Make absolutely sure with your UK insurance company that you are covered in Finland.
If you damage your car here, it cannot be written off /scrapped in Finland without importing it first (ie paying the tax) - which happened to someone I know driving here on GB plates. So, if it cannot be repaired it will have to be shipped back to the UK...
Fingers crossed that this is purely a hypothetical scenario... but just make sure your insurance covers you.
IMO the ice and rain are 10x worse than the snow. If you can leave the car at home and take the bus, then that is the best choice in the winter.
advice on getting the car sorted for winter
Re: advice on getting the car sorted for winter
The tailgating Finn can usually be dalt with by a tap on the brakes with the left foot or just a quick stab if they miss that hint=)
If its muddy, Can I drive it?Re: advice on getting the car sorted for winter
penelope wrote:Make absolutely sure with your UK insurance company that you are covered in Finland.
If you damage your car here, it cannot be written off /scrapped in Finland without importing it first (ie paying the tax) - which happened to someone I know driving here on GB plates. So, if it cannot be repaired it will have to be shipped back to the UK...
It shouldn't be that difficult anymore, at least with cars registered in EU. Nowadays there shouldn't be any problems in scrapping car with foreign plates in Finland. Compare it to situation when you bring a car for spare parts from another EU-country, no taxes or duties to be paid. How recent is that incident you're telling about?
Paying tax is not necessary to import a car, but to register it in Finland.
It is true that situation was different before Finland joined EU, in those days they towed heavily damaged vehicles with foreign plates to customs storage area and (because owner naturally didn't take worthless piece of scrap back to country of origin) auctioned them after some 3-year storing.
And the funniest part: there were times, when vehicle bought from those customs auctions, could be registered without paying this moderate finnish car tax. So basically cheapest way to get a car to finnish plates was:
-Buy that car in some other country.
-Let your foreign friend drive it to Finland and ram it on something sturdy and inexpesinve.
-Allow it to be towed to customs storage area.
-Wait 3 years.
-Buy that car back when it is auctioned.
-Repair damages and register it to finnish plates.
Of course that loophole was eventually closed.
-Jukka
Re: advice on getting the car sorted for winter
The incident I mentioned happened about 4 years ago near Tampere. After FInland joined the EU.
The family in question had to have their car transported back to the UK. They also received a bill for damage to the crash barrier caused when their car rolled over....
The family in question had to have their car transported back to the UK. They also received a bill for damage to the crash barrier caused when their car rolled over....