Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Way Things Are - Car Things

MARBETES: Once a year each car has to get a new sticker for the mandatory"insurance" they call the marbete. They are supposed to send out a triplicate piece of paper with car info on it that you take to an inspection station and then pay the money for the insurance, get the sticker, stick in on your car and you are good for another year. Kind of like car registration in the states but not really. Only once in what is almost 6 years now has this happened and apparently I am not alone! As the sticker expiration date comes close I check the mail knowing it will not be there but WILLING it to be. Easter and all the holy week crap is coming up which means constant closures of important offices etc so I have got to realize my hopes are dashed and I have to go to the PR DMV-like government office (CESCO) like it or not. This is a place of nightmares. It is a place that simply does not function. Oh, THE NOTE. The first time I went to pick up this slip of paper I waited for an hour only to be told I couldn't have it because Jeff was on the title and I am not him. Doesn't matter that I had a marriage certificate, driver's license and a slew of other papers with me, I couldn't get it. This is not a TITLE, it is a piece of paper with the weight of the car on it. This time I was prepared...I had THE NOTE. I also had a copy of Jeff's driver's license and other papers including the title. I went in the afternoon (which is always better) and here is how it went...Amazingly there are only 7 people or so in the line, 5 of whom appear to be together (waiting is a family affair because apparently there is nothing else to do here). We all wait for almost 8 minutes or so with no one being helped by the 2 men behind the tall counter - they are joking and looking at their phones. Then they bark out that we need to stand on the lozas blanca. We need to be like cattle and stand on the white tiles. Everyone snaps into position and they chat some more. Then they attempt to do some work. Everyone is there for the same reason - no marbete paperwork. After 28 minutes they have helped 2 people and it is my turn. I give them the old marbete paper and tell them I need the paperwork. They say they can't give it to me so I whip out THE NOTE. They want my license which I pull out. Now they tell me that for some unknown reason (power trip maybe) I have to go the the pharmacy outside the building, get a copy of my driver's license, and come back. WTF? The government doesn't have a copy machine? What on earth do they even want it for? It is possible I don't drive and got a ride here. My driver's license has nothing to do with this. I comply, but instead of getting in the line again (which is now 30 people deep) I go to the counter and wait until I get it. Amazing. The next day I go to the inspection place and there are 3 cars ahead of me. It takes an hour. When he puts the paperwork into the computer there is a glitch. We have REAL insurance and get a partial voucher (why it isn't a full one I'll never know) for the marbete. They can't process that. So now I have to go to a collectoria to pay. Now it is day 3 and where it gets interesting. Instead of going into Aquadilla I decide to try the collectoria (federal/government office) in Moca to pay for the marbete AND pay our income taxes. I get directions from 2 people and cannot for the life of me find the place. I see a cop and ask him. He proceeds to DRIVE ME THERE. We drive out of the plaza area, turn in some unmarked metal gates to a parking lot with 3 cars in it. He points to an abandoned building with dark glass. I park thinking WTF? I catch a glimpse of a suited figure slipping out the door so I go there. INSIDE these dark windows is another set of doors with a sign - Collectoria. No signs out on the road. None on the gate. None on the building. The sign is inside where you cannot see it until you are there! I go in and there is NO ONE THERE. I go up, produce the paperwork (inspection certificate, insurance voucher, driver's license etc). He slips into the back and comes out with a shiny new marbete sticker! Next I pull out the taxes with check. He offers to copy it for me, gets a receipt and I am off in around 15 minutes after numerous smashings of the metal date stamp. Still there is no line. NO ONE KNOWS THIS IS HERE! All this so I can pay $96 dollars. They can't make this an on-line procedure?

FLAT TIRES: In all my driving years I have never had a flat tire until I got here. If you live here you will get flat tires but they are easy to take care of. It isn't free like in the states, but there is a gomeria on every corner and for $5 you can be on the road again. Sometimes they don't charge you. I had a helpful soul put on my spare in the PETSMART parking lot when I couldn't get the lug nuts off.

