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Anyone registered a Mercedes in France?


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Over the past 4 years, we have registered an Opel and a Toyota in France, sans soucis. But Mercedes are proving problematic! We have a UK reg Mercedes Sprinter van that we need to transfer to French plates. But Mercedes will not issue a European cert of conformity without an attestation from a local dealer to confirm that the headlights 'conform to French road standards'. Of course we have changed the headlights and the van has passed its CT which is proof that the it is legal on French roads! But the CT does not suffice, oh no, an attestation is required Madame. Trouble is that our 'local' (3 hr round trip!) dealer hasn't got a clue and is insisting that we provide an invoice from Mercedes for the lights. We didn't buy them direct from Mercedes. I cannot get hold of the Mercedes homologation dept on the phone to resolve the issue so was just wondering whether anybody else has had this problem and how it was resolved? Grr!

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It's the Etoile Occitane Mercedes dealer at Trèbes nr Carcassonne. We are in 09. I have sent a letter to the homologation department in Paris as I can't get them on the 'phone and they aren't answering my messages. Am I right in saying that we didn't have to purchase the lamps direct from Mercedes? The dealer was totally clueless!

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Mercedes Benz France homologation department are probably ignoring you because they've told you what is required and it's up to you to sort out the dealer attestation, ie your problem.

Etoile Occitane are a major Mercedes Benz car and truck dealer so they shouldn't have any difficulty in sorting out your request.  I suggest you escalate matters by writing to the Service Director complaining about your unsatisfactory experience.  Provide him with a copy of your invoice for the purchase of the headlamps and a copy of the Mercedes Benz France 'Demande d'attestation d'identification de véhicules d'importation', highlighting the bit that says:

"Pour un véhicule en provenance d’Angleterre, attestation d’un concessionnaire agrée de la marque du véhicule, attestant de la conformité des optiques et de l’indicateur de vitesse au code de la route français."

and ask him to explain to you how, as an approved official Mercedes Benz dealer and an expert as far as Sprinters are concerned, his company seems unable to confirm that a set of headlamps shine the right way for France.....

 

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Many thanks for that. I have to say I was astounded when the bloke told me he had never been asked for such an attestation before and his boss then refused to give us one without an invoice from Mercedes for the lights! He refused to call the homologation department to clarify matters which was just plain ignorant. I'll call tomorrow & get the name of the Service Director and get a complaint letter off this week. Thanks again for the advice - much appreciated. Bonne soirée.

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I had to do this with my Smart car.

Mercedes do insist on an attestation from one of their dealers. I bought the headlights online, fitted them myself then took it to the dealer in Angouléme.

They took it into the workshop then 20 minutes later I came out with the attestation.

It would seem that it depends on which dealer you go to!

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In my experience, Mercedes Benz France aren't the most helpful of organisations.

When I requested a partial attestation for my Mercedes Hymer camper, the one they sent me stated that the vehicle was an English specification configured for right hand drive.  When I phoned them to point out that it was actually of German origin and LHD, they apologised and immediately sent me a replacement attestation. So far, so good.

However, when I took the van for its routine CT PL a year later, the tester noted that the carte grise had no mention of a gross train weight (PTRA) so I couldn't tow my motorcycle trailer. On checking my documentation, it appeared that MB France had omitted this from their attestation, not picked up by the DRIRE, and therefore not included on the carte grise.

When I contacted MB France, they refused to issue an amended attestation unless I produced a certificate of conformity for the towing bracket and hook. As the towbar manufacturer was no longer in business, I sent them a copy of the original MB technical specification card (issued when the vehicle was new) which listed the towbar as an MB factory fitted option but, no, they insisted on the separate CoC.  My argument that every new Mercedes Benz vehicle sitting on a dealer forecourt would already have a PTRA, otherwise everyone buying one and later retrofitting a towbar would have to apply for an amended attestation and new carte grise seemed to fall on deaf ears.

In the end, I went to my local MB Truck dealer and enlisted the help of their service department.  They agreed it was a silly situation and rather than bat their heads against the MB brick wall as well, they offered to organise me a simple letter certifying the standard PTRA for my camper.  I received the letter signed by their managing director a few days later, took it to the prefecture and obtained my new carte grise.....

