Paulholman

Hi Frenchy, I do not live in your department, but further south in 31 so I cannot give precise information, however I work in the tourist industry and get asked this question a lot! Most larger towns have special Christmas markets and if you contact your local tourist office they can send you a list of markets and dates. Toulouse has a very big one lasting most of December but that is probably too far for you, but I am sure Bordeaux will follow suit with something similar. Hope this helps a bit! Paul

Hi, I wondered if anybody was going back to the UK with an empty van, we moved here at the start of the year and have dozens of flat pack boxes, and some plastic storage boxes, which a family member would now like as they are moving. I am based in Dept 31 but could meet en route or deliver if it would help. At the UK side, the drop off point would be Tonbridge Kent. Thank you.

[quote]I see that the only ones interested enough to post any replies to this thread are those that own 4x4s which in my view are not neccesary for 95 per cent of those that own them. One of the reasons I h...[/quote] "Golden Retriever, 4x4 , private number plate, have I missed anything else on the list." Yes, 2.4 children!  You must have sold it to my brother in law! Me?  I've a nice Froggy 4x4.  Renault Scenic RX4.  Not quite a LR or hummer but ideal for muddy roads, dog carrying, pick up truck(with all rear seats removed), rounding up stray livestock in my hilly back garden AND no strange looks from my neighbours as it's a FRENCH car!  Why did I buy it?  Because it was a good price and available immediately!  Now I wouldn't be without it!  Mad, I know!

I was wondering if anybody was coming from the UK soon and could bring some emulsion paint down, I am renovating a house whilst working full time and have run out of certain colours of paint and it is so expensive here.Also we cannot match colours! I thought I had got enough but an old house just eats it! I am based in Dept 31 south of Toulouse, but would happily collect. I think the UK side is easier I have family in Kent or I can order on line, pay with a card and have it delivered to any address to save effort.If anybody can help I would give something towards fuel and buy dinner! It would be well worth it as French paint is useless and very expensive in comparison.Thank you

Why not take then in person to your local Prefecture or Sous Prefecture? I did in person and came out 20 minutes later with a new carte grise! Maybe it's different in the Haute Garonne. Worth a try anyway.

I have a 12 month old Scenic RX4 and was quoted 137 euros per headlight at my local renault garage in dept 31. I havenot bothered to have them changed over yet.

Have you tried the dvla website? www.dvla.gov.uk It has some information and should, in theory (!) give you all the information you need.

See my comments on re-registering a car. The additonal things I think you'll need is the french equivalent of an MOT - a control technique as your vehicle is quite old and finding a receipt from when you bought it. I've seen CT stations in several places so I cannot imagine that being too difficult. The only other thing that may be a bit tricky is also obtaining a certificate of conformity. I got my info from a useful website http://riviera.angloinfo.com/information/1/motoregister.asp which has some very useful information about importing a car etc and has the contact details for VW in order to obtain a COC. If you have all the necessary documents the process to reregister should (and it probably varies enormously from dept to dept knowing the French) be relatively straightforward.

I thought I would tell people not to dread the thought of re-registering a UK car in France (especially if it resonably new). We have a Renault Scenic which was originally an import 13 month ago. My wife went to the local Hotel d'Impots with proof of id, proof of address, original receipts and UK registration document. She was asked to complete a very simple form and was given the necessary certificate of acquisition to show no further VAT was payable. Then she went off to the local sous prefecture. After a brief wait in a queue she handed over the certifcate she'd got from the Hotel d'impots, the UK registration document, proof of id and proof of address and the certifcate of conformity. She had to complete another simple form and within 15 minutes was leaving the Sous Prefecture with a Carte Grise in her hand! The total cost? 248 euros - 27.5 euros per fiscal CV - the scenic is claased as a 9 CV. All far too simple. Is there something we've missed?