[London328]

Oh dear - boyfriend's car died and is beyond economical repair*. It is looking like I will need to arrange to have it scrapped while he is back working in UK. :juggle:

Found how to do this no problem thanks to the Forum here - assuming this is still correct:
Tumbit.com - How To Guides - How To Scrap A Uk Car In Spain

Now have to find Desguaces in Barcelona who will take a RH drive car - has anyone had any experience of this? I've seen posts that say people didn't have to pay, hoping to avoid getting stung and (of course doing everything legally!!)

Also need to have it towed there erm, anyone reccommend a company that will tow it?

Thanks !!

*diesel estate - serviced just before we left, running beautifully since we got it, bizarrely ground to halt on a nice busy roundabout.....turns out the pump unit has gone - the part is expensive and the labour costs insane

 

[gus-lopez]

You might have to hunt around for one who will take it as it's illegal to scrap a foreign reg. car in spain. You're meant to take it back from whence it came. You will find someone to take it though & they should pick it up for free. As it says on Tumbit there are plenty who won't be interested. Sorry can't help re; Barcelona though.

 

[JBODEN]

... as it's illegal to scrap a foreign reg. car in spain.

?????????
I totalled my Volvo in february and courtesy of AA European Cover it was taken to an authorised scrapyard in Baza After 6 (!) months I got a scrapage certificate from Junta Granada which I passed on to DVLA, in order to get a refund on my road tax and for them to delete it from their records. Illegal? I don't think so!

 

[gus-lopez]

... as it's illegal to scrap a foreign reg. car in spain.
?????????
I totalled my Volvo in february and courtesy of AA European Cover it was taken to an authorised scrapyard in Baza After 6 (!) months I got a scrapage certificate from Junta Granada which I passed on to DVLA, in order to get a refund on my road tax and for them to delete it from their records. Illegal? I don't think so!

Aah! but you are talking about something completely different, a vehicle involved in an accident where the insurance company picks up the bill & sorts it out. A person using a foreign registered vehicle that he wishes to dispose of at the end of it's life has only one , legal, option. Transport out of the country to where it came from. Under spanish law it is illegal to scrap, sell, gift to someone else ,or part-exchange for a new/used vehicle. No one appears to take any notice usually , especially the new & used car dealers ! The 2 big licensed vehicle dismantlers on the autovia here in Lorca will not take British reg. vehicles for scrapping ( I know from experience . ) although they have no problems with accident write-offs. The only one who's a licensed dismantler around here , who will take them , is a few kms up the road in La Hoya , & the Morrocan scrap man who'll take anything.

 

[JBODEN]

Aah! but you are talking about something completely different, a vehicle involved in an accident where the insurance company picks up the bill & sorts it out.

In this case I managed to crack the engine block whilst driving off road. Unfortunately this wasn't covered by insurance and the cost of a new engine was more than the car was worth so the AA suggested that I scrap it. They didn't want to transport it to the UK for obvious cost reasons and arranged for the vehicle to be towed to a Govt authorized scrap/destruct yard. Maybe they had a special arrangement with the Spanish RAC.

London328, have you contacted your insurance company to see if they have a solution to your problem?

 

[gus-lopez]

In this case I managed to crack the engine block whilst driving off road. Unfortunately this wasn't covered by insurance and the cost of a new engine was more than the car was worth so the AA suggested that I scrap it. They didn't want to transport it to the UK for obvious cost reasons and arranged for the vehicle to be towed to a Govt authorized scrap/destruct yard. Maybe they had a special arrangement with the Spanish RAC.

London328, have you contacted your insurance company to see if they have a solution to your problem?

I hope you've got a 4wd now.

 

[JBODEN]

I hope you've got a 4wd now.

Absolutely! Merc 320L and since I've bought it I haven't been off-road once

 

[mrypg9]

Absolutely! Merc 320L and since I've bought it I haven't been off-road once

I wanted to swap my LandRover Discovery for one of those as the LR is like a bus - hard to park, poor turning circle etc.
But...and don't take offence - is it a real 4x4 or what my son calls a 'pretty 4x4' i.e. a cosmetic job that doesn't do the work of a 'real' 4x4?
I'm slowly learning to love the Disco but really like Mercedes..
I had a Mercedes CLK cabrio until last year....now that was impractical. Lovely car, though.
I probably looked like the Madame of a Marbella bordello driving it around....top down (car's, not mine) dark glasses....

 

[JBODEN]

But...and don't take offence - is it a real 4x4 or what my son calls a 'pretty 4x4' i.e. a cosmetic job that doesn't do the work of a 'real' 4x4?

Well, it was built especially for the USA market so it is a bit of a cosmetic job but ...
it is a 4x4 but only in low gear (once you press the right button).
I have christened my car 'Thomas the Tank' because that's the way it drives.

 

[London328]

Thanks for replies so far ! Update...

Hello - sorry not checked back in - been a hectic 2 days wrangling with insurers and urgently making sure boyfriend made it back to UK*

Hmm.... yes, have been in contact with breakdown cover insurers a lot since I posted:

Insurers have said:
- they don't want to have it repatriated as its more than car is worth...
- they also don't want to have it repaired here as its more than car is worth...
- they are still dithering about what to do with dead car!
- for now car is in storage and all belongings collected from it
- had a separate warranty policy but it does not cover the part that is broken

The broken part was the ECU - pump unit : Barca mechanics quoted 2,000 euros to fix, UK mechanic says could maybe replace ECU chip but since the whole unit is in the middle of the engine, the labour costs are very high - or if even you replace entire pump, the part alone costs best part of what insurers said car is worth.

My boyfriend reckons its breakdown insurers responsibiltiy to have it scrapped (I had just grimly assumed I'd be the one doing the running around!). I will definately pass onto him some of the thoughts posted here - insurers just don't sound too clued up to be honest.

Hmmm. Will post what happens next, in case it's a useful thread for other people?

Thanks so much for all the replies again


* he's bass player in a band, they have a gig tommorow filmed by BBC!!! (band's lovely singer was gently messaging me on Facebook late last night to check he was actually on the plane, bless!!lane.... I will do a shameless plug if I'm allowed but Idon't want to break the rules on my little lifeline forum right now, lol!!

 

[Nial]

Hi London328

I was hoping to catch the final thrilling installment in your saga.
We are currently in a similiar situation to yours. We have been living in Portugal for the last 3 years and were repatriating back to the UK, currently sitting on the Santander to Portsmouth ferry as I type. Our Portuguese car had the rear axle break 100km's short of Santander and had to leave the car in a Spanish garage last Saturday and we continued, by taxi, to catch the car ferry.
I would now like to know how to resolve the problem of the car left in Spain.

Breakdown/Insurance recovery has given 3 options:

a) €2900 to fix the rear axle, the car is worth €4500, and then we still have to sell to someone back in Portugal.
b) Repatriate the vehicle, to Portugal I assume. To where exactly I don't know as we have no address back there now as we were renting.
c) Scrap the car. Do we get any money back from this as there are many usable spares, good wheels with 2 new Pirelli tyres with only 500km on them, engine, all body panels not dented or rusted.

Please advise how you resolved your situation, it will be most appreciated.

Nial

ps name of the band please, are they on FB or MySpace.