Keep your hand on your carte grise

[Sunday Driver]

Came across an earlier thread regarding which vehicle documents you should carry with you.  Some people expressed a preference towards keeping them in the car, others insisted they should be kept on their person.

Unlike the UK where the V5C registration document only identifies the vehicle keeper, the carte grise is an ownership document.  Like the deeds to your house, possession confers title.  When you sell a french car, the buyer becomes the owner as soon as you hand over the carte grise.

Image what would happen if your car got stolen and the carte grise was in the glove box?  The thief could sell it immediately, proving he had title by producing on the carte grise.  If he wanted to transfer the registration into his name, he could do so.  It would be made easier for him because your insurance certificate would be there also (remember, you're made to sign your insurance certificate), so he's got your signature he can copy.

What happens when you run around to the prefecture to report it stolen - how do you prove it was stolen?

"Let's see your carte grise, Monsieur?"

"I haven't got it any more, it was in the car!"

"Ah, well, Monsieur."

"But, officer, its still registered in my name."

"Ah, yes, but how do we know you didn't sell it (and release the carte grise to the seller) and now you've changed your mind after an argument with the buyer!"

Flight of fancy perhaps, but you can see the potential risks....... 

[Anton Redman]

Some ago years I opened a Ford Fiesta for a very pregnant lady whose three year old son had locked they keys in. Time 9 seconds .  I then spent 30 seconds saying I hoped this is not on Candid Camera and I do not want any money for this.  Recently a colleage of mine dropped her mini keys down a storm drain. I took me 8 minutes with a nail file and worn key from the local scrapyard to get the car open and running  

To reregister a car you need proof of identity,  Passport or Carte D'Identite, so you are unfortunate enough to be called Smith, Patel, Dupont,  even then the functionaires record the ID, date of issue, residence and demand proof of residence/current address

You hold on the the Carte Grise when you sell and make the purchaser sign the part at the bottom new address etc,   

Ship's and Aircraft log books are documents of title neither Carte gris not UK registration certificates are.

I would be a lot more worried about meeting my 'friendly' local gendarme without the right documents than the above scenario. My car keys, and second set of keys when I hand the car over for servicing I do keep control of. 

[Teamedup]

I always find this Catch 22. There is not a chance that we would remember to play pass the carte grise in our house. So we leave them in the cars. Now if there was a modicum of sense in the system they would allow people to carry authenticated photo copies around and that as far as I am concerned would be the safest and easiest.

[Sunday Driver]

I believe you can take your CG around to the gendarmerie and they'll make you an authenticated copy.

[Teamedup]

The Mairie can also do an authenticated copy. I once asked the gendarmes and they said that that would not be sufficient, although I do realise that every gendarme in the country may have their own idea about this.

[RayB]

[quote user="Teamedup"]The Mairie can also do an authenticated copy. I

once asked the gendarmes and they said that that would not be

sufficient, although I do realise that every gendarme in the country

may have their own idea about this.[/quote]

Well now, I'm glad we got that all sorted out and know exactly what to do now.

Sigh!

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="Anton Redman"]

You hold on the the Carte Grise when you sell and make the purchaser sign the part at the bottom new address etc,   

[/quote]

No, you fill in the detachable coupon with the buyers name and address, sign it yourself and give the whole carte grise to him/her. He/she then has the choice of taking the full carte grise to the prefecture, or just posting the main part and retaining the coupon as a temporary carte grise.

[quote user="Anton Redman"]

Ship's and Aircraft log books are documents of title neither Carte gris not UK registration certificates are.

[/quote]

My french carte grise says "Sunday Driver est proprieteur du vehicle". When I sell the car, I write "sold on (date)" on the main part of the carte grise - this is the buyer's proof of purchase when he sends it off to the prefecture to re-register himself as the new "proprieteur". 

[Val_2]

Each summer there is a spate of car thefts here mainy from out of dept vehicles. Nine times out of ten all the paperwork relating the vehicles that has been left in the car has been discarded all over the ground by the thieves as they have gone for handbags,coats etc whilst the owners are on the beaches. We never ever leave any papers in our vehicles as the aggro to replace them far outweighs the aggro of carrying them about on the person.