The prefecture girl (bless her) even apologised for charging me the 36€ fee for changing the carte grise because it hadn't been their fault....[;-)]

 

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We have just registered our A class in France, but we were lucky, although UK registered it originated in Belguim, so was lhd and as it was one owner they had kept the CofC, we were well impressed:-

Got the car through the controle technique, next day off to Limoges, spent 20 mins in the Hotel des Impots for the quitis, walked down the road to the Prefecture,served within 5 minutes, paperwork took 10 minutes, paid at the Caisse - this was last Friday, the Carte Grise arrived at our French address this morning where a neighbour signed for it. Brilliant service
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I need a CofC for our UK-reg S***t car and so far, Mercedes France has been v helpful. I have to produce a letter confirming French lights and a KPH speedo but it seems that the local garage will do so I do not have to travel halfway across France to a Merc dealer. But time will tell.

John

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Whilst your local garage may be quite happy to do you a certificate/letter for the headlights & speedo, Mercedes France homologation dept are very unlikely to accept it. They insist that the 'attestation' comes from a Mercedes concessionnaire. It's all bonkers anyway because, in our case, the van passed its CT which it can only do once the lamps have been changed anyway!

As an update, Mercedes homologation very kindly emailed me back to confirm that it is not necessary to purchase the lamps directly from Mercedes, despite what Etoile Occitane told me. I have sent a recorded letter to the head man at the latter to complain, so will see what the result is. It's a painful process!

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  • 1 month later...
Just a final update, the Mercedes concessionnaire replied to my letter (it only took them a month!!) saying that the lights had to be fitted by themselves and as this was not the case, they could not issue the cert. After another email to Merc Homologation dept, they finally agreed to accept an attestation from our local garage confirming quite simply that the lights had been changed. This we did and they sent us our attestation de conformité européen within the week. After 1 1/2 hrs in the Prefecture I now have her French reg! Hurrah! But my God it has been painful.

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[quote user="cheminot"]I had to do this, Mercedes do insist on an attestation from one of their dealers. I bought the headlights online, fitted them myself then took it to the dealer in Angouléme.
They took it into the workshop then 20 minutes later I came out with the attestation.
It would seem that it depends on which dealer you go to!
[/quote]

Snap! (they also charged me 15€)

 

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The saga continueth.

My faith in M-B was misplaced. Despite an e-mail from M-B confirming that an attestation from my local garage would be acceptable M-B Homologation France eventually said no. This delay plus my being on holiday means that the English MoT has expired and I cannot get a CT locally without a CoC.

Happily (?) M-B GB has promised me a CoC with a warning that it may not be acceptable at the Prefecture (but it should suffice for a CT - ever the optimist, he said). As Cahors Prefecture has set a precedent (do they exist in France?) by accepting a CoC in Italian for my Postman Pat Fiat, who knows?

There must be a moral here somewhere.

John

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A new Arrete was issued middle of last year requiring a CoC to be presented when requesting a CT on an imported vehicle.

I recently bought a four year old Mercedes from Germany and the dealer supplied an EU certificate of conformity from Mercedes Benz as part of the deal. When I took the car for its CT, Ludovic the tester asked for the carte grise and CoC.

L: "Is this the carte grise?:

SD: " Yep, Zulassungsbescheinigung is German for carte grise"

L: " OK. So this is the certificate of conformity? It's in German as well.  What am I looking for?"

SD: "There's the number, just type it in the box."

L: "Merci, Sunday.  That's all I need"

Oh, and it passed....[;-)]

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally, finally I have re-registered the Smart here.

But Mercedes very nearly tripped me on the finishing line. It seems that when Smart was new there was a CofC in the handbook but over the past century it has disappeared. The one that has just arrived bore the word "Duplikat" in the bottom corner. Mme Eagel-eyes spotted this and lectured me as to the need to provide an original. I produced the letter from Mercedes and explained that the CofC only arrived 2 days ago, via England - but to little avail. Luckily Mme Supervisor heard the ruckus and examined the CofC for herself and decided that I could not possibly have copied one onto "Daimler" water marked paper and must be telling the truth. A few minutes and a weensy bit lighter in the wallet area I departed with my temporary Carte Multi-coloured.

I suppose the moral is "don't import a Mercedes unless you have the first ever issued CofC".

John

 

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[quote user="Iceni"]

A. Chauvinist (btw when/how was this word corrupted to it's modern meaning?)

[/quote]My belief is that M. Chauvin was a man who believed in the inherent superiority of France and all things French, above all other nations, regardless of actual individual merit. 

The correct way for you to use it about yourself is, imho, Male Chauvinist (ie somebody who believes that men are inherently superior.) [:D]

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