joidevie

Thanks Dave.. Sounds like you've been around the block on this one.. Dieselbob comes up on searches, so I'll bookmark them.. I'll give the cleaner a go!

[quote user="dave21478"]Early versions of the Vaux / Opel DTI engines have serious injection pump problems that often lead to failure at around 100 - 150k. [/quote] It's a 2001 2.0 dti.. And it's 130k km's (so 80k ish miles, so pretty new for a diesel?). I looked everywhere for a car that had no DMF, no DPF, and the 2.0 had no cambelt as well.. Now a possible injector pump!? Would this cause the oily white smoke, and why only at startup..? I'll give the cleaner a go, and then see if it's more serious. I'm back in the UK a lot, and a DHL to France may save many €€'s. Germany is also a good source of Opel (Vaux) bits, with sellers prepared to ship within the EU.. A quick look finds a lot of 1.7 pumps, but not many 2.0's... Thanks for the response.

Hi everyone.. Recently bought an Opel Astra Diesel dti.. very clean, and with 130k on the clock. It runs fabulously, except when starting from cold, there is a huge plume of white/blue smoke (oily smell, not steam). A few revs later, or perhaps a couple of kms, and all is fine. My 'mechanique' friend down the road has suggested a dose of injector cleaner fluid in the next tank. I've bought the "Bardhal Pro" 500ml to add to 20l of diesel.. I've read a fair bit (valve stems, injectors etc..).. A dose of this stuff shouldn't harm right? And best done before a 'long run' to use the whole 20l or can I just put it in now and go about my normal business? I'm not unduly worried, just wondering whether anyone's particularly on the ball on these products.. Many thanks if anyone can offer any experiences..