TOW TRUCKS: Tow trucks are everywhere and will come for you eventually. It is not expensive. We have towing insurance on the old truck but last week the car leaked its transmission fluid and got stuck. It was 8 minutes from our house when Jeff and I had separate cars and were returning at 9:30 at night from diving. I went and got him and we left the car. It can take a couple hours for them to come for you and it is too hot to sit out there on the dirty, noisy road or in this case to dark and too late at night. The next morning we went to the KIA dealer and gave them $50 to tow it. Gave them the key and the location and didn't have to deal with that part of it. Knowing where to tow it is a different thing because if it isn't moving you have to know where a mechanic is so the tow guy can deposit it there. In this case the Kia has a 100,000 mile warranty so it is their problem. That's the only reason we got that car - all cars will have a problem here. It has now been a week and they just got the hose in. Now they can see if the transmission is screwed or if the hose is the only problem. A week.

CAR PARTS: Getting parts is what holds things up. Mechanics here are used to making things run with left over wires and garbage basically, but when the car window was smashed (while caving) it took over 3 weeks for the dealer to get one in. I think a monkey was steering it as a raft from Florida or something! That solves the mystery of why so many cars are driving around with garbage bags taped over the gaps. Going to a junker may work for older cars. Maybe. Lots of cars have mirrors hanging on by a wire since "mirror tapping" is a common act of aggression and stupidity here. No one even stops when they do it. Having the marbete insurance pay for it (or other car damage) just isn't worth the time it takes to register the parts with CESCO, So my mirror is taped on and Jeff had to replace the mirror part of his. Most cars don't bother fixing them and apparently pass the inspection anyway.

DRIVER'S LICENSE: This is something I have to do in July and I am really dreading it. My friend who has lived here her whole life just did it in 14 hours. There is a line to get a paper that proves you don't have tickets (or have paid them). Another to prove you don't owe tolls (no toll roads on this side of the island). Another paper is a doctor certificate that literally check off that you have a head and hands. You need stamps (another line). You need a bill to show your address. On and on the ridiculousness continues and I'll more to say about it once I have experienced it. I'd let is lapse but then insurance won't cover accidents to I can't really do that. To be continued...

12 comments:

Fran and Steve said...

Hahaha! Funny stuff. Did you know you can get your registration document online? Remember the following for next year. 1) You go to http://www.dtop.gov.pr/serviciosenlinea/ and register (there is an English option). Once you do that, you can download and print your registration (marbete) document (as long as it is within 45 days of the expiration). It will print 2 copies. If I recall correctly, part of the registration process is that they will e-mail you a PIN, which you need in addition to your DL# and your password in order to access your account. Make a note of your password and PIN for next year. No need to wait for the often non-existent mailed registration, or go to CESCO! 2) If you have insurance other than the PointGuard that is offered at the inspection stations: A couple of months in advance, contact your insurance provider and ask them to mail you a proof of PR mandatory car insurance certificate. Tell them that the insurance expiration date must be the date the registration renewal expires, or later. This will be an original document with 3 tear-off parts (one is for you). Our insurance carrier (USAA) is familiar with the PR process, so they have the certificate in Spanish. Once you have those 2 documents (registration and insurance certificate), go to any inspection station for the local equivalent of a smog inspection, which costs $11. Unlike some states, in PR this is an annual requirement. After the inspection, you will get a receipt. 3) No need to go to a colecturía! Take the receipt to any FirstBank or Banco Popular and you can get your marbete (registration decal) for $85. This is the price if you have already purchased auto insurance. It's about $100 more if you don't, and have to purchase the PointGuard. We learned this process last year, and this year we breezed through the process. Well maybe not breezed through, but by local standards we considered it uncomplicated. Or else we've assimilated! Bottom line, much cheaper than in CA. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to add details that some newcomers could benefit from! -- Fran

Jeff and Katrina Kruse said...

