Greetings from Switzerland!

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourselves' started by Mr Apollo, Oct 10, 2019.

  1. Mr Apollo

    Mr Apollo Supporter

    Trying to register for this forum has taken almost as long as it’s taken us to find a van. But eventually we’ve succeeded with both.

    I’m an Englishman living in Switzerland for the past 16 years. After a pretty disastrous start to the world of VW campervan ownership, we’ve finally bought a 1973 Late bay from the UK and are in the process of registering it in Switzerland. There are very few on the market over here, and all asking silly money, which is why we’re importing one.

    I’m hoping there isn’t too much work needed to be done to pass the MFK, equivalent of an MoT on steroids, which is needed before it can be registered. The headlight lens need replacing, speedo should read kmh, I need to remove the non-Swiss speck tow bar and buy a certificate of conformity for the 1776 twin carb engine. The engine could be the sticking point… I also need to find and stop the small oil leak and have the engine fully cleaned so the engineer undertaking the MFK doesn’t get his white gloves dirty – that isn’t a joke.

    I also need to prove I have insurance before I can register it, but I’m having difficulty obtaining insurance for a vehicle that isn’t registered. I love Swiss bureaucracy.

    I’m not new to older cars, we drove a Morris Traveller when we were in the UK, but I’m new to VWs, so expect a lot of questions.

    Then the fun can begin…
     
  2. Dubs

    Dubs Sponsor supporter extraordinaire

    Welcome, and good luck with the Swiss mot.. sounds like a nightmare!

    :hattip:
     
  3. MorkC68

    MorkC68 Administrator

    Welcome to the forum.

    Someone is bound to ask..where are the pics of your bus?

    Whereabouts in Switzerland are you? My Uncle lived in Bern for some 30 plus years, some splendid scenery around :)
     
  4. Ow do from the Land of the White Rose.
    Good luck. :thumbsup:
     
  5. Welcome, to the mad house.
     
  6. JamesLey

    JamesLey Sponsor

    Welcome along!
    My aunt and uncle used to live in Neuchatel many years ago. I still have the swiss army knife I bought when I was 10 or so, which lives in my pocket some 20 years later.
    Is it true you have to carry a toblerone at all times by law?
     
  7. nicktuft

    nicktuft Supporter

    Hello and welcome from Tufty :)
    Worked in Vevey and Verbier about 45 years ago...ugh!!
     
  8. Day

    Day

    Sounds a lot like here....Italian beurocracy. ...After nearly 2 years trying to register my bus I'm now having to find wing mirrors with the E symbol on them to pass it's final MOT.

    Good luck.

    Enjoy your bus

    and Welcome to the best, most informative, helpful, funny forum around.
     
  9. Mr Apollo

    Mr Apollo Supporter

    Thanks for the welcome. Photos will follow, my avatar gives a sneak preview, but it’s not even being officially christened until it’s legally on the road.

    We’re based near Basel, but spend as much time as possible in the high mountains of Wallis.
     
    DubCat, nicktuft and MorkC68 like this.
  10. bernjb56

    bernjb56 Supporter

    Welcome along :hattip:
     
  11. Welcome from West Lancashire - good luck with the registration
     
  12. Hello and welcome

    Sent from my JSN-L21 using Tapatalk
     
  13. Heidi hi from Chester ,my daughter lives in Bern , lovely place and breathe taking views
     
  14. crossy2112

    crossy2112 Supporter

    Hi from the depths of sunny Barnsley :thumbsup:
     
  15. 77 Westy

    77 Westy Supporter

    Welcome from France. I had no problem registering my Bay here and I thought French bureaucracy was bad enough.

    I doubt if you’ll get certificate of conformity for a 1776 engine, VW never made one, just call it a 1600 if that is what the bus should have.
     
    paulcalf likes this.
  16. Pudelwagen

    Pudelwagen Supporter

    Hi from North Yorkshire!

    Is it true that Swiss cows wear bells because their horns don't work?
     
  17. DubCat

    DubCat Sponsor

    Welcome. I do love an official bus christening ;)
     
    nicktuft likes this.
  18. Mr Apollo

    Mr Apollo Supporter

    There's a company over here that has had various mods to a number of VW air-cooled vehicles tested by the authorities and obtained certificates to prove compliance to the relevant standards. They'll sell you copies of these certificates, at a price. So I can buy a certificate, or 'DTC-Gutachten', that will cover a T2b for a motor with up to 119 HP, as long as it has the right brakes and wheels/tyres fitted. That's the plan anyway... I may also need to replace the JK stainless quiet pack exhaust for an original, to meet the noise regulations.

    If it all goes horribly wrong, and they won't register it, my son in the UK could end up driving a van that's more than twice his age.
     
    jivedubbin and Merlin Cat like this.
  19. Welcome @Mr Apollo

    Good luck with registering your bus
     
  20. Hi I have had my van up for sale on carandclassic and had a Irishman living in Sweden wanting to buy mine. He said there are very few there! We had to give up the sale as his bank would take 5 days plus to transfer the money (two transactions). The paperwork and the dvlc was a not straightforward either. He was going to drive the van back to Sweden via ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland (about 800 miles)! I wonder if he would have had similar problems with register. Also had a lot of interest from Germany which I think its because LHD and they fetch another £10.000 there and after Brexit import duty could be high. Good luck with the bus.
     
    jivedubbin likes this.

Share This Page