Cheers.. I'm just looking at your FT and a feint scan of my one. On mine it has 'tippo' 4D8A and 'variante' either H or II (very feint). So, what to put in D2 which is blank on the permiso? And in D3? is D3 'tippo' 4D8A  or 306tdi which it says on the premiso? All a little confusing.. By the way, where is Sapi? [:)] Visuel Champ Description Champ A Numéro d'immatriculation   Champ A.1 Numéro d'immatriculation précédent du véhicule Champ B Date de la première immatriculation du véhicule Champ C.1 Nom, prénom et adresse dans l'Etat membre à la date de délivrance, du titulaire du certificat d'immatriculation   Champ C.3 Nom, prénom et adresse dans l'Etat membre à la date de délivrance, de la personne physique ou morale pouvant disposer du véhicule à un titre juridique autre que celui de propriétaire. Champ C.4 a Mention précisant que le titulaire du certificat d'immatriculation est le propriétaire du véhicule Champ C.4.1 Mention précisant le nombre de personnes titulaires du certificat d'immatriculation, dans le cas de multi-propriété Champ D.1 Marque du véhicule Champ D.2 Type, variante (si disponible), version (si disponible) Champ D.3 Dénomination commerciale Champ D.2.1 Code national d'identification du type  Champ E Numéro d'identification du véhicule Champ F.1 Masse en charge maximale techniquement admissible, sauf pour les motocycles (en kg) Champ F.2 Masse en charge maximale admissible en service (en kg): PTAC Champ F.3 Masse en charge maximale admissible de l'ensemble en service (en kg) Champ G Masse du véhicule en service avec carrosserie et dispositif d'attelage en cas de véhicule tracteur de catégorie autre que M1 (en kg) Champ G.1 Poids à vide national   Champ H Période de validité, si elle n'est pas illimitée Champ I Date de l'immatriculation à laquelle se réfère la carte grise Champ I.1 Date de l'immatriculation à laquelle se réfère la précédente carte grise Champ J Catégorie du véhicule (CE) Champ J.1 Genre national  Champ J.2 Carrosserie (CE) Champ J.3 Carrosserie (désignation nationale) Champ K Numéro de réception par type  Champ P.1 Cylindrée (en cm3) Champ P.2 Puissance nette maximale (en kW) Champ P.3 Type de carburant ou source d'énergie  Champ P.6 Puissance administrative nationale  > Visuel Champ Description Champ Q Rapport puissance/masse en kW/kg (uniquement pour les motocycles) Champ S.1 Nombre de places assises y compris celle du conducteur Champ S.2 Nombre de places debout Champ U.1 Niveau sonore à l'arrêt en dB(A) Champ U.2 Vitesse du moteur (en min-1) Champ V.7 CO2 (en gr/Km)  Champ V.9 Classe environnementale de réception CE Champ X.1 Date du prochain contrôle technique à la date de délivrance de la carte grise Champ Y.1 Montant de la taxe proportionnelle régionale en Euro Champ Y.2 Montant de la taxe additionnelle parafiscale en Euro Champ Y.3 Montant de la taxe additionnelle CO2 ou montant de l'écotaxe en euros Champ Y.4 Montant de la taxe pour gestion du certificat d'immatriculation en euros Champ Y.5 Montant de la redevance pour acheminement du certificat d'immatriculation en euros Champ Y.6 Montant total de la taxe à acquitter en Euro   Champ Z.1 Mentions spécifiques    Champ Z.2   Champ Z.3   Champ Z.4 "Old Tableau de correspondance RUBRIQUES ANCIENNES RUBRIQUES NOUVELLES Marque D1. Marque Type D2. Type, variante, version / D2.1. Code national d'identification du type (en cas de réception CE) Dénomination commerciale D3. Dénomination commerciale Numéro d'identification ou Numéro dans la série du type E. Numéro d'identification / F1. Masse en charge maximale techniquement admissible, (sauf pour les motocycles) en Kg Poids total autorisé en charge (PTC) F2. Masse en charge maximale admissible du véhicule en service (en Kg) Poids total roulant autorisé (PTRA) F3. Masse en charge maximale admissible de l'ensemble en service (en Kg) / G. Masse du véhicule en service avec carrosserie et dispositif d'attelage en cas de véhicule tracteur de catégorie autre que M1 Poids à vide G1. Poids à vide national (en Kg) / J. Catégorie du véhicule (CE) Genre J1. Genre national / J2. Carrosserie (CE) Carrosserie J3. Carrosserie (nationale) / K. Numéro de réception par type (si disponible) / P1. Cylindrée (en cm3) / P2. Puissance nette maximale en Kw (uniquement pour les motocycles) Energie ou source d'énergie P3. Type de carburant ou source d'énergie Puissance/CV ou puissance administrative P6. Puissance administrative nationale / Q. Rapport puissance - masse Places assises S1. Nombre de places assises y compris le conducteur / S2. Nombre de places debout (le cas échéant) Niveau sonore (dBa) ou BR U1. Niveau sonore à l'arrêt (en dBa) Régime moteur (tr/min) U2. Vitesse du moteur (en min-1) / V7. CO2(en g/km) / V9. Indication de la classe environnementale de réception CE. mention de la version applicable en vertu de la directive 70/220/CEE ou de la directive 88/77/CEE Mentions spécifiques (éventuellement) Z1 à Z4. mentions spécifiques (éventuellement) Liste des nouvelles données de la carte grise européenne: C.4 a) Mention précisant que le titulaire du certificat d'immatriculation est le propriétaire du véhiculeC.4.1 Mention précisant le nombre de personnesD.2 Type, variante, versionD.3 Dénomination commercialeF.1 Masse en charge maximale techniquement admissible, (sauf pour les motocycles)G. Masse du véhicule en service avec carrosserie et dispositif d'attelage en cas de véhicule tracteur de catégorie autre que M1J. Catégorie du véhicule (CE)K. Numéro de réception par typeP.2 Puissance nette maximale en Kw (uniquement pour les motocycles)Q. Rapport puissance - masseS.2 Nombre de places deboutV.7 CO2V.9 Indication de la classe environnementale de réception CE

"Decleration de Cession d'un vehicule" I know there has been some debate on whether I need to do this at all, but I shall just so I have done everything by the book. Just to check a couple of details if I may: Je soussigné (declare avoir cédé) - The seller (use Spanish address as per vehicle docs a - Me (use French address) A - Vehicle reg E - The very long code number D1 - Make (Peugeot) D2 (Type Variante) - ???  Its blank on the Spanish Permiso ? J1 (Genre National) - ? Doesn't exist on the Permiso. Should I put VP? (Vehicule Paticulier) D3 (Denomination commercial) - 306 tdi Fait a - Town in England (dated) On the lower section, this was answered before, - The lower blue section of the certificat - nothing to fill in in the "Je certifie en outre" (modifier les indications du certificat de conformity..) & "cede pour destruction" (obviously not) .. Tick the first box, which states he hasn't modified the vehicle But "Merci d'indiquer" ... le Kilometrage.. Is optional, but asking for the odometer reading? Many thanks again..

