Swiss Vignette

[Pierre ZFP]

No strictly a French topic but I hope someone might know....

Iin the recent bad weather the windscreen of my car took a big whack from something which caused a crack to appear across the screen.

It's going to be replaced on the insurance on Friday but I have a vignette for Switzerland for 2010 stuck to it.  The vignette is stuck with something similar to superglue and appears to be tamper proof.

So the question(s) is (are), can I get this off or get the windscreen people to do it or write to the Swiss authorites for a refund on just lose the 40 CHF?  This must happen on a fairly regular basis surely?

 

[Polly]

Althought the Swiss vignettes are divided into sections so that they can't easily be peeled off and restuck on another car, your windscreen place should be able to get it off, but tell them first.

If you want to try, I've heard that heating them with a hairdrier takes them off, but I haven't tried it. It sounds a safer 'first attempt' method than acetone or other solvants which might destroy the sticker.

[Bugsy]

You could try, providing you have sufficient access, to carefully slide a 'Stanley blade' under the sticker. (just a blade without handle)

I've successfully removed a CT sticker like this when we lost a windscreen on our old Jeep.

Warming the screen first helps.

.

[Swissie]

People used to buy one and share- so the Swiss gvt made the stickers almost impossible to take off. I wish you good luck - tell us how you got on.

If you wish, I'll phone the local equivalent of the DVLA, the Service des autos, and ask them.

PS  I've just looked at it on the official website. If you have to replace the windscreen, you need to keep the damaged vignette AND the bill for the replacement - and the vignette will be exchanged for free when you next get to Swiss Customs.

[AnOther]

The first one I had I successfully removed with a stanley knife blade to put it on a different vehicle.

The second one I carefully stuck on with Crystal Tape, a special type of sellotape which is all but invisible and would have passed all but up a close and personal inspection [;-)]

Buggers made me buy a separate one for a trailer one time, I never stuck it on though and once I'd made the return trip without being challenged I flogged it on eBay [:D]

[Polly]

Not a question of them being b****** Ernie, trailers are meant to have a separate vignette! That's been the case since the first year of the autoroute vignette (1985).

see http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_privat/informationen/00421/index.html?lang=fr

and do be careful with leaky old classic car engines, the Swiss don't take kindly to oil polluting their highways, byways and carparks.

[AnOther]

I know but still buggers !

Leaky old classic car engines, how dare you, I resent the implication [:P]

[Pierre ZFP]

Thank you all for you replies and especially to you Swissie for your kind offer and information.

It's all sorted!

I spoke with the windscreen replacement people who just said 'Oh yes, no problem, we have the equipment to remove the vignette and put it in the new screen'

I suspect that the 'equipment' was not much more than a hairdryer but I don't care - they did a first class job and there's my vignette in place. Brilliant!

I'm well aware of the thing about making the vignette difficult to remove so it can't be used on another vehicle (dodges including putting vasaline or chap stick on the window so it can be removed easily) but it strikes me that it can only be used in one car at a time anyway - less revenue for the Swiss I suppose.  Anyway I really wanted mine back as I intend to make 2 or 3 trips or more to or through Switzerland so I didn't want to buy another.

Thanks again all.

 

[Swissie]

If you drive through the Jura - pop in to say hello. Hasta la vista.