Fran - Thanks for the tips! The other car is due in a couple months. The insurance 3-piece thing always comes a month ahead of time (CAICO) and they are great to deal with but...inspection places can't deal with them and the bank lines are the same or worse than the collectorias! Any tips on a license renewal????? K

Britton said...

Thanks for the online tip. I prefer to do anything and everything online.

Also it sounds like it would be beneficial to be as self sufficient as possible on the car repairs. I can do almost anything given the right tools and time, so hopefully I can get somewhat setup with the tools when we move.

I was thinking of a Tacoma/Toyota. They seem to be plentiful down there which makes the likelyhood of finding parts better.

Fran and Steve said...

Katrina, we haven't had to get our licenses renewed yet. So be sure to post your experience and tips! Regarding the insurance certificates, over here in the east, we had no problems with the inspection places accepting them, both cars, both years. -- Fran

Linda said...

I can't believe the amount of trouble you guys have!! We get our Marbete in the mail, make sure we have $200.00 in cash, go to a little strip mall in Rincon, pay them the $$ and in 3 minutes we have it!
(uh oh... something tells me I'm going to jinx myself). No really, I just did it last month. no problem.
I also want to tell you that you (and Cassie & Britton and Stefan& Summer and Miri & Nick) have inspired me to start a blog. I'm not very good at it yet, but my photoshopped pictures look good in it!
http://lduerrnj.wordpress.com/
Linda

Jeff and Katrina Kruse said...

Linda - Sometimes things work out. IF you get it in the mail and don't have additional insurance (meaning insurance other than the marbete kind), AND the car is in your name it COULD be reasonable. Jeff works and we drive to remote spots for caving so we have a newish car - we have real insurance on it which means more paperwork (although that part is always comes on time). We didn't know to put the truck in my name when we got here (who could believe this would be a problem?). He works and it is ridiculous for him to have to take time off work to do this kind of crap...How many work hours do professional people take off of work to wait in doctor's offices...do marbetes...renew licenses...pay taxes...go to CRIM... (far too many).

Anonymous said...

Katrina, I don't mean to hi-jack your blog, but I have declared today I am in need of help (advisement) from anyone on solving my PR water company AAA problem. In short, it's been a year and I cannot get AAA to read my water meter. They estimate my bill 2-3X higher than what I should be paying ($10.60) a month. I have paid $10.60 every month. The water is turned off at the street, on way into house, and in the house. No water is being used. No leaks. In Jan I went to AAA in Aguadilla with a hired Spanish speaker and thought it was resolved, but nothing changed. Anyone have any ideas? Today I got my 3rd turn off letter. AAA says they investigated my (5th)claim, and say I still owe whatever they say I owe based on no meter reading. Thx Wil

Jeff and Katrina Kruse said...

Wil- the only problems we've had with water have been switching it off at one house and on at the other (even though both owners - old and new- were present). You may want to wait until July when it may just resolve itself when the water bills go up $20 (as a surcharge) for everyone...you can only hope it'll be right then. Anyone else have ideas???? K (ps 0 power will be going up 15% as well so expect mess-ups there too!)

Jeff and Katrina Kruse said...

I vaguely recall having to get an affidavit when we moved into the house to "prove" that we were really here and shouldn't owe CRIM taxes (what that had to do with water I'll never know). Maybe you can visit David (our lawyer friend) next trip and he can write up an affidavit stating that you DON't live here and can't possibly be using water? Then you'd have an official document they can't ignore...K

Anonymous said...

All good ideas, K, thanks. I'd like nothing more than to wait till July! I think they have me as either 'commercial' or as having water AND sewerage and that may be causing billing problems...but then who really knows. It's still only estimated. I am still open to any ideas.....Wil

Jeff and Katrina Kruse said...

Wil, Do you have pictures of your meter?
Hopefully you have pictures of it every time you visit. Maybe put the days newspaper with the date visable in the picture.

It should be very easy to see how much you are using based on the reading.

Linda said...

Katrina,
this is for you
http://lduerrnj.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/no-es-facil/