Yet again, thanks you so much for your very well informed input  [;-)]

[quote user="nomoss"]According to EU procedures, the documents will be kept by your Prefecture, who will return them to Spain, where they will find their way to the Provincial Traffic Department (Trafico) where the vehicle is registered, the vehicle will be removed from their records, and the Local Authority (Town Hall - Ajuntamiento) where Road Tax is paid will also be informed.. Unless things have drastically changed in the 3 or 4 years since I registered my spanish cars here, this can take a considerable time. Besides Trafico, Spanish vehicles are also registered with the owner's Ajuntamiento, who will continue to bill for Road Tax until they are informed by the Trafico that the vehicle has changed hands, adding fines and interest each time it is not paid, and the current owner will continue to be liable for this. I was billed for Road Tax (paid by DD by my bank) almost a year after I imported my first car into France, even though I had informed Trafico in person that I was exporting it, and they had stamped the documents. It was easily sorted out by a visit to my Ajuntamiento, but I couldn't get the money back! I made sure I told them immediately I exported the second car. None of this will affect you as the buyer of the car, but the seller is likely to accumulate a growing debt in Spain. If he still has assets there they will eventiually seized to cover the debt. This is done in a strict order, starting with liquid assets in bank accounts, up to seizure of any property he still owns in Spain. If he has no assets in Spain he will have no problem unless the debt gets really big, when he might be sought out on a visit there, or even pursued in UK. [/quote] Just a last minute detail..  I don't believe the owner has any 'debts' on the car, but when it comes to road tax, once I hand in the "Permiso" and "Ficha Technica"to the Prefecture, then officially road tax is no longer 'liable' in Spain (even if the docs take months to arrive back in Spain)? So effectively a stop on this continuing. And none of this should concern me at all? If it is currently taxed, is it safe to assume it is all up to date and paid up until then? "He should be aware that once he no longer has the documents he won't be able to declare the car exported from Spain, but this should eventually sort itself out when the documents are sent from UK. If he doesn't plan to return there he may not care about this probably long delay. He wouldn't be the first person to do so." Is there anything he should/could do to ensure tax demands are 'stopped' even if he no longer has the original papers, only copies? Many thanks..

OK.. Many thanks. Much as I expected.. Rules, hoops and merry go rounds  [;-)] When this is all over I'll come back and post an update on everything..

I've had some fantastic advice and responses on this forum to some recent questions.. Many thanks to everyone who helped [;-)] I was now interested in how the 1 month rule to register a vehicle applies to imported vehicles? Does this apply only to 'Residents of France' ? Or, as in my case, still a UK resident, are things different? I was planning to take a vehicle over to France next week (bought in the UK, with Spanish Immatriculation)  and have it re-registered as soon as possible. However, there may well be a delay in obtaining a 'Certificat de Conformité' (possibly a couple of weeks), and I'm only over for 10 days.. Can I get the car over there and park it in the garage and deal with the paperwork on a later trip a month later? My French insurance are happy to cover the car on the way over once the vehicle has been purchased, but are there going to be complications if there is a delay of an additional month with paperwork with the prefecture, insurance etc? It's also another hassle that you cannot now even have a CT done without a "Certificat de Conformité" which loses yet more time in my case.. Many thanks if anyone has any insights..

There's some good very info here and the writer mentions the DRIRE office in Perpignan who deal with the CCs for Languedoc.. I wonder if they turn things around on site if you visit.. A call..

Thanks for the offer.. I suppose my main concern now is of the damn CC which, if I get from DRIRE, will probably not be in my hand in time to complete the registration before I have to leave.. Have you ever heard of anyone using these guys (or similar) http://www.certifauto.com/ They seem to offer a CC for €170 delivered in 9 days.. Which would keep me in the one month period.. Or I could just extend my visit, but I have a lot on my plate here at the moment..

He seems to have shown me the Green 'Ficha" and the 'Permiso'. It's a 1995 reg car, so I'm not holding out much hope for there being a CC then. It was all a little different 7 years ago when the Prefecture at Carcassonne arranged the CC internally, and also let me 'off' not having a 'facture' for the car (my mother gave it to me, which was true..). And getting the CT was also no problem without the CC.. So, a slight spanner in the works. More hoops than I expected as I'm only going over for 10 days, and now I'm likely to have to apply for a CC once there, wait, then CT the car, and only then reg the car..  [8-)] I don't then expect to return for at least another month - which puts a bit of a awkward situation on registering the car within one month (although I am not a French resident).. And then I have a receipt for the car older than one month, although that shouldn't affect things as the car could have been bought ages ago. I guess I could just keep the car in the garage, but then maybe the insurance company won't be very happy if it's not been re-registered withing the one month period.. All far too complicated! I wonder if the DRIRE office in Carcassonne do an 'express' turnaround..

