approval regulations insisted on it the VIN plate has to have the MTPLM and the axle limit shown and on Tourings they're normally a repeat of each other. In fact Hymer had been compliant with that aspect of plating for decades before. When the regs came in most UK manufacturers got in a terrible stew with labelling, quoting some ludicrous figures for several months, Bailey being a noted example.

If weight upgrades on Tourings didn't require heavier axles why have they been listed as weighing 10kg according to Hymer price lists for decades back, a new certificate of conformity and VIN plate/decal don't weigh that much?

There is more information in this thread regarding the MTPLM plate upgrade

MTPLM upgrade

Our 05 Troll 552 was plated as MTLP 1200 k, when I looked underneath the axle plate was 1300k, so I applied to Hymer to get an uprate, which they agreed to after giving them the VIN No and axle No to check that it would still conform, for a cost of €89, this consists of a new sticky back plate with all the relevant information on it, a clear sticky back protector to go over it, and they edit the information held on their system.
Dave

I remember when life was easy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my skoda Octavia does everything I need