NewinFrance

Are there any hidden problems in re-importing a car previously registered here in France and then subsequently exported to, and registered in, the UK? The car was first registered (in France) in 2001 and is a LHD, French spec vehicle for sale at a dealers in the UK.

Personal experience with a Suzuki Grand Vitara (clear headlamp glasses, multi-faceted reflectors): Using UK lights with a 'dip-left' pattern and the bulbs rotated as suggested and using the lights set lower than normal gave a 'dip-right' pattern  that worked to a degree. Used as a temporary alternative to black tape (and better than that) it was usable and resulted in no flashes from oncoming traffic but gave insufficient range for permanent use. Submitted for CT as new headlamps had not arrived in time and failed because it was impossible to get sufficiently accurate cut-off at top of beam. New Valeo LHD lights fitted (very simple half-hour job) and CT centre happy to adjust at the free re-visit - passed easily. To sum up: 1. Rotating bulbs was a useful short-term bodge, better than tape but not a long-term solution. 2. Valeo lights are indistinguishable from dealer parts and a fraction of the price. (Mine were not listed by Valeo, but were obtainable in Poland. Please don't ask why because I have no idea!)  ... just my experience  

... but importing a German-registered camper and obtaining French plates with single-vehicle approval is possible, if pricey - but then 'vans are cheaper in Germany so it can be worthwhile. Thanks to Sunday Driver's help and advice we are now almost there with our ex-German Fiat/Hymer, although there does seem to be differences between Departments. In 17 we've had to change mains power outlets and gas regulators and add some vents for Bureau Veritas approval - nothing too tricky, but our 'van is a known chassis/body combination. Don't want to speak too soon, but hopefully those '17' plates will go on this month - the 'van arrived here in October, so you need to be patient! Sunday Driver's advice comes highly recommended - believe in it!  

Thank you everyone - we have a year left on the 106s and will look into the comparitive costs. ... and thanks for that hint on insurance, 'little' things like that can make a big difference!

Thanks Anna. We were wondering about the 'small business' angle for a couple of reasons, first for getting any allowance against income for the set-up costs (furnishings etc) and the running costs (power, water, cleaning etc). Secondly with the prospect of having to get private health insurance for the four years between our E106s expiring and being eligible for our E121s under the new rules we wondered whether business 'cotisations' would be cheaper? Something else which has crossed our minds is insurance, we'll need some indemnity policy, how easy//expensive is this to arrange?  

I'm sure that many of our questions have been raised before - please just refer us to the correct thread if they have! We are buying a house here which has an attached Gite, previously only used for members of the current owners' family but which could provide an useful addition to our pension. We have past experience of running a small holiday home in the UK but our French is very poor at the moment (but we are learning as fast as we can!) We are finding it difficult to sift the vast, and sometimes contradictory, amounts of advice about renting this Gite to non-family members. Do we actually need to register as a business or just register the Gite with the Marie and declare our French income? If we do start an 'official' business which sort and how does that effect our current E106 status?  Tax, cotisations, microbics... help! Sorry for so many questions but there seems to be wealth of experience on this forum and some help would be greatly  appreciated