I'm sorry for that - no bad intentions meant, I just changed my post once I read it.. Your help has been incredibly useful.

Is the "Ficha Tecnica" the same as the Certificat de conformité?? Just hoping I've got everything 100% ready for the prefecture.. I'm just looking at the pictures the seller has sent me of his papers, and one is obvious and labelled "Permiso de Circulacion" with his name on it, and the other is a stamped/serial numbered certificate with Peugeot / Talbot logo and the chassis numbers, technical details, registration number etc. And "Vehiculo Procedente de la CEE" in the middle. It's light green with a feint logo shadowed in the background..? On another note - back to the French insurance and making my way to the ferry terminal.. I was looking up options on the Eurotunnel and it's very cheap. I just got a little concerned when I read in the 'about your journey' section, there is mention of 'passport, vehicle and official documentation will be checked'.. Wonder if I might stick to the ferry? [I]

Just one last thought before doing the deal - the Spanish MOT doesn't need to be for 6months + or anything? I think I remember you need a new French one before the import, which can be done even whilst on Spanish plates? Thanks.

[quote user="nomoss"]You have a couple of straightforward options: 2) Get the seller to complete a french Certificat de Cession and a sale agreement in english, and give you the car's Ficha Technica and Permis de Circulacion. That is all you need from him to register it here. He should be aware that once he no longer has the documents he won't be able to declare the car exported from Spain, but this should eventually sort itself out when the documents are sent from UK. If he doesn't plan to return there he may not care about this probably long delay. He wouldn't be the first person to do so.[/quote] Sorry to get so precise - but we're now also looking pretty hard at the quick export to France option as the whole rigmarole of insuring, taxing etc in the UK could just break the bank. So, the seller in this second scenario should complete the cerfa 13754*02 Declaration de Cession d'un vehicule > - In English? - Using his address in Spain on the cerfa? (he 'has moved back' to the UK, but the car docs are with his Spanish address) - Using which address on the 'bill of sale' - UK or Spain? - What to fill in in the section "presence du certificate d'immatriculation" oui/non, ancien format d'immatriculation, numero di certificat etc? - The lower blue section of the certificat - nothing to fill in in the "Je certifie en outre" (modifier les indications du certificat de conformity..) & "cede pour destruction" (obviously not) .. Together with the two Spanish original documents, full written receipt, this should be good for the prefecture and exonerate the car from the Spanish system? Many thanks again, and please again excuse my prudence, but I just know that good research is the best way to avoid later stress if something obvious is missing [;-)]

[quote user="AnOther"]If the OP were French resident then he could do that for up to 30 days, for longer than that then yes UK registration, as I said, is the course of least resistance ] [/quote] Thanks again... However, not being resident in France, I may now be looking at he micro intricacies of handing over some money, getting the vehicle 30 miles to my home, filling out the DVLA paperwork, insuring the vehicle with a mainstream insurer, having it MOT'd etc.. What would therefore be the correct thing to do with the seller re. the Spanish paperwork if going down the UK registration/insurance route? Which paperwork to keep from him, what he needs to do for the Spanish side of things, and what keeps me away from outstanding fines liability etc? Early on in this thread it was mentioned the seller should re-register the car in the UK - but this may be a little awkward to suggest when negotiating a purchase, so is there a clear way this can all be done together at the actual time of purchase? I could do the 'run the car to the ferry terminal' thing, but it may just not quite fit time wise by a month or two.. So the £55 (+plates) reg. fee and the insurance in the UK (hopefully who will refund the unused portion to some degree) may need to be the right option.. It does make one think whether it's all worth the hassle, but it's a decent car and quite possibly worth the tenacity.. [8-)]

So many interesting insights - many thanks to you both.. I'm homing in on the 'purchase, re-register in the UK, drive for 3-6 months in the UK, and then, in our own time, take the car to France and re-register again there' option.. (for now..). I will make a call to the DVLA/Aviva insurance  in the morning to see what the official line on getting the car from the vendor, to home, to MOT station and see what they come up with. Once in France, if the UK insurance lapses or is no longer valid, we can keep the car off the road in France until the whole process can begin again in France.. We still have the old car there which is good to drive until the end of the Summer.. I'll come back with the results for the benefit of the forum.. Then, no doubt, I'll post again about best how to dispose of a right hand drive car in France.. A classic at that. [;-)]

