Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

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Alcala Barry
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Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby Alcala Barry » Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:59 pm

Any advice about this situation, that I may have to consider.

Me and my Spanish registered car are in the UK on a brief trip to see family etc. It has developed a major problem over here and the engine needs a complete rebuild. The car is not worth the spend (it's been around the clock and back) and I would prefer to get rid of it. It has little value. I think the cheapest solution is to scrap it in the UK and then return to Spain and buy another one.

Any thoughts or ideas about how I should inform the authorities here about the deathe of the car? I would like to get all of the paperwork done properly if possible.

Regards

Barry

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby 1bassleft » Sat Dec 29, 2018 2:01 am

If you're not expecting payment, you might consider making enquiries here:
https://giveacar.co.uk/need-to-scrap-yo ... reign-car/

and I would hope that the certificate or notification of destruction would be enough for a baja to be issued by your local trafico - but the organisation in the link might well have the information about that.

Alcala Barry
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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby Alcala Barry » Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:21 am

1bassleft

Thanks for the info and the link. The information regarding scrapping foreign registered cars is very thin, but I will investigate further.
Can I obtain a notification of destruction myself, or do I have to go through a Gestor?

Regards

Barry

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby northandsouth » Sat Dec 29, 2018 1:03 pm

And you need to pay the road tax up to the day it's scrapped

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:31 am

According to the website (and some previous 2012 posts on another forum) the charity provides you with the notification of scrapping. In the UK, they'd give you a Certificate which, along with your bit of the V5, would make life simple. In your case, the notification (possibly translated by a certified translator, I wouldn't be surprised) and your paperwork will need to be seen at the Trafico but try an email to the charity. Probably East European plates are their bread and butter but they've probably had some expats like yourself in the past. As N+S says, I believe a car can't be SORNed (one advantage my LHD UK plated car has over my ES one) and there is a tax and insurance requirement whether on the road or not. Makes me think that a little plea to have it stamped 31/12, if they're amenable, would be quite a help? If you own it in January, you're the taxpayer - although one would hope that the tax would be immediately pro-rata rather than you having to go back for a refund. Sorry I'm speculating so much, never having been in your situation, just trying to think of all possibles.

I was going to mention that there is an outfit on ebay UK (I tried my usual LHD search but no sign of them this time) who do a lot of converting cars to LHD and would probably be glad of your wreck for the dash, shafts, window and mirror switches etc necessary. They have a Facebook page. However, I have no personal experience of them and I got the impression that some right heaps end up as taxis in Africa so I'd not take it as read that all paperwork would be necessarily cleared up to your benefit.

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:42 am

Another thought: I've pointed a couple of people in Blighty with ES-plated LHDs in the direction of Pentagon Motors in Spondon and both were happy to handover to them. In those cases, of course, they were runners with value but they might even have a listen to your case and will definitely handle the paperwork if interested (they trailer away from all sorts of places). Even though your car doesn't seem worth repair, the LHD market in the UK is worth considerably more than its equivalent RHD. They might consider it worth fixing up and flipping, or cannibalising so it's worth a try.
https://www.lhdcarbuyer.com/
is their website

Alcala Barry
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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby Alcala Barry » Sun Dec 30, 2018 4:04 pm

1Bassleft

Thanks for that, I will contact this company you mentioned. As you say they may be able to repair it and then sell it on.

By the way, do you know when the car tax year is here. I pay the car tax every April/May, but the paperwork doesn't actually say when the tax is valid until?

Cheers

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby El Cid » Sun Dec 30, 2018 4:35 pm

It runs from Jan 1st although they send the bills out much later. The person who owns the car on Jan 1 is liable for the full years tax, even if he sells it on Jan 2.

Sid

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby Alcala Barry » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:10 pm

Sid.
So when I paid my car
tax last May (2018) the car tax is valid until December 2019? Have I got that right?

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costakid
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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby costakid » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:28 pm

Correct. 31st of the 12th

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:34 pm

Yes, as Sid says. Car tax runs from Jan 1st, even though the bills go out much later (mine came in late May this year). If you are registered as the owner on that date then you will be sent the tax demand. I don't know myself if it will be automatically reduced by having a baja in place by then or whether you would apply for a refund subsequently.

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby peteroldracer » Sun Dec 30, 2018 7:38 pm

"tax last May (2018) the car tax is valid until December 2019? Have I got that right?"
No - the payment in May '18 is for the calendar year 2018, so expires 31/12/18. You have one day to scrap it or you will be liable for the tax for the whole of 2019.
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Alcala Barry
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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby Alcala Barry » Sun Dec 30, 2018 8:20 pm

Peter.

I understand you - I made a mistake saying 2019 in my post. I should have said 'to the end of Dec 2018'. So, if I remaian the owner on the 2nd January 2019, which I will be, I am still liable for the tax payment for the whole of 2019, irrespective of what I do with the car. Understood.

Thanks for your input - oh and have a Happy New (2019) Year!

Barry

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Re: Scrapping a Spanish registered car in the UK

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Dec 30, 2018 8:38 pm

Might be worth a search - I haven't scrapped a car in Spain - but there may be a difference to scrapping vs selling. If you sell, the new owner gets free tax (explains why I was not getting any competition when I bought mine in mid-December - wish I'd known that haggle point). But I'm pretty sure I have read in the past someone grumbling that, having scrapped the car, the authorities were slow to refund the remaining tax unused. So, if you are billed as you likely will be, there might be a mechanism for reduction/refund. I can try to find out more and re-tread where I found that nugget if you turn up a blank. OTOH, it may have been ill-informed rantings from someone who doesn't understand why Spain isn't exactly like UK, so I don't want to get your hopes up, but it's worth finding out (mine won't last forever) so I'm happy to rummage.


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