Moving to Spain

[Bowiesst]

Im possibly moving to Spain in a few months with work. Does anyone have any experience with taking their car there? Also will taking the car out there affect my warranty etc?

[jbyrnes82]

Your first two years warranty are from the manufacturer with the third year being supplied by Skoda uk. (Well that's how it normally works) so any Skoda dealer certainly in Europe should be able to handle warranty for first two years. Although whether in reality this is the case I don't know.

Have heard from yeti forum of French Skoda dealers charging for warranty work and owner having to chase Skoda for refund

[octavia5]

Remember that you are supposed to re-register your car in Spain after 6 months as you only get 6 months grace for driving a foreign registered car in another EU country, many find it best to sell a UK car in the UK and buy another in the country you are moving to to keep within the law, it also simplifies insurance..

 

If you bought a LHD motor in the UK it might be worth going the re-reg route.

[JPH0091]

...

Have heard from yeti forum of French Skoda dealers charging for warranty work and owner having to chase Skoda for refund

Strange to hear that. Maybe for foreigners, but I dont't think this would even be legal.

[JPH0091]

Main issue I see is the steering wheel will be on the wrong side

[Bowiesst]

I was thinking of insuring it throught Gibraltar as its close. That way I can keep it with the uk plate.

[Wardy]

Will you actually be living in Gibraltar? If not, you may find that route difficult. How long will you be going for?

 

Re-registering a non Spanish car in Spain can also be quite a faff. One of my best mates lives in Majorca and looked at doing this, as 2nd hand cars in Spain are far more expensive than here, like-for-like. He was looking at taking something out there and then registering it.

 

After looking into everything, he ended up just buying a car out there!

[Black_Sheep]

Strange to hear that. Maybe for foreigners, but I dont't think this would even be legal.

Year 3 warranty work overseas you pay and claim back via Skoda UK - make sure SUK agree to work before getting it done first though. Year 3 warranty upto 60k miles only - first two years warranty unlimited. Details in the pack with the car.

[Wardy]

Think warranty work might be the least of the OP's worries, if trying to keep a UK car out there for a fairly lengthy period........

[Bogwoppit]

I lived in Gibraltar/Spain (Sotogrande and Marina de Casares) for a year and you will wreck those lovely vRS alloy wheels very quickly, the roads are appalling for pot holes etc.

 

I looked at importing a UK spec motorbike, but IIRC you have to pay an import tax based on the value of the bike etc and it wasn't worth it.

In the end we just hired a car every month from doyouspain.com and collected them from the underground car park at La Linea, just over the border from Gibraltar. When I was over there they were the cheapest car hire place.

[Smeghead]

Im possibly moving to Spain in a few months with work. 

 

Jammy sod.  No more crappy weather for you.

 

I know some people who moved to Catalunya a few years ago with their Octy II. They ended up bringing that car back, selling it and then buying in Spain as it was too much hassle, what with the Spanish driving on the wrong side of the road and all.

[Bowiesst]

Ive been informed by work friends who live there have had theirs over there for a couple of years with no hassles and not changing. Thing is would I need the car to be serviced in the UK?

[Guest]

I was thinking of insuring it throught Gibraltar as its close. That way I can keep it with the uk plate.

Pretty certain that is a no can do.

I was deployed there for 30 months (2004-2007), took my Honda Civic over for the whole duration. To get Gib insurance you'll need a Gib MoT certificate, to pass a Gib MoT you need a Gib vehicle registration document and to get that with a Brit car you need to import it and they take a deposit of 30% of the value of the vehicle which they retain until you unregister the vehicle with them. I had to pay £1500 to import my car. Towards the end of my deployment Military personnel no longer paid to import their vehicles, the MoD acted as a guarantor. And if you register it in Gib you get a Gib plate GXXXXD/E/F etc which can cause issues when driving in Spain with your Customer Service orientated Guardia Civil.

At the time it was illegal to have tinted windows in Gib, which I got specifically for moving there. Spent about two hours with tons of elbow grease and surgical spirit to remove them to pass the MoT even though my tints were lighter than the windows fitted to the Military Police vans I was driving.

It's a risk not too import your vehicle into Spain, if you are involved in an incident and the local feds or GC Traffico get involved and they establish you have over stayed the 6 months limit, they will seize your vehicle and possibly even strip it to pieces, just for s#!Ts and giggles. If you ever go to Gib, have a look at the numerous vehicles in bits at the Spanish Border compound. Sure gives you Squeaky Bum Syndrome when you approach the Border!

[JPH0091]

I'm going every summer for several vacation weeks in south Spain.

I don't know how it is done, but I've seen quite a number of Right Hand Drive cars with spanish plates.

I've always assumed it was retired british people cars.

I guess when you live in another UE country for a while, you are entitled to register your car there.

[Bowiesst]

Fin69 thanks for the info and thanks to everyone else. Think I will end up selling her :-( and a spanish sinorita.

[jbyrnes82]

Strange to hear that. Maybe for foreigners, but I dont't think this would even be legal.

Should have clarified I believe that was for a uk car in France presumably on holiday something to do with a timing chain I think

[Black_Sheep]

How often are you returning to UK with car? If you return every 6 months then no need to register in Spain. Insurance may be tricky - most UK insurance policies have max 90 day stay, although some will do 6 months extended stay.

[Wardy]

Would depend more on whether you're registered at a Spanish address. If you're just 'visiting' during that time then yes, there's an argument for saying that the 6-month clock could restart when you returned to Spain after a UK visit.

 

This tends to depend what part of the country you're in - some parts seem more bothered than others and actually follow up, rather than the perhaps presumed approach that the Spanish authorities won't actually be that bothered.