Thanks very much nomoss If I took up your second suggestion and had the vendor fill out a certificat de cession and full sales receipt, how would I practically be able collect the car, insure it and physically get it to France? It would still have the Spanish plates surely? I'm guessing the French AXA would cover it is some form for the duration of the 'drive to France' though? Or If I adopted your first suggestion and reg'd the car in the UK - would I be right in assuming the French insurance would be out of the picture, and I would have to use my UK company until the car then was later taken to France in say 6 month's time? (I have nil NCD in the UK, so it may simply be easier to try to get the car to France asap and not use it in the UK other than during the purchase and drive to France..) Many thanks again.. PS. As a side note - I'm also interested to hear that as a UK resident I am not allowed to drive a foreign registered car in the UK? So, if I drove to the UK from my French address in my French registered (and insured) car, I'd be doing it illegally?

[quote user="dave21478"] Keeping it on UK plates depends where you are resident. As a UK resident you can NOT drive a foreign reg'd car in UK. At all. As a French resident you might be able to wing it. Only your own French insurance agent will be able to tell you if they will cover it. [/quote] Gosh, I knew this might be complicated.. So, hurdle one - As a UK resident, I will automatically be unable to buy the vehicle here in the UK and have it insured via my French insurance company and drive it at all.. So in essence, walk away? (I got a little confused, as it is on Spanish plates now, not UK plates. the idea was to hopefully buy the car here in the UK, maybe 'need a week or two' to book a ferry and drive it to France... ).. Hurdle two - make damn sure the vendor is completely involved in the sale and export.. Sounds like more hassle than it's worth, even if it's possible at all..? Cheers.

Hi.. I hope someone might be able to help as my AXA branch in France is closed over the weekend. I'm considering buying a Spanish registered car here in the UK to eventually take over to France. Will my French insurance company cover the car whilst it's here in the UK for a few weeks before I can get it over to France? It has a current Spanish MOT. And, what papers should I insist on getting from the vendor (Spanish specific?)? It's a private sale, and the vendor 'has come back to the UK'.. I'm wondering about cross checking the vehicle reg document address, his name etc. I don't believe there could be any outstanding finance on it.. If all is in place, can I assume it's good to keep on the road in the UK for a few weeks? Or how long is 'reasonable' before it's just too long to be credible? If it helps, I have a UK car insurance policy which "allows me to drive 'any vehicle' with the owner's consent, 3rd party only". But I'm guessing this would not be enough as 'the vehicle' itself would not be insured, let alone it being Spanish reg etc.. My UK motor policy has absolutely no NCB, so very expensive to insure through at the moment, so I'd ideally like to put the car straight onto the French policy.. Many thanks for any details someone might be able to help with..

Great, thanks very much for the debate..  Seems 'same rules apply' (no surprise there..).. My experience of buying, and particularly selling, cars in the UK has always revealed the most dubious people.. Clocked cars (easily done), shady scams etc etc.. Even now, I responded to an ad in Bon Coin for a (somewhat too nice a) 307 which ended up with emails from the seller wanting to have the car delivered to me at a Mairie or Gendarmerie of my choice by a 'friend' as he himself was away on 'sabatical' and unable to do it. Of course this involved transferring money into his bank account first (hmm..).. This "arnaque" is currently doing the rounds according to my neighbour.. Lucky I'm not in a hurry...

Hello all.. In the next months we're looking at upgrading our car, so looking at all the options in terms of buying in France vs UK, Spain etc.. How common is 'clocking' in France, and are there DVLA type records and checks you can make? Obviously bills help, but are there other checks you can easily make? Thanks very much for any good advice..

[quote user="AnOther"]Good call ! I don't think you ever said whether it's a battery or mains job. With a battery the former will always be a 'power tool' but it it really true to call a mains powered item the same ? [/quote] It was a brand new boxed Makita mains sander.. Incidentally, it's a damn good one too.. Just sanded the whole hallway in one afternoon, smooth, quiet, and didn't get hot with hours of continuous use..

Update.. For the benefit of the forum - I did in fact check in a box with the sander (and some other bits) and asked at security at the other side, and they did in fact confirm that the sander would NOT have got through.. It is a "tool" (power) as opposed to say a "stereo" or "Macbook".. Probably explains why there are no branches of B&Q tax free at the airport...